Great day beaver trapping!

Set up my northern line last Thursday. Got around to checking today. Set 18 traps, and ended the day with 14 beaver, an otter and a rat.

Pretty decent day. Had four traps at a house and got five Beaver and an otter. Never had that before. Gotta love those snare poles!

Now the fun part. Processing a shop full of 30 critters. Lol anyone wants a help?

Impressive. I’d help if I lived closer:)

Nice haul Hutchy.

X2!

The life!

If I were closer-i'D BE ALL OVER IT!!!

Obviously not too shy about working hard!! Well done!!

Thanks guys. Most are froze solid now. The benefits of cold weather! Now I can thaw five or so at a time in and do them in the evenings after work.

That makes 63 beaver for the year. I should land somewhere near 90 if all goes well.

I know prices are low, but why not!

Excellent Job! Congrats!

Nice run!

Nice work! And I was complaining about catching 8 beaver in two days. I'm a big baby when it comes to putting up beaver but for some reason I keep doing it.

Wow now that's a haul. Heckuva day. My back hurts looking at that pile

No doubt, excellent day.

I've been averaging about 18-20 traps on my line these days. About half the number I used to set in my younger years. Just don't feel like skinning that many critters!

I am a bit of a baby also haha. I'd be panicking a little if it wasn't twenty below at night consistently!

My back hurts because it made just under a foot of ice since Thursday! Maybe spring will come someday. Till then loving the great winter we have had

Thank Rob. I keep trying the two trap method yet never seem to get more than one. Use blocker sticks etc. Had three this time attributed to true blind channel sets, the rest were baited conis or snare poles. I set a house yesterday where the pond had dropped and there was one five foot wide channel out to water. Put three traps wide with angled blocker sticks . I will be curious to see how that one goes!

That's definitely a good day. Lots of work. Congrats

Great catch, just think of all the castor you will collect.

Thats about the only reason I look forward to the hide coming off! lol. At 85 a pound no complaints here. .

Thing I was most happy about was getting 18 decent traps in in one day. Ice here is between three and four feet on the lakes and bays, and a bit less on the floods. About half the houses had a small spot you could find with your ice chisel. The rest were all too deep. The chainsaw has an 18" bar, and it wasnt enough. Helped a lot though. Chiseling sucks.

awesome job Hutchy and if i was closer i'd help for sure.love workin beaver.

Great catch percentage! Bet there is some nice prime fur on those beaver!

Chris

Do you have an extra beaver skinning knife or do I need to bring mine??

the fur does look good. And i have to say i have never before had that kind of catch percentage, however it looks a bit better because of the two snare pole doubles. Still, not sure why but the stars aligned it would seem.

With your skill a sharp rock would suffice!

Fine job!

Asking "why" is the first step in recognizing you have an addiction. Hopefully you will take gibb's advice and not to beat yourself up trapping beaver. Although it appears he may suffer the same illness.

Right now its an obsession. Addicts want to stop. lol

Its funny we were talking about snare poles a while back, and ended up with two doubles at one house. And I think I got two doubles ever before that.

did you switch to 3/32?

And where did he say not to beat yourself up? I must have missed that.

It was his advice in predicting fur prices last summer/fall where he said unless you trap high dollar lynxcats or coyotes, don't beat yourself up. Spot on by the way.

"In September 9.5 million mink, 565,000 fox, 41,500 fin coon and 150,000 karakul skins are going to hit the market. Since February the world fur market has been dropping every sale. Doesn't take a much to figure out what is going to happen.
2019 will be worse than last season, unless of course you have the right type of coyote and bobcat, otherwise don't beat yourself up."

There you go!

You ever use an auger Hutchy? last year I had to use auger with an exstenttion on it to get to the beaver. But I think lots of the lodges froze out. As I did not get many beaver per lodge and when I went back this fall they were no lodges.

No, didn't have time to make any. Since switching to bait on the side of the pole away from the house been getting solid body catches. Sometimes two snares per beaver.

I used to actually. With our rock bottoms I keeps ruining my auger blades. The way I figure it, anywhere I want to set a trap should have a foot or less from beaver activity. The saw makes it easier to check depth, and isn't so bulky. If there is four feet of ice at the house, I am staying home! Lol

I might just buy a longer bar for my little husky.

Sadly, when I first started learning to clean skin, I might as well have been using a sharp rock!!

