Wow that was just plain work! This has been one interesting December for our trapline for sure.
First weekend of December, 4" of rain over two days, then 5" of snow, then hard freeze the entire next week. Temps never got above freezing for the entire first week of the season.
Unfortunately, I had set out our entire line JUST TWO DAYS PRIOR to that drenching rain, snow, then hard freeze. Spent the rest of the next couple days with a hammer and small crowbar chipping traps back out of their beds and rebedding everything in fresh, dry stuff. Once I got things firing again, we had another week and a half of daytime temps in 40s and overnight lows in 20s, freeze-thaw, freeze-thaw, freeze-thaw, repeat...repeat...etc. etc.
Then this last week or so, it never got down to freezing and we had daytime temps pushing 50s. All of that rain and melted snow thawed out. Makes your boots grow in weight with every step. Had to be super carefully pulling off the road so as not to get stuck, too. Just sort of ease over and then crawl back out when you are finished. Hope someone can still get around you without hitting you when they come over the hill, too. The nice thing about mud, it literally stopped all of the idiots that like to drive fields and draws "hunting" as they call it. If you could hike in, you had the spots literally all by yourself. Now, mind you, I purposefully set at least 1/4 to 1/2 mile off the road and always over a hill or behind some cover. It's the only way around here to hide catches and avoid most problems from those around here that think the world is their playground and that any coyote standing in a field should be a dead coyote. ugh.
We lost one to some yahoos...the fresh set of truck tracks up the ditch and into the field toward our sets over the hill, the catch circle, the covered up snapped trap, pool of blood in catch circle, fresh muddy boot tracks bigger than mine. I'm no forensic scientist...but how much more obvious could they have made this? At least they didn't steal the trap, but hope they threw their backs out trying. Grrrr. We relayed the story to the landowner, and I noticed at next check there were fresh t-posts pounded in where they drove up into the field to stop that from happening again.
all traps were crossed staked with rebar (lot of weight to carry into locations, i.e. traps, rebar, hammer, bait, lure, jugs of dry bedding material), except we only single staked the coon DPs.
Anyway, we managed a nice haul of coyotes and coon this month, despite everything. Had to walk everything, which I like doing anyway. I have a garmin watch I use for marathon training, I averaged 24,505 steps daily this entire month. Five farms, 30-35 sets, park and walk. Awesome exercise program! Some mornings I had to run sets at 3:30AM to be back in time to get kids up for school and get myself to work. Some days we were able to run sets after work and school. Weekends always a treat to sleep in and check in daylight. I don't own an ATV or UTV. Trapping season only comes once a year and you just have to push through. I went through 40 gallons of dirt, peat moss, cover hulls, whatever else I could find. My boys are my partners.
We did toss two coyotes (not shown below) that were very mangy. Yuck factor high on both. Caught a ton of coon when it warmed up, we quit taking pics they were coming nice and steady every check. Can't beat Christmas coon!

Some pics of some of the haul...

muddy fencrow coyote


dirty Nebraska red in 1.75 bridger


mud ball coon in DP


snow coon in DP


setting a mowed hayfield and powerline right of way. using #2 montanas here. There is a post set in back ground just to left of that downed cedar. this field was the easiest walking we had out of all five farms.


coyote in the #2 montana


badger from that post set, also in #2 montana. Ground frozen hard and it is crazy how much dirt these things can pile up in just one night. I could barely chip it with my hammer, this thing piled up dirt knee high and dug a hole back under it.


coyote at pipe set, muddy bean field and #3 bridger. pipe is bamboo section, fireblackened in our fire pit this summer. (they were painted red)


snowy night coyote, Noah along that night. snow and wind were almost blinding and we got turned around trying to follow corn rows back out to the truck. can't see very far ahead in a flashlight in high wind snow storm.


another #3 bridger coyote. #3s have nice big target area but man to they bite hard. Liking #2 size traps more this year.


Here is a backfoot coon (nice coon too) in #3 bridger. I'm going back to #2s next year. Just too much trap for our critters here.



some more DP coon...




another coyote and a coon almost as big. You cannot beat December coon here for quality. we call them Christmas coon. Deteriorate fast after the holidays, and not as nice in November, but December coon are top in my book here.


a frosty dog


Pipe set coon. pipe was section of bamboo decoration we were throwing out. I blacked them a little in the firepit this summer. This coon shined it right down to the original red paint.



and well, when you are pulling traps and literally have nothing off the first four farms pulled, you should hope for something off of the last farm, right?
here is my only catch in a mink box, last trap I pulled, last farm. a fat little "silver mink" (ha ha) in a #110. I was pretty fortunate not to catch very many of these all month, and didn't get a single skunk either. seemed fitting for me to get a grinner in last trap of the year.


later all!
Jim

nice,and don't feel alone.

Great read and December! Congrats on the hardworked success!

sounds like missouris season wrapped up in a nut shell! Except mother nature is still putting it on us17 degrees rite now and high of 60 today then rain 4 out of 5 days

Great read and pics Jim. Glad those Montana's are working for you.

You just described PA just about every season for weather, at least the rain anyhow.....

Bob1454, they rock, and I'll be looking for more this year for sure. Really stout springs, size is just right, and they hold like a pit bull but with rounded teeth!
I did swap the stock pans out for the pit pans. Man, four coiled these are stout and fun to set while holding a flashlight in your teeth and gloves on!

Merry Christmas t-man community.
Jim

same to you and you're family.

Jim Merry Christmas to you and family
Good read and pictures thanks

Won't stop raining here. Pure mud !

Yep, same here pretty much! Ice storm, cold, then warm up, then freeze, rain, more rain, then more rain.... Cant seem to go more than a few days without being dumped on. Have thunderstorms coming on Thursday with 60 degree temps... Good thing I have a bunch of dry dirt and peat! I should have taken my mower out today and cut up some dry grass to make a bunch of Zaggers pipe sets, may be the only thing to keep working.

I just got the Predator Pro's in the mail on the 24th, and I am liking how they look right now. They are the exact size of the MB550 which I really enjoy for bedding. I'm with you Jim I tried various #3's and they were just too much for what Nebraska has to offer. The #2 is just a better fit for our predators with how many incidental coons we have. Might not be worth $20 on the carcass anymore, but they still pay the gas. Sure was a rough December for sure, but you can only do what you can do. Great pics.

Congrats on some good lookin fur sounds like they are well earned , hope the price is good . , Great write up as well