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Post by budd on Oct 22, 2021 14:50:46 GMT -5
Drove around and checked a few spots today for rat houses, found a good stretch of river that from where I was I could see maybe 40 houses. Loaded the flat bottom with the longtail mud motor. Try and get 100 sets out tomorrow and see what happens.
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Post by featherduster on Oct 22, 2021 17:07:06 GMT -5
How has your duck season been?
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Post by budd on Oct 22, 2021 18:50:07 GMT -5
How has your duck season been? Better than last season, not as good as most past seasons….but getting better. Brian is going out tomorrow for ducks and geese. |
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Post by ms660 on Oct 23, 2021 14:35:24 GMT -5
Rats here in southern Indiana are getting hard to find. In the years past me and my partner would average 300 - 400 rats a year You would have to really work to catch a 100 from the sign I have seen lately. Really cant figure what has happened to them. Not too many trapping them now or really the past 5 years. You would think all the old cattail swamps around here would be full up, they are not. Good luck I hope you do well.
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Post by budd on Oct 23, 2021 17:40:45 GMT -5
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Post by ms660 on Oct 23, 2021 22:23:49 GMT -5
How do you guys set the lodges? Foot holds or conibears. I like to stomp a self in the side of the lodge and set a 1-1/2 foot hold on a drowning slide wire, pitch a handful of corn on the trap and usually catch several that way. We catch a lot in 110's at entrances or runs going to the entrance.
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Post by budd on Oct 24, 2021 7:46:37 GMT -5
I make a small indentation on the side of the house and set a 1 1/2 coil with a two foot chain. Dont need a drowning wire, weight of the trap alone will hold a muskrat under water. I use a chunk of carrot with lure on it, Two traps per house, two checks and pull.
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Post by budd on Oct 24, 2021 18:45:27 GMT -5
86 rats caught today, additional 50 traps set.
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Post by budd on Oct 24, 2021 19:57:03 GMT -5
Had 6 ring outs and eagles ate two.  Mr. Beaver rite after I John Wayned him with the 22 pistol.  Perks of owning a walk in cooler, can skin them later.  |
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Post by whitetaildave24 on Oct 24, 2021 20:16:12 GMT -5
Looks like a room full of work to me. Congrats on the good haul.
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Post by ms660 on Oct 24, 2021 23:29:30 GMT -5
86 rats caught today, additional 50 traps set. Dam you did good. Looks like a late night in the fur shed for you guys tonight. |
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Post by indianajoe on Oct 25, 2021 5:53:19 GMT -5
that's quite a haul. looks like population needs thinned out a bit there.
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Post by budd on Oct 25, 2021 19:21:12 GMT -5
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Post by ms660 on Oct 25, 2021 22:36:35 GMT -5
I was looking at the fur market reports in the Trapper Predator Caller and Fur Fish Game magazines and it looks like rats may bring pretty good money this year compared to what they brought in the last few years. Trapping is a lot of fun, but also a lot of work and not much pay lately. Do you guys ship your fur or sell it to a local buyer?
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Post by budd on Oct 26, 2021 6:10:26 GMT -5
Sell to local buyers. I dont trap for the money, but still every dollar counts and I dont want my hobby to end up costing me at the end of the day. I like to support our local buyers and try to keep in mind everyone has to make a profit.
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Post by budd on Oct 26, 2021 18:01:02 GMT -5
Shouldnt have gotten greedy/lazy, we should have pulled after two days but we tried for 3 and only came up with 68 rats, 2 beaver, 2 coon. We pulled everything today. Beaver were huge, female caught in 330 weighed 84lb, male 80lb caught in snare.    |
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Post by ms660 on Oct 26, 2021 22:12:24 GMT -5
84 pounder, that one of the largest beaver I have seen. I thought my biggest at 68 lbs was big. It was good you were boat trapping. I would of had to skin them out on the bank to get the fur back to the truck. You guys really did good in three days
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Post by esshup on Oct 30, 2021 23:20:06 GMT -5
Holy smokes, that's a great 3 days!! Those are some HUGE beaver!! ms660, what did you see for 'rat prices?
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Post by bartiks on Nov 1, 2021 4:43:08 GMT -5
That is one large tree eater for sure.
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