trapping

[JamesE. PikeLogging]

anyone on here trap? Me and my dad trap just about everything

[ARKANSAWYER]

Not like I used to.  I still trap a few coons in the winter for smoking and when other vermin are trying to get into the chicken house.  I have a hog trap but not used it much lately either.  I have a guy who wants me to trap some beaver out of his pond.  They are getting out of hand and killing alot of trees around the pond.  I may try to do it next fall when the season opens, unless he gets a pest permit from the Game and Fish.

[Magicman]

I've had to get the county trapper to reduce my beaver population.  Caught one old sow that went 49 pounds.  They will dam up the creek and cause flooding as well as gnawing trees down.

Thankfully, I don't have hogs......yet.    >:(

[Left Coast Chris]

Only gophers.  105 caught in the last year.  About half were with the Victor Black box.  The other half with flooding and the dog and the dog alone (Jack Russell).

[gary]

I trapped some mice last year. :D

[Magicman]

I've caught several skunks in my live trap.  I take a long pole and carefully drag the trap to the pond.  Did you know that skunks can't swim  ??? ??? ???

[TeaW]

I trap James, not as much as when I was younger. Caught 220 muskrat this spring. I belong to the local trappers council, we had our yearly Workshop last weekend it was a good day I helped look after the best handled pelt competition. We had 12 species with 87 pelts entered and gave out about $600. in prize money. The judges where graders from the two auction houses.

[Part_Timer]

My son and I trap when we get the chance.  Coon,rats, and the acassional beaver when the opportunity presents its self.
Whats your favorite set?

[chain]

I trap otter, beaver, and 'yotes about every year from the necessity of controlling nusiance animals.

When 'yotes run through our carport, and attack my dogs while out hiking then, they must be contolled.

Beaver & otter became nusiances in our fish lake however, I could put up with the otter more so than the destructive beaver. Some otter as well as nutria fall victim in my 330 beaver sets also. Generally I use the BGs because they quick-kill the animal good and dead. ;D Powerful machinery they are!

[trapper]

a couple hundred muskrat last fall.  two woodchuck for a lady friend of ours this week

[indiaxman1]

Coons, opossums....pelts aren't worth trouble....and hey, Magicman,,..didn't know skunks can't swim...may be useful info someday with those smelly guys

[clww]

Used to trap when I was in high school. Beaver (few), coons, mink, fox, bobcats. Haven't done it for years. I'll start again once we retire and move back to the mountains.

[Raider Bill]

I used to trap when I was in High school myself. Long time ago and haven't thought much about it since. What does Muskrat pelt's go for these days?

I trap coons and possums around my rentals from time to time now. I throw them to the gators. It's fun.......

[Norm]

So that's what happened to the last guy that didn't pay his rent! :D

[Raider Bill]

Yep just use a bigger trap.

[ely]

nothing can swim in a live trap. ;D

[TeaW]

What does Muskrat pelt's go for these days?

My rats averaged $8.00 last spring,fall rats are at Fur Harvesters Auction for Jan sale.

[Raider Bill]

I used to get around $1.75 back in the early 70's

[WildDog]

Dingoes/Wilddogs, foxs, feral pigs, goats and rabbits. In Tasmania in the mid 90's I helped a guy trapping Brush Tailed Possums for the Asian market. We employ 3 trappers that just target problem Wilddogs.

Snares and steel jawed traps are illegal in my state now, they must have rubber over the jaws.

I like 1080 poison, at work next month we are getting trained up in M-44 injectors, they come from the US but are still in the trial fase down here.

[northwoods1]

 

I did a lot of trapping in my younger years, here is a pic of a bobcat I caught one time. It was #57. I am 6'-2" and when I held it up by the rear legs it was longer than I was tall. I went back on this new spec road they had just pushed in and at the end of it was this sand bank where the turn around was. I made a dirt hole set in the bank and the next day when I came to check it I saw that a small cat had walked about 50' feet away from it right past and the tracks showed it didn't see the set at all. So I went and gathered all this logging ribbon they had used to mark the spec road and hung it right over the trap figuring that it moving in the wind would catch a cats attention and possibly make it come over closer and see the set. Next day this big cat was in it . That was exciting let me tell you! One thing I learned since then is never stake a trap down solid like I had here.

[CX3]

Why not stake them down? Do you use a "brush drag" instead

[ARKANSAWYER]

  If at all possible I use tie wire and wire it up to a small hickory tree about 1 1/2 inches around and about 6 ft up.  They can pull and be pulled all night long.  Also will cut a cedar tree about 6 ft long and wire it to the trap.  They drag them for a ways sometimes.

