Cops, beavers and muskrat traps

After a meeting this morning at work, I hit the highway for the County of Lac St. Anne to check on the beaver traps we'd set two days ago. The weather yesterday was cold with rain and wet snow, so I decided today would be a better day to check. My trip was uneventful until I turned my signal light on to turn right at Horne Beach and looked in my rearview mirror to see red and blue lights flashing behind me. I wasn't speeding because I was slowing down to turn, so I was baffled as to what I'd done to gather this guy's attention. As it turns out, they'd just received a call of a break and enter in the area and the suspect was driving a red Dodge! After a few minutes, it was decided it wasn't me and I was allowed on my way.

First check on the ranch revealed one large beaver in the conibear we'd set on the dam where the water is running over it. This was the only place where there wasn't a layer of ice on the pond; our other two traps, one on the house and one near shore, were both frozen in. The weather is supposed to get warmer right away so knowing this, I reset the trap, refreshed the one on the house and moved the shore trap to another spot on the dam where the water is running over it as well. I then set three muskrat traps on the lower second pond nearest the road where the water was open.

The 330 Conibear is a powerful trap that kills instantly. The stick in front (actually behind) has lure on it.

The above photo is of the new trap location on the beaver dam. You can see the water running over the dam to the left of my trap. If you look at the pond, you can clearly see that it is frozen.

Next up was Wrobel's quarter where we'd set two beaver traps on a location that Dakota had found. The beaver house is far out in deep water that requires a boat to get to, so Dakota figured this would be a perfect spot because of the amount of sign he'd found. Sure enough, he was right on the money. Both traps held beaver.

After hauling the beaver back to my truck 300 yards distant, I walked back, reset the traps and put up two more muskrat traps. It's backbreaking work hauling wet, heavy beaver that far so I was sweating pretty good, even in the heavy, cold wind.

It's about 300 yards down the trail before you hit the water.

Next I headed over to where I'd caught the monster beaver and the four muskrats a few days ago. I wanted to get another beaver trap up there but not in the same place I'd caught the big beaver; that was far too much work hauling the beast through the deadfall. This time, I got a trap set near the house but across from it, opposite the way I went in the first time. I then set about making muskrat Conibear sticks and set three more traps. Where I had caught the muskrats in the culvert using a funnel trap was still out of commission. The water is still flowing too hard through the culvert to place the funnel. All eight of the muskrat traps I put up this trip were with 120 Conibears, baited with a carrot, secured to a stick and then sunk in the mud to the required depth.

My muskrat Conibear stick.

The muskrat Conibear trap set, lured and ready to go.

From there, all I had to check was one more trap near the ranch house. We doubted there were any beaver there but we set the trap anyway to find out. The pond was perfect for beaver and has a house on it but there wasn't any new sign; even the house looked too deep in the water.

I decided to stop at the ranch and let them know about a road that had washed away near a house we were trapping; in fact the first one I visited today. I was talking to the ranch manager's wife about the last trap I was going to check when she told me they'd shot four beaver out of there last fall - wished he'd told me that earlier when he mentioned that particular spot where his fence is under water needed trapping. As suspected, the trap was empty and I pulled it.

Two days ago when we where at this spot, a flock of cormorants were sitting on the beaver house. I tried to get a photo of them but they were too wary and fast. This time I was better prepared for them and managed to get a couple of photos.

Cormorants are considered a pest by anglers.

Cormorants are a fish-eating bird so I'm not sure why they are here, because there certainly isn't any fish in this body of water. They must be nesting somewhere nearby?

I have a little bit of skinning to do now but plan on being back in a couple of days for the next check.

Until then, cheers!

Spring trapping

Well, it's been awhile since I last blogged, so I figure it's time to get up-to-date.

We managed to get 33 furs shipped to North American Fur Auctions in February and we did really well. Our averages are as follows:

Beaver - $33.83
Ermine - $5.09
Lynx - $255.57
Mink - $70.70
Marten - $153.65
Squirrel - $1.51

It was nice to see fur prices rebound. The Chinese got into the bidding game and prices went up. Trappers work very hard for their fur so it was a nice surprise. North American Fur Auctions have done an excellent job promoting Canadian fur around the world.

I dropped our furs off at the Alberta Trappers' Association Fur Depot in Westlock, about 45 minutes north of Edmonton. Here they register the furs that need registering (lynx, otter, wolverine, and fisher), record and box your furs for shipping to Toronto.

