Here is a new one for me - I'm sure not all that uncommon for someone like Walt who runs a lot of bottom edge sets. This mink was headed upstream with this big frog in its yap.



Another newer trapper asked for some help filling his bobcat tag. This cat was using a waterway to travel across a large field from one wooded ridge to another. A projection set with some castor laced with catnip was the ticket for this one.



And my favorite time of year, beavers under the ice. I've been able to add 5 new beaver ponds to my list of places to check out every year. Onx is a wonderful tool for the beaver trapper.



Next weekend we have a fur handling day for WTA Dist 5. I want a otter for a skinning demo so I set 2 crossovers on one of the beaver ponds the other day. When we checked last night the otters had passed thru but used a third crossover that we had not set. That one is now plugged with a 330 waiting for their return.

That looks like a great cat.

Nice mink catch. They've really been moving the last couple days.

Nice catches J. Sell! That frog looks big enough to host a fried frog leg dinner !
Currently i have only one set out guarding my friends pond from muskrats. I am unsure if I will make the skinning demo. with some continuing health problems. Either way I have 5 rats and one mink frozen whole to donate if anybody, especially kids , want to practice skinning them.

Well, I finally got some traps out again after having some health issues again for almost the whole month of February. Sure feels good to do a little water trapping in 50 degree weather. I've been catching some rats and mink in bottom edge or blind sets with bg's.






Trapper Bill has been after the beaver in his area and has been doing well.

Good to hear you're out there catching em Walt.

Great news Walt. Happy you're feeling better. Very nice catches!

It’s falling in season

Long cold winter with less water was hard on those rats…. Not!

Wow Nimzy, it almost looks like your fleshing coon, not rats! What ya been feeding them hogs?

These are saw grass rats. Some call it triangle grass. I doesn’t normally grow that good of rat, The bay has a lot of submergent vegetation so I think that’s helping.

Way to go, guys!!!!!

Moosetrot

nice to have open water, everything here is ice keep up the good work guys,

MuskratWalt nice work there and good pics. Bottom Edge rules, eh?

Nimzy -- those are some chubby 'rats!

Mink averages posted online continue to give me enthusiasm to gear up for scattering BE sets near and far next year. Should've done so this year but things got in the way. I did have the grandson out again to keep him in the game though.



Hi


Over Christmas break he helped prep customer pelts for the willow hoops. He's fired up.

Great job keeping the grandson involved Mike.

Mink prices sure look better this year.

Thanks Kyle. His enthusiasm for all of this warms my heart.

Good going Mike! Your grandson is alittle bigger than the last time he was on T-man. Next those will be beaver he's
Holding up!

More critters from last few days on waterline.
Note the pic with the weasel which was caught in a 150 bg set for mink in 5 or 6 inches of water. I've heard the term "water weasel" but this is the real deal. Lol

District 5 from the W.T. A. set up the booth at the gun show in Eau Claire today. It has been an annual event and there is no shortage of volunteers to work it, both young and old. Thanks Bill W., Bruce K., Junior P., and Jim G.

I miss being up there! Please say Hi for me!

Moosetrot

Picked up all but a few traps before the storm. A female mink had more white on her belly than any ive seen before other than ranch mink.


This is the 2nd beaver that screwed up a good otter set.
Anybody having any luck?

Thats a pretty mink Walt.

I'm just sitting inside stitching on some mittens, listening to the freezing rain pelt the windows.