The low fur prices have a lot of us down, but most trappers can't stand to sit at home when the season opens. So far I've stuck close to home, trapping muskrats in the swamp across the road from home. It keeps the gas bill low and I haven't got much to lose if fur continues to be near worthless this season. Trapping season for all furbearers opens soon here in Maine, and … [Read more...]
Lessons Learned from Failure on the Marten Trapline
Over the years, I've learned never to take things for granted in trapping. Things don't always go as planned, and we trappers do make mistakes. I try to take away a valuable lesson from each failed experiment on the 'line, but for some reason, it's taken me much longer to learn from my marten trapping mistakes. I'm still not sure what the lesson is, but I guess it'll get … [Read more...]
The Flag Tape Muskrat Set
The other day I was watching a Youtube video on muskrat trapping and saw a set I'd never seen before. The young trapper in the video made a baited set with a 110 conibear, but it wasn't bait he used on the trigger - it was a piece of flagging tape. The tape works as a visual attractor and its bright color resembles some sort of food under the water. I found it hard to … [Read more...]
Muskrat Surprise
It was November 18th and the first big snowstorm of the year was finally on its way. The wind was blowing hard from the southwest and a bank of clouds began to shroud the mountains. Since I’ve moved to Montana, it’s taken some time to adjust to a couple of things. One is the weather, which is more unpredictable than you can imagine. The other is the hunting season. With … [Read more...]
Back To Trapping
It’s been a long, productive hunting season in Montana thus far, but I finally decided to put the hunting rifle away and shift my focus to trapping. I’d been thinking of trapping for quite some time this fall, but while shooting, butchering and processing 7 deer, 2 antelope and an elk, there wasn’t much time to do anything else! The meat freezers are full, and it’s time to … [Read more...]
In Pursuit of a Problem Beaver
My neighbor down the road had a problem. A beaver problem. I'd seen this type of problem before. A beaver had moved into his complex of farm ponds from a nearby stream and decided to make his winter home there. It was late fall, and this big rodent wasn't wasting any time getting ready for winter. The first objective was to build a home, which was accomplished by burrowing … [Read more...]
Newspaper Tubes for Trapping Marten
This season, I've decided to try using newspaper tubes for cubby sets on my marten trapline. The tubes make for a great cubby, with the open end being the perfect size for a 120 conibear trap. I got a great deal on 20 tubes and plan to set them up on my line before the season starts, but not without a little bit of modification. I've drilled a series of holes through the … [Read more...]
Small Trickles are Great Places to Catch Mink and Muskrats
Narrow areas along small waterways offer a great opportunity to pick up traveling mink and muskrats as they move in search of food and/or shelter. The location below was the outlet of a small culvert, with a trickle of water leading to a canal. There were limited locations to set conibears in the canal, but this waterway allowed the perfect opportunity to put in a 110. I … [Read more...]