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Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on December 17, 2006, 07:05 PM:
I been at it for ten days now, and a week and a half of 48-72 hour checks before that.
I'm tired, but energized too. ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
I lucked onto a great piece of private property to trap on (actually two ajoining farms).
Nearly three sections of hay, corn and pastures, surrounded by cottonwood fields, on the river, with three creeks, four ponds, and a small lake.
Two of the ponds, and the cornfields, are a duck lease, so I have to wait a few weeks to start on them, but the other two ponds and the lake are all me.
I even get to duck hunt on one of the beaver ponds. ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
(It's not as good as the feed fields, but it's a free duck lease, just the same)
Kokopelli was right, muskrat trapping leads to beaver trapping, or at least beaver trapping can get you on a piece of ground faster, they do more visable damage than muskrats.
And they do go hand in hand.
I still gotta admit, I am kinda scared of a trap that'll kill a 60 pound critter.
But I said I'd try, so I am gonna give it all I got.
Heck I gotta kill some of the beavers anyways, if for no other reason than they step on my colony traps, fouling the set and/or damaging the trap, or stealing the green sticks I used to support/stake the traps in place and (possibly) dragging the trap off.
(*Yeah I learned something, I shoulda learned already... use dry guide sticks and stakes... not beaver bait, duh).
I should get the paperwork back from the State soon, so I can use padded foothold traps for beaver, and conibear traps for 'rats and beavers.
Hey Tim,
You still got them muskrat stretchers laying around?
Did you ever get the WSTA patch I sent?
I went and met with one of the WSTA members yesterday, he helped me a bunch (going over what traps I need and how to pre-set and "saftey" them, State paperwork, drying boards and stretching, skinning station, etc), gave me some castor bait, a couple drowing slides (to copy), and a couple books he wrote.
I am on a serious roll here! I'm not catching anything, but I am having more fun than calling another blank stand. ![[Cool]](cool.gif)
Krusty 
Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on December 17, 2006, 07:57 PM:
I got the patch, and still have Muskrat stretchers! Did you get that stick I sent?
I was just looking at the tree that I cut it off of tonight, set a cage for bobcats and two footholds for coyotes around the tank that it grew on.
Have you caught a beaver yet? I've got to warn you, Beaver trapping is the most work of any trapping you will do. Heavy steel and drowning bags, the ice is always too thick, or not thick enough and if skinning a beaver isn't hard enough, wait until you have to flesh the gristle off of the back down by the tail! ( Beaver fat makes great dog food, but you will have to teach your dog to wait until it hits the floor )
What all are you looking to trap, and what type of traps are you allowed to use?
Posted by Cal Taylor (Member # 199) on December 18, 2006, 05:11 AM:
An old grizzled beaver trapper was talking to a genuine "city slicker" and the city slicker commented that the trapper might possibly be the toughest individual he had ever met. The trapper said, "yep, I guess I'm pretty tough. I've only said ouch twice in my life." The city slicker couldn't resist asking about it and the trapper replied that once while on his knees setting a large conibear for beaver, the trap had fired catching him by the balls! "Thats once," said the city slicker. "When was the other time?" to which the trapper replied, "when I hit the end of the chain."
Posted by Andy L (Member # 642) on December 18, 2006, 08:04 AM:
Beaver trappin is hard work. But I sure used to love it.
I had one place that was not all that tough to trap. There is a golf course along the Osage River not far from here that has several ponds on it. They always have lots of beaver trouble and it gets restocked regular from the river. I have caught alot of beavers out of those ponds over the years, 44 being the most in a year. Best thing is, they give me a golf cart to run traps in. Makes it much easier.
Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on December 18, 2006, 09:03 AM:
Tim,
Yup, I still got that hunk of mesquite sitting on my drying rack.
I haven't started setting for beavers yet, I've been working on muskrats, weasles, and 'coon.
And I haven't caught any of them yet either. ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
I'm starting small and building up, each day I get quicker at running the line, and can handle more traps. I'm trying to add three new sets each day.
That and hauling in weights, learning the land, and opening trails has kept me hoppin'.
I'm using colony traps for the 'rats, boxes with big Victor rat traps for weasles, and Havahart 1089s for 'coons.
The lease hunters were more accepting of my being there, if they knew I was helping with egg thieves.
We can use, padded leghold traps, non-strangling type foot snares, and conibear traps in water, if we just file some simple forms.
Pretty soon I'll be adding 110 conibears for the 'rats, and some #14 jump and 220 and 280 conibears for beaver (we can't use 330s anymore).
My brother, Red, is going to do most of the fur handling... his dog already knows to wait by the door.
We ain't afraid of hard work, and I don't give up easily.
Andy,
It's no golf cart, but I can drive my Samurai most of the way around the line.
When there's a good frost I can drive all of it, or at least close enough to put my boat in and float to it.
The last guy to trap this place, 10 years ago, took 34 beavers in one season, with two being 70 pounders.
One of the landowners said "We've never had this many beavers around, I was beginning to think I'd never meet another trapper".
Krusty
Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on December 18, 2006, 09:26 AM:
Keep at it Krusty, sounds like you're having a heck of a lot of fun, albeit hard work.
Please keep us posted with regular trapping updates -- successful or not!
Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on December 18, 2006, 10:32 AM:
With the cages traps, you will need to clean them every 3rd or 4th coon or the coons will quit entering them. The easiest way I found, was to tie a rope to the handle and toss the trapped coon in the pond for a few minutes to drown him. When you pull up the trap, the coon is dead and the cage will be clean.
The best bait I found for the coons are Jumbo Marshmallows. Just toss a handful in the back, and one or two up near the front of the door.
I've always been a big fan of double longspring traps, I like the #4 for Beaver and #3 for coyotes. I've a couple of the #14, but I just didn't use them allot as they were harder to set.
Will you be making mudpies for the beaver, or setting the coni's down in the runs?
Posted by ninthinning (Member # 900) on December 19, 2006, 02:35 PM:
Krusty,
Try small feeder streams with beaver channels carved along the axis. Three beavers were harvested at this one set.
Good luck
[ December 19, 2006, 02:38 PM: Message edited by: ninthinning ]
Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on December 19, 2006, 03:59 PM:
Ninth Inning,
That some beautiful looking fur!
But two things caught my eye.
In your second picture, your digging hammer, if you move the digging bar off of the angle and onto the top of the hammer, it will keep your hole sides straight, the dirt out of your face and your knuckles out of the ground.
Second thought, don't get cheap on the hog rings. When you put a beaver on a hoop, keep going around until you have hooks every 1.5"-2" apart. The buyer's will notice a difference.
But don't stretch them too tight. You will get more money off of one put up loose with Heavy fur than one pulled tight at medium.
Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on December 19, 2006, 09:33 PM:
...Runnin' on fumes here, I roofed all day, after checking the line.
Then I had to skin a raccoon!
I caught a 'possum (in a cage) this morning, but he was small so I let 'em go.
On the way home I found a fresh road killed raccoon, without a mark on him (besides a few day old small cut on his knee).
It took my Dad, Red, and me, about 35 mins to skin, with all three of us trying to cut the other's fingers off.
