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.
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| The Alberta Trappers' Association in Westlock. |
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| AJ getting my lynx, fisher and marten ready for shipping to the next auction. |
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| 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.
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| Female ruffed grouse. |
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| 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.
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| One of the few places where the ice has melted down enough to set a trap. |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| The culvert trap rats. |
Until next time!
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