Here we are almost done.

[Rally]

9260,
The hardest for me to take out of an ADC colony is usually a female that has been bred. Most often a castor mound set won't work because she interprets it as a strange male being in her area and she isn't looking for a fight. If she gets killed in such a fight the pond will die. She most often will avoid strange castor when expecting young. The best way I've found to catch her is with the oil from one of her kits.I had one colony that I'd caught all but the adult female and the landowner drained the pond. I set snares in all the exit holes in the lodge and it took eleven days before she exited the lodge and I caught her. I also had one such female who wouldn't even repair a dam I broke open for 5 days. The water level dropped about 20" before she would go near the dam.
Got another 15 yesterday and will be pulling the line tomorrow. I took another two off the ADC colony and will leave them in place until I'm sure they have all been caught. The adult female in this colony may be tough to catch. I'm sure she's been bred by now and she hasn't shown any interest in castor sets. We'll see what happens at tomorrows check.



Weather is suppose to warm up and the beaver are starting to show some bites and weakening of the fur. I hope to have enough to tan with tomorrows run. Plenty to flesh and tack.

[trapper9260]

I know that there is some that it takes time to get .I know not all will act the same.But I found that if you go with bottom edge sets and channel works for me. This season all I use was just conibears and snares.That is how I got all the ones I gotten this season.I did use castor on a stick where the snares where set on the bank. The ones of this season that got me at first was ,when I scout the areas in Sept . and they where going up the creek that went to the river and then in Nov .they where not in the creeks, but only in the river. I end up change all what I was plan to do. Glad you got more of them. You have alot work to do now.Take your time.

[Rally]

Well, pulled the line today except the ADC contract. Caught another 12 so made my goal plus five.Now that I'm done the weather is suppose to turn nice, doesn't that just figure. It rained and snowed today, both within an hour of each other. Strange spring for sure.

[trapper9260]

Good to hear you got to your goal,with some on top of that.Did good.The weather is not play the way we like at times. How long you think you will stay longer at the ADC one?

[472x1B/A]

Great that you got to your 100 + flat tails Rally. How long does the trapping season last up there in Mn.? Here in Ill. it goes till March 31. Then 20 days to sell off the fur.

[Rally]

9260,
Not sure how long I'll be working the ADC job. Hope to catch them all by the 25th. I will be going to Canada to for Delta Waterfowl then, so hope to get them all by then. I'll be checking again tomorrow and hope to get the big female. May have to pull a few tricks out of my hat to get her.

472,
Our season runs until May 15th on beaver only. Way after the fur is good, even in a good market.There's some politics in that late date. We can keep any fur we legally take and have no final sale date for green fur. Good thing in this market, which allows us to store as long as needed and sell in a better market. Do you have any freezer space??? LOL

[trapper9260]

Here in Iowa we got till the 15 of April to trap just beaver ,every thing else closed on the last of Jan. for trapping but we have a year round hunting for coyote and woodchucks.As for the female you are trying to get have you try the bottom edge set? That is how I got some hard to get ones.

[Rally]

9260,
There aren't any bottom edges. This is a peatbog pond that is about 1/4 mile wide by 1/2 mile long. They put a road on the south end of it and the beaver thought it would make a great dam. LOL Saves them alot of work!!

[trapper9260]

Ok then. It was just a idea.I know they use what would make t the easyer for them to have there dam at times.but you got some that think they could dam a river also.LOL

[472x1B/A]

9260,
There aren't any bottom edges. This is a peatbog pond that is about 1/4 mile wide by 1/2 mile long. They put a road on the south end of it and the beaver thought it would make a great dam. LOL Saves them alot of work!!

OOOH, peat bog. How deep? Around here are a lot of strip mines. Some of these babies are over 100 feet deep. Streams and creeks are just as crazy, with waders on going 10 - 20 feet maybe 10 inches to 15, and all of a sudden its 4 - 5 foot deep. Bigger rivers like the Spoon, same thing 10 - 20 inches and then a huge hole 12 - 22 foot deep, lots of snags. They can be killers too. Be care full Rally.