Skinning a face is a trip. ![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
We did a pretty good job, I messed up one ear, and knicked one eyelid and a spot in the whiskers, but I got the nose off, and the tail stripped.
I don't have a tail stripper yet, and I couldn't find the piece of steel stock I picked up, to build one.
I noticed a while back, John Henry was using the hooked utility knife blades to split the tails.
That's what I used, and it worked really good.
I cut the tail down about halfway, peeled it back, then I used the "gap" (where the big teeth are) in a pair of pliers to slide the tail right out.
This is a big deal... we've lost the tails on the last few deer.
I don't have any stretchers for coons yet, so I rolled it up and froze it, 'til I can finish it.
Man oh man, he had a bunch of fat on him.
Tim,
I dunno what sets I'll be using, for sure, but I know I won't use just one exclusively.
I figure I am better off trying to make sets work for where I am, than to look for only spots where that one particular set will work.
It rains here a lot, my marshmellows just melt, even if I cover the cages really well.
I'm still using them, but I'm adding fruit too.
Ninth Inning,
Thats a nice beaver, I saw one that looked just like him today.
What'dya figure he weighed, and what (market) size would you say he is?
Thanks for the advice, I don't have but one creek here (on this property), but I'll add it to the old file bin in my noggin', because I am sure I'll find a place like you describe eventually.
Krusty
Posted by TA17Rem (Member # 794) on December 19, 2006, 10:10 PM:
Krusty: If you can find a nut cracker, they work good for pulling the tails.
Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on December 22, 2006, 06:07 AM:
Okay Krusty,
We're all gathered 'round the campfire.
It's time for another update. Roll it our way, good or bad!
Just give Tim a minute so he can grab a beer.
Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on December 22, 2006, 07:24 PM:
Tripp,
Not much to report.
I caught two 'possums today, then pulled my cages and snapped my weasle traps, so I can take the weekend off.
My colony traps haven't caught anything yet, despite being set on runways leading to feed piles.
They have a 72 hour check, so they can stay where they are for now.
Thanks for askin',
Krusty
Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on December 22, 2006, 07:27 PM:
It's too cold to drink beer here Tripp, But I've a glass of Jack Daniels Single Barrel to keep me warm tonight. Just lit up a good cigar too. I'm ready.
Where's Krusty? ![[Confused]](confused.gif)
Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on December 22, 2006, 07:36 PM:
'Possums can be fun!
I was trapping a public lake once, and had some other trapper move in next to me, literally. Every place I'd make a set, he'd make a set 10' away.
You've never seen so many 'Possums caught in water sets! It took him about two weeks before he pulled his traps in frustration!
Have you tried fleshing one yet? I never could flesh the belly of a female with out ripping her at the pouch. ![[Frown]](frown.gif)
Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on December 23, 2006, 04:17 AM:
Tim, That's just mean. Creative and obvioulsy effective, but mean.
Flesh possums?!? Hell no. Sell 'em green. I don't flesh coons either. A coon is one thing every fur buyer in the country will find some reason to dock you a buck here or there for. You didn't skin it. You didn't flesh it. You fleshed it but I wish you wouldn't have. It's strecthed too wide. It's stretched too long. If I had the freezer space or a buyer close by, they'd get them all in the round.
What I used to do when I worked my way through the inevitable truckload of possums I would catch each year would be to take them to a youngster trapping their first or second season. I hate the damned things but those kids' eyes would light up like Christmas trees at the prospect of free fur.. When Dalian was little, I'd have him go with me and set a few possum sets along the line just so he had some traps of his own to check. (Possum sets are made just like coyote and bobcat sets, except you use the last clean traps in the gear box and you take twice as long and twice as much care in setting the. In fact, if you commit an hour of time you don't have in constructing the perfect bobcat (possum) set, you'll have a grinner by 9 that night for sure. ![[Mad]](mad.gif)
)
A bit o' trivia: Did you ever notice that possums have finger prints? I guess that humans and chimps are the only other species that share that trait. So,..... which one do you follow on the evolutionary ladder? Grinner or ape?
Posted by Norm (Member # 240) on December 23, 2006, 06:54 AM:
I agree with the coons... sell them green. I would get more for coons by skinning them, rolling them and freezing them, then thawing them out before taking to the buyer than I would fleshing, stretching and drying... I think it is due to the fact they can see the fur vs having to run their hands up in and feel it... plus they can flesh and stretch their own way...
Krusty, when can the connibears go in the water?? sounds like you need a few of them around to corner the muskrats...
Keep up the effort... how is the rain you are getting impacting the water levels??
Posted by TA17Rem (Member # 794) on December 23, 2006, 09:45 AM:
Alot of the fur buyers have people that work for them to do the skinning so they prefer to have you bring the coon in green so they can keep them busy and also they like to put them up a certain way so they look good and sell better at the auctions. I sell all my furs green except for my fox and the coyotes if i have the time to put them up...
Posted by R.Shaw (Member # 73) on December 23, 2006, 10:48 AM:
There is one huge drawback to freezing and selling green. You are forced to sell your coons the day you unthaw them. You can refuse to accept the offer on 100 put-up coons, take them back home, and hangum up for another buyer or another day. You cannot return home with 100 green coons and expect to refreeze them by dumping them in the deep freeze. Expect to loose at least half of them if you do.
Randy
Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on December 23, 2006, 06:53 PM:
Still no muskrats, but getting to sleep in tomorrow almost makes up for it.
TA,
Oh yeah, thanks for the tip on the nutcracker, I'll give that a try.
Tim,
I am actually kinda disgusted by 'possums. It stays pretty warm here, and they are always heavily infested with fleas.
How much is one worth, on the hoof, green skinned, or prepped and stretched?
I'd deal with them, if I could hand the whole critter to someone, and walk away.
I didn't even skin the two I caught the other day (but after I the first one, I was asked to "remove" any other's I caught, and I am sick of their bait stealing ways)
For now I am freezing the 'coon(s), because I'm still working on getting my fur handling stuff together.
I need to make a fleshing beam, I'm kinda stuck in park until I've got one (or two).
Lance,
Isn't being "just a little bit mean" part of being a trapper?
In the round, is that case skinned only (no other prep)?
Norm,
You make a good point, I wondered why 'coons aren't turned right-side-out.
Shouldn't they be sold more like a coyote or a 'cat?
It would certainly make grading them more uniform, and exact.
With the holidays slowing down not only the mail, but the wheels of bureaucracy, I am not sure when I'll be legal to use conibears (and footholds).
Duck season ends the second weekend in Jan so I figure I'll get way more serious then.
The BIG BIG rains, that made national news, fully kicked my ass.
I had to drop the whole tidal island area I had scouted out, because the dyke failed, and it's pretty well wiped clean.
The National Marine Fisheries Dept has now slated the area for "salmon habitat restoration", which means not fixing the dyke and letting the river reclaim the land.
I was discouraged... then I found this new place, and I got over it, and some.
It's not so hard, now, to get up in the morning and go see what I got.
Randy,
You and I are on the same page.
We ran into the same decision this year with our burger meat (from my deer).
We forgot to bring the grinder, so we would have had to freeze it to transport it home... we couldn't thaw it to grind it, then refreeze it.
