Weston81 wrote:Wow, so just reading and then trial and error
Weston81 wrote:I bet it really does make you look at hunting in a different perspective that is helpful. Have thought about giving it a go, just need to find someone who has land near my house to trap on
quackhead wrote:Usually scent or a poorly bedded trap
rebelp74 wrote:Weston81 wrote:I bet it really does make you look at hunting in a different perspective that is helpful. Have thought about giving it a go, just need to find someone who has land near my house to trap on
Any wma's? Most around here allow trapping.
Weston81 wrote:quackhead wrote:Usually scent or a poorly bedded trap
Are you still trapping martins and things you are after right now in May?
Weston81 wrote:rebelp74 wrote:Weston81 wrote:I bet it really does make you look at hunting in a different perspective that is helpful. Have thought about giving it a go, just need to find someone who has land near my house to trap on
Any wma's? Most around here allow trapping.
I'd have to do a little searching to be check on that. Good point though. I've been fairly spoiled when it comes to hunting and have had access to private land around my hometown. Never really crossed my mind about wma's, but I will be looking into now for sure
Weston81 wrote:Problem is the few pieces of property I hunt are 170 miles south of me. Would love to trap the property i deer hunt. Beaver, bobcat, fox, and coyote.
quackhead wrote:Weston81 wrote:quackhead wrote:Usually scent or a poorly bedded trap
Are you still trapping martins and things you are after right now in May?
After the beginning of March it will be strictly rats and beaver.
And Jim I don't think we'll see lotting numbers until a few days before the 17th
quackhead wrote:Don't be afraid to knock on doors or talk to people. I find telling people you'll trap beaver or skunk for free if you can trap other furbearers in return helps to get a yes.
rebelp74 wrote:Weston81 wrote:Problem is the few pieces of property I hunt are 170 miles south of me. Would love to trap the property i deer hunt. Beaver, bobcat, fox, and coyote.
If you stayed down there for a few days you could do some trapping.
assateague wrote:Just my opinion, but it's always been the case that it's my fault, whether some scent on the trap, or something which just causes the set to not "look right". But they have always been old animals, who are smarter, or occasionally they will be missing a foot. When you catch one of those, you know you've done something right, to catch an old fox who's had a foot taken by a trap. I've gotten completely wrapped around the axle and had as many as a half dozen traps in a very small circle trying to get one digger, only to show up and have every one of those motherfuckers flipped. That's when you have to calm down and reassess. I caught him by pulling everything out of the ground, and putting a simple urine post set right on the edge of where I had all that mess. You never really know if it was him or not until after the fact, but you just have a "feeling". The only real way to tell is that the digging and flipping stops. Although a lot of times the flipping is a possum or coon. I hate possums.
I should clarify, too. When I said it made me a better hunter, it wasn't because it made me shoot better, or get animals better, but just because it makes you pay attention better, like quack said, to everything in an area. You start to notice travel areas, even without any sign on the ground, just from seeing them WITH sign so many times. You start to really equate the weather better, because you have a pretty accurate yardstick in the morning- full traps mean the the conditions were right for animals to move, not necessarily because you had the perfect sets, and you start to mentally file all that stuff away. You start to understand why animals move where they move, or avoid areas they avoid, and this is verified every morning by what's in your traps. And it's just a lot more time out in the woods and fields. Even if we hunted every day, we would be sitting in one place for most of that day, and would see very little. I usually covered about 2 miles through the fields and woods every morning, and it's only the same for about a week at a time, at the most, before you start changing things up. And that's actually pretty short for a trap line, but it's amazing all the stuff you see walking, looking at the ground and paying attention to what's going on around you.
Weston81 wrote:assateague wrote:Just my opinion, but it's always been the case that it's my fault, whether some scent on the trap, or something which just causes the set to not "look right". But they have always been old animals, who are smarter, or occasionally they will be missing a foot. When you catch one of those, you know you've done something right, to catch an old fox who's had a foot taken by a trap. I've gotten completely wrapped around the axle and had as many as a half dozen traps in a very small circle trying to get one digger, only to show up and have every one of those motherfuckers flipped. That's when you have to calm down and reassess. I caught him by pulling everything out of the ground, and putting a simple urine post set right on the edge of where I had all that mess. You never really know if it was him or not until after the fact, but you just have a "feeling". The only real way to tell is that the digging and flipping stops. Although a lot of times the flipping is a possum or coon. I hate possums.
I should clarify, too. When I said it made me a better hunter, it wasn't because it made me shoot better, or get animals better, but just because it makes you pay attention better, like quack said, to everything in an area. You start to notice travel areas, even without any sign on the ground, just from seeing them WITH sign so many times. You start to really equate the weather better, because you have a pretty accurate yardstick in the morning- full traps mean the the conditions were right for animals to move, not necessarily because you had the perfect sets, and you start to mentally file all that stuff away. You start to understand why animals move where they move, or avoid areas they avoid, and this is verified every morning by what's in your traps. And it's just a lot more time out in the woods and fields. Even if we hunted every day, we would be sitting in one place for most of that day, and would see very little. I usually covered about 2 miles through the fields and woods every morning, and it's only the same for about a week at a time, at the most, before you start changing things up. And that's actually pretty short for a trap line, but it's amazing all the stuff you see walking, looking at the ground and paying attention to what's going on around you.
This post is exactly the kind of stuff that gets me thinking about giving it a try.
Weston81 wrote:So next question would be, how many pelts did you ruin learning how to flesh out an animal and does everyone still have all their fingers?
Weston81 wrote:So next question would be, how many pelts did you ruin learning how to flesh out an animal and does everyone still have all their fingers?
quackhead wrote:Weston81 wrote:So next question would be, how many pelts did you ruin learning how to flesh out an animal and does everyone still have all their fingers?
I have all my fingers. Did get one in a conibear once. You will ruin some, but usually can salvage them by sewing. The key is to watch videos over and over before attempting and to get the proper handling items.
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