Went up north today to set some beaver traps.
Got my limit of grouse,seen around 20.
Picked up a beaver in one of the traps I set going in.

Great start! Looking forward to this season, always enjoy following your threads.

Nice! That kind bush looks familiar.

Right on

Going to extend the line a bit today.

I could make some nice meals from those breasts Bob.

Boy oh boy them grouse look mighty tasty.

How you usually cook them up?

I like to fry them like nuggets.
The wife likes to make a stew with Dumplings.

Went out today,real nice day,cool and cloudy.
Set a couple mink boxes and added a few beaver sets,but dont want to swamp myself.
I will take a day off monday to skin.

Nice looking beaver how's the fur looking.

They will grade semi hvys/hvys now if I dont overstretch the neck.
Got another limit of grouse today again.Seen about 15 today,mostly ruffed this year.

Nice, look dark too. No rats in that area?

Looks like s good day!!

Not much rat sign.
I set the rat toilets if I see some while beaver trapping.

If guys in Canada have to go "Up North" to get some grouse, then maybe there is something to Global Warming. Can't wait for the gators to start showing up here LOL............................................................ the mike

I think you misread the Original post,to clarify,there is none in town so you have to go N S E or W to the bush.
I have 2 trapgrounds north of town and one east.
I pot meat all the time I am out trapping.

Thanks for sharing the pictures.

Mac

Went out for half a day today to check.

Nice pics!
You were saying when boarding beaver you don’t stretch the neck area too much if you want it to feel thicker. Do you nail a half ring smaller for the whole thing or just cheat the ring you’re on by not nailing to the line around the front legs & head?

Nice pics and catches! I always enjoy following your Northwoods adventures

I just dont pull it tight.
For example,if it is on the line when I put the first 8 nails or so without it being tight,I continue to board on that size line.
If it is between lines I will drop it back to the smaller line.This is for early beaver that are just coming on to prime.
If I have badly damaged beaver or fully prime Feb/March beaver that fall between sizelines I will pull those up to the bigger line.
You cannot overstretch fully prime beaver with 3/4 to 1 inch underfur.
As a sidenote,I mark all my marten boards with sizes and stretch them between the size lines so as not to overstretch and to account for shrinkage.Basically similar to beaver,except the beaver oval lines are already oversized by a couple of inches to account for shrinkage,so no reason at all to board beaver between the lines.
Pulling marten skins to meet a size line marked on your board results in overstretching(thinning the flanks where the grader weighs the fur) and it will not stay in that size after shrinkage.
It wont make much difference if you are only shipping a few pelts but it adds up over time.A lot of money can be made or lost on a hundred marten by improper boarding.

That's not a Savage over and under is it?

Looks like you're getting it done! Great pictures.

Chiappa double badger-22mag over 410.
Great trapline gun.Just fold it in half and toss it in the bait bucket on the bike.

Good stuff Boco!

Good deal! Looks like your going to be set for bait this winter!

Good stuff. With that many grouse you are going to run out of 410 shells.
Washed a spruce grouse and got a new species of louse off it along with 6,999 of it's cousins. Been a incredible grouse season but there is lots of Hippobosciadae flies on them this year

Whats a hippoboscidae fly?
Nevermind,I googled it
A louse fly.

Ruffed grouse can spread parasites within their populations by using communal dust baths in summer.

Once I run out of 410's I will switch to the 20 ga,and when I run out of 20 ga I will start on the 12ga.When I run out of 12 ga I will start shooting them with the 22.When I run out of 22's I'll be sick of eating partridge.

Yea HFT,Its good to have 40 or 50 beaver carcasses to last the winter for jackpots and marten bait.
There are also a few people I know who like to eat some beaver meat,so I clean butcher some for them

Nice, Thanks for sharing.

Skinning day today.
Skinned 11 this afternoon,5 left for tomorrow.

Checked the line today after finishing skinning.
Seen well over 50 grouse today,90% ruffed,a couple flocks of a dozen or more,several flocks of 6-8 and a bunch singles.
Its insane the amount of grouse on the north line this year.

Looks like might get cold and maybe snow into Canada. Whats the weather suppose to be in your area up there.

Rain right now with some wet snow in the forecast.
I hate the wet snow in November-the coldest time of the year on the line by far-get wet and cant stay warm.I will take 30 below sunny and dry any day over that.No getting away from it though,its a productive time to trap.The animals seem to know hard times are coming and they really seek our a meat meal to keep warm.

