Okay cool, thank you. We reset right back in the same spot. Figure all the extra scent and visual disturbance can't hurt as attractant.
New to trapping. Things you wish you knew when you started?
- Thread starter Brauee20
- Start date
Okay cool, thank you. We reset right back in the same spot. Figure all the extra scent and visual disturbance can't hurt as attractant.
rjthehunter
Well-known member
I'd keep the pan tension light on the Coyote sets. I'd rather catch the coon and fox than miss a Coyote!
If you’ve got an extra trap another one just outside trap circle is a good spot too
Especially with a kid
I haven’t kept up on this post but have been thinking about it an easy I saw it started a few days ago. I haven’t trapped in at least 3 years but a few things that come to mind are:
-Always assume the water is deeper than your boots/gauntlets/waders until confirmed. The trapping trowels available when I started weren’t ever tall enough for me when I was water trapping. Was nice to carry a tile spade that I could test water depths with.
-Have a backup plan for dispatching beavers. Never seen an angrier animal than when I tried to dispatch with a quick rap to the head with a heavy trowel. Drowned cable failed. Always had a .22 along after that.
-Learning to set a 330 with your hands minimizes the extra weight of setting tongs in your bucket. Also one less thing to lose/drop in the water.
-body gripping safeties prevent pain
-don’t forget to un-hook the springs on body grippers when you walk away
-pre-compress all bodygripper springs for your initial sets. Makes the day go quicker and your hands aren’t as tired at the end of that first day
-paint every trapline tool a fluorescent color.
-gang set. If not for multiple critters traveling together, set multiples for multiple attempts at the same critter walking through an area. If it’s worth getting out of the truck for one trap check, it’s worth putting out a couple more.
Mallardsx2
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2015
- Messages
- 2,602
Yeah, we'll probably add one tomorrow outside the circle. I still have 3 of the #2's left. I've only been adding a couple traps a day to keep it fresh and not a slog for him standing around waiting on dad. I think we are up to about a dozen traps but they are mostly set in like groups of twos and threes at the ponds and creek in easy access spots and two easy to get to coyote sets.
Noted.
Thanks! We haven't set any of the coni's yet. The high banked deadfall minky stretch of creek is a briar hellhole. Saving that for a weekend project to spend some one on one time with my dad.
Most of the creek is hard gravel bottom but I did find a mucky section yesterday. I've been using a potato/drain spade as a crutch in the water and to dig pockets. Saved my butt in that goop yesterday.
Well my grandfather died this morning, so to get my dad's mind off of that we spent most of the afternoon sipping whiskey, and struggling with conibears. There wasn't a ton of sign of muskrat or mink in the creek, but we made bottom edge sets in two really tight corners, a bottom set with a sod island foothold right next to it in a small feeder stream, and a couple coni's in various choke points in the main creek.
We had another giant raccoon in a dp this morning. Any recommendations on a skinning knife? I used my vital and the blade was junk after those two fatty raccoons. I am sloooowww at getting hides off.
We had another giant raccoon in a dp this morning. Any recommendations on a skinning knife? I used my vital and the blade was junk after those two fatty raccoons. I am sloooowww at getting hides off.
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D
Deleted member 20812
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Sorry to hear about your grandpa.
I would think any well shaped blade in D2 or S30V should work well.
300 win mag
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- Joined
- Dec 3, 2020
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- 49
i set 3 raccoon traps in my woulds behind my house and every morning i usually get 1 to 2but rn im not trapping im mre focused on deer
Well we had our first pull out last night/this morning. It stings about as much as the 140" ten point I shot over the back of with my bow in November.
Scoured the catch circle. The hard pack clay on the edge of the field had no footprints in it and no fur in the jaws. We are guessing coon due to the offset jaws and the sheer number of them we've been catching. I hope at least, it would sting some much more if we knew it was a coyote. We are at 6 raccoons now with the one in the dp this morning (had lost it's tail). Whatever it was, it had practically chewed through the rotted log we are using backing.
Added an additional trap just out side the circle. Ordered another half dozen dogless #2's. This gets addicting in a hurry. Warren says it feels like Christmas every morning and I agree.
Ran down to the only local supply shop in the area and picked up some muskrat lure, some different coyote lure and bait, and a half gallon of fish oil. Was nervous on the way home because that coyote lure is obnoxiously loud and I could smell it double bagged in the trunk of my wife's car
. Luckily there's no smell in it this morning.
Scoured the catch circle. The hard pack clay on the edge of the field had no footprints in it and no fur in the jaws. We are guessing coon due to the offset jaws and the sheer number of them we've been catching. I hope at least, it would sting some much more if we knew it was a coyote. We are at 6 raccoons now with the one in the dp this morning (had lost it's tail). Whatever it was, it had practically chewed through the rotted log we are using backing.
Added an additional trap just out side the circle. Ordered another half dozen dogless #2's. This gets addicting in a hurry. Warren says it feels like Christmas every morning and I agree.
Ran down to the only local supply shop in the area and picked up some muskrat lure, some different coyote lure and bait, and a half gallon of fish oil. Was nervous on the way home because that coyote lure is obnoxiously loud and I could smell it double bagged in the trunk of my wife's car
. Luckily there's no smell in it this morning.
S
sharpshooter97
Guest
Get used to smells and being smelly as a trapper haha. Caught a couple skunks this fall. One of them to me didn't smell like he sprayed at all. Then I got to town and someone mentioned smelling skunk haha. Even handling with rubber gloves the smell somehow got to me.Well we had our first pull out last night/this morning. It stings about as much as the 140" ten point I shot over the back of with my bow in November.
