Ouchfoss 2016-17 Season

[ouchfoss]

This has been one of the busiest years of my life and I wasn't sure if I was going to have time for trapping or not this year. Didn't get any traps built over the summer like I was planning and didnt have time to start making them til the middle of last month. I've had two traps out for almost a month at a certain pond where the beavers have giving the land owners problems with flooding and trees falling near phone line poles and I finally got him (probably others there too though) on Friday morning. Its just down the road from me so figured I just set the traps out in the right spots and eventually I will catch one. Didn't think it would take a month though! 
I figured that was a sign its time to throw out a few more traps and get a start on the season. I went to a few spots that have been consistent fur-catching zones and this year there was zero sign of any beaver or muskrat there. No dams, no fresh chews, nothing. So I figured I made the walk there I might as well set a trap and see. Never know, you might get a wandering otter. I ended up only setting three traps and low and behold, I got two beaver this morning! Big one weighed exactly 50lbs and the other was a 12-15 lb young one. Amazing how these spots produce every year, even with zero sign at all.
I realized today that I need a packboard! Packing that 50 lb back 1/4 mile to the truck with just your hands was no fun.

[Triplej]

nice !

[JakeLand]

Right on ! You got your cat / civet bait

[Norman89]

Do my eyes deceive me or is that trap only 32" long with a 50lb beaver in it?

[ouchfoss]

Do my eyes deceive me or is that trap only 32" long with a 50lb beaver in it?

You are almost right. 36" long. I figured out you don't need a real long trap for drown sets. Those are my new cages this year and they're 12x18x36. I still have some leftover but I am done with the 10x12 dimensions. After losing that big beaver two seasons ago because he broke my cage apart, I decided to make them the same dimensions as my cat traps. Now there is no way a beaver is going to bulge my cage apart. This one tried though! The creek obviously dropped since I set the cage on Friday and it left the one end an inch out of water. This kept him alive in there long enough so he could mangle the mesh on that side and also bulge the frame upward at least an inch or two. Only took me a minute to bend the frame back to normal and straighten the mesh.

[ouchfoss]

Right on ! You got your cat / civet bait

Heck ya! I was getting worried until today.
I saved some of it for human food though. I boned out both hind quarters and I'm going to sauté tomorrow night with veggies!   

[bear hunter]

  Glad to see you out catching critters. 

[ouchfoss]

Absolutely delicious! 
Just sauteed it with salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder and a little butter and added some white rice to it with some soy sauce. Would have been killer with teriyaki sauce if I had some.

[Norman89]

Looks awesome hopefully some time ill catch one so I can try some

[bear hunter]

  looks good, but I am a woose. 

[huntingfool7]

Are you supposed to check the liver for spots before cooking?

[sivart33]

Are you supposed to check the liver for spots before cooking?

Really should on every animal you eat.  Odds are safe but worth the risk?

[ouchfoss]

Are you supposed to check the liver for spots before cooking?

If your talking about eating the liver, then yes. Personally I hate liver and eating small game liver sounds way worse to me. If your talking about eating the meat on an animal after looking at the liver, I would think that it wouldn't matter.  As long as you fully cook it, shouldn't be anything to worry about (anyone who eats bear knows you need to fully cook them too). Seems like the majority of the elk my and I have killed over the years have had bad, spotty livers. My dad loves liver and he has saved every good elk liver like it was gold.

[ouchfoss]

looks good, but I am a woose. 

It honestly tasted like deer but far less gamey. Had almost no gamey flavor at all actually. I think I'm going to make tacos out of the rest of it tomorrow night. 
After you try some you'll kind of feel guilty about using for bait rather than cooking it yourself. Although, if you use it to catch bobcats you'll realize how much better eating they are. Bobcat is probably my favorite eating small game now. 

[bear hunter]

looks good, but I am a woose. 

It honestly tasted like deer but far less gamey. Had almost no gamey flavor at all actually. I think I'm going to make tacos out of the rest of it tomorrow night. 
After you try some you'll kind of feel guilty about using for bait rather than cooking it yourself. Although, if you use it to catch bobcats you'll realize how much better eating they are. Bobcat is probably my favorite eating small game now.