Post by austinp on Oct 20, 2014 5:38:54 GMT -5
{stands up in front of a small crowd} "Hi, my name is Austin, and uh, well um... I am addicted to red hair. There is just something about those little red heads that I simply cannot resist. I am powerless over their attraction to me"
{audience replies} Thank you for sharing, Austin!
**
Even though I've worked pretty hard to accumulate enough muskrat locations for a big push this season, I cannot get those red fox out of my mind. Been seeing a lot of fresh roadkills lately (groan) now that corn is coming down, and people outdoors report lots of recent sightings too. Unfortunately, the same can be said for coyotes which I myself hear singing at night all the time.
Anyways, at some point between the opener and Nov 15th firearms deer, I'm going to have to address this personal addiction problem. Spent much of yesterday prepping the canine gear and it is for the most part ready to deploy. The one caveat is trap size... most of my early season ground is public land where put & take pheasant hunting is heavy. Guys with small bird dogs criss-cross the same areas I set for fox. Last season I had several bird dog encounters with traps, all of them little #1.5 coils. In a couple of cases, the traps were reset and covered in attempts to remake the set for me, albeit crudely. But I appreciated the effort on their part.
So the private ground up high gets #3 coils while the public ground gets #1.5 coils simply out of public perception. A guy seeing his English setter or GSP in a #1.5 or a #3 has different emotional response. I'll purposely miss most coyotes and maybe a few fox in exchange for peace of mind with bird hunter's perceptions of traps & trapping.
I'm not 100% decided whether I'll set for canines day one and run a three-week line rotation here, or begin with rats up north and run a two-week rotation instead. I do know that looking over the muskrat leases has some outstanding fox/coyote crossings in that winter habitat. With some early season work here and later season work on the muskrat lease, might be able to catch enough fox to have some fun. As usual I have no targeted "number" but expect to run 2 - 3 dozen sets daily around my work schedule. Whatever the area fox population actually is will decide what the actual catch total will be
And AJ, considering you've been my virtual canine "partner" for so long now, we can throw in together on the fox line again unless you are too busy handling a full barn of ranch fox up there in your neck of the woods.
{audience replies} Thank you for sharing, Austin!
**
Even though I've worked pretty hard to accumulate enough muskrat locations for a big push this season, I cannot get those red fox out of my mind. Been seeing a lot of fresh roadkills lately (groan) now that corn is coming down, and people outdoors report lots of recent sightings too. Unfortunately, the same can be said for coyotes which I myself hear singing at night all the time.
Anyways, at some point between the opener and Nov 15th firearms deer, I'm going to have to address this personal addiction problem. Spent much of yesterday prepping the canine gear and it is for the most part ready to deploy. The one caveat is trap size... most of my early season ground is public land where put & take pheasant hunting is heavy. Guys with small bird dogs criss-cross the same areas I set for fox. Last season I had several bird dog encounters with traps, all of them little #1.5 coils. In a couple of cases, the traps were reset and covered in attempts to remake the set for me, albeit crudely. But I appreciated the effort on their part.
So the private ground up high gets #3 coils while the public ground gets #1.5 coils simply out of public perception. A guy seeing his English setter or GSP in a #1.5 or a #3 has different emotional response. I'll purposely miss most coyotes and maybe a few fox in exchange for peace of mind with bird hunter's perceptions of traps & trapping.
I'm not 100% decided whether I'll set for canines day one and run a three-week line rotation here, or begin with rats up north and run a two-week rotation instead. I do know that looking over the muskrat leases has some outstanding fox/coyote crossings in that winter habitat. With some early season work here and later season work on the muskrat lease, might be able to catch enough fox to have some fun. As usual I have no targeted "number" but expect to run 2 - 3 dozen sets daily around my work schedule. Whatever the area fox population actually is will decide what the actual catch total will be
And AJ, considering you've been my virtual canine "partner" for so long now, we can throw in together on the fox line again unless you are too busy handling a full barn of ranch fox up there in your neck of the woods.