Well it's definitely cat trapping weather. I get all excited when the white stuff comes out. I get to wear this hat about three times a year. I had a t-man member make it out of a coyote probably four years ago from Alaska. I tell you what the temperature has to be pretty close to 0 to even put this thing on. Even then my ears sweat. Best investment I ever made for when things get tough. You're only as warm as your head is!
Was an awesome morning. We got about 5-6 inches of perfect trapping powder. Can't ask for much more. I left at 4 am and was the only vehicle on the backroads. Got to make my own trail. I paused right at sun up to enjoy the quiet in the woods. With how crazy the world is, it's nice to get to a place where you can just sit back and take it in. Here's what I watched coming up through the timber.
Shot from the dash as I cruised through the snow.
I watched where a number of coyotes ran straight down the roads hunting the ditches. Even watched a long as a coyote started at a trot, then full bore run, and at the end of the poof was what was left of a dead rabbit. It's neat the things you see in the snow you wouldn't see otherwise. Had coyotes running all over on most of the places I was. Most of my sets are a little too brazen for a coyote. Although I did hit a couple with skunk. I had a coyote within about 5 feet of a set before he was satisfied and turned away. Was one of my most blocked down sets in a brush pile I showed earlier. Would have been neat if he'd kept going into the maze of sticks.
One thing I absolutely love about the snow. If I'm after the cats! Flashy, flashy, and flashy. Won't be a cat that hits the field edge that won't see these sets in a 1/4 mile each way. I brushed my tracks back from the sets, but I'm hoping there's still honest folk out there. I know with the first snow the coyote gunners were out heavy today. I hope they were sportsmen enough to leave my traps alone. I've got about 20 MB550 out, and my tracks surely would lead a curious person right to them.
This first picture is of the remake from the female a couple days ago.
This set has been a real winner for me. A total of three cats, and three coons off it. It's probably run it's course, but it's been too hot not to set it. I did have one cat miss a pan here before the snow by mere inches. Don't think he'll miss the angle this round.
I know I have a few people that follow me on facebook, and a few have likely seen these pictures. However I know there's some here that don't follow facebook.
I took in my fur from the two vacation runs this year. Snapped a couple pics on the way. Always sad to see it go, but sure did open up some freezer space for cats (I almost always freeze on carcass as our cats do better taxidermy than finished).
I ended up selling 30 coyotes. I had five go to mange. They went 11 coyotes @ $30, 3 coyotes @ $25, 12 coyotes @ $22, 3 coyotes at $20. I also had one coyote I somehow skinned with it's guard hairs almost completely blown out (I must have been tired) that sold for $3.
Coyote average on 30 was $24, take out the one I missed and $25 average. I was happy with that price.
Badger sold for $10 on the carcass
Two fox I sold for $10 on the carcass, and I sold one to a local taxidermist for $50.
Coons were pretty sour, and it was to be expected. They did cover most of my gas. All incidental coons with teat sows out, and year of young out was $5 green.
Back to some of my original posts I found it interesting again with my first early run of coyotes. I know a lot of guys really got on me this year for going right out the gates November 1st. I'll do it again. Out of the 30 coyotes I sold I only had one downgraded for being blue. It still brought $22. Six out of my 11 coyotes that sold for $30 were from the first run. I enjoyed that easy trapping much so more than the tougher conditions I've encountered since. I'll keep adding on my little bobcat line from time to time. It's just enough to scratch the itch. I'm still deciding whether I'll give them a full week of all out in February.
