Trapping Adventures with Prune

41magnum

Twelve Pointer
Last year I had a bobcat coming to a beaver carcass so I set 2 traps around it. Next morning I had 2 buzzards in them.

That tells me your traps were too close to carcass.
Always set on approach trails whenever possible.
If you can't see trail, just make a flashy set so the cat sees it on the way to carcass.
Typically I set at 10, 2, and 6 o'clock so the attractors can be seen with ease.


Thanks for the updates Buck !
 
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odie408

Ten Pointer
I dig a hole big enough to stake the beaver in and cover it with a few inches of dirt and pile the rest on either side leaving the ends open. I a few days when the yote starts to dig I cover it back up and set the traps on either end. No buzzard problem as long as its covered. Works great. I have stood a stiff possum down in the whole a caught trap weary yotes Gets their mind off there feet.
 

Jammer

Six Pointer
Today was a great catch and release day. I can't wait to get up to Chatham Co so we can have catch and keep days. Jan 1st can't get here soon enough. Anyway, we had a double at the first stop. A red and a grey. This was the location with the staked beaver. I had a pic come in last night of a red eating on the beaver. Had a nice fat coon at the next stop. The final stop on the west side had a couple snapped traps with deer being the most likely culprits. The first stop on the east side had a red. Kept rolling zero for the next few stops and then had a grey at the last set on the line.

We hauled the lone coon back to the fur shack. *No foxes were harmed in the making of this post* Then we skinned the coon and the beaver from yesterday and put yesterday's coon and yote on boards.

Here are today's pics:

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Ncfish001

Four Pointer
I'm not a trapper and really enjoy this thread. I'd love to see a few pictures of you releasing the foxes as I bet it's interesting.
 

Jammer

Six Pointer
I'm not a trapper and really enjoy this thread. I'd love to see a few pictures of you releasing the foxes as I bet it's interesting.

Reds are pretty easy if you can get ahold of the tail first. Then it’s just scruff them, pop the trap and let them go.

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Don’t mind the goofy look on Prune’s face. This was it for today. We pulled some traps on the east side and moved to a different farm a few miles away. We couldn’t walk 10 yards without seeing another pile of coyote turds and there were fresh tracks everywhere. Should be some keepers tomorrow.


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Ldsoldier

Old Mossy Horns
Reds are pretty easy if you can get ahold of the tail first. Then it’s just scruff them, pop the trap and let them go.

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Don’t mind the goofy look on Prune’s face. This was it for today. We pulled some traps on the east side and moved to a different farm a few miles away. We couldn’t walk 10 yards without seeing another pile of coyote turds and there were fresh tracks everywhere. Should be some keepers tomorrow.


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That’s Prune’s normal look, lol.
 

Jammer

Six Pointer
Reds are pretty easy if you can get ahold of the tail first. Then it’s just scruff them, pop the trap and let them go.

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Don’t try this at home. Prune is a trained professional. Plus he has one foot in the grave so he isn’t risking much.


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Jammer

Six Pointer
Today was a pretty good day. Had a grey at the first stop. It's always nice to have a first stop catch. Our second stop produced a real pretty bobcat. He was kinda mean and Prune got a pretty good laugh when the cat almost got me when I was trying to get the catch pole around its neck. Prune showed off his 40+ years of trapping experience when he estimated the cat's weight at 26 pounds just by looking at it. When we got back to the fur shack the scales read 26 pounds so either Prune is good enough to guess weight at the county fair or his scales are stuck at 26 pounds.

The next 2 stops had a possum and a fat coon respectively. That was it for the west side. The east side was a bust today but we did have a snapped trap with a nice cat track next to it. There was also a torn up rabbit carcass in a trap. Not sure what happened but I think a yote had the rabbit in its mouth and smelled the bait so it dropped the rabbit. Unfortunately the rabbit landed on the pan. Whatever it was it only got to eat the head.

I took a few pictures as Prune used the catch pole to release the grey since that is how we do it 99% of the time. Enjoy today's pics:

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PG2

Ten Pointer
You are catching some pretty grays and the fur and coloration on the yotes are too...


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Jammer

Six Pointer
Looking forward to some mudball pics here...

I’ve been slacking with updates the last couple days. I’ll sit down this afternoon and catch up. We have had below average catches but still having fun.

As far as mud balls go, just a possum so far but we’ve only checked 6 traps.
Every time we get to a trap I hope the critter is in Prune’s trap and he hopes it’s in mine. Neither one of us wants to get out of the truck. The possum was in my trap ☹️


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Jammer

Six Pointer
Time to Catch Up

Monday was a slow day. The only critter to get a free ride in the back of the truck was a big ol fat coon. I think we could have stretched her on an ironing board! Only had activity at one other set. We had a snapped trap and cat tracks around it. Tuesday was a little better. Started off with a grey at our first stop. I swear we have caught the same fox 5 times. Either that or this particular farm is loaded. I think I saw a smirk on the fox's face as it ran off. The last stop on the west side had a female yote. The trap that was snapped on Monday was snapped again with more bobcat tracks. We swapped out the Bridger 1.75 for an MB550. We weren't gonna miss that kitty again!

