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Post by trappermac on Oct 24, 2019 18:23:13 GMT -5
...be safe out there and pile em up!
You guys starting tomorrow or waiting? Myself I have a couple committments tomorrow and Saturday but will squeeze in a few sets near the house for something to look at. Probably Sunday, no later than Monday will be my major start. Enjoy guys!
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Post by tony1967 on Oct 24, 2019 19:27:57 GMT -5
I’m taking the next two weeks off because after that work and the rifle deer season get in the way. Keep us posted on how you’re doing and have fun!
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tmc
#2 Newhouse
Posts: 2,447
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Post by tmc on Oct 24, 2019 19:45:18 GMT -5
I WAS going to start tomorrow, but same as you, I now have to go to Albany on Saturday, leaving early and returning late. So, I'll probably start making sets on Sunday afternoon. But I can also wait until my traditional November 1st start date to help things maybe prime up a little better. This afternoon I did go out and made a few sets, sans traps of course. Just to get ready. In one old overgrown 4-acre field that I've been clearing, there are a dozen or so big burn circles from where I had recently (a few weeks ago) burned some pretty huge brush piles. Burn circles range in size from about 18' to near 35' diameter. In 3 of them, coyote tracks and scat. In one of them, something had already made a dirt hole, tracks not clear enough to tell what did it. Most of the others had deer tracks, fox, coyote and raccoon tracks as well. I was wondering if the burn circles would attract or deter them, guess they attracted critters! I guess I'll also find out how the ash and coals will affect the Formula One trap coat when I bed the traps.
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Post by nightowl on Oct 25, 2019 9:06:48 GMT -5
Back before we were selling our lures I stopped by a booth to buy lure from a dealer and he gave me the line I can tell your a REAL trapper because you buy a 4 oz bottle. Ha ha I think I can without a doubt say a REAL trapper in my book are the guys still out running lines this year. It's in our blood it's what we do and low priced fur or not we will trap in some respect year after year. Keep on going and enjoy a safe and memorable season this year.
Jim
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tmc
#2 Newhouse
Posts: 2,447
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Post by tmc on Oct 25, 2019 10:19:05 GMT -5
Amen Jim, every time I get asked why do I still trap when there's no money in it, I ask in reply: "How much is hunting and fishing paying you these days? But, you still hunt and fish, don't you..." Usually the same person never asks again.
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Post by foxtrapper on Oct 25, 2019 12:50:01 GMT -5
Nov 1 down here in the lower land! I will wait till the fourteenth or so , I swear I will! .........
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Post by tony1967 on Oct 25, 2019 16:54:34 GMT -5
I got about 25 canine sets and 8 coon sets out. Had to take a break midday for an award my son got at school. Hoping to set another 20 tomorrow if I can walk!!
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tmc
#2 Newhouse
Posts: 2,447
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Post by tmc on Oct 25, 2019 17:38:55 GMT -5
Meh, I couldn't resist, I put out 7 fisher sets and 1 dirt hole (actually used the critter-made dirt hole lol) in a burn circle. Didn't have time for more. I'll just get up a lot earlier and check them in the dark before I have to get going tomorrow.
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Post by nyredfox on Oct 25, 2019 18:02:10 GMT -5
Spent all day setting. Really nice day.. Hope to see some tails spinning tomorrow. Good luck setting Mac! Glad your still at it. Miss seeing all the pics on here on the first check day..
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Post by trappermac on Oct 25, 2019 18:43:58 GMT -5
What did you get in today Eric, about 85 sets or so?..lol. Glad to see you going at it as well. Nothing in for me today, by Sunday for sure. Looking forward to your pics this year.
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Post by nyredfox on Oct 26, 2019 5:58:35 GMT -5
What did you get in today Eric, about 85 sets or so?..lol. Glad to see you going at it as well. Nothing in for me today, by Sunday for sure. Looking forward to your pics this year. LOL... Not quite.. I got a good handful in.. just taking my time and enjoying it. Unless I can figure out how to post pics here, I won’t be posting any... 🤷🏽♂️
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Post by Itrapny on Oct 26, 2019 9:03:19 GMT -5
i have always used photobucket for posting pictures on the site
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Post by trappermac on Oct 26, 2019 18:17:11 GMT -5
Well guys? No first check pics? Were they quiet like mine always is? Had some stuff to do this morning, but got out for a few hours later in day and punched in 14 sets. What a beautiful day out there! Wife came along and helped, and on top of some of the hillsides we were on we just stopped and sat on the tailgate with a coffee to look and take it all in. Never forget while you're out there, not about numbers or how many sets you plug in. We were going to get a few more in but stopped to say hello to the farmer whose property we were on and he can talk, an hour and a half later we headed home in the dark. Great guy to talk to, and funny as hell. Got many more locations to set but going to see if this heavy rain we're just starting to see moves through. May be waiting until Monday to keep rolling with more, we'll see. Wife baiting and luring a set...
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tmc
#2 Newhouse
Posts: 2,447
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Post by tmc on Oct 26, 2019 18:50:30 GMT -5
GRINNER... well, at home anyways. I keep a bunch of #1's out around the wood pile, garden etc. for tree rats and had a possum in one trap. Easy let-go. Nothing else. Checking at 4:10 AM makes a long day even longer. If raining tomorrow, I'll pass on setting more until Monday.
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Post by greggwny on Oct 27, 2019 4:00:03 GMT -5
I could hear the pouring rain on the metal roof all night. It's now 5:00 am and the sound of rain on the roof is intense! I only put in 9 sets and anything caught last night will be a mud-ball for sure. Will wait until tomorrow to put in more sets. It's all part of trapping and I wouldn't give it up for anything.