Scoured the catch circle. The hard pack clay on the edge of the field had no footprints in it and no fur in the jaws. We are guessing coon due to the offset jaws and the sheer number of them we've been catching. I hope at least, it would sting some much more if we knew it was a coyote. We are at 6 raccoons now with the one in the dp this morning (had lost it's tail). Whatever it was, it had practically chewed through the rotted log we are using backing.
Added an additional trap just out side the circle. Ordered another half dozen dogless #2's. This gets addicting in a hurry. Warren says it feels like Christmas every morning and I agree.
Ran down to the only local supply shop in the area and picked up some muskrat lure, some different coyote lure and bait, and a half gallon of fish oil. Was nervous on the way home because that coyote lure is obnoxiously loud and I could smell it double bagged in the trunk of my wife's car
This stuff is bad. It gets your attention from 10-15 yards. Dunlap's Hellfire. I got some on my coat making another coyote set, so I have a dedicated trapping coat now.
A raccoon and a opossum that we cut loose were today's catch. We are going to have to wade through these raccoons before our coyote sets can ride it out.
Yesterday we put cameras on the two yote sets we had out and had a raccoon pull out of both sets. The offset #2's are making it easy for the smaller raccoons to get their legs out. I have two duke #2's that aren't offset we may swap those sets to or put a dog proof near both if we continue at this rate.
Attachments
Poked around another piece we have permission on tonight to water trap. Crazy the difference a couple miles down stream makes. Tons of sign. The best sign was as I got out of the car and crossed the bridge to start walking in.
Donned as much orange as I could muster, some body armor (kidding, but only slightly) and decided to go check out some state ground up the road today. Wasn't comfortable bringing the kiddo along as deer season is still going strong here.
I started seconding guessing myself when I got there as there was just about a vehicle in every turn off. I didn't want to be "that guy" and disrupting other folks hunts by pounding in stakes as state ground in the lower half of the lower can be few and far between.
Drove around for about an hour checking parcels and stumbled into a long narrow piece with a stream running through and no vehicles in the tight and somewhat hidden turn out. Sweet! Doubled checked OnX against Michigan's online maps, everything was checking out. I circled the block to make sure no one was on the back side. Looks like it might be an over looked piece as there was only one set of boot tracks on the downhill on the way in.
Didn't have a ton of time as I spent so much time driving around but I was able to get six traps set. I also found three beaver dams but I don't think I made it far enough upstream to find the primary if they are still active. If I somehow stupidly stumbled into an active dam on my first outing on state ground I'm going to be beside myself.
Was kind of rushed and forgot to get pictures. I did have a muskrat swim by as I was setting my third trap so I have high hopes for tomorrow. Need to read up on setting those downstream dams for muskrat and mink. I did put a 110 on the side of one dam underwater where it looks like something (muskrat I'm assuming) had burrowed into it. Those things are a pain in the ass to get set right in anything deeper than your elbows.
Plan on walking that stream all the way through while adding another 6-8 traps after I drop the boy off at school tomorrow. With a little luck I'll be headed to the supply shop for some 330's, castor, and a couple bigger footholds tomorrow night.
Had another raccoon and a possum that we cut loose at the farm this morning. I really hope we aren't catching the same possum over and over again. Dad joked about squirting them with some green food coloring.
I started seconding guessing myself when I got there as there was just about a vehicle in every turn off. I didn't want to be "that guy" and disrupting other folks hunts by pounding in stakes as state ground in the lower half of the lower can be few and far between.
Drove around for about an hour checking parcels and stumbled into a long narrow piece with a stream running through and no vehicles in the tight and somewhat hidden turn out. Sweet! Doubled checked OnX against Michigan's online maps, everything was checking out. I circled the block to make sure no one was on the back side. Looks like it might be an over looked piece as there was only one set of boot tracks on the downhill on the way in.
Didn't have a ton of time as I spent so much time driving around but I was able to get six traps set. I also found three beaver dams but I don't think I made it far enough upstream to find the primary if they are still active. If I somehow stupidly stumbled into an active dam on my first outing on state ground I'm going to be beside myself.
Was kind of rushed and forgot to get pictures. I did have a muskrat swim by as I was setting my third trap so I have high hopes for tomorrow. Need to read up on setting those downstream dams for muskrat and mink. I did put a 110 on the side of one dam underwater where it looks like something (muskrat I'm assuming) had burrowed into it. Those things are a pain in the ass to get set right in anything deeper than your elbows.
Plan on walking that stream all the way through while adding another 6-8 traps after I drop the boy off at school tomorrow. With a little luck I'll be headed to the supply shop for some 330's, castor, and a couple bigger footholds tomorrow night.
Had another raccoon and a possum that we cut loose at the farm this morning. I really hope we aren't catching the same possum over and over again. Dad joked about squirting them with some green food coloring.
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Welp, the beavers were trapped out or moved out a year or two ago. Feed bed is leafless, and no fresh slides near the hut. I may add a 110 near the entrance to the hut hoping for a mink or rat.
Old slide on top of hut.
Switched the carrots out for sweet potato on the baited muskrat sets and added another 6 traps to the line.
Somehow I managed to catch a muskrat in a conibear. It's in a spot where the old beaver dam was eroding and water was spilling around the end so I added a couple dive sticks.
Stupidly got my hands setting a 110 but had my drysuit gloves on so the smack wasn't too bad.
Old slide on top of hut.
Switched the carrots out for sweet potato on the baited muskrat sets and added another 6 traps to the line.
Somehow I managed to catch a muskrat in a conibear. It's in a spot where the old beaver dam was eroding and water was spilling around the end so I added a couple dive sticks.
Stupidly got my hands setting a 110 but had my drysuit gloves on so the smack wasn't too bad.
