And then it rained, and rained, and rained, and is still raining. Needless to say, I got wet this morning. I got out 8 sets yesterday, using in part new type of sets for me. I have never used floats before and decided to give them a try. Two float sets for mink and two for rats.

I used apple, carrots and Dakota Line lure for rats on the floats. This pond is shallow and filled with weeds. It is almost impossible to find the dens, although there are tracks and other evidence of rat and mink activity. For floats... I cobbled up pieces of wood and made them work.





For the mink floats I used barker mounting bracket for my #110's. I used muskrat for bait. Last year I froze 5 or 6 rats, minus tail and feet. Frozen them solid and sawed each rat in either 3 or 4 pieces depending on their length. Each piece was placed into a Ziploc sandwich bag. When I am ready to use them I place them in refrigerator the night before and they are thawed by morning.





We must have this type of bait covered when used in Ohio. So, I tacked the black plastic tray over the bait and ran the anchor stake through the bait, to make it more difficult to get



I also made tile set for mink in a pond overflow ditch, placing a chunk of the bait in the tile with a #110 at each end.



I ended up only catching 3 rats today... all 3 in 2 of the colony traps I set. 2 Large and 1 dink.



I located a couple more holes today and in spite of the rain made a couple of new sets.

I hope this wasn't too long, but long enough and with enough photos to show some of our younger members. Also, for our younger members, both in age and experience, As I said in the beginning of this tirade, some of this is new to me this year... I have caught thousands of rats, and this is my 76th of chasing them. So, keep learning and NEVER think you know it all.

Garry-

May want to try and fill some weeds on top of those floats.....make it like "home sweet ( muskrat) home"

Thank you... I will try that. Like I said, I have never tried them before, and I thought maybe they would help in couple of these ponds I have. I opened up holes in the vegetation around the floats in the one pond so if I catch a rat they can get in water and not stay on top of the weed.

Garry-

Day 2... No rain today, just snow. No accumulation, just an annoyance when it gets on glasses, and you are trying to set #110.

I caught 4 rats today. I got one of those JUMBO rats. I couldn't weigh it, batteries dead in scale. Lying flat on the floor, from tip pf nose to where the tail starts was 16 inches. just for giggles and grins, I slipped on a wire rat stretch and it was to too long for the stretcher. When I was getting a lot of rats, I figured I would get about 3 to 5 of those per hundred I caught.
I caught it in one the #110 at the culvert set for mink (see photo above).

I know this may not be exciting to many of you, catching 4 rats, but when you get to my age and agility, catching about anything is a good day.

I did manage to set 4 more traps today and found a colony trap that I had lost last year, when the water came up and was to muddy to see. For some reason I hadn't placed a stake at the trap, or someone had removed it, being the reason, I lost it.

I won't bore anyone with the details of the new sets, unless I catch something in one of them tomorrow.

Tight chains my friends...

Garry-

Rock on Garry, 4 rats sure beats couch sitting!

Good catchin!

Good job Garry,i'm checking your line with you,keep posting your catches.

Thanks guys... I used to have quite a few people around that either used to trap or still was... but they all have moved away or died. Even those in my family that were trappers are gone. So, I guess I just needed to talk about it when it is happening to others that partake of the enjoyment it brings. I will post as long as some of you understand my obsession and can relate.

See you all tomorrow...

Garry-

We don't have a lot of skrats here, so anyone willing to show how to catch one is a ok with me! Now get after them beaver, that's what I need help with, lol.

Thanks for the pics Garry, going to borrow your design for the float. Keep the pics coming, more than exciting to see!

Keep posting every day! I love following along on others traplines and especially love your attitude. Age and low funds are two of the main reasons trappers hang it up, but not you! I love that!

Trap on Actor, will be following

Today was one of those days... But it was what I anticipated. I caught nothing. I know some may be asking, "What kind of trapper are you? What do you mean you anticipated it?"

Well, let's take a stroll back in time, to the year 1946/1947. When I was first learning the rudiments of trapping. I have always been curious and when I would learn something I wanted to know the What, Why, When, Where and How. I learned the basics of trapping in a creek, in central Ohio. I observed 2 types of holes that muskrats dug and questioned their difference. My Dad pointed out that some were feeds; where they dug from the water up under the bank to get roots for their food. The other was somewhat larger and most often larger and deeper; they were the entrance to their bank den. We had no huts or lodges where I trapped. I observed that some of the dens seem to be higher up than others. This was pointed out that when there was a period of high water coming, they dug their dens higher up on the banks, to compensate for the higher water. Of course, this made me question; how did they know the water was going to be higher? The answer I got was, they just know.

Over the years I observed this occurrence many times and I always questioned. As I got older, I decided I still wanted to know and started to do a little research and found that most trappers understood that the muskrats did this and accepted and didn't bother to question it.

