Here we are almost done.

[Rally]

9260,
Haven't seen a bite yet(knock on wood). Usually don't see many bites until the lakes have been open for about a week or so. That is when the real dispersal starts. I'm primarily working on the local population now with just the rivers and creeks being open. It is an early break-up for us and I'm hoping the fur quality stays long enough to get 100 for the tannery. The price break is 100 pieces at the tannery. Saves $2 per head at 100 so kinda pays the freight to the tannery and back.
My single best 24 hour catch on beaver was 37, running a boat line one spring. Best under ice day was 27, and I never want to do either again. Good way to sink a boat and overwork a snowmobile for sure!!

472,
Most sets are castor mounds. I avoid crossovers this time of year to avoid incidental otter catches. I rarely trap or snare dens. I end up getting too small an overal size trapping dens or houses. Check out the size of the picture of todays catch. Twelve beaver today with only one under 55"(far left on tailgate). Of the sixteen yesterday, only two females. Only noticed one female today so far, but haven't skun them yet.
I'm gonna stay home and skin tomorrow and let them soak a day.Back to skinning.

[trapper9260]

That is good for all you getting and so far no bite marks is a plus. In the past I done some spring beaver and got a 60lb one and it had bite marks toward the base of the tail and you know how that was graded. But the less time that I took out some of them for a landowner is I had set the traps on the sunday afternoon and before work in the morning about 7am, I had 6 and the biggest was 60lbs also, but that was in the fall then. I was thinking there was other, so I stay set and that was all in that area.It normally take me about 1 1/2 weeks to clean out the ones the land owner wants out because of the damage they do. The hardest ones are the smart ones.It is harder to take one or 2 out in the same amount of time then it dose for about 5 to 6.I trap on all priviet land.I do not trap the roads because of the problems I had back in MA with traps and fur being stolen when I was trapping the bridges and streams along the side of the road. also when I was trapping by canoe ,also I hope you do get your 100 beavers.It will nice to hear what the biggest one will be out of them all by weight that is.

[Rally]

9260,
Got an even 20 today. I weighed the biggest at 57 lbs. It was a male and just came out from under the ice. Moved some of the line around and got into a couple different areas. We are getting a couple cold days and are getting a couple of inches of snow now. That will slow them down some and give me a chance to catch up on the skinning. Fleshed a big male this evening with a couple old bites, but they were old bites and almost healed. Lots of ducks and geese showing up the last couple days.

[trapper9260]

It look like you are getting close to the amount you looking for. that is good. As for the old bites on one that you got , sound like they started some time ago on it. Hope you do not get many .I know how it is . I know they will slow up for what you stated. I know one can use some slow time once in awhile. The ducks and geese here is looking to get ready for the nesting now .it was early last month that they where moven here, I did see one goose look like it was nesting now.

[472x1B/A]

Yet another great haul Rally. Way better you than me. Don't know if I would be able to finish a dozen with out killin my wrist, palms and fingers. So much arthritis now. I do know that my back would be very sore the next day. When I was buying fur, would go for 12-14 hours without thinking twice. Pot of coffee, or 2 and a bowl of soup, midway through, thinking about all them $$$$$$$. Still, good on you Rally, nice work.

[trapper9260]

It dose take some work to get all those fur done up.But it is part of trapping for the way I look at it, I understand about what you said 472 the body tells you alot of your limits. I am just glad I found away around to do it for how things are. Might not be like Rally but I am still able to. I use to run a good size line years ago .But that was then .

[w5pv]

Your trapping is much different than that I did when growing up on the banks of the river.I remember a real good mink pelt would bring you Six to ten bucks.Coon and possum about half that price.But we had fun and it kept me out of trouble and made some spending money also.The hides wasn't of the best quality at the best not enough cold weather.Rat hides brought 2 to three bucks.Nutria you got $1.50 at the dog meat place that used them as an ingredient in making dog food.This was in the early to middle 50"s.If you left a foot on the bodies of coon,possum and rabbits you could get 50 to 75 cents for them in the Black section of town.Good ole days lol

[trapper9260]

w5pv the price of what you use to get, is just about what I got for my skins this past fall.

[Rally]

Caught eleven today. Tough run, with a good part of the line frozen in. Mostly local 2 and 3 year old males. Suppose to freeze every night this week with daytime temps above freezing. Maybe I'll catch up with the skinning.LOL

[trapper9260]

I hear you.With the way the weather is there . Are you clean them out of the area you are in? might be one of the reasons you getting low numbers also beside of the weather.

[472x1B/A]

Rally, do you rough or clean skin? I use to rough skin if I had a load of beavers to do then scrape later, but clean skin if there were only 8 or 10 to do. Some times it might take a few strokes of the blade to touch up around the edges or the face but saved a lot of time clean cutting.

[Rally]

9260,
I'm set up on mostly rivers and creeks. The majority of beaver I'm catching are locals and travelers away from the lodges. There are still plenty around and I move part of the line every other day or so. I'm just trying to take the cream off the top and catch a majority of the males, by using castor mound sets which challenges their territorial instincs. The cold weather slows down their movement and dispersal, so I just wait them out.