[North Pole Kid]

Use to trap harder, but now just to get my boys out and about.  Little harder up here, cutting thru 2 foot of ice to trap beaver, snowed in traps, -40 strech of weather, etc.  We do alright.  Mink, marten, lynx, beaver, otter, wolverine, yotes, fox, and wolves.  I prefer a game caller on a moonlit night, little more fun...

[Magicman]

I just noticed that I have a beaver population again.  I'll have to hire the trapper again this year.  :-\

[chain]

Those beaver can come out of the 'wood-work', so to speak. But I'm keeping my iron hung up on the wall this season; the drought did a number on the muskrat and beaver, yet river otter have gathered around our ponds in seemingly  large numbers. Scat and scrapes and slides everywhere. They must not have  many predators save possibly the bald eagle, but believe the eagle would only take the young otter.

If we ever get a tracking snow I may try to catch a 'cat ot two.

[Troublermaker]

Where do you sell your fur? All the local buyer around here got out of the business went fur prices went down hill. When beavers get in one of the ponds we just been shooting them. It look like such a waste to me. Back in the 70's I could get 30 to 40 dollars for the big blanket beavers. Rats was $5.00 for brown and $7.00 for blacks. Then I sell the meat for a $1.50 to $2.00. A good alive fox that feet wasn't mess up I could get $40.00 from a man that had a fox pen to run fox dogs. It didn't matter if it was a red or gray

[chain]

Looking at the January issue of "Trapper" I saw only one buyer listed in Va.: "J.Coakley, The trappers Heaven, Quickburg, Va." Might check your Virginia Trappers Association. Country buyers few and far between here, think many serious trappers may bundle and ship to auctions. I trap from necessity of nusiance animals locally and mostly sell in round or trade for traps and supplies. Fur prices in Virginia look fair , as you know, there are discounts from "southern sections, etc.".. cut into your 'profits.' :(

Yes, there ws a great slaughter of beaver here too, folks used about anything to kill 'em out. Amazing how river otter survived through the shooting and all.

[Mooseherder]

I just noticed that I have a beaver population again.  I'll have to hire the trapper again this year.  :-\

First the Wood Chuck problem and now this. ;D :D

[northwoods1]

Why not stake them down? Do you use a "brush drag" instead

CX3 , if you look at the pic of that cat , all he would have had to do is get up on that log and make one jump straight up and it would have likely pullet that trap out. There are a few advantages to a drag , one is that it give the trap a time to get secure on the foot before they really begin pulling on it. Another is if you have a good set it won't be torn apart the animal can move away from it. Another is that the animal is allowed to maybe move off towards a place where it can hide and it is not right that at the set trying to get free the entire time. It depends what kind of country you are in, but a pronged drag, or a pole like ARkansaw sawyer mentioned will work well.

[Magicman]

I just noticed that I have a beaver population again.  I'll have to hire the trapper again this year.  :-\

First the Wood Chuck problem and now this. ;D :D

Yup, I think that the beavers are cutting it down so the woodchucks can chuck it.  My argument is that it is still my wood and I want them to quit chucking my wood.   :D :D

[trapper]

I sold a few muskrat to a buyer that comes up from Ill.  average $7 for the last ones.  I have  couple hundred at the auction in Canada tomorrow.  The manager at the collection point in Stouton wi was excited about the prospect for prices this year.
Marv

[northwoods1]

I sold a few muskrat to a buyer that comes up from Ill.  average $7 for the last ones.  I have  couple hundred at the auction in Canada tomorrow.  The manager at the collection point in Stouton wi was excited about the prospect for prices this year.
Marv

Do you see a lot of muskrats where you are? I don't hardly see any these days. Beaver are a rare thing up here now. They are cyclical but populations have been down for years. Otter, now that is another thing I see lots of them and I thought that was kind of unusual cause beaver and otter go together lots of times.
I use to have so much fun trapping , you see a lot of things that you just don't see any other time.

[TeaW]

I see on the Fur Harvesters website they have 25000 beaver 50000 muskrat and 80000 racoon for the auction on Jan 7.

[trapper]

northwoods1
There are a lot of muskats in this area.  Dodge/Fond du lac county.  Large marshes.  We also have a better quality muskrat than in your area.  You do not see them before dark because of all the hunting pressure in the marshes around here.  I was suprised to see them swiming during the day when hunting and trapping in Lincoln co. 
Marv