I pulled my rat sets on Tues. Grand total was 25 rats. My mind tells me I can still do It but the old body Is flat out telling me I can't.
So It's off to trapping those rats through the Ice. Which I have failed at In the past.
so If any of you hard water rat trappers that have any words of wisdom for the old beav feel free to Pm me or lay It out for all of us to read.

Getting old Is not for sissies. LOL

Traps all dyed and waxed - organizing all my gear... counting down to Nov 10th!
I hear ya Beav!
I used to pack all my stuff in an old ALICE pack - even took 2 hotdogs with buns to fix a lunch along the line. Start a fire and toast them and heat some water for a cup of instant coffee.

Gonna lighten the load this year - not taking any hotdog buns... LOL!

Died and waxed a batch of traps, welded some trap stakes, made a colony trap. Chomping at the bit to get started water trapping on the 15th! Tight chains everyone!

Checked rat sets. Made more sets. Weather was rainy and sleety. My favorite kind of day.

Cleaned up the skinning room. Fired up the propane heater in it to make sure it worked.

Waxed 6 dz traps today, mounted unistrut and hung all my stretchers up. I'm thinking about setting some coyote set Thursday, our season doesn't open till the Friday before Thanksgiving but coyotes and beaver are year round.

I hear ya beav. I caught 24 rats this week and an incidental mink I wish I caught next week. He's not blue blue but kinda in between blue and white. At least $2. Anyway, I am already in my Pajamas. Taking the waders off was hard work.

sifted a bale of peat moss for bedding this weekend.

That's a heck of a system that you have there!! Very nice!

The truck Is loaded and we are on our way to catch some $99.00 coyotes. But of coarse the forecast Is rain for the next few days.
So field access might be a bit iffy.
Then we have warden school on Wed.

Thanks. Wheel barrow underneath catches the sifted peat. Pretty simple really.

Checked some traps. Next for canine sets.

Got a bunch of sets in on the weekend. Sorry, took very few pics of sets...lol

Today I followed a buddy through the start of his marten line. I meant to set up for the wolves that have been hanging around but fresh snow covered all the old sign. The original plan was to get a moose or a couple caribou and set up the gut pile but the herd we tracked made it into thick timber. We picked up 5 marten though. I was going to check my line on the way home but a migraine hit. Feeling a bit better now so I'll probably try my dads new stapler and put a few more boxes together.

Got the boat loaded and ready to go. Hope to get the rat and beaver sets in Friday afternoon. Assuming it's not all froze up here. Next week looks good. So I don't think I'll get froze out for long. Here's hoping anyway!

Got my duke 1.5s ready for the pocket sets. I laminated,added swivels,added stake swivels, adjusted pan tension, added base plates with center swivels and dipped them in rustoleum and oversprayed with sand colored spraypaint.

empty traps today.