472,
I rough skin all my beaver. I intentionally leave alot of meat on the hide, and take as much of the hams off as I can. I have markets for beaver carcasses and fleshings. The whole carcasses go for .15 per pound and the fleshings go for.20 per pound. Some times I have to fight my old lab for the fleshings!! LOL

[trapper9260]

I use castor also for them but I do not always use a mound to get them I just put ground up castor on a stick on a bank with a trap in front of it and good to go. I know what you mean by challenge of them ,I also use the oil of them also and they are not as much to challenge. In the past when I use to go after them through the ice it did not take long for me to clean them out with conibears and snares. But for open water I use all that the area calls for. Glad you got a market for you beaver carcasses.I save most of the meat for myself to eat. But I make sure it is the ones I get that same day.I rough skin my also and do them up for the board when every thing slows down.I just roll them up and put in plastic shopping bags and in the freezer and then take out so many to work on. One thing I found to work for me is do the cuts like you will normally do on them and then get the skinning started and then get it skin around the tail and hind feet to have a space around the tail and just hang them up by the base of the tail . and just finish skinning them .I found you do not have to fight with the body with just lay on the table like i did before. it works good when doing the big ones. Just to give you a idea to see if it will work for you or not. i know it cuts my time for skinning.

[Rally]

An even ten today. Snowed last night and while I was running today. Hard freeze last night and if it wasn't moving water it had a 1/2" or more of ice on it. Several small ones today also. One was so small it had to of been born in September, about the size of a really big muskrat. About the correct size for one mitten liner LOL. Forrestry called yesterday and put me on a beaver contract right along my line. Seems they don't like the beaver using their roads for beaver dams. A little gas money along the way.
On the drying rack.

[trapper9260]

You are really hammer them then and also with the forrestry ask you to trap them is a good help for how things are. I know what you mean about the small one you got.You can not pick what ones to get. But it is a good sign you are getting to do a job on them. That is the problem with beavers not many people like them to do there damming up of things and road and fields.How many beavers are you up to as of now?

[472x1B/A]

Good job Rally. Looks like you will hit your goal.

I was showing my wife this thread with all the pictures and what's going on. She reared back, gave me the stink eye and said, " Don't get no big ideas ol man, you ain't 40 like you used to be." " No, you're NOT going to get your buyers license again and that's final! " So guess it all ol times daydreams. Be care full out there guys.

[Rally]

9260,
I'm at 78 with the 9 from today. Took two off the forrestry contract, one large male and a small male. Tough weather and driving conditions. Sloppy snow and soft roads, freezes at night and slow thaw during the day. Moved around some of the line today and got more into an area I've not been in for 4 years. Looked pretty good and I set till I ran out of stakes. Didn't get home until 8:10, and the wife wasn't happy. I'd forgot my cell phone in the shop, so she couldn't call me. She worries some when she knows I'm in the bush and late. At least my dogs were happy to see me.LOL

472,
Sounds like you have a smart wife. She must have heard about fur prices this year! Wouldn't take alot of money to buy a truckload of fur this year, but doesn't change the hours in the fur shed. I was fleshing and nailing beaver last night until 4 this morning. Maybe your wife has a good memory.
Back to skinning.

[trapper9260]

I know once you are really into it and in your blood it is hard to get it out.Glad you are getting close to the 100 ,Rally and 472 she must alot of thinking done from the past of when you use to do it.As for me I do not have anyone like the 2 of you .I have my brother live with me but that is no big thing. I get back from the line when I do. It is when I do not get back home but the end of the day and all then he might know some thing had happened.I let him know of all the places I will trapping that way he have a idea of where I might be.
Rally how long do you normally stay in one place to trap the beavers?

[Rally]

9260,
How long I stay depends on the catch rate in general. An under-ice winter line I try to remove 60% and trap the colony about every third year. A spring road line, like now, I'm trying to focus on early dispersing and local males. I set and move my lines at my convenience and accesability to dispersal routes within a flowage. I like looping lines and try to avoid backtracking when possible.
If I'm doing an ADC contract I stay until I catch them all. I keep track of the sex of the beaver and size. I figure most colonies here, will consist of an adult pair and at least four kits. If it is a long established colony it would normally have an adult pair, 4 or 5 yearlings and four or five kits. Normally the beaver that are almost two, will disperse in the spring( the adults will push them out before the new kits are born in May or early June) pair up, and then establish their own colony. Those population numbers are just a general figure and not always reality. I've seen as many as 28 beaver in a single colony( a huge house with two "Wings" added) and also seen old bachelor beaver by themselves.I can't recall ever seing a female establish her own colony.

[trapper9260]

Ok thank you for what all you said. What I found is that since the landowner want all them out .It normally take me 1 1/2 weeks to take out all the ones there.It was from 5 to 6 on the normal, but some times it is just one that was smart up from the past and they are the hardest to get.The less time it took me was under 24 hours and took 6 out of the area.I understand what you mean till they are all out for you.I do the same also. But it got mainly for the time I stated.I have not seen a single colony here like you stated yet.I take it they are kept in check alot around here.Yes the old bachelors are the main ones that take the longest to get alot of times that I found.