Started the trap line today

UPDATE: Talk about a stroke of luck this morning. As I pulled into the parking area where I trap, a Warden pulled in right behind me. I walked up to his truck and mentioned they were just the people I wanted to see. I am sure it isn’t too often they hear that Anyway, I explained to him about the traps and the rats in them for 4 days now. the warden asked if I would be willing to take him out there and show him. Of course I obliged and off we went. With what he seen, he felt it was best to remove the traps and asked if I would help him. He took one side of the pond and I took the other. Together we pulled around 15 rat traps and 2 bucket sets. There were rats in 2 of them which were nasty. So, hopefully they can figure out what happened to the guy that the traps belong to. The CO was a very nice guy and very proffessional. We had a nice conversation while walking around pulling traps and I was also checking mine. He also checked mine which was perfectly fine with me to make sure they were legal. Now tomorrow I will need to get a few more of my traps out there because there are quite a few runs that are still active that I didn’t touch because the other traps were in the general area.
I only ended up with 1 rat again today. I thought the coon would have been running better last night with the warm temps and a little bit of mist. It was VERY foggy out there this morning. Hopefully tomorrow will be a more productive day. One thing is for sure, I am definitely getting my exercise every morning

Glad to see the CO was nice, I have ran into a few and once I started talking to them they ended up being vary nice people. I spose they dont run into people that are that willing to be open with what they are doing most of the time!

Good Luck on the trapping!!

There is still time to hit the deer that are in the area too

Glad to see the CO was nice, I have ran into a few and once I started talking to them they ended up being vary nice people. I spose they dont run into people that are that willing to be open with what they are doing most of the time!

Good Luck on the trapping!!

There is still time to hit the deer that are in the area too

Today’s check resulted in the big skunk
Started off in the rain and somehow getting totally turned around in the swamp. I have been walking the same trail everyday, but today I must have gotten off the trail a little bit. I was actually starting to get worried for a little bit. When I finally got to familiar territory, I was WAY off from my usual starting point. The only problem with that was that I had to backtrack to get to the first set of traps. I ended up pulling these and relocating to another area this morning. I think I am going to be pulling most of the coon sets as well as most of the rat traps in the swamp in anticipation of the freezing weather that is coming. I power set rat traps this morning and will hopefully pull a few more rats. The sign is there, but I haven’t figured out how to get the rats. This area does not have your traditional runs and houses to set. But, the roots and tubers they are eating are floating on the water in key locations. One thing I have noticed when trapping rats here. If there are not cattails, there are no runs.
I did have one snapped trap at a pvc set this morning, but no evidence of a catch. My thought is it was snapped by one of beavers out here. The coons have just flat humbled me. I am setting on sign, using various lures, but they just haven’t hit the sets. I did find a few other areas that I reset this morning using 160’s in blind trail sets that look promosing. These will also be left since the cold will not affect these. I think tomorrow I am going to put out more 1.5 coils for coon on the bigger river where the ice will not be a problem for awhile yet. Now I just need to figure out the mink. There is quite a bit of mink sign, but I haven’t really targetted these before.
Once things get cold and we get ice, I will be in search of more areas to trap that haven’t been hit as hard as this area. That in itself might prove to be a huge challenge. But, staying active is my main goal and fur is secondary.

Today’s check resulted in the big skunk
Started off in the rain and somehow getting totally turned around in the swamp. I have been walking the same trail everyday, but today I must have gotten off the trail a little bit. I was actually starting to get worried for a little bit. When I finally got to familiar territory, I was WAY off from my usual starting point. The only problem with that was that I had to backtrack to get to the first set of traps. I ended up pulling these and relocating to another area this morning. I think I am going to be pulling most of the coon sets as well as most of the rat traps in the swamp in anticipation of the freezing weather that is coming. I power set rat traps this morning and will hopefully pull a few more rats. The sign is there, but I haven’t figured out how to get the rats. This area does not have your traditional runs and houses to set. But, the roots and tubers they are eating are floating on the water in key locations. One thing I have noticed when trapping rats here. If there are not cattails, there are no runs.
I did have one snapped trap at a pvc set this morning, but no evidence of a catch. My thought is it was snapped by one of beavers out here. The coons have just flat humbled me. I am setting on sign, using various lures, but they just haven’t hit the sets. I did find a few other areas that I reset this morning using 160’s in blind trail sets that look promosing. These will also be left since the cold will not affect these. I think tomorrow I am going to put out more 1.5 coils for coon on the bigger river where the ice will not be a problem for awhile yet. Now I just need to figure out the mink. There is quite a bit of mink sign, but I haven’t really targetted these before.
Once things get cold and we get ice, I will be in search of more areas to trap that haven’t been hit as hard as this area. That in itself might prove to be a huge challenge. But, staying active is my main goal and fur is secondary.

Nice report, Mike! The key to success is being readily willing to remove,replace,reset traps whenever things seem bleak. If you are seeing sign there… then they will be there. Not always exactly where we think they might be… sometimes, we need to look at where we think they might NOT be. Example… Set a coon trap in a spot… nothing for a week. Moved it over about 2 feet to the right of where it was originally… had a coon the next morning. The little trail I had it on was twice the size I moved it to… but worked like a charm.