I've got 36 pints of canned meat waiting for me at the Ranch, along with the pile of conibears I didn't think I was going to use 'til next year (since my island was gone).
Somehow, I doubt that same solution would work with hides. ![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
Thanks again, for everyone's help and encouragement.
Krusty
Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on December 23, 2006, 08:44 PM:
Krusty,
Those possums are worth about a dollar in the round ( On the carcass ) two dollars green ( Skinned but not fleshed and dried ) or three dollars if you put him up and finish him.
Not much of a financial incentive, but them more you skin, the better you get. Practice will not only help you to make less mistakes and holes in a valuable pelt, but with practice, you will begin skinning faster and faster.
I've seen coons skinned in under a minute. I've done them in two minutes, but it usually takes me 5-10, and then another 5 to flesh and five more to pin him on a board.
But then I've had a few years of practice. This is one of my first ever trapped coons.
It's been a couple of years
Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on December 31, 2006, 09:25 PM:
Well I have been taking it easy, on the line, I hunted ducks all week on the one beaver pond I am allowed to, and just made check of the few ('rat and weasle) traps I left in over the X-mas break.
I managed to catch a fat wood rat in one of my weasle boxes, but that's it.
I bought another cage trap, so I'll get them out again this week, it's time to start thinking about trying to catch a bobcat... some beaver meat would help with that quest.
Today I spent the day in the shop, I made myself three plywood 'coon stretchers (a sm, med, and large, because I don't know what size my raccoon is), made a fleshing beam for 'rats and one for 'coons, and washed all my cages up to go out again.
Should I put any kind of sealer, or shelac, on the beams and stretcher boards?
And should I use the strips I cut off the edges as belly boards?
Tim,
If I could find the guy that'll gimme a buck apiece he can have 'em, either way I've resigned myself to take them as the opporunity you suggest.
So I take it you can pull pretty hard on a 'coon's hide, and not have to "whittle" the skin off.
I meant to ask, how high do you hang a 'coon to skin it? Up high so you can pull with your hands, or down low so you can put your knee into it?
Krusty
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on January 01, 2007, 01:17 AM:
I'd say both, Krusty. But I've never pulled a coon. I'd like to watch somebody tube a badger, though?
I'm not a trapper. I have heard beaver is good for bobcat, but I know they love porcupine.
Good luck in 2007, Happy New Year!
LB
Posted by Norm (Member # 240) on January 01, 2007, 06:50 AM:
Krusty, for that coon... put your knee into it just like you would with a coyote...
You will need to whittle the ears and eyes and nose, but the fat allows it to peel better once the legs and tail is free.
Good look on the remainder of the season...
May 2007 be a peaceful and prosperous year for you.
Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on January 01, 2007, 11:13 AM:
Krusty,
You might sand down the edges of that plywood and seal it good to help avoid it splintering. I've never tried plywood for coons, only beaver.
DON'T FORGET THE BELLY BOARDS! You will hate yourself if you do! If a coon should get stuck, first double check to make sure you didn't miss a pin. You can then rap the nose against the concrete floor to loosen them sometimes, but they will always require a lot of work to get off of the board.
If you find yourself driving past a craft shop, look for long push pins. Most push pins are 1/4"-3/8" long, they sell them in 1/2" - 5/8" lengths, the longer ones are the best to use for putting up fur.
Here is a little trick for getting a couple of more dollars out of you boarded coons. When you skin around your ankles for your opening cuts. Skin off the tops of the feet. When you put the coon on the board, use these tabs to pin it first. Don't pull it tight, just snug. Turn the board over and put a pin in each side, where the hips come around the side of the board. Then push the fur up on the board, so that you can pin in a straight line between these two points. Only the tail should hang below. Put a pin every inch or so apart. It will look kind of funny at first, with a "Pillow" kind of a lump, but it will make the fur on the back dry more densely.
Pinning a coon like that, will cost you an inch or two in length, but it will bump you up into a higher grade, which normally pays more money.
You can also use push pins to close any holes in the pelt, that are half dollar sized or smaller, bigger than that and you are better off sewing them.
Edit:
I like to hang them high when I skin. Once I get the legs and tail clear, I lean back and pull it all past the shoulders. Here is another trick to help you skin. When you hang the coon, make an incision between the wrist and elbow on the underside of the front legs. Then when you go to pull out the front legs, they will pop though this opening. I used a long screw driver, kind of like a tail stripper, to pull out the legs.
[ January 01, 2007, 11:20 AM: Message edited by: Tim Behle ]
Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on January 01, 2007, 12:41 PM:
Leonard,
I saw a badger sitting on the side of the road, on the way home from deer hunting, I wanna go back and see if I can call one.
So far that's the only critter on Danny's "grand slam" list I never called (coyote, bobcat, lion, bear, badger).
Norm,
"...just like you would with a coyote..."
You don't remember who you are talkin' to, eh?
I ain't never seen a coyote killed, or skinned.
We slowly peeled it, not knowing how easily it could be damaged.
I had trouble finding the base of the ears, and cut one close to the skull and one not so close.
I need to come up with a better blade, to do the head/face with, I keep looking at the rounded X-acto blades (but I didn't have my round tip skinner when we tried it, so maybe it'll work okay).
Tim,
The boards are well tapered at the edges, and sanded very smooth, just like the (solid wood) ones I saw for sale at the Rondy.
They actually turned out pretty nice.
I gotta use up this disposable camera (with my "duck week" photos), so I'll take some pictures of the boards and beams.
I had a feeling I was going to want belly boards, it only makes sense... hides are going to shrink when they dry.
I saw those pins, too, on the sales table (I just wasn't in a buying mood, until I ACTUALLY had my trapper's license in hand).
I'm not sure I understand your "trick", but I'll print it out, so I have it on hand when I am doing the skinning/stretching... having never tried it at all, it's all greek to me, but I'm sure I'll figure it out as I do it.
I was told the same thing about muskrats, not to stretch them "tight" but just snug, then the hide feels thicker and the fur more dense... a med sized good fur, is worth more than a lrg fair, or an xl poor.
Oh yeah, one other question on hanging the 'coons... what do you hold the feet with?
I used a section of parachute cord, with a constricting knot around the ankles, but it was difficult to get it to hold onto the tapering feet (but I can see if I did the ankle cuts and feet "tabs" on the bench, the cord would get a better hold).
Once I got to where the armpit was loose, I was able to pull the arms free with my hands, but I can see where using a rod through the same opening would be faster and easier.
Thanks again for everyone's help and encouragment, I hope y'all have a good year too!
Krsuty
Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on January 01, 2007, 01:10 PM:
Good job Krsuty.
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on January 01, 2007, 11:33 PM:
Krusty, you should probably get a set of gambrels to hang coons. For pulling the front legs, a section of broom handle works pretty good. That's the rounded end of a straw broom, not one of the hitech jobs. An exacto knife is a very poor choice for working on the head.
Good hunting. LB
Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on January 03, 2007, 12:47 AM:
Leonard,
We have a nice gambrel my Dad made for deer, but the carabiners we ordinarily hook through the tendons are too big to use on coons (I wasn't sure we could hook through the same tendons), and the whole thing is a bit wide (for small critters).
