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Post by walleyed on Dec 26, 2012 10:20:12 GMT -5
As in throwing in the White Towel. After a three day Skunk, Today I managed To catch a Lone Muskrat, had another fired #160, and apparently missed an Otter.
I decided to"Pull the Pin", and yank my remaining sets for Rats and Beaver/Otter as I was greeted by a ONE Degree Temperature and a solid Inch of Ice covering everything but the Otter Dam Slide-Overs.
I had one of the #330 Conibear Fired off after a weeks long soak even with the Trigger up out of the water to avoid Ice Build-up and high water debris. Could have been a muskrat also but I suspect the Marsh Missile as the Perpetrator as there were some suspicious Otter Tracks and snow slide markings on the snow-covered Ice nearby.
I am currently up to my neck in Coon, Rat, and Grey Fox Put-up with a January 3rd deadline looming.
I would also like to avoid checking in the heavy snow conditions. forecast for this afternoon.
Hope to reset some rat and beaver traps after the 3rd of January if weather conditions and/or SAFE Ice allow for it.
Stay tuned.
walleyed
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Dec 26, 2012 15:22:23 GMT -5
Will the muskrat meter roll to 200? you could be talking a true 10 average this year!
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tomsnare
It's a good time to be a trapper!
Posts: 514
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Post by tomsnare on Dec 26, 2012 15:56:14 GMT -5
Looking forward to chapter 2 ,really enjoyed the tails I'am staying "tuned"----Tom
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Post by walleyed on Dec 26, 2012 19:35:53 GMT -5
Will the muskrat meter roll to 200? you could be talking a true 10 average this year! I expect the Muskrat meter will roll to something around 400 by April 15th, But I don't expect it to surpass 200 before the New Year. After I finish up the Coon, Rats, and Grey Put-Up plus one more beaver I found today in the freezer I will get back after the "Hudson Seals". It going to be more challenging now that everything locked up last night, but I have some rat houses to work for some through the Ice rats, plus one spring creek so we'll see how it goes. eyed
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austinp
#3 Newhouse
the next fur season is never far from our minds :)
Posts: 3,008
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Post by austinp on Dec 27, 2012 7:59:50 GMT -5
first day since season began in Oct that I don't have some kind of traps set to be checked. seems strange sitting here instead of out there somewhere on the line
had plans for an all-day fox line from yesterday thru Jan 1st and then maintain spur lines from there. but instead, yesterday I snapped those already socked-in sets where an inch or two of crusted snow on iced-up hay rendered them inoperable. most had fox tracks all over the covering that might as well been a sheet of plywood instead of freeze-thaw hay
will shovel out and redeploy on Sat, snowpack should settle a bit by then
found some scattered pockets of rats that can handle trapping pressure. most areas here are drawn way too low in numbers as it is and imo should be left alone regardless of pelt prices or numbers goals. other places in the state obviously differ. this is the first year ever in my life where I see the core, big-body waters devoid of rats and only fringe pockets remain. usually the big bodies of water are population reserves while surrounding pockets can be hammered.
so regardless whether rats top out at $15 or $25 or $100 each, need to keep the long-term picture in mind. no one alive today has ever seen muskrat waters and populations this low, right now. so there is no baseline comparison to mark. if the population is normal, ok to harvest plenty. if the area is very thin on rats and the big waters around it have nil for backup, pelt prices are a short-sighted consideration for the big picture
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