Our water season opens on Saturday and we did a little scouting and it appears that everything will be froze up tight before opener. Winter sure came early this winter and will make things difficult. To "scratch the itch" yesterday we plugged in 3 coyote sets behind the house for him to check each morning before school. This isn't good coyote country and I am not a good coyote trapper but a coyote is one of the few animals he has left to catch. We checked our 3 sets this morning and came up blank but it is still good to have something for him to look forward to. Hopefully there will be a catch of some sort this week to post pictures of.

What town are you near? I spent the weekend scouting my line in Hubbard and Clearwater counties. I was hoping to run a couple hundred water sets but I doubt that will happen. The small ponds were already capped over.

Seems the last 2 years we had cold autumns but mild (but snowy) winters.

Hope the yotes come through the area for him, early morning check and catch circles in the snow will be exciting for him. keep us posted.

It would be exciting for me too!

Good to see the two of you out and about.
So is that the gun he is holding from last years trapping adventure?

Yes, that old Steven's 22 single shot. He bought that rifle with his first years trapping profits. It is a really clean old rifle. $60 and he got about a brick of assorted ammo with it. Grandpa made him a heck of a deal on it.

Our water season does not open until the 31st here and by looking at the extended forecast I determined that all of the small water will be frozen over by then if not sooner and a lot of the bigger lakes too. There is also a LOT more snow in the forecast. These factors made me decide to pull my trapping boat out of the lake and turn it over and pull the small boat lift it sat upon before it all froze in. Dang, I had wanted to get after some beaver that had colonies on the waterway here too. I think spring will now be a better option. It is snowing again now and the temp is right at 30 on my front steps.

Good luck to you and Logan, Rob, I hope you can get one of those coyotes without mange.

The ponds here are already frozen and it is still 5 more days until opener. We too but the little trapping boat back in the pole barn. We will run a FEW sets on moving water but I am not going to work very hard at it given the prices. I started fattening up the coon a month or more ago and had them coming every night but even that has stopped now.

hope for the best , deal with what happens , great to see you two back at it, I will be watching to see what you guys get

I will be watching as well. Hope he gets one. Did he ever get a boathouse for the pontoon?

Yes, we got a boathouse built for his pontoon but I guess I made the doorway too small.

Dang wont any skinning being done in there especially if that lady has anythong to say about it !

What do you mean? She is the skinner.

Loved checking traps with my son before he went to school. Just adds a little excitement to the morning.

So how long is it till this becomes a LONGLINING with Logan ?

The way the weather is shaping up, probably 12 months minimum.

Good luck with the yotes!

I had big plans for the season but with opener a week and a half away and the forecast, I think I may just stay home and saw some lumber!

Good on ya Rob, I hope you guys have a great year.
I enjoy your enthusiasm with that young feller and hope to meet up with you again.
Best of luck.


Zim

Three more blanks today but the critters must have moved overnight.

You'll score... just hang back they'll be around eventually!

That white cral socks.

None here yet!

Keep at it Logan, patience....

Yesterday I had to get my boat out from our lake channel. The ice was an inch thick. I had to bust ice which wasn't fun. The ice wasn't think enough to walk on so busting ice was a real chore. When I backed my trailer in large ice chunks busted one of the trailer's tail lights.

I've never had to pull my boat this early due to icing conditions. The next 10 days we are looking at temps 10-20 degrees below normal. If it wasn't for global warming, I can only imagine how cold it would be!

Yep, rat opener will involve a chisel this year. I see a VERY, VERY short line in our future this weekend.

I am sure the additional 3-5 inches of snow we are getting right now won't help either.

Snow? Heck I am still mowing grass. I think it is great that you run a line with Logan, good to see some new blood come onto the scene.

Another 5-8 forecast for Thursday and then Friday night they are forecasting a low of 11 so about 5 degrees here. The water will be a little thick!

glad I dint put any sets in last weekend here. We must have 5 - 6 inches on the ground. Sounds like with the weather that is coming we are going to get more. Looks like we might be in for a long winter. Foot holds might hang in the shed this season unless we get some warm weather yet that last for a while.

Rob,
I’ve been parking here the last week, trapping a ditch. Took a leak here at least three times!! Left a few beaver there two days prior. This is what it looked like yesterday.

I should have titled this “walking in the woods with Logan”. Empty, buried sets again today.

Global warming !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Time for him to carry the shotgun for grouse, and the old guy in tow carry the dispatch gun. At least you can use a sled to skid anything out now.
Another 2 inches and the snow machines come out .....