One guy I know uses large (un-barbed) fish hooks, on his beaver skinning rig, I wondered if Tim used something like that?
I finally caught a muskrat, and messed it up pretty good trying to get it skinned.
Once I got the eyes free, the snout tore all to hell.
It'll take some time to get it fleshed too, there's still a fair bit o' rat on it.
An X-acto doesn't work very good? Neither does the knife I was using.
But you know what they say... a poor workman blaims his tools, I have a feeling there's a loose nut at the handle of the knife.
One of the guys at the Rondy suggested making a "wooden finger", a section of 1/2" dowel rounded off at the ends, to use as you mention, for pulling arms and working the hide away.
It saves a lot of wear and tear on my own fingers.
Krusty
P.S. It took a long time for me to realize Tripp and I had dyslexified my name... good job at what? LOL
Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on January 03, 2007, 08:49 PM:
For beaver, I used a big hook poked through the tail, with a swivel to let me spin him around as I skinned.
For everything else, I preferred a short rope with a slip knot on each end. If you cut the Achilles tendon, then a gambrel isn't much good. Sometimes the tendon breaks, and you have to use the rope anyway. I just start with the rope and don't worry about it.
As for the belly boards, you won't forget them more than once. Those hides draw down tight, you may have to rehydrate the pelt to get it off of the board with out one.
Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on January 03, 2007, 09:31 PM:
Tim,
Thanks.
I'm down with the belly boards. They're all smoothed out, and ready to go.
And I'm all good with rope and knots.
I have to re-work my muskrat beam, it needs to be a bit narrower at the base. The young 'rat I caught the other day would slip on, but it was really tight.
Krusty
Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on January 04, 2007, 06:28 PM:
Well, now I caught me a 'coon!
My cage was set in one of my old spots, where I'd caught two 'possums, and not far from my carcass pile.
I used my brother's Hi-Standard (22lr) pistol, instead of my 10/22.
I need to get some CB shorts, and a pistol of my own.
I coulda used my tape recorder today too, he squealed like a banshee, and woulda made an excellent e-caller sound.
Tim,
I used your tip on the hind feet, and did the work on the bench before hanging it up. It worked really well, and I ended up with a really secure grip on it.
(*Note; I think I understand the pinning trick, now that I have seen the cased skin)
I used the hooked utility knife to cut the vent to heel cuts, and to start the tail split. And I got the tail pulled perfect.
The "shirt sleeve" cut helped a lot, the hands popped right out.
We used my round tipped skinner for the head, and Red and I took it slow and easy.
I stuck my hand up inside, once I got close to the ears, and stuck the tip of my finger in the ear to loacte the buds.
There's probably more meat on them than when someone with practice does one, but I didn't damage the ear so I can clean it up on the beam.
I did a good job on the eyes, the nose, and the lips, (and other than around the butt) I don't think I left any fur on the carcass, at all.
It sure was a lot easier to do a critter I shot and drove straight home to skin (warm), than it was to do "Woodie" the road killed 'coon.
Now that I know how to do it right, all I gotta do is get the job done in less than an hour.
I took the other 'coon out of the freezer, and washed and hung up the one I caught today, so I can flesh them tommorow.
My raccoon fleshing beam seems like it's just the right size, these medium sized 'coons slip on with a bit of slack.
Krusty
Posted by Norm (Member # 240) on January 04, 2007, 07:00 PM:
Krusty, Congratulations... That is great.... a couple more and you will do a coon in 10 - 15 minutes... getting started and finishing the head are the most time consuming... you will also get used to how much you can really yank on them to get the hide peeled off....
Again, congratulations... yes, that coon scream would a made a great mp3 file...
Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on January 05, 2007, 03:14 AM:
WTG Krusty!!!
Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on January 05, 2007, 04:41 AM:
Krusty,
First off, good job.
On skinning heads, one thing taxidermists do and that I occasionally do on coyotes, etc., is to do the initial cuts on the hindlegs as Tim outlined, cut around the elbows, then using a scalpel or exacto knife, skin the lips/ face back to just in front of the eyes from the front. In other words, make a cut around the inside of the lipline where soft flexible lip tissue transitions to hard gums and peel the top and bottom lips back to just in front of the eyes. It keeps you from making those blind cuts around the face all the while taking the edge off your knife on the teeth and jaw bones.
As far as the ear butts and eyes, once you get the front legs pulled, grab that hide and pull. Use the leg holes you just exposed to get a good tug on them. The hide will pull down around the rear corners of the skull and you'll begin to see the cartilage to the ears. Take your knife and cut with the blade at a right angle to the surface of the skull/ cartilage. Once cut, you now have two handle finger holds to pull down with. You'll begin to see membranous "tubes" appear that are the thin membranes that encapsulate the eye ball. Make a small cut to make sure you're inside the eyelid and, if so, cut around the eye close to the skull. Stay close in the front corner near the curuncula/ tear duct to avoid making a huge hole. After this, if you've skinned the nose out before hand, it's often just a simple tug and you're done.
One way to handily modify that larger gambrel is to do like Matt and I do - hang a choke chain like you use on dogs from each side. Works very well on animals of all sizes.
Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on January 06, 2007, 07:22 PM:
Well, I screwed up.
I fell asleep last night, and didn't get the coons fleshed, when I got to them today the new one didn't smell so good.
The one that was frozen stayed okay, but it was probably too warm for the other one.
It's not totally rancid, but it was more than my sensitive nose could take.
The whole skinning process is an exercise in not puking, for me, so I rolled it up and stuck it in a zip-loc in the freezer.
I WILL NOT make that mistake again.
I caught another 'rat today, and the skinning went really well.
I didn't tear the guts open, or pull any parts off.
After I checked the line today, I came home and made another medium 'coon stretcher board, and two small 'rat boards.
Fleshing raccoons is hard... hard work, and hard to do without messing it up. But I'm sure I'll get better at it.
I think I got it pinned on the board right, it fit a large better than a medium (the tail hung way off the medium, and the head was loose).
The tail is split, and pinned open and straight, and I pinned a quarter sized hole (I fleshed into it) shut.
It's hanging nose down, should I have pinned the arms down, or tucked them in or something?
The muskrat (I caught today) boarded up perfectly, the mouth a nice oval, the eyes nice tiny circles, the tab of tail pinned right on the center line, and the belly side tab pinned to the belly board.
My brother and I decided we're going to have something made from some of the muskrats, it's really nice fur, stuck with a bad name... if they were called muskminks (or pygmy-beavers, or something) they'd be worth way more!
We had wild ducks for dinner, I was tempted to fry up one of the legs off the 'rat, and give it a try... for about a nano-second!
Working, trapping, and the fur shed work, are hard to keep up with. I am gonna have to learn to organize better, and get/let my brother and my dad do a little more of the finishing.
My dad just retired (last year), and he doesn't know how to not work, so he's been pretty gung ho about this trappin' stuff.
I dropped three cameras off at Wal*Mart tonight, I'll have some pictures tomorrow.
Krusty
Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on January 06, 2007, 07:39 PM:
Sounds good Krusty, sounds as if you're coming along just fine. Get ready for a polecat -- keep a look out for FedEx trucks.
