Nothing like pulling up, and one of your doubles runs off. Ha. Not often, but I know the feeling Scott. I haven't had any steel in the ground for 10 days. It's been too long. Now that gun season is over I couldn't overcome the itch. Hobbie I'll do my best to get you a couple circle pictures in the headlights. I'm just at a point I'm enjoying it too much to stop. I'm not going to let work get in the way. I'll skin after work if I have to, but I am going to run as far/hard as my body will let me.

We sure have been blessed with dry weather.Go catch them.

Great job and I love the pictures you having a great year.

Question, how do you anchor traps for badgers so they don't dig them out?

Those were held with 12 inch wolf fangs. I have some 15 inch but they're too much for our soil. The badgers tend to dig out at chain length, I've never had one dig straight down, if they did they'd be gone. I still had to use a puller on those. I've held them in the past easily with rebar. Amazing diggers they are. This line I'll likely hit quite a number of them. Lots of holes.

Great journal! Thanks for sharing.

great job keep it up

Well I've still got a little zest in me. I put in a few coyote sets a couple days ago, a little drive from home, but on new country. I'll be running it until December 15th. That being said I'm still working two jobs, and school so things will get a little tricky. I ran the line the first morning at 2 am, it's not all that big yet, maybe a couple dozen traps as I have to sleep sometime. I got up ran the line, drove an hour for work, and then worked 12 hours. I stayed awake the whole time to sometimes I amaze myself. Weather looks alright for a while I'll probably keep it going, and add to it. I dropped another half dozen in today on the way.

First night check 2 am we dipped down into the teens, had things moving a bit for a first check only 9 hours into dark. You know it's chilly when the blood is steaming.



First fox of the year, we don't have a whole lot of them, but I have a couple locations that I can catch them pretty good.



Had today off so got to sleep in till daylight, and even better my daughter was off of everything. She loves going on the line, and I've had her out for about three seasons now off and on. One thing is for sure I have some of my best days with her along even if we don't catch much. I must say usually when she's in the truck I have some pretty good catch days. Today wasn't all that great. Little warm up, and the possums moved pretty well. She asked if that was all we were going to catch. Last check was a remake from the fox before. Expected the female mate, but now two males. Should have the female pairs soon.



After two coons, and two fox. This set has some major eye appeal.



Work 12 hours tomorrow, so it'll be back to deer in the headlights for catch pictures. Happy Thanksgiving.

Wade, looking at those pictures just don't look like it normally does during an average Nebraska fall and winter. I mean that DRY dirt..... almost looks like dry sand. Kinda fun trapping when it ain't raining, freezing, snowing. We get a year like this so far every once in awhile. It will probably change one of these days. But I personally think it will stay fairly dry. That's a good thing and a bad thing. When we have a dry spell after harvest is done, those guys who think that extra 3 or 4 acres will make em rich get the dozer out and take every tree out what's left. Or every waterway or bits of pasture that's left. But looks like your having fun. Enjoy!!!!

Been enjoying the heck out of this Nebraska weather. This week I do 5, 12 hour shifts while running the line in the morning. Will make for some interesting days as the sleep isn't all there. I'll be setting the entire line on Friday as our cat season comes in, and I've been holding off on the cat properties up until then. I wasn't really interested in releasing a bunch of bobcats in the middle of the night. Coons have ran a few nights we've been pretty warm. Last night the low was 50...pretty much unheard of, but it does have its drawbacks as the coyotes movement has really slowed down. Just 0 activity at sets, but occasionally one stumbles through.

With the coyotes slow I've been getting the coons in, and three of these guys. This last one took some work. With all the powder it was hard to direct him. He dug me out twice from the back side as the ground was so soft he could just burn right through it. The third night I reangled the dirthole, and offset just a hair. Three males now from this trap. Not sure where the ladies have been hiding.



This coyote was kind of an interesting one. The picture doesn't show just how big and mean this dog was. My father watched him slip into this property after what he thought was outrunning four greyhounds, from a hunter. This was I believe three days later, and this dog had quite extensive damage in his fur from the fight. He didn't outrun them, he just fought them. My dad had told me it was one big red dog, and he was right. I bought a dozen used #3 dukes because the price was just too good, and I got to remind myself what happens when a big coyote hits them. Destroyed the pan to the point I never did find it, and destroyed the dog completely.


I like this picture it shows the location. There's just a few weeds, with two old badger mounds, in the middle of the bean field. When it snowed two seasons ago I watched where three coyotes took a gate plug, and ran right up the drive to this location. It's caught me coyotes every season since.