Would a beaver try to go over the trap or are the other sticks that are sideways low enough?

I missed one today. Came around from the land side of the trap. Big willow must’ve been sticking out in front as it was carrying it along in the channel.

Bottom is hard-they are travelling on the bottom

Nice pictures boco….. I’m guessing u also have spruce grouse up there ? How’s the taste compare with the ruffed ? Ruffed grouse is my favorite wild game to eat ….

Normally the spruce grouse outnumber the ruffed and the sharptails,but not this year- ruffed grouse everywhere up there.
I dont find much difference in taste of young spruce grouse and ruffed grouse.The young of year spruce grouse are a lot smaller though with less meat on the breast.The meat on the young spruce grouse is pink.The older spruce grouse have dark meat.Same deal with the sharptails,but they are a much bigger bird than the ruffed.Some people prefer the spruce grouse for its more gamey flavour.My wife prefers the spruce grouse,as does my son.Myself and my daughter both prefer the milder tasting ruffed.

Checked the beaver line today,picked up a few more,and another limit of ruffed grouse.
Rained off and on while I was out there this afternoon,was a bit wet when I got home,should have wore the hip waders.

We got a got a dump of snow here. -8 tonight and a high of -4 tomorrow. Gonna hit a property in the morning where a guy wants us to clean up the beaver. It’s on a river but apparently it’s low and not moving.
Looks like your trigger wires are straight like from factory. Im guessing you set them way off to the side? I started bending them in a T and under the water this fall after watching a video of them around 330s at night. Waders are good for keeping the pants dry, but mine are like funnels for crap falling in. $100 frog toggs. They’re comfy but not very tough. I might bite the bullet and order a set of Dans briar proof, looks like they fit tighter up top.

Those are new traps,I havent got around to twisting the 2 wires together as a single unit like I normally do.
I like to set dead center when trapping open water,no need for them to get too far into the trap in most open water setting.

You twist em and set off to the side or in the middle?

Dead center for open water or in deep water channells.
The only time I want the beaver well into the trap is when setting multiple traps side by side under ice at the main den entrance or multiples at dam breaks.Then I move them over to one side.

nice job

photos just go to show that beaver a dumb until the are not.
Around here, most problem beaver are USDA square and stick/ fencing shy by the time I get to play.

Smart ones on the line are your seed for next season.
No need to waste time just skim the cream and keep moving into untrapped country.
Why I like furtrapping better than nuisance,and the weather is much more tolerable than trapping in summer.

Went out to check the line today.Beaver getting thinned out now.Also got a freeze up now,but it could thaw before the permanent freeze sets in.I will pull the beaver traps next run if still frozen.If I decide to extend the line further back in I will wait till good ice.
Got two beaver today,a mink,and two Otters,one otter was a runt caught in a mink box,the other was a big one but was eaten up by cats.
The runt Otter smelled bad of skunk,he must have tried to tangle with a skunk and got the buisness.
Picked up another limit of ruffed grouse.

I always enjoy your pictures. It looks like you have a lot of grouse in your area or is it like that all over Ontario?

Not sure how widespread it is but the ruffed grouse dont often outnumber the spruce grouse and the sharptails like they are this year.

Which of those three are the best eating grouse. I only ate rough grouse in my lifetime

They all taste good to me.
Ruffed partridge are good fried as nuggets,spruce partridge are good in a stew with dumplings and sharptails because of their large size are good for partridge kiev.
Had some partridge stir fry last night,

Your making me hungry for grouse.

They are good eating allright,but I'll be sick of them in a couple weeks,lol.

Thanks for the pictures Boco. Always fun to see trapping from further north.

Checked a few traps on the driftwood line today.
I set out 16 boxes to see what is out there.
Picked up 3 marten and a ermine.
2 marten are definitely adult males since I could easily feel the groove on the top of the head.
The other is a female,cant tell until I skin if adult or juvenile.
Forgot to take the pic of the last marten before I took him out of the trap.

I will have to set up a few test boxes on the northern line next trip up to see how the marten pops are up there.

You using 160s for your mink sets in case an otter comes in?

No,120s in mink boxes.
120 will kill any size otter quick

Nice pictures boco …. Thanks for the explanation on the grouse species, you are piling up the partridge !