In the next auction at the end of May, we'll have 3 lynx, 2 marten and 1 fisher. If prices stay the same, we'll do pretty good. The photos below are those furs that I dropped off at the Fur Depot for the next auction May 28 - June 4.

The Alberta Trappers' Association in Westlock.

AJ getting my lynx, fisher and marten ready for shipping to the next auction.

Coyotes, fox (two bobcat on top) and muskrats ready to be sealed and shipped.

After we left the trapline for the season in late February, it was time for show season; that time of year when we take the Alberta Outdoorsmen magazine on the road to different boat and sportsmen shows where we maintain a booth to promote the magazine. During one of these shows, Pierre introduced me to a lady who was having problems with beavers flooding the road to her property in the County of Lac St. Anne, about 40-minutes west of Edmonton. I agreed to help her out and trap some beaver off her property. It would be a good opportunity to get some beaver bait for next trapping season, and their fur is still good during the spring. Because we don't really have any beaver on the trapline, this would work out good. As it usually is though, when word gets out there is a trapper in the area, I now have two other properties to trap, including the Cherhill Ranch. This ranch is 95 quarter sections in size. They run 2800 head of cattle during the summer months. The ranch is a haven for beaver as much of this part of the country is very wet.

I have trapped for landowners for several years and have seen many situations where the only result can be the removal of an animal to facilitate the concerns of a landowner be they an acreage owner, small farmer or large rancher. They all have problems with wildlife, namely beaver, coyotes, fox and wolves. Although I have never been asked to help in situations involving raccoons, badgers or other members of the weasel family, I know of several other trappers who have. Trappers are needed just about everywhere, including in our cities.

The next two photos I took of a female ruffed grouse that was headed towards the road to eat some gravel. I was on my way to set up some traps on the ranch when she stepped out. The snow is still quite deep in shady spots.

Female ruffed grouse.

Getting ready for mating season; the males are drumming.

I managed to get four beaver traps set, which was very difficult. The first two inches of ground is soft but after that it is still frozen. Driving in stakes to support my 330 Conibear traps was nearly impossible. I set two traps on one landowner's property that has two beaver houses. He told me they blew the dams last fall, so I immediately thought that there wouldn't be beaver there if the water level was too low. In fact, it would have been a death sentence for the beaver if the water level dropped too much. I set the two traps expecting to not make a catch, but I still had to see for myself. I set two more traps on a beaver house on the ranch, one of the few places where the ice has melted down enough.

While I was setting these traps, I noticed a muskrat pop up not too far out from me near the road where I had parked my truck. Investigating, I discovered a half plugged culvert on the side of the road I was on. On the other side of the road, the culvert was completely blocked but water was still flowing through, I just couldn't see where. Back on the beaver house side, I stuffed a muskrat funnel trap in the culvert and then wired it to a willow bush. I didn't have a clue if I had the trap in the right spot or not but thought I'd give it a try anyway. Muskrats have been averaging around $10 each, so what the heck.

One of the few places where the ice has melted down enough to set a trap.

You can see my trap set at the front of the house.

The above beaver house requires about a 30-yard walk through water and deadfall to reach. This is the only beaver house on the ranch I know of that could be set. Catching a beaver here would be a tough job to haul back through the deadfall tangle though, at least that's what I was thinking when I set the two traps on the house. The next day I was cursing myself for setting traps here because now I was hauling about a 60-pound beaver, slung, dripping wet over my shoulder as I wobbled my way through the water and deadfall. I was sweating like crazy when I finally dropped the big beast on the tailgate of my truck.

The big male beaver I slugged through the deadfall over my shouder.

As I suspected, the two traps I set on the other property failed to produce so I pulled them. On the house where I'd caught the big male beaver, the water had risen quite high and it was an adventure trying to keep the water from filling my knee-high rubber boots. The melt was finally on and realizing this, I pulled these traps to avoid a swim to check them next time out. I'd have to wait a couple of days before I could set up any traps; things needed to melt a bit more yet.

After slugging out the behemoth beaver, I walked over to the half-hidden culvert and noticed the flow through it had increased dramatically; good thing I'd wired the funnel trap to a willow. However, my trap was no longer in the culvert but instead was straining the willow I had it wired to. Trying to see through the murky water, I got a glimpse of silver and realized the trap had been forced out of the culvert and was now trying to pull the small willow into the creek. I pulled up the trap with the wire and was surprised to find four muskrats inside the trap; it had worked for at least awhile. However, trying to get it back into the culvert was impossible.

The culvert trap rats.

I returned home with my catch but will be back in a day or so. The melt should be on good enough that other beaver houses will be open for business.

Until next time!