With the warm out as it's been pointed out by NebrCatman the farmers are out in full force with this weather. I had one particular farmer knife half a dozen sets with his anhydrous, and terrace work buried a few sets I had to dig down to find. This particular farmer owns 3000 acres so I just take it in stride. He even shot one of my coyotes for me, luckily he got to her right before dark as it was 80 degrees during that day. No green belly the next morning luckily.



Another location I've caught coyotes in the past. CRP meets alfalfa which meets two fencelines. I don't even look for sign, just set this location now. First coyote of the year by the hind leg.



I'm pretty pumped to get the whole line rolling, and I'll be eating, sleeping and trapping for 10 days straight here soon.

Finally I've got the whole line going. Ran all night before work today. Got to check yesterday in the daylight my couple dozen traps while setting the rest out. Boy things sure are different in the daylight, but it was kind of nice. I've got 50% of the line freeze proofed, and I'm considering doing the rest. Weatherman are horrible at predicting rain around here. Temperatures are still 60's, but we're looking at a cool down for sure this week. Highs will be in the 30's a few days. Should get them moving. Still able to avoid most coons, but Monday I'm going to set a number of blind trail sets.

Here's a coyote on one such blind set. I did set a few I can check as I buzz by. Couldn't get him to stop howling long enough to take a picture so you get the action shot.



This coyote is in the same trap I caught the large male that was all beat up. This is another male. I kicked a coyote digging at this set at about 3 am the second morning after the first catch. Seemed like it didn't want to leave the set just trotted off. Didn't have my drill on me so I made a flat set with fox glands on a rock. He came back. I also had a picture from a distance. You can see that it's literally a couple weeds, and a badger hole in the middle of an open bean field.




This coyote was caught on what I would consider a coyote toilet, low spot in the field with nice soft ground. Multiple coyotes using this. Surprisingly it took a while to get a coyote. Coyote and location. I had bird hunters here, there dogs kept coming after the coyote. The one hunter about stepped on a coon I had caught in a trail set on the pond dike while trying to call his dogs off the coyote. Was a near disaster. Glad I was there otherwise I feel as though I'd had a coon, and coyote filled with bird shot.




Finally set those cat sections yesterday. First night and results. There's a reason I didn't want to set those sections before we came into season on the 1st. Set was only in the ground 8 hours.

Nice post, and fur

Excellent job, you are racking'um up.

Great work! keep the pics coming.

Got off work last night at 1900, and tried to go home to lay down. Rolled around for two hours, and decided I'd be up in two hours anyways I may as well just go run traps. Animals moved early. I cleared out a pretty fair number of possums, and it was the first run I really got into them. Caught a lonely boar coon in the middle of nowhere. It had only been dark for a few hours. Pulled up to the cat set, and I had the male half.



Good start to the cat season for sure. I switched over a number of sets to zonolite insulation as they're talking possible moisture with a good dip in temperatures this week. I've never used it always peat, but I got the idea from a local coyote man I respect very much. I haven't decided how I feel about it yet. I've had very few if any dug up traps this season. Main set offs have been deer. He told me that he hasn't seen any cases of coyotes smelling/digging flipping traps. I did have three sets that they seemed to scratch at the surface, and just hit the trap then stop. I'm not sure if it's the bright moon, and some reflection off the zonolite when they scratch the surface or not (I added wax dirt over the top of it, but they dug deep enough to expose it). I will say I had three sets worked last night with coyote tracks in my pattern that should have been sleeping dogs. We'll see how it goes I might go back to my proven peat if they keep digging.

Overall I'm glad my midnight runs are over. Tomorrow I'll be able to evaluate things a lot better in the daylight, and see if I can get all my traps running. If it gets cold enough I might even drop in some snares.

Very impressive Wade, hats off to you. Best of luck

Well been pretty busy out on the Nebraska line. We had a spitting of snow, and then it got downright cold. Love it. Hoping it does the number on the dogs, and gets them moving. It's been a fun run. Got a week to hit them hard here. In usual fashion I'm down a truck. Hit something and broke the bracket that holds the oil filter, no Bueno. Oil dripping as the hose got a hole rubbed in it. Mechanic says "I'm going to have to get creative to fix it." That'll make a guy nervous. Luckily I've got a good friend that talked his son out of his truck for now. Tough to check a full line out of a Hyundai Elantra.....Got a minute or two here so I figured I'd post. Andy came in to join me from Chicago. Got to see his first Nebraska coyote on the first check, and his first Nebraska cat on the second check. He's tearing up the coons, and today a skunk. Hopefully he can catch his first badger, fox, coyote and cat while here for a week. Quite the bill to foot, but I'm doing my best to put him on location to make it happen. Matt couldn't come to join me from Indiana, and I posted about it on here. Andy was quick to join in, and came out full force. He's picking it up pretty quick. Definitely a fun season to trap with someone that's never seen those animals caught.