Looking forward to the pics.
Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on January 06, 2007, 08:51 PM:
Your skinning must be coming along pretty good not to have popped the gut when skinning a muskrat. The one gut that always bothered me was a coons gut. Just something nasty about popping open one of them.
Just like skinning, fleshing is always best done warm. That coon is probably fine, its just the fat that stinks, get it off of the hide and it should be fine.
Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on January 07, 2007, 09:35 AM:
Today I caught Possum-zilla, flat out the biggest 'possum I ever seen.
I need to get better at dispatching critters, or more patience, I'm putting too many .22 holes in them.
I've been avoiding head shots, because skinning is hard enough, and my concerns over rabies.
Drowning is looking like a better idea all the time, but my most productive cage is a long ways from water.
I am doing my part to feed the birds and protect the crops! I caught another rat in one of my weasle boxes, and left it where I left the last one.
We use a big Victor rat trap in the weasle boxes, because that's all we're allowed to (any trap "sold or advertised as used for rats").
One of my boxes (the one sitting flat, not hung on a tree trunk) keeps getting the bait stolen. So I stuck a pair of mouse traps in the area they step/reach in, before the trap, just for spite.
I also caught a little bunny (too small for eating, but not for 'cat bait), and not knowing whether it was legal to take in a cage trap, I let it go.
All this little detail stuff is just gonna take some time to learn.
The internet is no replacement for one on one teaching, but I sure appreciate knowing you guys are around to help.
Tripp,
Polecat is the term my brother and I use for anything we didn't see good enough to positively identify.
If you mean skunk, I seriously doubt I'll catch any of those, we don't really have them (striped skunks) here.
We do have the civets (spotted skunk), I'm told, but I ain't never seen one (yet).
I ain't skinnin' field mice or rats, but anyone else who gets in my traps is welcome (at least once).
Fed-Ex truck?
I'm on my way to Wally World, to pick up my pictures now.
Tim,
I really didn't like the smell of the first 'rat, or the day old bucket of duck parts we were skinning over, so I did this last one "all knife", with very little peeling.
It was good practice, for following the skin, and feeling the sharpness of the knife, and for getting a better handle on the anatomy of a muskrat.
The arms are so close to the head, it's easy to pull the 'rat apart doing the arms. My "wooden finger" worked really good for getting through the arms, and pulling them free (without damaging the neck).
Red can put up with a lot worse smells than I can, I'll have to see if he's up for fleshing it, otherwise I'll have to sell it frozen (or wait until I can build up some more intestinal fortitude).
Lately I have done things I was pretty sure I could NOT do a few months ago, I did hurl at deer camp when my dad nicked a gut, so I am getting stronger all the time.
Krusty
Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on January 10, 2007, 04:00 PM:
I'm getting better at catching 'rats, and skinning them.
Skinning, without popping the gut, fleshing the armpits and hips, and boarding is taking quite a bit less than the hour it took to durn near ruin the first one just skinning it.
I've been sick the last few days, but I haven't missed a check yet.
Today I pulled my cages and weasle traps, so I can take a couple days off, and just make 48 hour checks of my 'rat traps.
Besides that, there's only a few days of duck season left for me and Red to kill some more greenheads!
Okay here's some more photos.
My stretcher boards, and beams;
The bait thief;
A pygmy beaver (aka muskrat);
One of the 'rats, and me, just getting started skinning;
One of the colony traps I am catching the muskrats in;
Photo removed because of size *Krusty
Krusty
[ January 13, 2007, 04:22 PM: Message edited by: Krustyklimber ]
Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on January 10, 2007, 04:06 PM:
Geez, K, you look like a trapper there. Beard and all.
Put a little mentholatum on your upper lip to mask the stink. It doesn't cover it up completely, but it helps. Also, wait until you get a mink. Just remember: cut deep around the anus. LOL
Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on January 10, 2007, 05:55 PM:
I had missed that last post, but don't worry too much about catching rabies from a possum. It's pretty rare for them to catch it. Their body temperature is generally a degree or two too low for the virus to survive in their bodies.
Looks like you are having fun and doing well, you sure do some pretty woodwork!
Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on January 13, 2007, 04:20 PM:
Tim,
It's as much that I was told a skull that's been shot is harder to skin, and of no value.
That's valuable information though, and lets me breathe a little easier, literally.
The boards were more wood butchery, than woodwork.
The beams are both made from some big pieces of cedar I found in my Grama's shop, Red said "What are you ever gonna do with these?" being rough cut and well weathered, obvious scraps.
"I dunno, but I just know I need 'em" I said, pulling them from the garbage.
My neighborhood finally thawed out enough to get up the hill and onto the freeway, so I could check my 'rat traps.
At what point does it become "unreasonable" to make a trap check?
After trying to wreck my truck a few times, I spent the better part of two hours today, smashing through ice 2 inches thick, to get to my sets.
I did manage to catch another nice cinimmon colored 'rat, but the ice had gotten thick enough that it was frozen it to the cage, so I pulled it and brought the whole thing home to thaw out.
It was impossible to remake some of the other sets, and I was tempted to pull the whole works until it warms up next week.
By the time I was ready to go home, all I had left set, were two regular 6x6's and one double-wide.
Nobody is moving in this cold, and my new dog needed a good long ride and a run, so I didn't take any of my 'coon traps back out yet.
I did find what look all in the world like bobcat tracks, the last time I was out there, so I got half a mind to bait a couple of my cages with 'rat carcasses (I've been freezing/saving them).
My 'rat stretchers are working pretty good, it's not too difficult to get 'em off of there, I can see where it'd be impossible without belly boards though.
Once dried, I am using a loop of stainless wire, through one eye hole and the mouth, to hang them in the cellar (cool and dry).
I took the coon off the board too, it looks like hell, but I kinda expected it to.
I don't know if I can afford to do my own furhandling anymore (other than 'rats), but only time and practice will tell.
Thanks again,
Krusty
Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on January 19, 2007, 08:38 PM:
Update:
Well I finally got word from the State!
I can officially start using padded footholds (for beaver), and conibears (for 'rats and beavers).
My permits are for 15 beavers, and (for some wierd reason) 5 muskrats.
Then I got an offer that seems too good to refuse.
I called the guy who helped me learn how to do the paperwork required, to thank him again for the help.
He asked if I had the necessary equipment, all ready to go?
When I said I didn't, he offered to not only let me use his traps, but to go with me and teach me how to set them.
He said he'd do it for half of what we catch.
I think I'd be a fool not to take him up on it. What do you guys think?
Krusty
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on January 19, 2007, 09:00 PM:
Well, maybe(?), but I can't help but think: "squeal like a pig!"
Posted by Norm (Member # 240) on January 20, 2007, 05:31 AM:
on the job training... sounds like a great offer Krusty.
Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on January 23, 2007, 05:54 PM:
Leonard,
I guess now we know why "You're not a trapper".
Norm,
Thanks.
Krusty
Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on February 08, 2007, 08:47 PM:
Today was trappin' lesson day!
We put in ten sets, mostly 330 conibears, and most of those were crossover sets.
It's good that I had everything really well scouted, we were able to make sets at all of the places I had picked, and a few Fred found in between.