Keep up the awesome reports, Mike!!! And good luck!!!

Nice report, Mike! The key to success is being readily willing to remove,replace,reset traps whenever things seem bleak. If you are seeing sign there… then they will be there. Not always exactly where we think they might be… sometimes, we need to look at where we think they might NOT be. Example… Set a coon trap in a spot… nothing for a week. Moved it over about 2 feet to the right of where it was originally… had a coon the next morning. The little trail I had it on was twice the size I moved it to… but worked like a charm.

Keep up the awesome reports, Mike!!! And good luck!!!

I am enjoying following this thread as well Mike – I used to do alot of trapping myself – heck I paid for my first car, a 69 Chevelle with rat hide money – of course they were upwards of $7.00 a piece then for a cased, stretched hide. I would buy a 110 Conibear and a #1 Stop Loss every few days – all the rest of the $ went to the car fund.

I am enjoying following this thread as well Mike – I used to do alot of trapping myself – heck I paid for my first car, a 69 Chevelle with rat hide money – of course they were upwards of $7.00 a piece then for a cased, stretched hide. I would buy a 110 Conibear and a #1 Stop Loss every few days – all the rest of the $ went to the car fund.

Thanks guys
It is always cool to hear the stories from the guys who trapped in the 70’s and 80’s. I have heard quite a few accounts from people who bought their first vehicle from money earned by trapping. I have the time to run a long line if I really wanted to, but I am lacking the land and the muskrat population has diminished considerably. I would love to be able to have enough traps out to take most of the day to check. This morning was pretty quiet, but I did get to see a very bright Cardinal, he was busy watching me make a set.

Thanks guys
It is always cool to hear the stories from the guys who trapped in the 70’s and 80’s. I have heard quite a few accounts from people who bought their first vehicle from money earned by trapping. I have the time to run a long line if I really wanted to, but I am lacking the land and the muskrat population has diminished considerably. I would love to be able to have enough traps out to take most of the day to check. This morning was pretty quiet, but I did get to see a very bright Cardinal, he was busy watching me make a set.

Drew another blank today I pulled all the rat sets and am down to a dozen sets all set for coon. There is more sign on the rivers edge than there was a few days ago, so I dropped a few pocket set as well as more pvc sets. For some reason, the pvc sets are not producing for me this season. It used to be my #1 set and dirtholes being a distant second. I am actually more excited for Saturday and hope there is something waiting for me then. The kids are going to go out with me since I am out of the really nasty mucky marsh area. They always get a kick out of checking traps

Drew another blank today I pulled all the rat sets and am down to a dozen sets all set for coon. There is more sign on the rivers edge than there was a few days ago, so I dropped a few pocket set as well as more pvc sets. For some reason, the pvc sets are not producing for me this season. It used to be my #1 set and dirtholes being a distant second. I am actually more excited for Saturday and hope there is something waiting for me then. The kids are going to go out with me since I am out of the really nasty mucky marsh area. They always get a kick out of checking traps

I set a trapline last night and bagged a furry field mouse. That’ll fix that little critter for crappin’ on my desk at work…

No mouse can resist the allure of string cheese.

I set a trapline last night and bagged a furry field mouse. That’ll fix that little critter for crappin’ on my desk at work…

No mouse can resist the allure of string cheese.

I too have a mission with the little furry friends in my house The little buggers are terrible this year. have you ever messed with the spray foam stuff to seal up holes and such? Well, I learned a valuable lesson today. If the can says to wear gloves, you should head the warning I can’t get this stuff off with HOT water, soap, or fingernail polish remover

I too have a mission with the little furry friends in my house The little buggers are terrible this year. have you ever messed with the spray foam stuff to seal up holes and such? Well, I learned a valuable lesson today. If the can says to wear gloves, you should head the warning I can’t get this stuff off with HOT water, soap, or fingernail polish remover

What are you doing wearing finger nail polish

DeCon…the cat gets sick once a year but we have no mice

That is way cool you are taking the kids with Saturday. I hope you hit the mother load with them along. Everyone in the county will know where you are trapping with the hootin’ and hollerin’
I am also looking forward to some more pics
Go get em Jeremiah Johnson

Watch yur top notch

What are you doing wearing finger nail polish

DeCon…the cat gets sick once a year but we have no mice

That is way cool you are taking the kids with Saturday. I hope you hit the mother load with them along. Everyone in the county will know where you are trapping with the hootin’ and hollerin’
I am also looking forward to some more pics
Go get em Jeremiah Johnson

Watch yur top notch

I did finally break down and get a cat ( well, I really didn’t have a choice ) a couple months ago. She isn’t doing a very good job
She also goes nuts when I come in from trapping. I set the traps with gloves and bait and lure sets barehanded so I always have the smells on my hands It is kind of comical to watch her reaction when she comes near me

