Finished for the spring season

May 6, 2013:

With the temperature reaching +30 Celsius, it was time to make a decision. Weather like this turns trapping into a chore. Your catch can also deteriorate quickly in the hot sun; at least those that are caught only partially in the water. So I decided to head out and declare the spring season over.

I was hoping for empty beaver traps but I wanted a few more muskrats. My first check was on the pond where I'd placed two funnel traps in rat runs. I knew one was a run for sure because I'd already caught two rats there. The other, under a big old black poplar root on a sharp bank of the pond, I wasn't sure about. The first funnel trap again produced two more rats. I made my way to the funnel trap under the poplar root and began to pull on the wire that was attached to the trap and tied off on shore. For some reason, it wasn't coming up. I must have spent five minutes trying to free it. Then it suddenly released and up it came with three rats inside of it. A quick check of the Conibear sticks and I had six rats in total.

Three rats in one funnel and two in the other.

On the next property, I discovered an empty beaver trap and three Conibear sticks well above the water. The water had come down a good four inches, leaving a good inch of clear space between my trap and the water. Each trap was missing the carrot that I'd skewered onto the trigger. Now, considering it takes very little to trigger one of these traps, where did the carrots go? The only way they could have come off the trigger would be with enough force to fire the trap. One of those mysteries never to be solved I guess.

One of three carrot-less Conibear sticks above the water level.

  Thankfully, my last check, the 300-yard walk, didn't have any beaver in the traps. I was wincing all the way down there hoping there wasn't another monster beaver caught that would have to be hauled back to the truck in the sweltering heat. I'd taken four from here already, but I knew the big female was still around, as I'd taken three smaller beavers and the big male. Of my two Conibear sticks, only one held a muskrat, giving me a total of seven for the day and 21 for the spring season.

Back at home, my garage had been turned into a skinning shack. I'd skinned five beavers and had one in the freezer. The heat had forced my hand and I had to freeze it before it wasted. Not that I couldn't use it if it had, beaver, as a main bait, is always on a trapper's list. I also had 14 muskrats skinned and now another seven that would have to go on ice to be skinned the next day.

The spring season catch, less one freezer beaver.

Now it's time to hit the yard work, start getting things ready for the lake and fishing season. I' also have to make some time to get back up to the trapline and make sure everything is still in order at the cabin. Some bridges need tending to, wood has to be cut, I want to build a new outhouse... the list goes on.

Until next time!

Wood frogs, rats, and another beast

May 4, 2013:

"Look at all the frogs," Dakota said, motioning towards the pond we were about to check. Sure enough, the frogs were out in full force, and not just in body but in voice as well. The pond was alive with the croaking of frogs. We were at the first pond on the ranch where we had two funnel traps set, as well as three Conibear sticks and one beaver trap, which I knew would be empty. But first things first; I had to get some frog photos.

The wood frog is found throughout the aspen parkland and the boreal forest.

In the spring, adults congregate at breeding ponds and begin calling.

Next up was trap checking time. Of our three Conibear sticks, two were empty but one held a nice male muskrat. The first funnel trap we pulled revealed two more muskrats, the second was empty, so I had obviously mistaken what I thought was a run. We replaced all three Conibear sticks and put the funnel trap that was working back into place. The second funnel trap now needed to be set in another location. In short order, we found another run and had it set up again. We then worked our way around the dam and took down the last beaver trap on this pond.

Dakota with our catch from the first pond.

We rolled up to where the trap-shy beaver resides and were happy to see that two of our three Conibear sticks had connected. The trap we left hoping for a vagrant beaver was empty, as I suspected it would be. I carefully examined each of the muskrats, looking for signs of battle. When muskrats start breeding they fight like savages, ripping holes in each other like you couldn't imagine. When the fighting gets too intense, it's time to pull your traps because the rats will be too chewed up and not worth anything. These rats still looked fine though. We reset each of our Conibear sticks, refreshed the beaver set and then found a spot that looked like the muskrats might use to travel through the culvert. We set another funnel trap there, hoping for the best.

At our next location, we stopped the truck, grabbed our gear and began the long walk down to the pond. The weather was warm, too warm for trapping, especially when it's a long walk back to the truck. I was hoping that if we had a beaver in one of the two traps we had set there that it would be a small one. Lugging a beaver back to the truck in this heat wouldn't be fun, especially a big one. As luck would have it, we had a beaver in the first trap, unfortunately, it was another beast of a 50-pound beaver. The walk to the truck suddenly got a little longer.

Dakota with the monster beaver to his right.

The other beaver trap was empty but we caught another muskrat in one of the two Conibear sticks we had set. We reset both Conibear sticks and then reset the two beaver traps. It had been a successful check - six rats and a monster beaver. We now had 6 beaver and 14 muskrats for our shortened spring season. A few more spring rats wouldn't hurt though, as they're still in good condition. The beaver are still in good shape too but we have enough beaver meat for the winter trapping season now so if the traps are empty next check, we'll be fine. We set out to reduce the beaver population on this property and we did. With temperatures starting to reach the mid to high 20's, we will probably pull everything down tomorrow night.

Dakota with our catch for the day - 1 beaver and 6 rats.

Until next time!

Four more rats and a beaver

May 2, 2013 - Headed out Thursday night to make a check of our sets and to see if the muskrat Conibear sticks worked. This time I made it without incidence - no break and enters and no RCMP. At our first sets on the ranch, the first thing I noticed was the water level was down; in fact, quite a bit down as the first Conibear stick was well above the water without anything in it. However, the carrot was still attached to the trigger. I pulled the trap, intending to move it. My next Conibear stick held a muskrat but the third one I had set here was also empty, albeit sprung. I reset the traps and now had three set along the beaver dam.

Looking around, I found what appeared to be two runs where the muskrats were entering a bank den. I returned to my truck and came back with two funnel traps and placed one in each of the runs. The lone beaver trap I'd left set here was empty, confirming my thoughts that we'd caught the only beaver left here. My suspicion is the rancher had shot the rest; in fact, I'd bet on it.

The first muskrat in a Conibear stick trap.

The next property I checked had three Conibear sticks set beside the road near the culvert where I had previously caught the four rats in the funnel trap. The water was still going through the culvert too fast to get the funnel trap back in. Of my three Conibear sticks, two were snapped but one held a big adult muskrat.

A big adult male muskrat caught perfectly. I had to pry the carrot out of his mouth.

Notice the trigger on one of the empty traps. How did it get caught between the bar of the trap like that?

While I was re-setting the Conibear sticks, the female beaver still left in the house was challenging me with tail slaps as I worked. It was early evening and she was out doing her business. She was now making a mockery of my set, swimming directly in front of it. She is a smart old beaver and now trap-shy. I left the trap up, hoping for a vagrant beaver that may be traveling through but knowing full well she won't be in it on my next check.

Notice my trap in the foreground. She knows it's bad business and is staying away.

Older beavers can sense danger much better than younger ones.

Next up was the spot Dakota had found and where we had two beaver sets and two muskrat sets. We'd already taken two beaver out of this spot, but it is tough work here, as the closest you can get with the truck is about 300 yards. As soon as I came into view of the first trap, I knew I would be slugging another beaver up the trail to my truck. We now had beaver number three from this spot. And lo and behold, both Conibear sticks held muskrats.

Beaver number two from this trap, number three from this spot.

Dakota and I will be back in a couple of days to find out how our funnels traps made out and to see if we can't add to our spring muskrat and beaver catch. We probably only have another week before the rats are chewed up too bad to harvest and the beaver will begin rubbing soon.

Until next time!