Beaver at a Culvert in a 330 Bodygrip Trap (Video)
Gang Setting for Muskrats (Video)
Getting it Out of the System
Trapping season officially began up here today with the opening of early fox and coyote trapping. Muskrat starts next week, and then the big season gets going the week after, when I'll be out on the marten and fisher line in full force. Until then, my plan's been to get things wrapped up around the house and farm before taking off to the woods on my days off. That means lots … [Read more...]
Neil Olson’s 41st Annual Trappers Weekend
Last weekend I made the trip to Bethel, Maine to attend Neil Olson’s 41st Annual Trapper’s Weekend. It’s the biggest event of the year for New England trappers, with hundreds of trappers camped out in a field over the three or four days and probably a couple thousand coming in through the gates over the course of the weekend. I hadn’t been to the party for about 15 years, back … [Read more...]
Late Season Beaver Trapping
The boy and I had a good time checking our beaver traps this morning, and picked up a couple of flattails. Our cold climate and overabundant beaver population has allowed for a pretty late beaver trapping season in northern Maine, all the way till the end of April. Usually I'm busy with other things this time of year, but it's been so snowy and wet, it seems more appropriate … [Read more...]
Marten Trapline Update, December 2016
It's been another tough year on the marten line for me. Having limited success but still learning. Picked up a few marten and a few pointers from other marten trappers, even some beginners who have had much better success than I have. A couple feet of snow and another strikeout on a prospect line have beaten me down pretty good, but I am planning for next year. New … [Read more...]
Maine Marten Trapline 2016: Check 1
If you've followed this blog for a while, you have a good idea of my struggles on the marten trapline in recent years. This year I got the chance to put our a marten line earlier in the season, and got 25 sets out in new country that looked to be good marten habitat, but I'd never trapped there before. On Thursday, I checked the line for the first time. The sets yielded … [Read more...]