I did finally break down and get a cat ( well, I really didn’t have a choice ) a couple months ago. She isn’t doing a very good job
She also goes nuts when I come in from trapping. I set the traps with gloves and bait and lure sets barehanded so I always have the smells on my hands It is kind of comical to watch her reaction when she comes near me

Hey Mike… been my experience that most indoor cats are not very good mousers. The best mouser is one that doesn’t get “fed” on a regular basis. We have 2 barn cats (though, we have no barn so they spend sleeping time in the garage… which sucks cause I am allergic to them… and can’t pick up a tool without cat hair on them)… anyway, we used to have a mouse problem in the house. Set sticky traps and would get one here and there. But, eventually, we go the barn cats. Don’t feed them much other than a little milk… or dog food once in a while. I am picking up dead mice, moles, birds, etc about 3 times a week… and since we have had these… haven’t had a single mouse in the house. We used to find dog food that mice stole out of the dishes… they would store them up in the dang sewing kit that wasn’t latched all the way shut. But no more… rather pick up dead mice off the doorstep (which is where they leave them) than picking up mouse crap and dog food from the oddest places.

Hey Mike… been my experience that most indoor cats are not very good mousers. The best mouser is one that doesn’t get “fed” on a regular basis. We have 2 barn cats (though, we have no barn so they spend sleeping time in the garage… which sucks cause I am allergic to them… and can’t pick up a tool without cat hair on them)… anyway, we used to have a mouse problem in the house. Set sticky traps and would get one here and there. But, eventually, we go the barn cats. Don’t feed them much other than a little milk… or dog food once in a while. I am picking up dead mice, moles, birds, etc about 3 times a week… and since we have had these… haven’t had a single mouse in the house. We used to find dog food that mice stole out of the dishes… they would store them up in the dang sewing kit that wasn’t latched all the way shut. But no more… rather pick up dead mice off the doorstep (which is where they leave them) than picking up mouse crap and dog food from the oddest places.

After todays check, still nothing. But, I did have a coon walk within a foot of my trap and he didn’t stop to work it. So, that tells me I needed to either get more eye appeal or stronger bait. I brought some fish along today to use for bait in the pockets and pvc sets. I pulled the last couple dirthole sets this morning. So, since I don’t have any critters to show, I thught I would post pics of a couple sets I am using now. I didn’t get pics of blind sets or the bucket sets because I drop the sled to go check those traps instead of dragging it through the tall grass and such.

After todays check, still nothing. But, I did have a coon walk within a foot of my trap and he didn’t stop to work it. So, that tells me I needed to either get more eye appeal or stronger bait. I brought some fish along today to use for bait in the pockets and pvc sets. I pulled the last couple dirthole sets this morning. So, since I don’t have any critters to show, I thught I would post pics of a couple sets I am using now. I didn’t get pics of blind sets or the bucket sets because I drop the sled to go check those traps instead of dragging it through the tall grass and such.

This pic is the typical pocket set. I take my trappers trowel and dig a hole in the bank and then slick the sides up with water. This gives it eye appeal which helps it stick out from the rest of the bank. I like to dig them at least 12″ back into the bank and just deep enough to cover the trap in around an inch of water. In the back of the hole I leave a little shelf out of the water to put the bait on. This set is great for coon and mink.

This pic is the typical pocket set. I take my trappers trowel and dig a hole in the bank and then slick the sides up with water. This gives it eye appeal which helps it stick out from the rest of the bank. I like to dig them at least 12″ back into the bank and just deep enough to cover the trap in around an inch of water. In the back of the hole I leave a little shelf out of the water to put the bait on. This set is great for coon and mink.

Next up is the PVC set. To set these up all you need is a piece of pvc pipe, trap, and bait or lure. I like to use the pvc set on both land and water. In this case, it is used as a water set. There are several ways to use this, but here I shoved the pipe into the bank so that the end is hanging over the water. Once that is set, take your trap and set it in the water right under where the end of the pipe is. You then stick your bair or lure in the pipe and stuff a little grass to plug the pipe. By plugging with grass, you make the coon work to get the bait which will give you more chances to get his foot caught. Plugging also keeps your set legal because we cannot use any sight exposed bait. This is usually a very good producer for me both on land and water.

Next up is the PVC set. To set these up all you need is a piece of pvc pipe, trap, and bait or lure. I like to use the pvc set on both land and water. In this case, it is used as a water set. There are several ways to use this, but here I shoved the pipe into the bank so that the end is hanging over the water. Once that is set, take your trap and set it in the water right under where the end of the pipe is. You then stick your bair or lure in the pipe and stuff a little grass to plug the pipe. By plugging with grass, you make the coon work to get the bait which will give you more chances to get his foot caught. Plugging also keeps your set legal because we cannot use any sight exposed bait. This is usually a very good producer for me both on land and water.

These two traps are fairly close to each other and I did have a visitor last night. As fresh as the tracks were, the coon must have been out early this morning. We had a pretty good thunderstorm and quite a bit of rain last night, so they must have waited until after the storm to run. I took a pic of the tracks of the coon that will be in the trap tomorrow morning