Nope not complaining! There where 2, the other one is some where between 2 sets, hope I connect with him to

Nice job on the otter!

Well it has been a little slow with all this crappy weather we have been having, I am hoping things finally settle down and we actually start having winter Did pick up a little mink, and caught a nice yote! I think he ran into the snare right before I arrived there was fresh track in fresh snow heading down the trail and very disturbance. Looks like the otters moved on, now it is just a waiting game.

Good year to be catching coyotes John.

Jim there are quite a few running around this year, the flip side of that there is not alot of fox sign. Even behind my house I have not cut any in the past week and normally harvest 10 - 15 out of there a year. But the bunny's are up!

That last coyote in the trees looks like a nice HVY fur from the pic.

Boco that was a good one for sure We finally got a good dump of snow Picked up 1 cross, 1 red, and another yote The red ran a little creek that had a snare on it, the cross was chasing bunnies and the yote ran the wrong ridge line The pic's aren't as pretty as Howlers, it was still dark and snowing when I was out there

Nice work John. Glad you are out getting some fur for the stretchers. Your furs are making more money than my pretty pictures. Keep it up and be safe.

John, Im seeing more coyotes out west this ysar just wondering jow high your setting your snares to sucessfull get both the fox and coyotes that come down the trail?

Otterman, normally go by the tip of pinky tip of thumb, surface of snow to bottom of snare, method. Normally that is in the thick spruce, in the wide open I add 2 inches. You got to keep in mind though to, my area is a moose wintering area, on alot of those trails especially in the woods I have no problem putting a jump stick, or a diverter stick over the snare which makes them drop their head.

Here is a better pic from yesterday.

Nice haul HFT,a lot of tappers don't realize how low a canine holds their head when travelling,ferreting out a food source.The scents they are interested in isn't up in the trees,but low to the ground.I like to keep my snares set low,and loops small.I would sooner have a few knocked down snares than a flank catch.A knocked down snare doesn't spook an animal,and you are likely to catch it in another snare.You will also connect on several species however.If you want species specific,you can play around with head lifters etc.

Boco agreed Finally got the short line behind the house up and running. Picked one red up at a bait station and another in a lynx set. I spend all this time trying to actually trap the dang things with snow holes and dirt holes and I get one on a exposed set, go figure

Well we finally got a good dump of snow earlier this week and the tempts have dropped pretty good.





Managed to get everything dug out and back into operation, picked up a little mink and a nice yote. Seen alot of track on todays run, just not near my gear. Always frustrating when you see where a kitty had walked your foot trail to a set, played with your tape at a marten set, walked all over a mink box and when you finally think you might get a chance at him as his trail heads towards some snares.......he side steps them.

Sweet HFT, our temps are starting to drop up here. Hope to get out after Christmas. Happy Holidays to you and yours.

You be safe out there JR! A couple went out for a snow machine ride last Friday, Big Lake area, they didn't return. They are conducting search and rescue ops.

I guess they found one of the two.

https://www.ktuu.com/content/news/B...snowmachiner-found-Friday-503349621.html

HFT ,You have the most diverse line ! Whow quite the General trapper (with a capital g ). Great job.

John, I know you probably shared this before, but how do you set up your snares? Do you make them yourself and if so, how do you pre-load them? What's your process? That's the tricky part for me, some turn out OK, most twist and are ruined. I hate wasting good wire. Also, do you find a lot of green belly with your catches, seeing it's so warm down there?

Inupiaq Yes I make my own. Everyone has their own preference on how to make snares, loop size, end stops and so forth. Over the years I have came up with what works for me. I honestly believe that the heights of the bottom of the set snare is key to a good catch. You get them under the chin and they will be there for you, fox, yote, kitty. I do have a occasional kitty jump through the loop or get a hip catch but that seems to happen after we get a good dump of snow and the hieght of the snare isn't were it needs to be.

40 inches of cable attached to 3 ft of 9 or 11 gauge wire with a double ferrule. Makes a nice 10-11 inch loop. For cable I have been using 1/19 or 7x7 3/32. Getting away from 1/16th, yotes love to chew. Every snare that I put out has a BAD, I got to many moose in my area and got tired of doing the moose rodeo. I prefer Slim Loc's, they cut through the hore frost and ice on the snare pretty easy and with the mixed weather I have here they work pretty good.

I have made up a few with the kill springs this year to see how they work out. Once I am done building them I spray paint them and dip them in FMJ. I normally just slip my snares at the tree end of season, especially at bait stations. There are snares out there that are 4-5 years old and still good.



When it come to building them...
Take the cable put on a end stop, take a pair of needle nose pliers and bend the cable back oppisite of the natural curve of the cable. Some like a sharp bend others like a loop bend.



I then take the cable, left hand on the button stop put it behind the 2x4 post of my swagging stand, grab the other end and run it left to right going with the natural bend of the cable. The first four inches is where the most pressure should be, it doesn't take much pressure, and if it doesn't create what your looking for run it again a little harder. ADC has a pretty good video and post on how to do it. And your going to waste a little cable until you get it figured out





As for green belly, I normally run a 3-4 day check, and the only time it seems bad is when I am waiting for a frozen critter to thaw out. Other then that no issues. If they do have green belly, once it is fleshed I rub borax on it, no slippage.