Post by walleyed on Jan 30, 2013 11:28:37 GMT -5
Should have probably pulled The Beaver Sets yesterday Morning Due to the upcoming alleged forecast, but many times I have listened to the weather and caused myself a lot of un-nescessary work and Lost valuable Trapping Time.
So, Of Course, it was very warm yesterday afternoon and rained all night with a warm south wind. and much of Tuesday's Ice Cover was gone this morning.
I got on the Ice early around 7:00AM and tip-toed along the edges in shallow water noting the Many Open Gas Holes dotting the surface.
Yesterday I had missed three shots at Beaver with both Baited sets fired and My channel set with a MB 12" X 16" Mega Bear fired and pulled off of the stabilizing stakes and pushed to the side of the channel.
The Ice yesterday had a pair of large coyote tracks leading right up to each hole and then veering away. I suspect the MEGA-Bear was tripped off by a muskrat and then moved off the stakes and shoved out of the way by the first beaver to come by after it was fired.
The complete closure jaws (much like a Belisle) still did not catch whatever fired the trap. (So much for these complete closure traps never missing)
The Ice had about two inches of water running on top and not having creepers or corkers on my Lacrosse Outrigger hip boots to avoid slipping, I had to Granny step across the Ice in order to reach the beaver colony, aided somewhat by the windblown sand that was sprinkled unevenly in places along the shoreline.
One of my "Swinging Shelly" Baited sets held a fat #42 LBER, and the other Baited Set was once again fired, for the 2nd day in a row.
My Mega-Death MB 12" X 16" placed in a channel leading to a smaller satellite Lodge located back in the cattails was undisturbed.
Due to the uncertainty of the weather and the rapidly deteriorating Ice conditions, I pulled all the sets and I plan on returning when the cold weather returns and firms up the ice.
I noted that the Ice around the feed piles where I had located the baited sets had already thinned to 2 inches or less of clear Ice.
On a positive note, on the trip out, I noted and marked with "NYRAT Hardwood Stakes" the locations of four well used Muskrat Bank Den Runs with "hot smoke" emanating from them which I will set on my return visit to reset the Beaver Lodges.
The wind picked up strongly from the Southeast on my return walk out blowing across a 1,000 yards of Open Ice made the return walk out very difficult with one step forward and then being blown sliding across the Ice five steps back by the wind.
If not for the sand embedded here and there in the ice surface for some traction, I would still be out there slip-sliding away.
My other Beaver colony had a foot of flowing water on top the of Ice and was honeycombed with gas holes and looked untenable as far as reaching my traps.
I will probably return this afternoon with my Coleman 14 footer and extra help to reach and pull the remaining traps.
stay tuned.
walleyed
So, Of Course, it was very warm yesterday afternoon and rained all night with a warm south wind. and much of Tuesday's Ice Cover was gone this morning.
I got on the Ice early around 7:00AM and tip-toed along the edges in shallow water noting the Many Open Gas Holes dotting the surface.
Yesterday I had missed three shots at Beaver with both Baited sets fired and My channel set with a MB 12" X 16" Mega Bear fired and pulled off of the stabilizing stakes and pushed to the side of the channel.
The Ice yesterday had a pair of large coyote tracks leading right up to each hole and then veering away. I suspect the MEGA-Bear was tripped off by a muskrat and then moved off the stakes and shoved out of the way by the first beaver to come by after it was fired.
The complete closure jaws (much like a Belisle) still did not catch whatever fired the trap. (So much for these complete closure traps never missing)
The Ice had about two inches of water running on top and not having creepers or corkers on my Lacrosse Outrigger hip boots to avoid slipping, I had to Granny step across the Ice in order to reach the beaver colony, aided somewhat by the windblown sand that was sprinkled unevenly in places along the shoreline.
One of my "Swinging Shelly" Baited sets held a fat #42 LBER, and the other Baited Set was once again fired, for the 2nd day in a row.
My Mega-Death MB 12" X 16" placed in a channel leading to a smaller satellite Lodge located back in the cattails was undisturbed.
Due to the uncertainty of the weather and the rapidly deteriorating Ice conditions, I pulled all the sets and I plan on returning when the cold weather returns and firms up the ice.
I noted that the Ice around the feed piles where I had located the baited sets had already thinned to 2 inches or less of clear Ice.
On a positive note, on the trip out, I noted and marked with "NYRAT Hardwood Stakes" the locations of four well used Muskrat Bank Den Runs with "hot smoke" emanating from them which I will set on my return visit to reset the Beaver Lodges.
The wind picked up strongly from the Southeast on my return walk out blowing across a 1,000 yards of Open Ice made the return walk out very difficult with one step forward and then being blown sliding across the Ice five steps back by the wind.
If not for the sand embedded here and there in the ice surface for some traction, I would still be out there slip-sliding away.
My other Beaver colony had a foot of flowing water on top the of Ice and was honeycombed with gas holes and looked untenable as far as reaching my traps.
I will probably return this afternoon with my Coleman 14 footer and extra help to reach and pull the remaining traps.
stay tuned.
walleyed