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assateague wrote:If you're not already doing it, bait them with apple slices. Muskrats love apples.

Skin and clean the muskrat and stand overnight in cold water containing a teaspoon of salt to each pint of water. Parboil for about 30 minutes. Then fry the salt pork in the kettle in which it is to be cooked. Rinse rat with cold water, dry with paper towels and place on top of the salt meat. Add sliced onion, tsp rubbed sage, 1 1/2 tsp black pepper, and a dash of red pepper. Pour in boiling water to the depth of an inch and a half. Cover and simmer until tender, about an hour. Thicken the gravy with a tablespoon each of flour and butter creamed together; bring to a boil and pour over the muskrat. Serve with hominy and turnip greens.

3legged_lab wrote:Property owner went with me today, he was pleased to see 3 more rats in the traps. That brings my tally to 11 in a week.

3legged_lab wrote:Went out and checked today - got nothin. A few of my traps were knocked over or had just fallen down.

quackhead wrote:

3legged_lab wrote:Went out and checked today - got nothin. A few of my traps were knocked over or had just fallen down.

Just jam sticks in the springs to make them more solid

jehler wrote:Jr still ha a bit to learn, after his skunk he has had fox circling his sets within a few feet, think he has scent issues still, getting better all the time though, had two snares undone with no critters

waterfowlman wrote:

jehler wrote:Jr still ha a bit to learn, after his skunk he has had fox circling his sets within a few feet, think he has scent issues still, getting better all the time though, had two snares undone with no critters

JE,
Once a fox is trap wise, they become much more wary. (usually means someone's trap has just missed snapping them). If JR is using dirt hole sets for a front foot catch, try removing the trap from the original trap bed and replace it with an empty sardine can lightly buried where the trap was. Move back 18" or so and set 2 traps for a hind foot catch, using stepping sticks to guide the sly dog's feet where he wants them.

waterfowlman wrote:

jehler wrote:Jr still ha a bit to learn, after his skunk he has had fox circling his sets within a few feet, think he has scent issues still, getting better all the time though, had two snares undone with no critters

JE,
Once a fox is trap wise, they become much more wary. (usually means someone's trap has just missed snapping them). If JR is using dirt hole sets for a front foot catch, try removing the trap from the original trap bed and replace it with an empty sardine can lightly buried where the trap was. Move back 18" or so and set 2 traps for a hind foot catch, using stepping sticks to guide the sly dog's feet where he wants them.

TrapperDev wrote:Oh and those snares have a "relaxing" lock on them so when the fox or coyote pulls enough it release it so that it doesn't get hurt and can run off to live happily ever after. I ended up loosing a coyote because of this too.

TrapperDev wrote:

waterfowlman wrote:

jehler wrote:Jr still ha a bit to learn, after his skunk he has had fox circling his sets within a few feet, think he has scent issues still, getting better all the time though, had two snares undone with no critters

JE,
Once a fox is trap wise, they become much more wary. (usually means someone's trap has just missed snapping them). If JR is using dirt hole sets for a front foot catch, try removing the trap from the original trap bed and replace it with an empty sardine can lightly buried where the trap was. Move back 18" or so and set 2 traps for a hind foot catch, using stepping sticks to guide the sly dog's feet where he wants them.

Hey this is jr thanks for the tip, I put some double leg hold sets out and instead of a dirt hole I tore up the area with skunk hands and put pieces of rabbit fur all over then I threw the front quarter of a nice rabbit in the middle of the set as some kind if flat set. I came back the next day and there was fox tracks coming within 3 feet of the set but he didn't want anything to do with it. I snared the fox twice but he pulled out thanks to the Michigan humane snares that only close to a four inch circle. I will have to try using some sardines or fish oil next season to change it up because fox closed last week.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1363654347.947392.jpg

TrapperDev wrote:

waterfowlman wrote:

jehler wrote:Jr still ha a bit to learn, after his skunk he has had fox circling his sets within a few feet, think he has scent issues still, getting better all the time though, had two snares undone with no critters

JE,
Once a fox is trap wise, they become much more wary. (usually means someone's trap has just missed snapping them). If JR is using dirt hole sets for a front foot catch, try removing the trap from the original trap bed and replace it with an empty sardine can lightly buried where the trap was. Move back 18" or so and set 2 traps for a hind foot catch, using stepping sticks to guide the sly dog's feet where he wants them.

Hey this is jr thanks for the tip, I put some double leg hold sets out and instead of a dirt hole I tore up the area with skunk hands and put pieces of rabbit fur all over then I threw the front quarter of a nice rabbit in the middle of the set as some kind if flat set. I came back the next day and there was fox tracks coming within 3 feet of the set but he didn't want anything to do with it. I snared the fox twice but he pulled out thanks to the Michigan humane snares that only close to a four inch circle. I will have to try using some sardines or fish oil next season to change it up because fox closed last week.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1363654347.947392.jpg

assateague wrote:Work in that pan tension, too. Most pull outs either happen from a toe catch, or he jumps the spring. Both are from having too light of pressure, tripping it before he puts enough weight on it to commit. Very, VERY rarely will a pull out happen from a good grab. You want a fuzz over 2 pounds for fox, and make sure it's adjusted to trip by about 25 degrees down. If you haven't already, file the little tit which is on top of the dog flat, then readjust your traps, for both tension and throw. When you get it just right, wax them again, then leave them hang for next season. And wax them set, not sprung. Same goes for dying. If you do this, and get the weight and throw right, you'll have FAR less pull outs next year. I'd almost guarantee this is what's happening if you're losing some.

TrapperDev wrote:That snare was new and was ready to get washed the rest aren't out since our snaring season ended on the first. And you can't use them for damage control trapping.

waterfowlman wrote:jr,
You can also try to find some glycol or calcium chloride during the off season to use as anti-freeze in your trap beds. Either one will work just fine.

I have to post this picture here. These are my two sons close to thirty years ago, We had a little 12 acre "farm" (we called it a farm) in eastern NC that bordered the 300,000 acre Croatan national forest. For a few winters when they were young I would run a 200 trap trapline. Dark when I left the house in the morning and dark when I got home each evening. Ran half my traps by boat and the other half by truck. My boys claimed the trapping territory around the house and terrorized every living critter within walking distance of home. They actually caught the coons in this photo.
Some great memories of teaching them a few tricks and sharing time with them in the woods.

TrapperDev wrote:Yes they are the ones from gander but i found them onlin for $20 a dozen rather that $35 a dozen at ganderI will have to try the spring that sounds promising

assateague wrote:Quackhead, can't remember if you were getting fisher or marten. Here are the results that came with my paperwork for the last sale.

This one (Section 1) is fisher:

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1363803942.130774.jpg

And this one (fron Heavy 1 to Semi Heavy 1/Overall) is marten:

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1363804027.404907.jpg