General banter

[razorrt5]

Picked up some more beaver traps anticipating spring trapping and made some weasel boxes, and a few more mink boxes this trapping stuff has atleast kept me busy if nothing else




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[Mike the Fox]

Are you planning to open water beaver trap in the spring? When they opened the spring season in Maine it was like a different world. We went from chiseling ice and using snares and 330s to #4s and drowning cables. The last year I trapped, my partner and I caught 111 beaver which was my personal best and that put us on the map as far as maine beaver trappers goes. A couple years later guys didn’t bother trapping through the ice and waited for spring when beavers started moving. The hard core guys are now piling up 500-600 beaver in the month of April.


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[razorrt5]

Our season goes until April 30 but I’m at the mercy of access, we’ve already gotten about 185” of snow and I’m sure we’ll get at least another 36” to 72” so it might not melt enough to get on trails or the lakes might flood from the spring melt... we’ll see what happens but I’m ready lol

111 beaver is a ton of beaver.... I was hoping to catch like 5-10 lol

So I’m curious did you wait to set traps until ice out or did you set traps when it got reasonably thin? or did you just use castor sets along shorelines and dams?


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[Mike the Fox]

We set any waterway that was open even if we didn’t see any sign. When he ice goes out beavers are on the move, looking for love. We would still set any channels that would take a 280 or 330 because we could legally still take otters and muskrats along with beaver. Mainly we used castor mound sets. We would use grain bags full of rocks. The more weight the better. I’ve had beaver drag over 50 pounds up on the bank. A live beaver on dry ground is a handful. Take some of the castors you’ve saved and grind them up and mix with a little glycerine. That’s all you need for lure. Make a small castor mound with a little lure on it. Bed the trap in water where the beaver will come up to inspect the castor. Use 2 small twigs to guide them onto the trap pan. They step on the pan, swim out to deep water to get away, and drown.


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[razorrt5]

So I got tired of not having a beaver set out so I set a 330 next to a lodge where I caught the last beaver, but this time I zip tied a piece of poplar to the bottom of the 330 but as you can see the snow is a thing




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[OGblackcloud]

Now we wait

[Mike the Fox]

Now we wait

Men spend way too much time in their lives waiting for beaver.


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[OGblackcloud]

Lot of truth to that

[razorrt5]

Bahahaha fact

When I was in Minnesota a week ago I picked up a dz snares, I was gonna try a snare pole near a bait pile as well, see if I can’t learn that as well


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[Mike the Fox]

Once you learn how to snare you’ll leave the 330s at home as long as you have ice.


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[xrated]

Anyone else getting the itch?


I’m excited to see birds back and listen to them.

Already planning what needs to be replaced (waders pending open water leak check). What needs upgrading (want to put heads on all my socks). What needs to be new (finally thinking about joining the Sitka crowd, advice taken on duckoven Or Dakota).

Got enough shells stocked up to miss lots of ducks.

Weather is now nice enough to start working the dog again.

Maybe build a blind out on the bog depending on if the DNR gives us early teal.


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[razorrt5]

Whoa whoa .... too much other stuff I gotta get to before getting that itch again
A little more ice fishing
Maple syrup
Beaver trapping
Fishing
Thennnnn waterfowl itch lol

I’ve been getting more interested in how I’m gonna run a trap line next year and figured out a good route, it’ll be a 10 mile trap line probably have somewhere in the neighborhood of 70 traps on it spanning the whole spectrum of fur. Pretty excited


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[xrated]

I mean sure I gotta get stuff ready for water ski season and such.

But gotta plan early for the fall.


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[dfrauenkron]

Literally locked in some dates for the first waterfowl trip today!


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[xrated]

Literally locked in some dates for the first waterfowl trip today!


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Nice!! Where ya headed?


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[DuckSlayer5200]

New puppy coming 4/3. I’m going to be busy with training for a while.


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[razorrt5]

Nice!!


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[WallyDuck]

I’m sending a dog off to be trained Sunday. About to order 150 more snow socks. The snow geese could be here any week with how nice it feels. Snow is out of the fields


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[DuckSlayer5200]

I wish I could send mine to a trainer. The wife and kids said no way they are giving up their new puppy for a few months.


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[WallyDuck]

I wish I could send mine to a trainer. The wife and kids said no way they are giving up their new puppy for a few months.


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In my current situation of working out of town, kids, and 2 dogs, my wife says someone has to go. Might as well be the dog.


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[razorrt5]

Checked some traps today, followed a trail and boom.... found an otter super highway so hopefully I can capitalize on it!




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[goldfish]

Man... vehicle repairs.

Have the truck all tore apart, and to do it "right" to delete the cylinder deactivate stuff(get the heads cleaned up and machined, new lifters, new cam, all the gaskets), it's up north of a grand.

To cheap out and just clean the heads with a toothbrush and carb cleaner, put new factory style lifters in, and the cheap way of deleting the active fuel management, I'm looking at a couple hundred bucks. BUT, the possibility of those same lifters failing again and having to dig into it all again.

[Mike the Fox]

Or.... get a Toyota. Mine might be hard on gas but it’s easy on repairs.


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[goldfish]

Or.... get a Toyota. Mine might be hard on gas but it’s easy on repairs.


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I thought i could finally get rid of this corolla when the timing belt snapped, but nope. Then the truck broke so I had to fix the corolla because it was a quicker/easier fix than the truck.

Btw, the timing belt goes around a motor mount, and it's still easier than the truck repair.

[xrated]

Jessi would say zip ties and a blower. Problem solved for a few seconds of fun.

Because Roadkill.


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