So almost all our time was spent building, not searching.
The biggest thing I learned today is, "You don't have to go to the beavers, they'll come to you".
The second biggest thing I learned seems like a small thing, and one I feel kinda dumb not having figured it out, but it's to paint all your tools with a bright colored paint... my black machetté, my green trowel, and my little grubby brown lure bottle (especially the cap), are always hiding from me, right in plain sight. I never lost sight of Fred's bright red tools.
I also learned that I was doing okay, for a rookie, my muskrat sets are acceptable and producing pretty well.
I showed him some of my finished 'rats, and he said I'd done a good job.
I've gotten a lot better at skinning them, after the first one, I didn't pop a gut... until the 13th one, and now I'm on a roll again.
I took a small paint scraper, and rounded off the corners, it works perfect for fleshing the 'rats.
I found a guy to buy my raw (muskrat) skulls, for a quarter apiece, and more for the rest of what I can catch.
The 110's on a stick haven't been the saving grace, for me, that they are for others.
In fact the 110's in general are only catching about 1/5th of my total, no matter what set I use them in.
(*One particular conibear set, in a slide I made in the bank, has caught 66% of all 'rats caught in 15 sets with 110's)
Yesterday I had the suprise of catching a muskrat in a raccoon cage.
It's set in a culvert/tunnel under the road, tight against the wall, so he may have just run in, and not been baited in.
I've taken to drowning everybody who ain't already drowned... muskrats don't drown in a hurry, in fact pretty much nobody drowns fast (like bang flop).
I had two big let downs this week.
The first day after I put a (padded) foothold trap in a cubby in the bank, a coyote stepped in it, and was able to pull free.
The following day, while checking the cage in the tunnel, I caught a cat.
It's dark in there, but from the trail I coud see the door down, in the cage I could see two eyes glowing, that definitely belonded to a cat!
As I got closer to the cage it got up circling, swirling it's grey bobbed tail!!
Holy shit I thought, "I caught a bobcat!"
Meow the giant tomcat said, Buford was cold, but not hungry, and he doesn't want to be my friend anymore when I go up to the house.
But he's gone down to look at the trap, and even checked out the 'rat in it, but I haven't caught him again (yet).
I start on a new piece of property tomorrow, with five miles of ditches running across the valley, it's crawling with 'rats.
It's all colony traps (no permit for body grip traps), but I am confident using them now.
I hope to get to 60 before the WSTA fur sale the end of this month, as well as my half of a dozen or so beavers and a couple otters.
Krusty
Posted by TA17Rem (Member # 794) on February 08, 2007, 09:03 PM:
Good going Krusty, keep at it. If you ever need some more rat stretchers let me know. I have abunch of wire stretchers i don't use, and you can have them for the asking.. Just pay the shipping...
Posted by Norm (Member # 240) on February 09, 2007, 12:41 PM:
Krusty, that is great. Thanks for the update. Glad to hear you are having fun, as well as success.
Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on February 09, 2007, 09:33 PM:
TA,
Thanks for the offer. Tim Behle had a bunch too and made the same deal.
I have 20 wire stretchers now, and a few of the wood ones I made.
I'll be stoked when I've got all of them full, at once, and need more!
It's actually cool that I have the wooden stretcher boards. A few of the rats I've caught this week, have had cuts in them, big enough that I had to pin them shut (it seemed easier than trying to sew them?).
I'm getting a really good handle, on how hard I can handle the 'rats when I'm skinning them.
It's way more of a "fingers and thumbs" peeling job, than knifework, now.
Norm,
Thanks for followin' along.
It's amazing the things a guy can learn "on the job", all day today things I learned yesterday helped.
(I'm using a lot more guiding sticks than before, "fencing" the entrance to a set and blocking alternate routes)
I went and pulled a bunch of my colony traps off the first place, and moved them to the new place.
Some of the ditches are DEEP!!! ![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
Good thing I wear chest waders... but I ain't very tall, so I still gotta "stay in the shallow end of the pool".
At the first place, I never did find a bank or den hole.
Now I've got three traps set directly over holes, just in a 100 yard stretch of one ditch.
I'm gonna have to make a bunch more traps.
I caught another housecat today, at first we thought he was a big ol' possum, and Red was all ready to "euthanize" him, Behle style! (*Only with less firepower, and no running)
When I leaned into the cubby in the brush to let him go, he durn near ran over me getting out of the cage.
Next time I'll drag the cage out and point it in a safe direction, before firing a cat (or anybody else alive) out of it.
So far everyone else I'd let go crawled out slowly, or had to be forced to go.
Krusty
Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on February 10, 2007, 11:00 PM:
On the job training paid off. 
We caught three nice beavers today!
Fred and I are splitting what we catch.
I thought that meant sharing all the work, and splitting the selling price? But like he told me today, "He agreed to teach me to trap beaver, not to finish and market fur".
Since it's my area, he let me pick the first one (telling me I wanted the big one), and I got the third one too.
Next one is his, and so on. Same for any otters or any other "incidentals" we might catch.
The biggest one was 55 pounds, the other one I got 40 pounds, and the one Fred took was real close in size to the 40 pounder (I dunno if he weighed it?).
We came up short one conibear trap making today's check, instead of a chain Fred's using a cable with a tree-lock on the end, and somehow it got unclipped (*though I could swear there's a re-bar stake missing too).
I'll keep looking for it, (if there's somebody in it) eventually it'll pop up, no matter what.
When I skinned the second one I used Lance's advice, on skinning the face, starting inside the mouth and working it back up and over the nose and lower jaw.
We also got it skinned a lot "cleaner" then the first one, in about half the time.
I think it worked out really well, to learn on muskrats, and apply those trapping and furhandling skills to beavers next.
Red (my brother) saved a bunch of meat, for stew, they're having a potluck dinner after the fur sale.
Seems like as gooda time as any, to give it a try?
Red's still pissed about the "deer roast" he thawed out, only to find that it had muskrat feet when he opened the ziploc bag... he shoulda known, we never put deer in ziplocs.
Everytime I ask him if we should try cookin' up a hunk of muskrat, he just says something I won't bother to type.
Fred and my Dad got some photos, I'll post them as soon as I can.
Krusty
Posted by wdhunt40 (Member # 184) on February 11, 2007, 09:26 AM:
Krusty are you speaking of the Major Fred? And I do not know how I missed you at this years rondezous in Chelan.
Wayne
Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on February 12, 2007, 09:11 PM:
We caught a four foot otter, and another beaver!
I can barely sleep at night, but working and trapping makes me have to sleep some.
I can't wait to get there each morning, and see what's in store for us.
I'm starting to put the sets Fred built, back together after a catch, that steepens the learning curve a whole bunch more.
My dad gave me the photo CD, but I'm too tired to deal with uploading and posting pics tonight (and my current connection is 16k, so it'd take all night).
Wayne,
I know Fred was in the Marines, but I don't know what rank?
There's some photos of him in the recent WSTA newsletter.
Yes, I do realize what a priveledge it is, to have him teaching me.
I wish I'd known you were going to be at the rondy, I might have bothered to make myself more visable.
