I've been trapping since 1980 and no matter how many years go by this always makes me smile...



Should be some great fun coming up as we open up for rats and mink next week...



My last three scouting trips basically looked the same as this area...



"There were muskrats like the stars in the sky fighting to get into my traps"

It's like being a kid again each November....I found some sweet spots, super sign and terrain for mink sets today....but forgot the camera

It's just starting...

Yep, nothing quite like muskrat trapping.

I wish that we’d have them like that up here. I’ve never done it and would love to experience it without hurting our population even further.

Looks like fun! I love trapping mink, however, our rat populations aren’t too great so I don’t target them. But I do always smile when I catch a “skrat” in a mink set.

I just wish we still had open water when season opened November 1st

I will probably only take a few of these ones since the numbers elsewhere are actually low but the mink sign that I'm seeing is pretty good.

I've been mostly out of the game for a while wasting my time and body working for a living (which I still have to do). I know, where are my values placed?

But this year I have time off to trap and hunt and the back roads route to work has enough bridges and culverts with plenty of mink sign that I'm excited.

I think I'll keep a photo log of this season here.

My historical (few) honey holes had no sign a week ago.

The same feeling since 1966. I have lived through 2 fur booms and doubt I will live through another but even if raw fur prices are depressed, who cares, as the monetary reward pales in the amount of therapy you get while prospecting and imagining what could be. the mike

Good luck with it!

Well stated!

been at it for 40 plus years here,30 probably working for buyers and such learning everything about the trade to get to this point in the market.oh well,thats life-i also will be chasin ol fuzzy and slick tail.why--cause i can i guess.

I'm trying some new things this year like these 3/8" dia fiberglass stakes from Tractor Supply. They seem to be pretty stout.



I made a collar out of extruded aluminum and mounted some body grip clips. The body gripper is such an awesome trap design.



The trap is rock solid in this rig and I can adjust the depth of the trap to whatever I want. I'll be testing this shortly to see how it works.



I have all kinds of ideas for sets using this get up...

Agreed!

I sure miss muskrat trapping.
Thanks for the memories

tells of their allure when someone thats been blessed as you can be brought to a brighter place of yestertday Mark.

i'm headed to set a couple in a bit just for such experience.

I find that checking muskrat traps while running my canine traps can lift spirits on a not so productive day. I started trapping rats 45 years ago. There is just something about them I can't resist.

Being my second year I can say this much. When everything else is not getting trapped. There will be a muskrat waiting.

Just got back from the line and picked up another four this morning. The sky is absolutely crystal clear here this morning, low 30's with frost all over everything.

So I got six, then four yesterday, and four more this morning. Fourteen in three days with about 18 traps out.

I'll probably pull many of these rat traps soon and start to concentrate on trying to catch the mink that I know are there.

I'm making set-n-go type body grip stabilizer plates for bottom edge and bridge sets. I might make some pockets too but I'd really like to avoid the coons if possible.

Yes indeed running the rat line at 04:00 makes me feel almost like a kid a again, at least in my mind. My buddy arthritis doesn't agree but screw him....

i set a pipe the family has been catching muskrats outta my whole life about 2 yesterday and took a big swamp rat outta it before dark last night.probably have another this mornin.set about a dozen rat and the same mink yesterday.will add in another dozen each day and will start pullin a dozen soon as i hit my limit i imposed on myself.