[4719dave]

wish you would kill a lot of those dam yotes there eating everything ..

[Rally]

472,
The bog pond closest to my house, I can take an anchor and toss it overboard. It will hit peat at around 10-12' and a 25' rope will go taught. Some of the ponds I trap I can take a 20' beaver pole and shove it all the way under water with very little resistance. Most of the time the beaver build their houses on stumps or floating bog, which move up and down with the snow load. Some of the bogs have springs in them that never freeze, which can make riding a snomobile across them rather interesting.

4719Dave,
There were quite a few coyotes taken this year in the upper midwest and Sas.,and Alberta. A Fla. coyote isn't worth much due to poor fur quality, so there aren't many marketed. Most down there are contracted out on deer leases which compensate the trapper usually. Real tough market all over this year for most any fur, even the best sections.

[trapper9260]

You got that right Rally. It been awhile since I seen a bad market. That is the funny thing when the market is down you are lucky that any one is out there trapping or let alone hunting. But when the market looks to be up you have every one out there.That is when you wish that the market is down , because of the stolen fur and traps after with the fur being up.

With the way you are saying about trapping the beavers remind me of some places I had trap rats in the past with a canoe.

[4719dave]

its been fun reading this ...I use to trap when I was a kid a long time ago ....fox,coons,wood chucks to help out the farmers the hey wagons don't like those holes ..I use to sell the wood chucks to some city folks at the public market ..

[Rally]

4719Dave,
In some states it is legal to sell the meat of furbearing animals, and some guys I know down south make as much or more on meat sales as the sale of the fur. Some states don't even allow the sale of parts, like claws, bones, teeth, or internal organs. Just depends on what state your located in and local markets. I have alot of customers and friends who do nothing but trap nuisance beaver for counties, state, or private landowners.

9260,
I got another beaver off my contract, which makes five. Still haven't caught the big female. Checking it again tomorrow.
I've got 56 beaver dried or on boards and the rest skun and frozen or fleshed and frozen, waiting on boards to put them on. It turned into summer here in abouttwo days. I don't want the bugs in my fur. Thats the bad part about a spring line when your putting up your own fur. It gets warm too fast and the bugs come out before I can get them all dried and shipped. Sounds like the tanneries are really backed up too.
I agree, when the prices get high the thiefs get thick. Sure didn't have anybody stealing beaver this spring.

[trapper9260]

Good to hear about you got another one .I am think that big female is maybe a smart one.So that dose not make things any easyer.As for what my fur buyer told me about beaver being lower then the ones I sold back in Dec. it is good you do not have to worry for now any missing ones in your traps.Yes It sound like alot are sending there furs to the tanneries.As for me, if i want any furs tan I just do it myself. I use the old alum way and made up my own tricks to get the leather flex better also.But the thickest I have done is deer.cow or steer is way to thick for hand tanning. I have done some bear and it is like almost doing pig skin . because it is about just as like as hog.The only differents is hog have course hair and bear dose not.But they dry about the same way for how they are.

[Rally]

I've done brain tan and alum tanning. I don't have the patient to do that many beaver and they do a much better job than I can. The tanneries have the equipment to do a real nice job on the fur and leather. I'll have them use some brighteners also.

[trapper9260]

I understand about have someone else do it for the amount you like to have done.For me, it would be only a small amount ,that is why I say I do it myself. But for you and what you looking to do with them all. I do not blame you for doing what you are.For large amounts I would do the same as you also.

[Rally]

Caught another yearly on the contract today, but still no adult female. She's playing hard to get, typical female.

[trapper9260]

Those smart ones are always the hardest to get. Try something that you would not think will work and see what happened. In the past where they might be round I have on the shore line take 2 wood that is about 1 1/2" to 2" around about 4 to 5 ' long and make a V ,the open end toward the shore line and just have some beaver oil on a stick at the narrow part of the V and set a foot hold for how you like and I have got them that way. Some times the castor become more of a problem with them then help at times .mainly the smart ones. It is just something you may like to try.