It's probably hard for some of you guys to believe... but in real life, I am shy and reserved, and pretty much keep to myself around people I don't know.
Krusty
Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on February 13, 2007, 04:40 AM:
AN OTTER!!!
That is way too cool!!
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on February 13, 2007, 08:11 AM:
quote:
AN OTTER!!!
That is way too cool!!
I was thinking the same thing. Good going, K.
Posted by Norm (Member # 240) on February 13, 2007, 11:31 AM:
Magnificent.... Congratulations on the progress and the success.
Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on February 14, 2007, 02:31 PM:
Thanks everyone!
We're up to six beavers, my last one weighs 68#.
Fred got one close to that big today too.
I also caught a mink yesterday, in one of my raccoon cages.
It was so cute I almost let it go... almost.
It's almost jet black, with a little beige patch on the chin.
My dad says he'll get it taxidermied for me, in trade for the hides to make his beaver vest.
Wayne,
You know Fred, but he didn't know who you could be, by your first name and location alone.
Krusty
Posted by Norm (Member # 240) on February 14, 2007, 04:38 PM:
Congrats on the Mink...
are you using a neck noose or something to dispatch them out of these cages?
Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on February 14, 2007, 09:21 PM:
Ooops, typo... the beaver weighed 58#.
Norm,
I'm using the creek, and just throwing the cage in.
Krusty
Posted by JD (Member # 768) on February 14, 2007, 10:22 PM:
Wow, sounds like you`re doing a heck of a job krusty, way to go!
Posted by JoeF (Member # 228) on February 15, 2007, 05:21 AM:
Krusty, I'm envious of what you're getting to do now. I still consider the time I spent trapping as a youngster some of the best time I've ever spent in thte woods.
Just a thought on the rats with the small cuts. Are you getting them drowned good and quick?
Congrat's on the otter.
I have the distinction of running over one on the highway in the early 80's some small number of days after its' release in to the wild as part of a reintroduction effort. The conservation department wasn't real proud of me.
Most of the people I talk to now wish that I would have ran over them all. They are thick now.
Enjoy it, man!
Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on February 15, 2007, 10:37 AM:
JD,
I'm mostly riding Fred's coat tails.
The place is crawling with beavers (and otter), so I'd have eventually caught some by myself, they're not like coyotes, lol.
But it's like having them handed to me, and getting to see how he gets them on the platter too.
When we get to hauling heavy stuff, go get me some cottonwood sticks, or wading in deep, that's when I really do a good job.
It's hard to feel like I'm bringing enough to the table, to deserve half of what we get.
Joe,
I said to Fred the other day, "Wow, thanks man, this is one of the best days I ever spent in the woods".
It's a huge shame that I had to wait until mid-life to ever get involved.
What a great way for a kid to learn responsibilty and respect, for the land and it's owners, and the animals that live on it.
And the responsibilty of sticking to a task, no matter what.
Dealing with the disappointment of hard work unrewarded, in hopes of a pay-off somewhere down the line.
Hopefully I still have a lot of time ahead of me, to keep doing this, it suits me pretty well and I really enjoy doing it.
On the rats with cuts...
One of the got hit in the neck, with the trigger on the conibear, the other two were in colony traps.
One of them had several old cuts, a couple quite large.
And the last one had a fresh rip in it's knee, probably from the lifting the door, as it got caught on top of it.
Those will be the ones I save for garment use, everybody in the family wants something made from some of the fur.
_________________________________________________
Okay picture time...
Here's the otter, up close and personal;
My first two beavers, seriously;
And my Dad, in the before picture... after will be in his beaver vest;
Krusty
Posted by JD (Member # 768) on February 15, 2007, 03:05 PM:
Your first beaver is certainly something you`ll remember
On a serious note...Think of how much you learned from these guys about trapping & skinning over the internet & then compare that to having someone there to teach you in person & then consider that you`ve been blessed with both, you`re a fortunate soul to say the least, you`ve been flooded with several lifetimes worth of knowledge & it sure seems to be paying off, just think what could happen if you would stumble across someone who would take you under his wing for some coyote calling, you`d be unstoppable, hell, they`d probably even write songs about you, keep up the good work!!
Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on February 16, 2007, 03:32 AM:
quote:
I said to Fred the other day, "Wow, thanks man, this is one of the best days I ever spent in the woods".
It's a huge shame that I had to wait until mid-life to ever get involved.
What a great way for a kid to learn responsibilty and respect, for the land and it's owners, and the animals that live on it.
And the responsibilty of sticking to a task, no matter what.
People have been asking me for years why it is that I love to trap so much, but I think you just explained it better than I ever have.
Posted by Alaskan Yoter (Member # 169) on February 16, 2007, 05:47 PM:
Hey Jeff, looks like your have'n a good ole time down there trapp'n the fur.
Uh........nice beavers dude! And an even nicer otter ya got there.
Be safe,
Todd
Posted by Kokopelli (Member # 633) on February 17, 2007, 05:03 PM:
Krusty, I wanted to thank you for your trapping posts. Since I haven't been able to plant steel in a few years I've been able to vicariously run your line thru your posts. Kind of neat & I don't get wet!!!! Keep on keepn' on.
Are you going to be at the WST fur sale next week??
Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on February 17, 2007, 08:31 PM:
We're up to nine beavers, and 3 otters!
I'm still working at the place I trap (with my brother), mending fences, so it makes going from the trapline to work easy.
My Dad found a guy (friend of the guy who's always done the deerskins) who's going to teach us to clean skin and flesh a beaver in 20 minutes.
I have to wait until next Friday to get the seal on my (first) otter, it's too warm to hold it that long, and I had to freeze it.
So I took one of the scapels I got, and I started at the gumline, and skinned to it's eye... just like I knew what I was doing!
It helped that the otter's head is flat, and his eye was close to the upper jaw, but it's also that I've gotten a pretty good feel for what the knife is up against.
There's no way in the world I'd have believed someone, if they told me ten years ago, what I'd be doing today. No way.
I'da choked on my granola bar!
JD,
You'll probably like Red's joke;
He sticks his finger in the mouth of the beaver carcass, wiggling the tounge back and forth... and he says "Hey check it out, for the first time ever, the beaver licked ME!
Back to the serious notes, I agree that with trapping I have been blessed by the information available on the internet, and in real life.
I couldn't be more thankful.
(*Note: I might be able to eventually call a coyote, if I'd go out and try again. I haven't made a predator stand since I shot my buck last Nov)
Tim,
I've also been blessed, to have had some excellent English teachers.
All I can hope, is that someday I am able to form sets, and stands, the way I can form sentences.
Todd,
I am having fun trapping. Ya know what else I been having fun doing the last week or so?
Making calls again.
Kokopelli,
The pleasure, in sharing, has been all mine.
I feel like I owe some of the fun I am having, back to Huntmasters.
I had given up on fighting the state to give me a trapping license, or trying to deal with the WSTA.
But you guys made me see that I was missing out, by not pursuing it.
Heck, Tim wasn't going to take no for an answer, and he wasn't going to give up, until I had a WSTA membership card in my wallet, and I posted pictures of critters in traps (and I'm pretty sure he ain't gonna give up on my hopes of eventually getting a coyote).