Went out today to cut a couple trees that were across the trail into camp.
I had a couple marten boxes set at the beginning of the trail and one had a fresh caught Canary Marten.
First Canary Marten I have caught in about 8 years.The last one I caught was part eaten.Back in the early 90's I was lucky to get 3 canary marten in one season.
This one is an adult male and in perfect shape.
i froze him whole in case a taxidermist wants to buy it.

That last marten is a beauty. It should bring a good $ on the Taxi market or even tanned with the feet on.

It is unique allright.
Has a pure white head,bright orange body,and the tail is bright orange underneath and white on top,with a dark band near the tip but the tip is also white.

Latest check of the traplines.

Nice stuff.

Nice! What do you do with the 2 tone weasel? I like the white & caramel look, I tanned the one I got late last season. Makes me hungry for ice cream or something when I look at it.

They sell right along with the rest when tanned.Some people like the greybacks better than the ermine weasels.
I havent shipped a weasel to the auctions in probably 30 years.
So easy to tan and always sell out no matter how many I get.

Nice trapline pics as always!

Excellent job, your having a good season

Me and the wife went out to the Camp on the driftwood line for a couple days relaxing..
Checked a few sets I put in on the trail into the Camp.
Another cat tried to claim the beaver at the jackpot.







Picked up a nice fisher in a marten box at the trailhead.

beautiful Canary marten

Bob do you turn your boxes down facing when the snows come heavy?

No Bob,i got them every which way.The ones turned up I just give the bait a whack with the axe on the bottom to knock the snow off.
Animals enter the box even when it is full of powder snow to get at the bait.
The biggest disadvantage to the boxes that open up is that the bait diappears quicker from shrews and mice,but I normally have no shortage of bait,and I change it or chop it every week or two anyway.

I know the rodents play havoc on baits. Everything wants to eat any chance they can. Do you get much fur damage between checks on your marten and fisher. Are you running 2 or 3 day checks?

Not much damage from rodents as long as they are up or hanging.
Sometimes fisher or other marten will eat the odd marten.This almost always happens before the catch has frozen hard.After an animal is frozen hard they are much less attractive to scavengers.
After freeze up I will run 3 or 4 day checks but it depends on how many traps/lines I have out.I dont run near as many traps as I once did-too tough at my age now.
When you have a lot of lines out the check times will be longer of course.
5-7 day check is fine in winter when running 5 or 6 different traplines,that gives you a day or two off for skinning (with lethal sets of course).Much more than that then you run into other problems.

You don't get damage from Ravens or Birds of prey up your way?

Only seen that on beaver in open water nuisance, if they dont make it under water.
The ravens plucjk the hair out but have a tough time opening the skin unless the beaver is belly up.

Awesome pictures sir! Your trap line always fascinated me.

Had a weird catch today-a friggen bobcat,lol.
Never heard of one ever being caught in the north.
Their northern limit in North eastern Ontario is along the North shore of Lake Huron and around the lake Nippissing area between North bay and Temagami,and west of Lake temagami.
Those areas are around 400Km south of my trapline.
A few more check pics

That cat looks like our Pa. cats. More like a rabbit color phase. They sure blend in when there is no snow. It would be nice to have some ermine in our area, I like trapping weasels.

Better watch out Boco the 'possums will follow the bobcats....lol
Great pics...we open tomorrow.

He looks dark against the snow.
This is more the true colour,definitly not silvery like a lynx for sure.
He must have migrated from the south east.Too bad he didnt come here from out west.
I will put up a couple pics when I get it boarded beside some lynx pelts i caught at the same set a couple days before the bobcat

I just got done reading this whole thread Boco. It’s got me all pumped and primed to get out there when our season gets going. Thanks for taking time to share.

Yall are welcome.
Its a good way for me to reference the seasons past for many things,populations,weather etc.

Great thread and photos. Thanks for taking us along on your line!

Have you finished the book I sent you? Figured you might recognize some of the areas, as well as the traditions.
Great pictures, by the way.

Yes AV a good book a simpler time and way of life.
Great the way he goes thru all the seasons.
I believe the location was in Maine.

You can tell you're a lynx trapper, not a bobcat trapper Boco. You showed two pictures of that cats back and no pictures of his belly!