We knew the rain last night and today would bring out the possums and we weren't disappointed. The first stop had an average sized grinner in the same trap that had the grey yesterday. Had another big possum near yesterday's coyote. He should stretch to 29". That makes 3 that have gone almost 30" this year. They might be $5 possums at NAFA....big money :D The bobcat must be afraid of the MB550. No tracks today. The last stop had a sorry looking drowned rat of a grey. For the last 2 days we have had Prune's 10 y/o grandson riding with us. We always laugh during trapping season but the things this kid comes up with had my sides hurting from all the laughter.

Enjoy the pics.
 

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Jammer

Six Pointer
Due to work commitments I couldn't ride with Prune yesterday or today and that caused me to miss out on an epic adventure or should I say misadventure. I reminded Prune that he needed to take pictures of our catches so I could post them here. At his first stop yesterday there was a yote in a trap across a bean field. He made all the way across the field when he realized he forgot his phone to snap a pick so he turned around. He got back to the truck, grabbed his phone and headed across the field for the second time. That's when he noticed the yote that had just been in the trap was now hightailing it to the woodline. Lets just say a .22 revolver loaded with shorts is not the weapon of choice for running coyotes. He had to settle for a grinner in the next trap. The next stop had a bobkitten that went about 4-5 pounds. It was released to grow some more. The last stop for the day did produce a large male coyote so the day wasn't completely lost.

Had a coyote on camera last night where we had the second yote yesterday but nothing in the trap today. We did have a huge pumpkin headed cat on that farm though. He weighed 29.5 pounds and stretched to 42" on the back and 46" on the belly. That's on an 8" wide board. That was the extent of today's catches. We will both be in the truck tomorrow. Hopefully it will be a good day.

Enjoy the pics.

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L.P.

Four Pointer
Contributor
Thanks for the report. Really enjoy the pic's. Wish my traps produced like ya'lls!
 

Jammer

Six Pointer
Not a lot of action yesterday. We had 1 average sized possum in a foothold and 2 beavers in the swamp. The possum was real dark so it is almost worthless but would make a nice hat. One beaver was just a dunk but the other was a big male. The big joker had a huge big on the back of his neck. The bite paired with all the dam breaks being repaired tells us there is at least 1 one more big beaver in there. Possible more. We’ve already taken 7 out pool.

We didn’t get skunked today but we only gave 1 big possum a ride to the fur shack. I learn something new about Prune. I thought after 3 years of trapping with him that I knew him pretty well. Boy was I wrong!

We both had obligations today so we started before daylight. At our first stop we had eyes shining but the critter wasn’t near a trap. When it sat on its hind legs it gave itself up as a coon. We were about 100 yards away from it so a shot from the .22 revolver was out. Prune said “I bet I can tree it” and took off at an old man sprint into the darkness barking as he went. Sure enough he treed the dang coon. The only problem was the ran across the deep muck at the end of a pond before going up the tree. A $2 trash panda wasn’t worth wading through the muck so I just patted Prune’s head and promised him a treat. That reminds me, I need to pick up some milkbones.

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41magnum

Twelve Pointer
Those Portable Pockets make sets quick too...no digging a dirt hole.

Sold 8 dozen so far this yr ---3 to a guy to add to the 2 dozen he bought last year!
 

Jammer

Six Pointer
I hope Santa brought everyone everything they asked for yesterday. I was up early getting the smoker going for a nice slow burn on a pork shoulder so I got to see the initial reaction of my 10 year old daughter when she saw the new bike waiting for her. There is nothing that can compare to way her face lit up! In the age of the interwebs and all things electronic, I love the fact that she was that excited for a bike. She gets that excited when she rides in the truck to check traps too! She will be the first to tell you that every trap we check is like Christmas morning. The anticipation of what might be in the trap. I feel the same way every morning when I get in the truck. I'll quit if I ever lose that feeling.

Prune was by himself checking traps yesterday. Between presents and kids and cooking and the In-laws at the house I couldn't get away. I didn't really miss much. We didn't get skunked but we did get possum'd. One lone grinner was yesterday's haul and Prune was overtaken with the holiday spirit. He let that joker go. I did have some yotes on camera last night. I'm hoping they are snuggled all warm in some footholds and later some visions of .22lr can dance in their heads. The return of the cold weather should have had all the critters moving last night.

Here is a pic of the luckiest possum in the world.

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Jammer

Six Pointer
This must be the year of the possum. Really big possums. Possums with canines that extend down below the chin. Caught another one today and that was it. Had a nice yote on camera last night but he didn’t step on the pan.

We set 8 or 10 traps on another new farm. It has a ton of fresh coyote and cat tracks. We’ll see what tomorrow brings.


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Jammer

Six Pointer
Alright y’all, I’ve been slacking on the updates. 2 days ago we had a possum and a big beaver. I think we finally got the last one out of the swamp. Yesterday was another slow day but we did connect with a real pretty female coyote.

It’s been really slow for the last week but at least we are still putting fur in the truck. We have heard from a few trappers that have been rolling zeros for days on end. Next week we are headed to Chatham.

Here are a pics from the last couple days. The last pic is me and my new friend Grady.

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