In answer to your question, yes, I am going to be at the fur sale. Wild horses couldn't keep me away.
I really want to see it, in action, even more than I want to sell any fur.
LOL, I'll be lucky to cover gas money to and from the sale, on the fur I got!
Hey, what ever happened to Tripp? He's the one that turned this thread into a continuing thing... he's the first one I thought of, when I saw the mink/unknown polecat in my cage.
Krusty
Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on February 23, 2007, 08:35 PM:
Turns out the mink is an escapee, a feral ranch mink.
We're up to 15 beavers, and 4 otters!
Krusty
Posted by TA17Rem (Member # 794) on February 23, 2007, 09:33 PM:
Way to go on those beavers Krusty.
P.S. I don't know if you know this but anyway here goes. To increase youre catch or pick up a few smart ones try openning up the beaver dam in the middle and then place a trap on the up river side a foot below water level or where you think the beaver will step, off to one side. When the water level drops the beaver will come to make repairs and then you should get him... good luck
[ February 23, 2007, 09:38 PM: Message edited by: TA17Rem ]
Posted by ninthinning (Member # 900) on February 26, 2007, 05:10 AM:
Krusty,
Really enjoying reading about your adventures. Its great you have your father and brother involved. Before we got five feet of snow here in NY my trap line was producing great. Looking forward to future installments.
9th
Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on February 26, 2007, 11:17 AM:
My phone service has been down, I'll get back on for another report soon.
Krusty
Posted by varmit hunter (Member # 37) on February 26, 2007, 05:51 PM:
Krusty. I wont to thank you for bringing back old memories to. I swear there were times just before dawn I could feel the spirits of the old great ones around me, Like Jeremiah Johnson, Jim Bridger and many more.
This picture was taken many years ago. That is my house in the back ground. In one week I caught enough Red and Gray Foxes to pay for a new 300 win mag with scope, and never got out of site of that house.
Krusty. I forgot you're laws on steal traps, but we have a lot of Otter around here. The best trap we ever found for Otter was a number 11. No it sounds crazy, but thee so dammed fast.
Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on February 28, 2007, 06:14 PM:
It's been a heck of a year, and I figure I done alright fer a rookie.
I went to the fur sale last weekend, I got top lot on my 'rats, selling them at $4.70 apiece.
I'm glad I took the time, to put them up right. Even though it only brought 30 cents more each (than the average), I was more just proud to see that they looked the best.
I asked the fur buyer, "why'd you buy these 'rats?" his answer was "because I need 'rats" when I explained they were mine, and asked again, he said "they were good 'rats, so I gave ya a good price".
Yesterday I caught the biggest beaver of the season, a 65# female.
I also caught two others, bringing the tally to 18.
Last night, I boarded up and fleshed the first beaver. I've been skinning them out and freezing them, so I could put them up at the end of the season, and after I made some boards.
Dang that's a lot of work!
But like Fred says "If beaver trapping was easy, everybody would be doing it!"
The "medium" sized beaver stretched out to a #2, I probably could have gotten it to a #1 if I had the nailing order down better.
I put up a #5 today, it was so much easier to stretch and to flesh the second one (it didn't hurt that it was only half as big either).
Tonight I am going to make a big wide fleshing beam, and try fleshing one that way.
What size is bigger than a #0? I've got a couple "large" beavers that won't fit on the 32x48" (FHA sized) boards... do I use a half sheet of plywood, and just eyeball lines for a double and triple zeros?
Tim,
It's funny that you mentioned a "tear down" of the dam, that same day I moved one of the foothold traps, that had been unproductive, and remade the set like you suggest.
Hopefully it'll produce another catch, before it's all over, I plan on pulling out on Friday.
Ronnie,
My list of "greats" doesn't go as far back as your's.
I thought of guys like Cal Taylor, Tim Behle, and you!
Our laws are more leanient then they seem.
There are ways to get around the law, and to use "real traps", legally.
Forgive my ignorance, but a #11 what kinda trap?
Thanks again to everyone, for following along, for all your assistance, and most of all for your inspiration.
Krusty
Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on March 01, 2007, 04:35 AM:
A #11 is the same as a #1 Longspring, only with an extra spring added to the other side of the jaws.
When your #1's get old, just pull one apart and add the spring to another trap.
I've never had otters to trap, but they make hellacious coon and mink traps.
Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on March 09, 2007, 07:19 PM:
Well, it's all over...
We ended up with 19 beavers (the biggest one, a 65 pound female), 21 muskrats, 5 otters, 3 'coons, 1 mink, and too many 'possums to count.
The last otter I caught was a 31 pound male, so old most of his teeth were worn down to the gums and several were broken.
I've been really busy, and didn't follow all the soap opera threads...
Usually when I fall behind, I start with a search of my name, to see who's been talking about me.
This time it turned up this; "Krusty...he's found the thrill of trapping and gaining self confidence as a result. In other words, he's found a way to overcome the obstacles that were standing in the way of his success in calling. He grabbed the traps."
This is not the case, and couldn't be further from the way it actually is.
I came to the realization that hunting coyotes here is a futile waste of time.
I basically quit calling coyotes (around here), I didn't switch to traps as a way to overcome the obstacles in my way.
I switched to something I could actually accomplish, with some regularity.
We have an overabundance of beavers. We do not have a huntable population of coyotes, or terrain that is conducive to success.
All of the same "excuses" still apply, I just don't bother using them, because I have stopped putting myself in the position of inevitable failure.
If I don't get my ass kicked, I don't have to bother telling anyone why.
Scott is more than welcome to come out here, get his own ass kicked, and make up his own "reasons".
If I have any "kudos" coming, it's for finally seeing the light, and realizing that coyote calling (around here) is a supreme waste of time and effort.
With that... I'd like to thank everyone who followed along in my trapping adventures, offered help or advice, or participated in whatever way.
I'd like to also say my good-bye's now too.
It's almost impossible to believe the ride I have been on, since first joining a predator board.
It's been some real ups and downs.
Take care,
Krusty
Posted by Norm (Member # 240) on March 10, 2007, 06:18 AM:
Krusty, it has been a enjoyment to hear of your progress on the trapline. Thank you for sharing with us on your journey.
Calling coyotes on the western slopes would be a challenge for all... I have family in that area and on hikes, I ask my self how could I ever hunt elk here. You couldn't see them if they were standing next to you... there is a very thick forest floor in so many of those areas...
Hopefully your good-bye is not for ever. If it is, good luck in all of your future endeavors. I hope you Dad's beaver vest comes out they way he desires.
Thanks again for all that you have shared with us.
Posted by varmit hunter (Member # 37) on March 10, 2007, 11:44 AM:
Krusty. Just as Tim said a # 11 is a #1 with two springs. I would never used one for Otter till I made friends with a 82 year old deep marsh trapper. He caught more Otter than the rest of us put together.
After doing him several favors he invited me to run his line. It like to blew me over when I saw six Otters in #11's. I told him I would have never used that trap. Even though the pan is little the two springs make is fast as lighting and it doesn't give him much room to work on the trap. They used to be inexpensive compared to other traps.
Congratulations on a great season. I am betting you double those numbers next year
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