I wondered how far south of you the bobcats ended. I was surprised to see you had skunks, I figured the cats would range farther north than the skunks.

The belly looks different than lynx-spots are more distinct.

The belly is 85% of the value on a bobcat. That isn't a bad belly, looks nice and white with good distinct black spots, but it looks hourglassed (although that may be the way he is hanging). I'd say that is probably a B belly. Still should go for three times what a lynx will.

I sent a couple lynx to the auction last winter to see how the prices were coming along-the avg of the two was $208CAD ea after deductions.
6oo sounds good for the bobcat




Lynx belly for comparison.

Hard to believe when comparing the fur that a bobcat is worth more than a lynx, there is just so much more fur on a lynx. But color is everything to the buyers.

Yes,the spots on the lynx look more muted because of the much longer fur I suppose.
The bobcat belly looks Brighter for sure.
It is too bad I caught the bobcat early,would have been intersting to see it if it was fully prime in dec/jan if it could have survived the deep snow and lean winter months here.

Bobcat spots also can dilute a little has the fur gets longer. My guess is your kitty has a C belly after it’s stretched.

This is a C belly from my line.

Thats a nice one BP,what do they pay for something like that.

Checked a few today.









Got hungry on the road home-broke down and ate some of my lure.

Mustard packed sardines or Herring in Oil ? I prefer the mustard. Too good to use for bait. Good snack and protein. Just need some crackers and cheese now.

Smoked herring in oil Bob,I just use the juice after I eat the feesh.Good stuff for a quick protein snack out on the line.
I always tell people If I get hungry I eat some of my bait,lol.

Great pictures

$100-$150 at local auction

That's a pretty good price for those coast range cats. I can remember doing an awful lot of those for a 30-35 average.

Last couple of years coast cats have done better. That said my average last year was only $84

Checked a few boxes on the line.

You’re hammering those ermine Boco

Another canary, nice!

No not even close.
Just the way the sun was shining on it.

Neat critters!

What's a white ermine sell for?

Which book did VK send you?

I sell them for $25 retail and $22 wholesale.
Get between 50 and 100 on avg most years .

Cache lake country.

Checked a few sets today.
Picked up a cat in a trail snare,couple marten,and a couple fishers.

I hate the weather we get nowadays.
Cannot count on the ice conditions from one week to another unlike in the past.
Spent half an hour getting the bike out of deep water when it broke thru the ice.
Lucky I wasnt too far from the truck and was able to use my loading ramp to get the bike back on top after busting a bunch of ice with the axe.
Was a good workout and lucky I had my hip wasders on-the water was near 3 feet deep where the bike broke thru.

That's never fun. Although the bikes do float better than a snowmachine and are usually easier to get out in that deep of water. And yes I've used ramps in the same way, also to cross narrow strips of open water or where a culvert washed out.

Yes bearcat,these fording locations on the line only become a problem at freeze up time.Once frozen no problem,and when open also not much of an issue.In between-big problem when you get halfway out and break thru.
Over the years I have had the same problem with the truck on some back roads,but always carried the chainsaw and was able to cut the ice to get across
In spring when its open but there is still a snowpack the 550 tundra will skip across the open water spots without issue.

Where culverts have been removed or washed out we generally will build a bike bridge with the chainsaw.The trapper as well as local hunters will help to maintain the temporary bike bridges.

all part of the trapping adventures! but boy you are putting the hurt on the ermine LOL

Looks like a good year for the little buggers.Lots of fur and game of all kinds out there this year.
Our dry summer must have bode well in the rearing of the young in the bush.
Although early,my marten ratio stands at 7 to 1 (juv+adult males to adult females).
Over 20 weasels 3 fisher and 16 marten in 3 weeks out of 25 boxes.And 3 cats out of 1 jackpot and 1 cat out of about 6 trailsnares.
Might be worth running some longer lines this year once I start using the snowmachine.

Checked a few today.

When you set these boxes are you specifically targeting ermine? Or are they being set for ermine or martin?

Ermine marten and fisher.
Waxing the 120s allows me to catch all the ermine that visit.
If I wanted to just catch ermine and exclude marten and fisher I would install an access plate in front of the box and recess the 120 to function unimpeded by the access plate.

Awesome pics! Did that red fox climb the tree to get to the box on a horizontal log?

Red fox??I havent caught a fox yet this season.