Ok, I took a jab at all the AI photos showing up and suggested that we post some real photos along with the story behind them so here goes.
![[Linked Image]](https://trapperman.com/forum/attachments/usergals/2026/07/full-2100-296137-rob_and_rat.jpg)
This is yours truly around 1976. The age seems right and all the mines shut down unexpectedly then and everyone lost their jobs. Mom took to making our own clothes and apparently bought the material that wasn't suitable for inmate uniforms or something. I am sure my Dad caught the rat and I was just tagging along. The photo was taken on my Grandparents place back on the "Little Field on the Crick". We have no creeks in these parts, only cricks. I have only caught one black Beaver in my life and I caught it at this same spot. There has been a Beaver dam here forever, even back when Beaver were rare around here in the 50's. Someplace I have a picture of my Dad (about the same age as me in this picture) along with my Grandfather and a family friend with 3 Beaver in one day. That was quite an accomplishment in the early 50's around here. In this spot for all of my life the family goes back and dip nets suckers in the Spring. In the mid 70's when times were REALLY lean, we took 3,500 suckers one spring. We smoked them, canned them, ground them up into patties.........I don't think I actually enjoyed eating fish for many years after that stretch.
I remembering "finding" a few Victor #4 DBL LS hidden on the crick bank many years ago. After looking at the tags, they were Dads and he just hid them back there each year so he didn't have to carry them a 1/2 mile each way.
My parents own that property now and Dad and I both still set a trap or two back there each year for old time sakes. Anyway, real photo and a real story.