Thanks Bryce. Good luck on the line!

Disappointing day today, I got a short line of 9 coyote traps out with the wife and youngest 2 boys this weekend. The wife is now a licensed trapper and I was giving her some pointers and she made some great sets. Then things went wrong, and I learned some valuable lessons 1- I know I didn't dry my dirt as much as I normally do 2- I have my pan tension dialed up a bit too high (farmer doesn't want fox killed was doing my best to exclude them with concerns over the cold weather and foot damage). I missed on 4 coyotes at 4 different traps last night clear tracks in the snow with a single foot print on each of the trap pans and not one fired..... frustrating back to the drawing board

I always tell the people that I trap for that I won't set for fox but that doesn't mean I won't catch them, same with otter people are like I want beaver gone but don't want you to catch the otter, there's no guarantee. if you catch a fox just let it go ?

Wild_WI, congratulations to your wife on becoming a Wisconsin trapper! And always great to see getting kids involved.

Targeting coyote vs fox, always a difficult situation, but you know what you have to correct. Keep after em!

I make the same disclaimer, last year I ended up releasing 13 reds at this farm but when it gets colder I try to exclude them as much as possible so they don't end up with frozen feet. Think I am going to switch over to dry peat on my sets today if that doesn't do it ill probably dial the pan tension down a bit

Got pulled today/ 3rd check 5 rats out of 15 sets. Ice has softened some in the last 2 days and with 40s Thursday and 50s on Friday with not freezing at night I don't need to be out there.
Hope to get some bottom edge sets out in some little feeders over the next 2-3 warm days. 15 sets 15 rats, most large and xl with 2 bigger ones today. Mostly average or below in size.

Bryce

Got my Bobcat,
Thanks to Eagleye, who helped me out and took me to his sets one morning. Beav, always helpful, and how to bed my traps in frozen dirt. I have to leave in an hour for my Granddaughters basic training graduation in S.C. Pic won't load to large. Ill work on it later. 33.2# The big tom I was after. Was beginning to worry. Thanks all.

Sounds like a great catch, can't wait to see pics. Congrats to your granddaughter, and thank her for her service.

Wife helped quick, Got to run. Or fly.

wtg , thanks for sharing

That's a pretty cat for sure.

Congrats on your nice looking cat; and to your granddaughter on her graduation.

Great job Beartracker! Really nice looking cat.

Way to go!

Nice Cat Bear Tracker!

I finally made it out to the ice for muskrats! I was pumped to hit this spot. I had checked the area during rifle season and things looked good. I always remember the refuge opening Dec 11 so I figured I was only a day late. Not many others usually out chasing rats at this time. After my decent walk pulling my sled with 36 159's and 36 7' fiberglass rods I saw someone was already there. There sets had not been checked for some time judging by the ice over and old boot and sled tracks in the slush.

Bummed out I headed for the next dike which upon scouting looked good too. No stakes upon arrival, boom baby!
I say it every year and some of you know, but man this is fun. Try it!

I set the 36 traps and headed out to pick my daughter's up from cribbage club. I'll load 36 more for tomorrow, check and set. Hopefully make a catch or two.
Have fun out there!)

At some point the signs for refuge use must have changed?





The set





The parting shot!

Deer fly why you givin up so soon, there’s another hour of light LOL

Set a few beaver traps up in the north woods. Every pond is COVERED with wolf tracks. Quite a few cats in the bottom lands. Ran across a couple fisher tracks too. Filled my otter tags the second trip that warm up had things moving. Caught 4 mink under the ice and they all had worms....weird.

Still can’t get on the ice at home. Maybe won’t matter much we’re pretty dry and short on rats.

Nimzy,
I had to pick my girls up from after-school activities!
I took the last photo at 3:22, I needed to pick them up at 3:30. Needless to say I was late to pick them up at 4:03. They understood!

I'll make up for it tomorrow, 2 hours isn't enough therapy for me

Good luck deerfly. I caught 4 ermine today. They still pump me up every time I catch one. The mink and rats have been slow on my bottom edge line. I don't have many sets out but will add more eventually. Still trying to get my coon scraped and stretched to make some room in the freezer.

I am running a bottom edge line. I am working to learn more about catching rats in the wider larger rivers. Not very successfully as of yet. I have some very small feeders that were dry b4 this last .5 inches of rain. Set 8 traps 3 days ago and got 4 rats. Water is now getting low again. Those rats move a lot more than I thought when the water is flowing.

Bryce

Hey Nimzy: What kind of parasite did your mink have? Had a couple this fall that didn't look healthy.