Nice dog 05.

I had a time today, got a skunk by the back foot in a fox set. He buried himself in the soft dirt and I had to dig him out. Didn't get sprayed at least.

Wow must be a cousin to a badger to dig themselves in. Good to hear the skunk did not spray.

Bryce

Pulled my coon sets from the first property. Put a handful of rat sets in my creek, will run just those until next weekend when I set another place for coon and coyote.

Just 1 coon today, cornfields were getting picked late into the night so hoping for a better check tomorrow

Careful, coyotes can humble you right quick like! Still nice to hear your hard work is paying off.

Slow day 1 ok coyote and a small coon, normally would have released that coon but the land owner doesn't want any released

Pulled the marsh today with 13 more rats. Went to one section of the river today and found 7 marginal set sites in over 1/4 of a mile of river! Not going to be a good year for rat numbers. I did not even go to the other 1/4 m ile or more. Will look at another mile section tomorrow. I checked a section two days ago and that was slim as well.

Bryce

One pullout today looked to be a coon. Could reach a tree and powered out.

Out of the four sets I put in the yard, got 1 rat today, pretty typical for this creek.

Slow news day just 1 gray fox

I have not caught a grey here in the last 20 years. I will tan one if I get one. Only had 9 sets out for this AM. 3 rats, a coon pull out and a really nice big male coon that is not yellow. I may well tan him, lots of under fur.
Several non trapping issues to resolve today and tomorrow so won't set out again till later Wednesday or Thursday. Talking .5 to 2 inches of rain for end of the week and weekend. That will slow down river trapping but the water will be well worth it for the number of rats out their and the price. We had a very high ground water level from 3 years of high moisture that gave us decent crops with over 12 months of very low rainfall and snowfall. We need a lot of moisture the next 6-8 months to get us back to even adequate ground water levels.

Bryce

Put some rat sets out Saturday for the central zone opener. After two nights had 54 rats. Also trapped the first night of the northern Zone and got 25 so in three nights I'm at 79 rats. This warm weather has slowed rat activity but sure is nice to trap in. My new Mud Motor got me into some almost inaccessible public areas. I'm taking a couple days off to fish and catch up on skinning. Climbing in and out of a Jon Boat all day slogging through the cattails isn't as easy as it used to be.

Here's a dumb question, never trapped muskrat what do they turn that fur into?

backs kinda look like mink...bellies are quite soft nice...currently being made into plates for interior jacket liners. and such..Groeny has a good video on it

Put out a handful of rat traps yesterday in the same spot I've trapped the last 4 or 5 years. Water is lower than I've ever seen it, and most of the cattails are brown. Very little sign, but managed 5 rats after a 24 hr soak today. Mostly setting to keep the landowner happy and scratch the itch a little.

Thanks Keets

The current rat market if there is one, has the bellies being used in making plates to use as liners for more expensive fur garments. There is always use for the better backs for hats, mitts etc. etc. The bellies have been more important in the last decade or so, so don't put holes in the bellies if you can avoid it.

Bryce

Coyote #9 this morning, also caught a raccoon and a possum

Good job on the yotes 05.

Hung 7 CRs this morning. The land owner wants them gone and wants a hide. The rest are getting recycled.