So put a couple 330’s out couple days ago, and caught my first beaver today.It’s a Youngen, but happy to have caught it. Gonna skin and try to do something with the hide. The fur is awesome, and a shame to waste. Also gonna save the little backstraps and hide quarters to see how they taste.
With only the two conibear traps, put one at a slide/water exit whatever, and this one that caught was at entrance to bank den. Waiting on fiberglass drowner rods to arrive for some leg trap action.
Bay, yes I do as those things are crazy strong. Hell, even with that scissor tool from Bridger, ya gotta man up a bit. Thankfully I took tool with me to check. Uphill both ways, haha.
Grew up in the thumb area in Michigan. Surrounded by crops, and dairy farms. So I trapped in the 70’s mainly muskrats, occasional mink, some coons and only one red fox. Caught a couple hawks using a rabbit wired to fence post in winter, lol.
No kidding, muskrats got to 8 bux apiece and I’m talking about brought home, threw in garbage bag then in deep freeze. Get enough then go to buyer.
Red Fox got up to around $80 and coons around $25 I believe.
Fox were so high in price that there was a group of hunters my dad was part of that would on Saturdays rig their snowmobiles up with a rig that would hang on the front side in open case that you could receive shotgun while moving, chasing. Was quite a few folks involved and in this area, roads were mostly built in square blocks. North south, east west, with just blocks of woods due to the farmland. They would turn out dogs and the chase would begin. Some in their trucks, some on snowmobiles.
I ain’t seen a muskrat house down here, they had a muskrat skinning contest in Golden Hill, Md every year in eastern dorchester county where the roads flooded on king tides or wind. Them dudes could skin! Women’s division too.
I took 1 spring off my 220s and never lost a coon they were a pain to set with both springs. I remember in the 70s when a big coon hide brung $30. Always liked running a line.
Same here, no rats down here that I have seen. Here is my skinning attempt of which I am proud of, haha. No cuts thru the skin, thankfully.
I might just snag a fleshing board and blade tomorrow. Not sure who tans hides anymore, so may try that myself…
BTW, little joker, female, had some castor that I saved, as well as all the poo that was pushing out during cleaning, lol. That’s supposed to have something in it from castor and oil glands…
You mention about all the roads running N/E/S/W. I guess when Americans started settling the country and moved up North we got a little more organized. You can fly out of Charleston and see all the haphazard roads and fields and as you move Northward things start to “clean” up. Google Earth North and South Dakota, You hardly see a curve in the roads.
Fred, lol. Plenty of folks fly and have probably noticed that across the country. Being honest here, when up there growing up folks used the reference of north of this, or east of that, blah, blah. Very different thing here with many not used to it or grew up with it, lol. People would not get it. No worries or offense, lol.
When they didn’t get it, my reply would be, bet you know what north or south is tho, haha.
Anyway, Drowning rods arrived tonight so maybe I will post some pics, as these are the fiberglass type. So light compared to steel and cool setup.
that’s what old boy used to get my beaver. He said you need a decent water depth drop off?? Hope you get them all. I never realised just how destructive they are. About 5 miles from me he was hired to get rid of a den. Got 7 and the adult male weighed in at 82#. He said that was the biggest he’s seen in this area. Told me that the male will run off all the offspring, forcing them to relocate and start the destruction else where.
Here is a pic of the trap with what you add to the rods. Already done, but the pointed end goes on the deep side, hopefully 4ish feet or more. With the stopper ring pinned into the fiberglass about 10" from end. The long piece with hole goes on other end and pinned into rod, then anchored with T-bar stake. Figure out what is appropriate for the deep end within reach of of the dam break you create as you have 8’ to work with. Set trap and place upside of break a few inches deep hoping they will be along soon to repair.
This is a Bridger 5 special.
Front foot catch only requires a couple feet of water, so wanna be deeper.
Exciting stuff for me…So awesome to retire sometime soon and have things ya love to do…Have seen many that think their life is ending as they don’t know anything else. And have no hobbies…go home and grab the remote…
