Pretty interesting day

I got a call from the timber company saying that there was a dam in a block of land that needed to come out so the loggers could move in. It was down a ditch a far piece, so I called varmintshooter and asked if he could come and blow it. He came and took his creek boat down the ditch and I waited for him. When he returned, he said he found no dam, but found an old culvert that had water backed up quite a bit. He said he cleaned it out. He said there was a plug in the front of the culvert that was under the road we were on. He went on down the bank and worked on cleaning it out. As he was cleaning out that culvert, I called the timber guy I report to and told him what got done. He then tells me that's not the right one. The dam in on a ditch that feeds into this ditch. So, tomorrow, David will make his way down the other ditch, and hopefully blow the dam. It sure was nice spending a little time with him. Here he is raking out the front of that culvert.



Earlier while waiting for him to come to the site. I checked a few traps I had in the area. Last Friday one of my sets had a beaver that was tangled on the bottom in a drowning set. I tried to get it free, but was unable to. Yesterday I tried again to no avail. So, today I brought a chain, hooked it to the wire and pulled it up with my truck. That beaver sure did stink after being down there all that time.

At another site I almost stepped on this little bugger. He sure was feisty, but didn't win the battle with my tater rake.



All in all, it was a fun day!

cool what kind of snake

Do you get snake bit very often?

Cottonmouth

Never been bitten..... yet.

That's good odds for as much as your around them.
I'm not that lucky I guess, and get done in by things I can't see.
The deer tick that gave me anaplasmoses & Lyme disease (Mayo got me back)
Now this Covid-19 thing (survived it in February) so far so good!

Idk how you guys can put up with all those snakes!

Would be neat to watch him blow up a dam

That is one healthy Cottonmouth!

Your from down where they have them things. I can't imagine setting a trap from the water next to the bank, and look up to see one inches from your face!
I don't do snakes
Would never noodle for a catfish
I'm not sure if turtle man isn't quite right

Any beaver trapper worth his salt has a tater rake in the truck.

I have no clue why, but our plantations down here are overrun with Cottonmouths. They outnumber rattlesnakes probably about 15:1. Still one of the most docile of the venomous snakes. Only been struck (snake boots) once by a cottonmouth. Rattlesnakes several times. Copperheads too many times and we have very few of those anymore. I’m more nervous about running into hogs than I am snakes or gators.

Never thought about the hogs

About the only thing we have here are wild dogs & some kind of a big cat.
How big of a cat would it take to carry a 100 lb calf?
I didn't think we had any here.

10 or 12 yrs ago a neighbor and part time trapper told me about completely loosing a calf about that size next to a big CRP. This man was known to be a rational man who usually considered a lot of facts b4 he came to any conclusions. We both agreed with coyotes 1) there should be some bones scattered and 2) buzzards should lead us to the remains. Nope- nothing. There were no tracks at the gate or places where it looked like a rustler could have gotten access to his pasture which was fairly remote and somewhat rugged. We both agreed there was only one predator that could pull that off and it was known to cover its kill possibly hindering the buzzards.

About 2 years later his culprit ran across the road in front of me in broad daylight. It wasn't supposed to be there either but there it was.


Boss, I am glad you didn't feed him your foot or a hand and Wannabee if you hear clicking behind you don't look just climb the nearest tree and then look. If a momma thinks you are a threat to her babies you'd be shocked how fast she can come for you.

Be more fun watching him blow up that snake!!!!!!!

Never a dull moment on your trapline, Paul.

Ever had one strike your boot?

Nice snake!

Well I was mowing fence rows on a JD zero turn in between cornfields about 6ft high. At the back end of the farm 1/2 mile from a highway and a mile from any cattle, there was a fresh killed good size calf. we had been having a lot of rain & I saw cat prints in the soft dirt (big cat prints)! I had the hair stand up on the back of my neck & got chills, and vamoosed out of there.
Later that year, they shot a mountain lion under a farmers corncrib, in Morrison, Illinois
The only one I had ever seen was the summer I spent riding trail rides in Glacier Park. Something on my bucket list that had to be done before I got too old or crippled. Kind of like bull riding I tried.

Paul,

You out there dancing doe-see-doe with big snakes again brother?

You know your momma taught you not to

cause you're gonna get bit!

In your pic, it looks like your dancing partner is getting a wee bit hissy

cause you're do all the twirling on the rake handle and won't share.

Member what you learned in school today bossman...

"Sharing"

Donna and I are headed to your state end of the month if they say they are open for biz. Headed to Asheville, NC.

Hope you're doing well.

Blessings,
Mark

330 I would have to agree!!

All we got in this part of the state that bites is....snapping turtles.

Boy if that snake was here I would call it a dark phase rattler. Sure looks like one to me.......jk

Just no thanks... flying buzzard mosquitoes is enough for me

Now if Thermacell made a unit for snakes ....I might move

A little ole snake is nothing to worry about

That's why most of us down here carry a snake charmer.... mine is a .38spl loaded with shot shells... you stay safe Mr Paul.

Almost!

Your eye must get trained to spot them eh?

I hated those things growing up in NC and got bit by one over by McKellar's Pond a long time ago when stationed at Ft Bragg. Good thing it didn’t get you, it’s not pretty..

Not missing them dern cottonmouths one bit since ive graduated to pig trapper, lol. Did nearly step on a big rat snake today
and got scared thinking it was one of the big boy rattlers in the area.

Thats a little one!! Wow that thing looks NASTY ! I will take grizzly bears any day. Just looking at that makes my skin crawl. My wifes uncle was killed by one in MO.