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Trapping update

The boys and I have been catching some coon and the weekend brought them hounding me to go to "Beaver Creek" to try for some beaver, otter and rats. This is the ONLY creek within miles that has any water in it! :D

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There was some sign but it is a long stretch of creek and sometimes it can take a few days for any action.

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I had a "first" happen the following day. I actually caught a muskrat in a 3-30 body-gripper! :D After the re-set I had a four foot fresh cut sapling in my trap! Seems the beaver was dragging it down the slide and the branch hit the trigger before the beaver did! :mad:

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Rats have been bringing good money so I plan to target more of them here, just with smaller traps! :D

I only got time to throw out one dirt hole for yotes on a bean field edge and this grinning little $@%&*&^ was the result.

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Nothing makes you more mad than a good set destroyed by a non target animal. Needless to say he paid for his actions! :) I remember skinning a ton of them as a kid for a $1.00 a piece. Now you can hardly give them away. I will wait for dryer weather to do any more dirt holes. Good luck to everyone juggling bow hunting and trapping this fall! :way:
 
I feel you pain I absolutly hate catching grinners in my cat sets you do so much work making a set perfect then grinner just destroys it!!
 
Well, I finally did it! I managed to draw a line through one item on my trapping bucket list this last Saturday. Friday I skipped work to bow hunt and it paid off in spades! "See PMA Harvest Forum". :D I had a few dirt hole sets out that had been unproductive so I made some moves and got some fresh sets on the ground. I am using #2 coil springs and muskrat meat in my dirt holes.
This oak hilltop borders a corn field and it is always a great coyote area. I drug up an old oak branch and used it as a backer for my hole. I bedded my trap and when the set was finished I gave a good squirt of fox urine on the backer log. Saturday was calling for rain which we need but a dirt hole trapper always dreads to hear of it when he has sets out. When I pulled into the field drive the next morning I could tell I had something in my first set. When I raised my binos my heart started racing! BOBCAT!!!!! Yeee-yeee! I finally snagged one and it looked to be a pretty good one! Ended up being a 16# female, not a giant but still an amazing animal to get to see up close!
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She is beautiful! I was possibly the happiest guy on earth that morning! Got a big buck on Friday and my bobcat on Saturday, I joked with the wife that I hoped to have a Mt. Lion or a Sasquatch by Sunday! :D Some of you veteran trappers may have noticed that she was caught by her right rear foot. Very odd for a dirt hole set to get a rear foot catch. My only explanation is that maybe she attempted to cover the fox scent on the log with her own scent and backed into the trap while attempting to spray. Either way I am stoked and plan to do a life-size mount later this winter. :way: My boys are still bringing in the coon for me to skin. I hope to get to the river and try for some otter soon. Good luck to everyone chasing fur! :drink2:
 
OK, that does it! I was happy for you when I saw your big buck picture, now that you are showing off a bobcat too, I am just downright jealous!! :D

Nice job, I would really like to get one this year too, but so far I have only had 2 dirthole sets out for 2 total days, so my odds are not great. I think I should be able to get some sets out though next weekend and I did see a bob a week ago, so I know I have a chance at one on my place.
 
Beautiful cat!
I picked this one up on my first check opening weekend. Problem is it was in Linn County, so I had to release it. We are getting more and more of them on our trail cams.

 
Ok guys I have never trapped before, my grandpa trapped a lot so my dad says. looks like a lot of fun. This may be a stupid question, but how the hell would you release a bobcat out of a trap without it freakin out on you?
 
Iowa_Buckeye said:
Beautiful cat!
I picked this one up on my first check opening weekend. Problem is it was in Linn County, so I had to release it. We are getting more and more of them on our trail cams.

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Where about its in Linn Co?? I keep waiting to get one on our cameras but haven't seen one yet, which is surprising being along the Cedar.
 
Ployboy - I did catch it along the Cedar. A buddy helped me release it. I basically got it on the catch pole, threw my coat over it's head, and released the trap. It then proceeded to run and hide under my quad for about the next 20 minutes.
 
I live about a mile south of the Cedar on Hwy 1. Last fall I had a couple of trail cam pics of a bobcat in my driveway and my wife swears she saw one spray the garage door this spring. The spray marks are still there. I really don't wanna catch one in my bucket/220 sets but they are set with prejudice for possums so the likelihood of catching a bobcat is pretty low. I hope.
 
Anybody with trapping pics new or old post em up! I have recently found some receipts from the 1970's when my dad was selling fur. I will try to snap some pics and post them here. I think its neat to look at how trapping and fur prices have changed over the years. :way:
 
A dollar doesn't go quite as far as I've heard it used to back then (not old enough to know), but it is reassuring to see the prices back up in a better range. Hopefully gonna sell tomorrow after sitting in stand in the morning. Will try to snap some pics of the batch that we are going to take in tomorrow.
 
Got a call from my youngest son after he checked traps the other day. Seems our Jag Terrior "Shorty" likes marshmallows! :D He was
awfully glad to get out of the cage trap.

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He is usually on the outside of the cage giving coons a fit!
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Coon movement was good over the Thanksgiving holiday. Here are a couple of big boars we had one morning.
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I had some "helpers" one morning to help check traps. :D My youngest son Tanner and my two nephews Noah & Nathan. They had more fun trying to break river ice with rocks than anything else I think! Get a kid outdoors when you can, what seem like little things to you can be BIG memories for them! :way:

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Saturday night we hit the woods coon hunting. I just happened to look down near a deer crossing and found what would have been a big four point shed if it hadn't been devoured by squirrels! Number one for the shed hunting season! :way:
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Hope you are all still bringing in the fur! Sounds like a cold snap is coming and my oldest son starts Junior Varsity basketball this week so my trap line may get shortened soon. Post up your pics!
 
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