Nice catches everyone! I should have stayed with footholds in the big marsh with the weather we've had, oh well, I'll get them through the ice. A few rats here and there while waiting for things to freeze up. The deer hunting has been slow for me, looks like perhaps walkable ice in the 10 day. Scouted some area today with the rifle in sling,no deer but maybe a rat or two.
As always, enjoy your outdoor adventures!

I got otter #1 for the year today. Was headed to the creek to do an ice bath and had a surprise waiting for me.
220 belisle in a bottom edge set.

Nice catch K snow!
bottom edge produced a buck today, just no horns. A few rats as well. An often overlooked set for muskrat, mink otter and beaver. They will start to shine in the coming days of ice.

wtg guys keep up the trapping,

Deerfly, every otter I've caught have been in bottom edge, or bottom channel sets. They are great for ice conditions.

Nice Mink catch.

My goto set also.

Got another 11 rats this morning on my little road line. That makes 180 rats so far. I should catch 200 this year which will be a little below average on my water line. Got another three really nice big beaver the past few days also from 45 to 53 lb. Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

And #2 means I'm tagged out for the year.

Good job on the otter k snow

Way to go KSnow!

Dave

I caught the first bobcat I've ever been able to tag this year, a 26# female with decent spots. Have any of you sold them on the auction recently? I'm trying to get an idea of what it might be worth.

Way to go Lance.

For what they are bringing, I would suggest tanning it and hanging it on the wall.

Thanks K snow and 160. I'll get it tanned.

I put out a few bottom edge sets two days ago and have caught 6 muskrat so far. No mink yet but they'll be coming. Not many rats left on our creeks anymore. When I was younger, you could catch 20 on a small stretch of creek but things have sure changed.

Set 10 pushups today. Covered a mile to find them. Ice is strong and rats are few.
Bryce

Putting my coyote line in tomorrow hoping to have something early this week

Got some body grippers out Saturday. Today 8 rats and a foot. There are fewer rats so there are fewer pushups so predators have fewer to find. I had 3 of my pushups torn apart out of 9. That is way more then usual for me.
Will pull Wednesday as the ice is getting softer and with Thursday and Friday near 50 and no freezing at night it will get really thin and soft. Rats are all very average in size as well.

Bryce

Got 5 more today so finally went over the 200 mark on rats. Been a slow process,but enjoyable. Also caught a female fisher in a MB450 to finally fill my tag. Yesterday I caught and released a bobcat in a similar set.Will be setting for some more beaver. Mink have been sporadic but I'm not targeting mink specifically. Bumped into Trapsetter on a local waterway at one of my stops. Hope he has good luck. He posts on here often. Bryce, how are you setting up the pushups if you care to share?

I sleeve them I spud around the pushup until I find the deeper open portion where the rats enter. I clear out some of the debris and look for clippings. An active pushup will not be froze up and have clippings. I am using 1 stoploss traps that I set just under the water. They are staked to a think 7 foot bamboo stake. Sometimes one can find two entrances. By spudding outside the pushup right next to it, I can lay down on the ice if I need to with my chest waders on and reach into those smaller structures. That way I am not molesting the structure which we can't do here in WI.

Catch rates for me are lower than when I can find runs with body grippers. Activity rates are as good but more plugged traps, snapped traps, because many have multiple rats using them and most are bringing vegetation with them to eat and chew on. Front foot catches almost never have issues with tearing up the pushup. Hind foot much more so. I also think with hind foot catches which many times stay alive, the predators can hear the rat digging etc. and the yote, otter, coon whatever can tear the pushup apart as well.

Bryce