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Post by tony1967 on Oct 27, 2019 6:03:42 GMT -5
Hopefully this pic shows up and is the right direction. Caught my first bobcat ever yesterday morning, a big female. Caught her in a 550 along a woods road next to a swamp. Used a flashy dirthole set. Wish the fur was more prime, but I’m going to get it tanned for the wall so doesn’t matter that much for me.
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Post by trappermac on Oct 27, 2019 6:26:41 GMT -5
Nice cat Tony!
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Post by greggwny on Oct 27, 2019 8:20:30 GMT -5
Nice bobcat! Congrats.
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Post by rendezvous on Oct 27, 2019 8:32:35 GMT -5
Awesome! Congratulations!
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tmc
#2 Newhouse
Posts: 2,447
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Post by tmc on Oct 27, 2019 8:54:46 GMT -5
Congratulations! That IS a big female! Anybody else? (I'll be heading out to check I a little while)
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Post by trappermac on Oct 27, 2019 9:09:08 GMT -5
Quiet first check here, did have three deer pullouts out of 14 sets, with amount of deer sign around I knew I'd see some. Also some mud puddles, we really got the rain overnight. Fixed sets and will wait until tomorrow when things dry up to get more in since I don't work till Wed. Good luck guys.
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Post by tony1967 on Oct 27, 2019 13:52:01 GMT -5
1 possum, 3 skunks, 1 coon and 2 reds today along with a couple snapped traps. That’s more skunks than I caught in the last two years combined. Wish we would get a cold snap.
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tmc
#2 Newhouse
Posts: 2,447
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Post by tmc on Oct 27, 2019 19:04:25 GMT -5
Only a deer pullout for me today in a KB 5.5. But at least not "skunked" lol! This is the first year I've ever REALLY gotten into paying close (maybe anal? lol) attention to trap pan tension. I admit it's way too soon to tell, and I only have a half-dozen canine sets out so far, but time will tell if it makes a difference keeping skunks and possum out of my traps. Granted, I caught a possum yesterday, but that was in a #1 longspring here at the house. I used to adjust roughly what I thought was good but I caught too many skunks and possums in canine sets over the past - well, since I started back in the 60s. Right now, I only have 7 cubbies for fisher with 155's, 1 running pole for fisher with a 160 (beaver tail under wire cover for bait), 6 DP's for coon (I know, I know, BUT we have too many!), and 6 canine sets - the one double dirt hole in the burn circle that had the deer pullout and another 5 I just made today. In the miserable pouring rain lol. I adjusted the pan tension for most canines (and hopefully bobcat) to just about 1-3/4#, others at 2# and some at 2-1/2#, just to experiment. I'm keeping notes on each set so I can see if it matters. The #4 double-longspring Bridgers (I haven't set any of them yet), which will be strictly for coyotes, are set to 3#. Too big a trap for fox. I am 100% sold on the Sullivan Trap Pan Tester. Good investment! But maybe I've been using it like a kid with a new toy. I got the "Bridger No. 5 Long Spring Setting Tool" in the mail yesterday. Meh, I haven't made up my mind yet if it was worth the price + shipping, I could've made one myself with what I have laying around. It's a little clumsy to use, but it does WORK. Would I recommend it? Yes, but maybe make one yourself and save a few dollars. The ONE thing that I'd suggest is making or buying as many extra "clips" as you can! While setting one #4, the "clip" (really just a squared u-bolt more or less) went flying while I was using the tool to compress the other spring. Fortunately it was pouring rain so I was in the loft of the barn while adjusting pan tension on the #4s, and I was able to recover it after a little looking around. It was crazy, I could hear that thing ricocheting from beam to floor to roof to - anyways, it hit at least 6 different things before it came to rest. Glad it went flying AWAY from me. It would have been a very different story, maybe with not a happy ending lol, if it had happened in the field and couldn't be found and that'd be the end of setting any more. Or getting a coyote, or worse my hand, out of the trap. Also, there's the very real possibility (for me, with my memory!) of forgetting where I left the clip and losing it. Same result... gonna keep a few in my pocket at all times when trapping and checking. Overall I like the #4 Bridger double longspring quality, out of the bunch there was only one that was an oddball. On that particular one, the jaws aren't a good fit together (not bad, but one jaw is about 1/8" proud of the other), and that one also had a different screw and bolt for the pan. It just didn't want to keep in adjustment at first. And ALL of them had some pan creep, I have to treat them as though they're nightlatched even though they aren't. I just take the slop out when setting. After this season I'm going to modify them by making sure the pan an post holes are the same diameter, use a good fitting stainless screw/bolt, and maybe thin brass washers on each side between pan and post. But I'll see how they work this year. They sure are STRONG - I hope they don't hold deer that step in them! Here's to a better trap check for all tomorrow! And congrats on the reds, Tony! On my way back home from the farm tonight I saw 2 big reds within a half mile of the house. Once apple picking is done here (another 2 good days maybe) and the packing away of bins, ladders, etc. is over and done for the year, I'll be setting here as well. Nice thing is, the rows are 3,000' long running straight out behind the house and the whole area is either new trees or was planted in pumpkins, so I can see perfectly clear all the way down to the woods. Fast checking for all those sets!
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Post by trappermac on Oct 28, 2019 18:23:11 GMT -5
Put two yotes in the truck today, nice large adult male and female pup. Fur and hide looked great. Was happy with the results for 14 sets, especially since we continued to get lake effect rain all day yesterday and some sets were puddles. Got another dozen sets in today, probably the same tomorrow and then just run those since I work next three days. What a nice day today! Was in a T-shirt by noon.
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Post by tony1967 on Oct 28, 2019 19:10:38 GMT -5
Nice job! Still haven’t connected on a coyote, but picked up another red fox today. I agree, it was a beautiful day to be out there!
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