I didn't give up... Over the years I observed nature as whole... this meaning that animals were subject weather changes, which included temperature of the air and water, and the change in both. The one thing that many others didn't want to accept was the barometric pressure as being a major factor. I finally decided that the barometric pressure not only affected what the animal did, but why they did it. The raising barometer, the falling barometer all affects most all animals in one way or another. I am sure it also affects humans more than most are willing to believe.

Animals like a steady barometer. A rising barometer might tell them one thing and falling barometer do another thing. I believe that the air temperature along with a rising or falling barometer tell what is going to happen. I remember as young kid, being on grandpa's farm, sunny hot day, with nice breeze, and grandpa would say, "we got a good storm coming up here in a bit." How could he tell..? The cows had come in from the meadow and all had hunkered down near the barn. Grandpa was always right. We would get a gulley washer before the day was over. This was before television and all of the modern conveniences we have today.

To show you how the barometer can affect animals (and humans) I have posted a barometric chart that begins at 12 noon 11/10/2022 (Thursday) and runs to 11/13/2022 (noon today). I was hoping the chart would show-up larger but guess not.



So... how did I know that the animals would not feed or move about last night? The chart shows what the animals sensed. We had the rain yesterday and the cold temperatures last night and today. We had about a 40 degrees temperature drop over last couple of days... so combining all of the things we can't feel, (but now see predicted on TV) the animals fed Friday night, in preparation for the change. The water only came up about 4 inches in the ponds.

So... today on my check, I wasn't surprised at no catch, but I was disappointed. Now there are instances when you may be trapping in a large marsh or other such area. When you may find under similar circumstances that you will catch a few or just a much smaller quantity. Because animals are somewhat like humans. We get 24 inches of snow, and the state tells you do not go out, unless it is an emergency, there will always be some fools that are going to out, because he can.

This would have been much easier to write if I would have caught 2 rats, but I didn't so this is what you get. Now I hope a few will read it so my time wasn't wasted.

Garry-

Garry, I think that's the coolest post I've read here on Tman. I too am a firm believer in the barometric pressure. I sure as heck feel it in my bones, critters feel it too. I think your Grandpa and most back then were in touch with Nature more than most today. I think it's possible to run a small trap line and yet still be desensitized to Mother Nature if that makes sense. Great stuff, thanks for the read and I bet ya have a catch tomorrow.

Actor, carry on sir!!! I am interested in seeing your pictures and reading your stories!!!!

Good job actor. I feel like this too at times. Only had a couple uncles that trapped and the one I owe my passion and skills at coyote trapping. He was good, always wanted to be like him on the coyote line.
Neither one traps today and haven’t for many years. I will never forget in late 80s when he backed up to my garage with a pickup load of trapping gear and said here you go I’m done. Stretchers, beams, buckets of dry sifted dirt, knives, trowels, hammers, you name it he brought it. No charge. Even had some books for me.
I will never forget that. Never. First coyote I got that season I called him and we talked for about an hour.
We still text em almost daily. He said he likes to get my trapping pics.
But even among my friends around here, not many still lay steel. Prices are in the crapper for coyotes and coon. There is some beaver around but with the drought we just went through I don’t have much water at all on my land access let alone beaver or rats. So I keep hitting coon and coyotes, what my equipment is mostly set up for anyway and what I like to trap anyway.
Going to teach my son how to finish them this year to squeeze another buck or so out of whatever we can sell.
Mostly I just enjoy catching coyotes and coon. My landowners expect me to help manage predators. They like to hunt and fish. I like to fish and trap. It’s a good relationship. Most of these guys I e trapped their land since 1990 and I would hate to stop and lose the access to another trapper. Though these days I really don’t see a lot of other trappers around here, just dog and spotlight guys mostly.
Well, in about three weeks I’ll fire up the line here again. Got everything tuned and ready to go. Garage looks like a hoarder lives here. Jugs of waxed dirt, buckets of old bleached cow bones, milk crates full of sorted traps. You name it. Ready to go get some fresh air and exercise.
Keep us posted on your progress. Hope you have a great season rewarding in many many ways.
Jim

We do not have many here in south central PA any longer But I love trapping rats They are or at least where the bread and butter of many novice trappers And I always was happy to have one in a set .Thanks for the post Very nice pictures

Nothing better than muskrat trapping. Keep it coming!

We use to have rats around here . I used them for fox bait but haven't seen one in years. Love your post keep them coming.

Jim
I had a young guy going to college, that is now a NE State Patrol, give me a whole set of trowels and a whole set of sifters that his uncle made for me, I never had met the guy,(his uncle)when he gave them to me I set them aside,(I was stuck on my own way) now I don't no what I would do without them, it was obvious to me when I did start using them the man that made them was a top notch coon and predator goo roo , I would surelike to thank the fellow that helped a young fellow trapper out.