Jasens first trapping season(name changed)

[jasnt]

Well I'm finally seeing cat sign again. Yesterday cat tracks walked with in 10 yards of my trap. I'm not sure if it was a very large bobcat or a very small cougar. Snow is melting off a little bit more is coming in the forecast.

[jasnt]

This is the spot I seen the otter



Here I first thought was an otter toilet till I got close. Then seen it was Canada geese


Best pic I could get of the cat tracks


Got my swim threw finished up, hoping to get it set today



Not the best pic but view threw the trap



Almost finished with my 2nd cat trap
View from above(pardon my crude bait door)




View from bait door

[jasnt]

Got my otter set in today. Found where it has taken up shop. An old beaver hut that I trapped 2 muskrats from it earlier. He has an above ground entrance and below the ice there is another.  Since I had trapped it before I knew where to break the ice to set the swim threw right on the entrance.






Found a toilet near by as well




aLso got 3 rat sets put in where I found the rat sign before Christmas. There was more there as well

[jasnt]

The above ground entrance

[Turner89]

Traps look pretty good jasen.   

[jasnt]

Traps look pretty good jasen.   

thanks. I really like the conibear triggers.  I been changing out the wires with metal hanger to lengthen them a bit. I don't want any more escapes so I've added a lot more hog rings and j clips, 1/4" round rod

Shed hunters are in full force this year and they are punching trails in all over. Makes it easier to get around but I been worried about tracks to my sets. Today I accessed all the water sets by water or ice so my tracks just go straight in to the river. Then I set all but one on the opposite side that isn't so easy to access for thieves.

One bonus I've found the snow provides is sign. Sign is much easier to find in the snow and you can get a good idea of when too.

[BOWHUNTER45]

Just about finished our last job of the season. Sunday I plan to reset all my colony traps and get started on the beaver traps. Power is back on and no broken pipes weathers getting colder next week should be priming up those furs.  Seen a raccoon hit on the road yesterday that looked pretty fured up

Looks really nice ...Did you set them in concrete or just bed them in sand ?

[jasnt]

Just about finished our last job of the season. Sunday I plan to reset all my colony traps and get started on the beaver traps. Power is back on and no broken pipes weathers getting colder next week should be priming up those furs.  Seen a raccoon hit on the road yesterday that looked pretty fured up

Looks really nice ...Did you set them in concrete or just bed them in sand ?

i use 4" of crushed rock compacted then screet an inch of sand, then lay the pavers and then fill joints by compacting polymer sand in from the top. Then water it in. It hardens up like hard rubber. Strongly recommend pav-tec's sand lock. In ten years of using it I've had to repair one patio and it was caused by the builder not compacting the back fill of the foundation.  Thanks for the compliment

[jasnt]

Got my 2nd cat trap set today


Been seeing a lot of mink tracks along the ice at the river. Thinking I may set a mink set tomorrow near my colony sets. Got 3 more colony's out today

[jasnt]

Today I found 2 sets of bobcat tracks and walked them all the way down my trail to within 10 yards of my set they parted ways around my set and then went all over the place at the end of my trail by the creek. No cat worked the set but I'm very glad they are in the area!  All sign was from this morning after the rain stopped so I just missed them. Going to be a long night. May move my second trap to the area just past my first set tomorrow.

[jasnt]

No otter today. Moved the trap to a cut bank where the bottom is spotless where a "trail" goes under an out to a slide.  When I got to the den I thought the otter was using this morning I see no otter tracks this time but muddy coon tracks coming out of the above ice entrance so I'm guessing the otter has moved on or was just checking it out when I found the sign.

[jasnt]

I got a tip for my cat sets that I added to my sets today on the way to set #2 I hear something off to my left. I glance over and see a cougar. I drew my pistol and gave him a warning shot. It was about 20' away and facing me. It ducked at the shot then bolted as I rocked the hammer back again. Cougar season is closed in this gmu and I'm packing a 22lr or I would have notched my tag


Had some visitors on the walk out






I head down to check my water sets and find something pushed threw the door on one of my colony traps. I'm thinking its a large mink.



Few pics of the area

[Turner89]

That must have been a little unnerving 

[Kit Carson]

What is the best way to fix that cage?

[jasnt]

That must have been a little unnerving 

6th time in the last 3 years I've been with in 50 yards of cougar headed right at me. 3 times was calling cougar and once calling elk. They've always run away sofar. We have a ton of cougar around here!!!!!!!!!  Nothing like a cat first thing in the morning to get the heart pumping good.