Anyways here's a coyote I caught on a drainage that has produced the last two years. Low spot they like to travel on the open field to stay hidden.



Remake on a previous caught dirthole from a couple days ago. I've caught 5 males now off this 80 acres. No females to speak of.



Here's a remake from a coyote I caught on my first trap check on this line. Took a few nights to connect, but when another came thru I was waiting. Shows the location well. Mowed strip leading to the pond. Set the crop change in route. Even though I've got this dirthole facing north with a north wind, the step down dirthole forces them to work it from the north side. It's been my go to set as the wind is switching with our different days. I'm dictating where they step.



Andy's first experience with a Nebraska cat, and he was a bit feisty. Fun had by all. This set took 3 cats, one coon, and one empty check on 5 checks. I hope it keeps producing. I have three more cats on this 40 acres on camera that haven't been caught.



We had a cold snap last night. I've been checking my bait pile no dice. We've got to set at least 30 feet away in Nebraska. I had this coyote on camera multiple nights, but when the cold hit she never forgot a free meal. Hooked up with her on the first cold night I had it set.



15 degrees when this picture was taken. Only smiling because I've got a coyote in front of me.



Managed to think to snap a pic of Andy today. Interestingly enough I've been staying out of the coon pretty well. That all changed today. With the cold I thought they'd hold up, but boy did they run. We spent a fair amount of time cleaning out raccoons, and possums today. Andy was remaking a nice cubby set for a bobcat. He's caught a coon there each night he's been here. Might have to call it a coon cubby soon.



Found a dead cow on a pasture today. They've been hitting it well. Half the cow is gone. Set a couple traps within the vicinity, but I think we'll cover all approaches tomorrow. This cold weather, and a free cow. I have no doubt we have a few coyotes to catch there. We're going to hit it hard again in the morning, and see what we can get caught for Andy. I'll try to remember to take some more pictures.

Very nice. Thanks for sharing

Been a fun time out on the line. We've had a pretty good run of weather here, it's almost too good. Warm and things are moving slow. Powdery dirt to work with is new, and has been nice. Had our third day of 40 mph winds today this week. Will really make things interesting to say the least. Still catching animals. I'll be pulling either Thursday or Friday. It's been a fun vacation. Freezers are running out of space so that's a good thing. Andy is with me, and he's finding out some tricks I hope. He's catching things, couple skinning freebies, and seeing what a real trap line is about. When he came here he'd run six traps or so on a small parcel I believe about 10 acres. Little bit different out here covering some miles and acres.

Here's one of the best looking Nebraska dogs I've come across this year. Pretty good sized male. Was glad to take him back home with me.



With the warm up the ditch diggers are out in full force. Caught a coon in this set the two days prior. Biggest female I've ever encountered. Very docile. Wasn't really scared, but wasn't really the typical teeth baring badger either. She was just content.




Andy had never seen a badger, and he saw that female. However he really wanted to catch one. I'd been watching this one on camera at our pasture for a while, and made a suggestion to put a dirthole at this location where he'd dug already on our first day. It paid off. Andy was pretty pumped.



Andy had never seen a fox in real life. Not only did he get to see one, but it was in his bobcat cubby I'd showed a picture of him building earlier on in the week. Got to see and catch his first.



This set has already caught three coyotes. Things are getting tough. Lets see if it can catch a fourth.




One section of ground I almost consistently catch coyotes has been slow to produce. I think I found my answer. I did this guy a favor. Was heading up towards my father's cattle.



If we can get a little cold snap I think this will be a gold mine. Cow half eaten here. There's droppings on about every cattle trail leading up to this thing. We have to stay 30 feet away in Nebraska. I've got a few footholds surrounding her on the entry points.



We're seeing some cat sign, but there's no reason for them to get moving. Prey is pretty abundant. We're set up though so if they decide to take a stroll they'll likely encounter some sets. Thanks for looking!

That badger was on my first dirt hole ever (I'm an unashamed coon trapper), first trap of the season. Fox in the bobcat cubby was the third critter in 5 checks (6 checks today). The previous coon (same set) was 3 feet away from bobcat turds, but I haven't seen the cat yet (phantom pooper?). Had more than my fair share of opossum, but that comes with the territory. Hoping to get another canine or a cat before my trip is over. Been pretty awesome so far. The week after I get back, I pop the question to my girlfriend, so a bunch of excitement in the month of December.