Well, got a couple of sets out. One weasel box and 1 trap in a hut. Not very confident with the trap in the hut but if it catches, I'll be happy. I would really like to catch a weasel before the season ends. Will probably pull these Tuesday when I go to check them since we're supposed to get up to -51 degrees windchill on Thursday. Might be stopping the trapping for a few weeks or months until spring when I'll get at least 100-150 traps out in road ditches.

Nothing in the sets yesterday. Losing a little bit of hope that I'll get a weasel this year. Going to hope for Sunday when I can get a decent line out. Really would like to catch a mink or weasel in their own dedicated sets. Got early Christmas presents since I knew what they were. Got 1/2 dozen Bridger 159s, 1/2 dozen Bridger 160s with stands, 2 things of truckload coon bait, a 64 oz jug of coon potion kibbles bait, fur comb, an F&T hat, serrated pelter, a replaceable blade knife, a jar for my antifreeze. Also got my trapper's post today and realized this was the edition I got put in for Youth Trapper. Just reading it and realizing how much has changed since when I sent it in June is crazy. My thinking has changed so much.

TYT, it was a good article. All of us grow and change some things on our lines over time. I still learn and change things up and I am 71. It sounds like you had a good haul for Christmas gifts.

Nice haul, keep it up!

Thank you, I realized reading it also how much I would have changed how I wrote it from then to now. I've changed a lot of things this year. I got a pretty good haul so far, have to wait 3 more days to see what else I got.

Thank you, hoping to get out Sunday and start putting out a small line again.

Went out Saturday and got 2 weasel boxes, a mink box, and a blind set 120 out. Pretty good spots, saw tracks for mink near the box when I pulled traps earlier this week. Saw tracks in the culvert where I put the weasel box and then a hole through the cattails where I put the 120.

Went out today just to get out of the house and got nothing but luckily I went because both of my weasel boxes were snowed in and my blind set 120 was almost gone so I marked everything with lath and tape. Let's hope that this doesn't come back as 4 stolen traps.

No stolen traps yesterday, just a bunch of drifts and nothing to show.

Went out today and pulled traps, got a mouse in my weasel box and then something got in my other one and tore the muskrat meat to shreds, blood everywhere. Everything is starting to thaw out finally so maybe the weasels will be able to smell the meat now. Hoping to get the boxes out tomorrow again. Went out and set up a spot where my dad saw 3 coons the other night while thermal hunting. Put 10 dogproofs and 1 160 conibear out, going to bring my boxes out tomorrow and put those in the house. Going to the fur buyer's tomorrow with 25 put up rats and 15 carcass rats.

Nice weasel box!

Thank you, they have worked so far, haven't caught a weasel yet though.

I read your article in the trappers post. Keep up the good work.

Let's see those put up rats! Need to see how you've gotten better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1dcdCOtGKc&t=23s Here are some that I put up on the 5th of December. Put a couple up on the 6th but other than that I haven't been able to catch any since.

Well, the day isn't over yet but I have nothing else going on so I guess I'll type up my daily entry. Went and checked traps today, had nothing in the 10 dogproofs I set yesterday but a cottontail had found its way into my 160 blind set. So looks like I have some fresh weasel bait for a little while. Set three conibear boxes inside the house, 2 with 220 conibears, and 1 with a 160 since the spring popped off on the other 220. Headed to the fur buyer after that since my spot is halfway between the house and the fur buyers. Got to the fur buyers and brought my fur inside. Had 15 carcass rats and got paid I think it was 0.25$ on the medium carcass. And then it was 0.50$ on the put up medium rats. Not too good but I ended up getting 40$ for the whole lot of 40 muskrats so 1$ average with carcass and put up fur. Overall a good day though, hoping that next check I have a couple of raccoons since I got those boxes put in. Now here comes the pictures and videos.



Here's my setup for coon boxes today.

Nothing in the traps the last few days so I decided not to bore you guys with me ranting about something or another. Put out 5 weasel boxes the day after going to the fur buyers and my rat traps were being finicky so I just switched out to #1 longsprings till I have time to mess around with the rat traps. Get out of bed today and drive to go pull traps since we have a snowstorm moving in again. Make it to the first weasel box set in a little roadside slough. The snow was packed on top of the reeds when I set so obviously when I walked in there it stomped them all down. I go in there to check my box and just messing about I grab it and the piece of lath and realize it's a lot heavier than when I set it, so I open it up and there's a short tailed weasel in my #1 longspring. Its head was sticking out of the hole and I didn't even realize it. I was way too excited I had finally caught one after 3 years of trying, losing a few weasel boxes to thaws, and just normal trapper luck. I packed it in the truck very nicely, making sure it was away from any dirt and stuff. It had made my whole season though after a 3 week's dry spell of catching nothing. I got down to the coon place after pulling the other boxes along the way, nothing in them. Got to the coon place and didn't have anything but let me tell you, I had the workout of a lifetime trying to get rebar stakes without T's out of the ground. I'm now going to get T's welded on top of them. Now time for pictures and a video of my reaction to catching my first weasel.

That excitement in your voice is priceless!!!

Yes, it is, 3 years in the making finally paid off. \

Set out 4 weasel boxes yesterday after the storm. Lots of new snow cover. Set up a different line, it's about 16-20 miles round trip from the house. I plan to set out some more stuff tomorrow when I go out. Talked to some other guys about other ways to trap weasels and this one guy said that he uses rat traps wired to cattails and then wires a piece of meat to the trigger. So me being me, I went and made some using wooden stakes so I don't have to mess with cattails. Now I have a half dozen rat traps screwed to 2 ft wooden stakes. I'm going to set a few out tomorrow and see if they work any better. Hopefully, I have a weasel or mouse tomorrow, These spots are looking really weaselly, didn't find any tracks though.

Interested. When I first started trapping weasel years ago, you wired fresh meat to the bait pan and hung it on the side of a tree or something. I don't see why your idea wouldn't work. Good luck!