I find lots of them every year…most of the time under white oaks with my dogs tied up nearby. I guess I can’t attribute it to distemper though. It usually seems like lead poisoning.

What would be considered a large otter? I caught one in Sauk Co. this morning. It weighed 19.5 lbs. Is that average?

Congrats on the otter. Sounds like a typical sized one to me. Did yo measure it nose to tail?

Thanks. I didn't measure it before I skinned it, but now I wish I would've.

When you board the otter you can measure it then and look up the sizes like from FHA or others.
Tough day on the river line. Rocks and more rocks, rain etc. 14 rats and 6 coons. 2 were small. I have an appointment with the department of aging this afternoon and right now I can feel the AGING!

Bryce

A few beavers from today.







I'm excited for walkable ice when it arrives! Enjoy yourselves out there

Nice beaver trapping weather Deerfly. When I was very young the season only lasted a month and I believe it opened in either January or February. I've been doing well on the coon and the fur looks very nice now. I think someone in an earlier thread mentioned November 8th as the date most are pretty prime. He hit it right on the head.

Caught a few more rats so I have 103 pelts in the freezer. I usually don't trap fisher this early, but a farmer friend asked if I would trap the one he has on his deer cams that is after the local squirrel population his grandson hunts.l put a bucket set 160 about chest high on a big oak blow down. The second check I had a half grown opossum in the Trap. This by itself would not be unusual although possums are not all that common in this part of Wisconsin but it was the type of set and it's location that kind of surprised me.I reset the trap and will await for the next customer, which will hopefully be the fisher.

Pulled one line today. 3rd check coming tomorrow on a longer line. 10 rats and a mink today. Not one coon today! I have gotten 10 the 3 days before. Maybe too windy last night.
Lot of activities this weekend so I will ease back a bit and give the legs a rest.

Bryce

Good luck on the fisher Walt. I would guess that I've caught 15-20 possum in my coon sets. Most I've ever caught. Hopefully this trend doesn't continue. Keep up the good work on the rats. I'll start trapping some after deer season and will also have to take out some beaver doing damage. Looking forward to some water trapping after the coyote and coon dryland trapping I've done.

Caught another grinner today in an elevated box set. They must be hungry. On a positive note, I did get a few more rats. Might have to wait for cold weather for my fisher.

Finally connected with my first coyote of the season. Young male in a dirt hole set, MB550, baited with she traps mouse meat bait. Urine on backing grass and a tiny git of gland lure.

Got some sets out finally. Was after beaver but was too tempting not to set a few coon sets on a crossing log and a handful of mink and muskrat sets. Met another local trapper that has permission on an adjoining property he is just after a couple beaver and said I could set the pond as well, but I told him I'd wait till he is done before setting for muskrats and mink. He said he caught 2 beaver so far and had one set popped twice and it went dead for him. He insisted I set it for beaver too as the land owner wants em gone. I refused till he pulls out, I'd feel bad if I got one while his traps missed and I really feel bad if he caught while mine soaked lol. Feels good to finally go to sleep wondering about tomorrow's check.

Had 1 rat yesterday when I pulled. Several meetings this AM so did not set until after lunch. Got about 1/2 mile or more of river line setup with moderate sign. Tomorrow I will finish setting the other 1/3rd of a mile.
There was only one field with corn on this section this year and it went in September as silage, so coon sign is way lower then the other couple places.
Bryce

k snow, congrats on the first yote of your year. How is the fur ... prime or still early?

I'm honestly not a good judge of that. He looked alright. I know prime in coons and muskrat, not sure about Coyotes.

I put in a Castor mound set with an MB1216 two days ago at one of my muskrat stops where I had noticed a few peeled sticks floating in the creek, but no other beaver sign evident. Had a 45lb. Beaver yesterday and a 48 today. Was only a 30yard walk to the truck.

wtg guys keep it up

I'm getting ready to close down the coon line before gun deer opens this weekend. I made my goal of catching over 100 so I'm happy about that. Now it's time to clean my shop so deer can be butchered. Have a great hunt everyone and be safe.

Same plan here- I won't put any boots on the ground before Saturday, need to Bud Cap White Pines on a frontage road and transition from trapping to deer- I usually drop off some weasel boxes to check on the stand trails and entrances.