Pictures from the trap-line
Back before Christmas I blogged about doing some trapping again this late fall/early winter, http://outdoornebraska.ne.gov/blogs/2012/12/line/ . I took a few more pictures than what I shared in that previous blog post; thought I would share some more of those with you.
Looks like a good place to trap some muskrats, and maybe mink!
I mentioned earlier that one thing I love about having a trap-line is that you have to run the traps every day, you get to be in the field every day. I have learned that the more time you spend in the field, or on the water, the more you see, the more you learn, the more in-tune you are with the wild, the habitat and creatures in it. Being a successful trapper is all about having an understanding of the creatures, their biology and behavior; it is all about being able to “read” what is going on when you walk along a creek or marsh. By the way, that time in the field or on the water, the honing of those observational skills, being able to “read the sign” is required on the trap-line, but also helps a lot while hunting and fishing too. I certainly believe cross-training as a trapper helps me as a hunter and angler too!
Look close, there is fresh mink sign there. I caught her a couple days later.
Hmmm, now it looks like a coon went slopping through here.
And when you are in the field frequently, you begin to notice other little things, little details, that you might have missed before.
I paused one day to snap some photos of bluebirds. I was sure none of those photos were going to be very good, and I know this one is nothing to brag about, but I was surprised when I saw that it came out this good.
Of course I shared some time with family members while on the line.
Passing it on!
Caught a " 'rat"!
Uh oh, probably should have pulled the ” ‘rat” traps before the snowstorm hit.
Trapping is hard work. You better believe I busted my butt finding and then shoveling snow and chopping ice to find all my muskrat traps.
So, if the ‘rat line is going to be froze up, might as well switch over to some beaver trapping. Yep, that meant more hard work and ice-chopping.
And then you have to haul ‘em out.
You think that one was big? This one weighed over a half a hundred.
Found a winter flock of “turks” on Christmas Eve. Took a couple pictures and wished ‘em a Merry Christmas! (See you in about 4 months!)
"They ain't heavy, they're my beavers."
Loved the photos and also love the great Nebraska outdoors but that just looked to cold for me. The older you get the colder you get.
That is disgusting, why the heck would you want to eat a beaver, muskrats or mink? Oh I see so you can use their fur and skin as some sort of aesthetic warming device. Do you torture these animals in traps so they can suffer for days at a time for your own amusement? Is your government provided job not paying you enough salary where you feel you need to get out and kill harmless animals just to take photos of them? This is a true embarrassment to college graduates of higher education. I suggest you search deeper at your true intentions of needing to trap these animals.
Mohammed,
Wow, you really have no idea about modern trapping techniques, equipment or even the rules and regulations, let alone who I am as a person and a trapper!
“. . . suffer for days at a time . . .”?????
No, not at all. By rule I am required to check all of my traps at least once every other day and by choice I make sure to check them every day, no exceptions, come blizzards, ice-storms, “heck” or high water. And, as a matter of fact all of the fur I trapped this season was taken in body-gripping traps and none of those animals were “tortured” or suffered. They all expired instantly or very nearly so.
I know of folks who choose to eat a lot of things that I would not consider. I personally do not make a habit of eating beaver, muskrat or mink, have tried some beaver a few times and it is edible, but you can be sure that none of that protein went to waste.
“. . . aesthetic warming device.”????
Yep, fur is some of the warmest winter clothing I know of; I have a muskrat hat that is fantastically warm and you are right–it looks good too! A point that I have made in my blog posts about trapping is that those fur-bearers are a renewable resource. We have as many muskrats, beaver and mink as we have ever had and those populations can be utilized, can be trapped and turned into fur garments, with no harm to the populations. That is a wise, acceptable and sometimes necessary use of a renewable, natural resource.
“This is a true embarrassment to college graduates of higher education. I suggest you search deeper at your true intentions of needing to trap these animals.”
An embarrassment to you or to me?????? I am a college graduate of higher education, have a couple of degrees collecting dust somewhere. I am proud of both my education and my heritage as a trapper. I know exactly who I am, a predator, a part of nature, a steward of our natural resources, a trapper. I know exactly what is running through my blood, I know my gramps was a trapper, I am a trapper, and I am showing my kids how they can be responsible and active hunters, fishers and trappers too. I also know that as a hunter, fisher and trapper I am part of those who were and continue to be the original conservationists! I ain’t embarrassed about that one bit!
Daryl B.
I’m still amazed at the weight and size a beaver can achieve being a rodent. If rats were that big, I would not want to be stuck with my old air rifle from the good ole days.
I always thought beavers were purely vegetarian. Then I witnessed beavers eating fish carcasses.
I was bank fishing the Missouri river north of Tekamah for flatheads in the fall. It was dark at the time and I was moving down river to a different spot when my headlight met up with a group of beavers munching on dead gar carcasses. I know rodents chew bone, and antlers to get calcium and other minerals. I know they have to chew hard surfaces to keep their teeth from growing to long. Have you ever heard of this before? I also will add they didn’t even care I was standing within 10ft of them, they just kept munching away. Two of them were at least the size you were hoisting in your photos the other three were smaller.
Ray,
The first beaver I ever trapped weighed over 50 pounds and was from a small stream. I will never forget my amazement at a creature that size living there!!!!!
I know that muskrats and beavers are primarily vegetarian, but as rodents will eat or gnaw on some surprising things. They are amazing animals.
Daryl B.
Daryl,
Excellent story and pics. As you know, I enjoy trapping as much as you do and like you, I also have a degree of higher learning laying around somewhere. Yet, every weekend, I can’t wait to get out and experience what the outdoors has to offer! Very good reply to Mohammed. Hopefully, he will look at it from a different angle.