You shoulda seen my first otter...lol

great day thanks for sharing

Thanks for the photos and post. Well done!

Well, did my second check on that line today despite the rain. Ended up with thirteen beaver, three otter and a rat. I am pulling the line Saturday, so that should be another five or so. Pulled the snare poles because it wouldn't freeze enough to ensure a humane catch . Anyway, today's check:




The last picture was from my first check, just had to get my wife to send me the pic..

And again...anyone wanna help skin??!

Nice Check

What the heck is that white stuff? I can tell ya what mud looks like. Sarge

Nice harvest of prime fur Hutchy.
Rained here today.

Yup. I figured two degrees and rain/ice pellets is better than tomorrow's forecast. Eight degrees and pouring rain. Lol

When I snared beaver in this kind of weather,I put a block of ice from the hole on each side of the crosser on top to keep the beaver from hauling everything up on top of the ice.Works real good.

If I was near to you I would take you up on the skinning offer .The only way I get halfway good at anything is to just keep doing it again and again .You got a pile to take care of .So the chance is waiting to do just that .It is apparent you enjoy all aspects of trapping beaver . Good luck on the next check

Thanks! I do. I enjoy this time of year where I get quick at skinning them. Hoping for some good money out of the castors.

With our rock bottoms I do that sometimes to keep the pole from floating up, but I put the chainsawed chunk on the crosser pole. I have found shoving the hole with icy slush or firm snow works passably well also. Still, with all the rain forecast the ice chunks would be floating around lol

Those pelts should net you decent money too-did you notice the premium paid for hvy beaver at the recent sales.The larger ones should be an easy 30-40 bucks not counting the castors.Couple good paydays there for sure.Unfortunately the otters will be about the same.
Put the ice chunks on top of the crosser on top of solid ice,not in the hole.

I wasnt really after the otter, but I'll take them I guess. And there are a few good x-3x dark ones in the mix.

Half my otter we're in snare poles this year. I found that a bit odd.

They are curious.And they bunk with beaver.

Works for me.

Great job Hutchy! Couple more days to hit 100!

Hey Al! At 84 at the moment. I might make 90, things are getting busy at work, so not sure I'll get theast ten. Maybe though.

good job thanks for sharing

Its the younger business look in the first pick and the wiser outdoorsman look in the second! nice beard and Nice haul!

That looks like an awesome season. Hope you get to your goal.

Haha, year I got a bad head cold and shaved because I hate having a runny nose and a beard. Silly reason but a pet peeve. I should have waited. It's tough to take a beaver trapper seriously without facial hair!

Comon boco, your the closest help the guy out so he can get the last ten.!!! Now I gotta catch a few.

Sometimes those otters remind me of pole dancers, the way they wrap around the poles, all in entertainment.

And boco is still a three or four hour drive from me at least. Lol.

4 1/2 hours to Sudbury from here Hutchy,How close to Sudbury are ya.

You should invite him up Boco, and get him good and stoned! Lol

He needs educated on that also.

Are you gonna make it down to the sport show this winter? I'll buy a copy of your signed book on beaver trapping. But I want a picture beside your pretty wife...so I guess you have to bring her too...lol

Seriously, that's a lot of hard work, and a really good job on your part. Happy for you!

Well, there ya go. 6 hours from me cause I am an hour from Sudbury

Haha. I wish i could come over there again! And my book is a work in progress. And pictures cost five beaver skinned and boarded. I'll provide the beaver.

Are you going to the show again Al?

ya, was planning on visiting with ya. I think it starts next week.

Gladly skin the 5 to get a pic with the model.

Or...you could bring 20 of them down...and we can put on a put-up demo for a bunch of people. Charge admission...lol

Naw, not even going myself. My father no longer does the hovercraft thing! We bought one though to get the guys to and from the job site. Pretty cool.

And I think we could do well charging admission! And give the carcasses to those wolves in the trailers those people brought. I imagine their farts would clear out the place in a day's time haba

A buddy of mine in AK sells the carcasses to sled dog guys, and bear baiters. By the time he sells the fur, castors, and carcasses...his beavers are worth $80 apiece.

You should see if you can find any baiters up your way.

Thats a good call. Beavers sold frozen might be worth 20 a piece. I will freeze some and see what happens for spring.

I also bait bear, so theres that lol. Electricity to keep em froze for a month or so would be worth it.