Hunting Washington Forum

Other Activities => Trapping => Topic started by: greenhead_killer on January 01, 2019, 03:43:29 PM

Title: new to the trapping world
Post by: greenhead_killer on January 01, 2019, 03:43:29 PM: hey guys, i took the class last june with Doug Stanley, cant say enough good things about him. anyhow, just ordered my first bit of gear, im going to target water critters (mink/muskrat/beaver) to get my feet wet. no pun intended :chuckle: i got a dozen colony traps to start, plus a bunch of miscellaneous fur handling supplies. im still in the hunt for a few beaver swim throughs. what do you guys all run? is there one thats the top and the rest mid grade? whos a good supplier(i used minnesota trapping supply to get started) ive been watching you tube videos on set up and locations, sucks were stuck to cage traps but it is what it is. im excited to give this a whirl and see where it goes from there. im not going to start trapping until after duck season in a few weeks. upside/downside from your personal experiences if i wait till then? i have a bunch of spots im going to start hitting, the benefits of duck hunting, ive been scouting as well, so not looking for anything along those lines. thanks for the info. cant wait to get started!

ghk
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: Trapper John on January 01, 2019, 05:04:33 PM: Welcome to the world of "Soft Gold" :whoo:

I think your heading for the right thing with muskrat, mink and beaver. I'm thinking most of us, (well us old folks) started out on rats and mink.
Swimthroughs .......... :-\........... well I might sound Bios here but Bruce makes a good trap and Constock is another good trap. Shipping is what will kill ya.

Ted Cantrell makes a swimthrough that is okay. He lives over in Moxee (over by Yakima) if your in that area.
Gave all three of these traps a try. If you don't have to much money, go see Ted.
JC :hello:
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: Norman89 on January 01, 2019, 05:18:13 PM: I second every word John said! But that being said I built my own swim through traps based off a very old design of Bruce and they are amazing. Though not nearly as skookum as his new folding swim through :chuckle:
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: Buck457 on January 01, 2019, 08:24:49 PM: I am new to this as well, but after countless days of reading and researching, I really like Bruce Vandervort's swim through desgin. It doubles for otter and bobcat.
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: greenhead_killer on January 03, 2019, 07:28:13 AM: Thanks for the replies guys! I’m pretty dang excited to get my hands into this jar too. Even have my 5yo daughter watching videos and getting excited about checking trap lines with me. My goals are not very high for this year, figure will be a bit of a learning curve to begin with, but nothing beats having a new challenge! I’ll keep you guys posted how my season is going/went when the time comes. I’ll try and get a hold of Bruce and grab a few traps to get me through this season. Thanks again guys
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: greenhead_killer on January 11, 2019, 06:56:04 PM: I picked up three swim through today from Doug s. Got 12 colony’s in last week. I think I’m going to pack them in on Monday and get this season started! Pretty excited to start a new adventure. I’ll post as I go. Thanks for the input from the few of you who did. Much appreciated.
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: lewy on January 11, 2019, 06:58:15 PM: Good luck :tup:
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: greenhead_killer on January 17, 2019, 08:34:35 PM: I’m on the board! Caught a 20.2# beaver in my first set line. I’ll try and post a pic, but every time I’ve tried it boots me. Anyhow, I’m in the game now
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: Buck457 on January 18, 2019, 06:25:20 PM: Quote from: greenhead_killer on January 17, 2019, 08:34:35 PM
I’m on the board! Caught a 20.2# beaver in my first set line. I’ll try and post a pic, but every time I’ve tried it boots me. Anyhow, I’m in the game now

Well done! That ought to mean there are larger ones around. Keep after 'em! :tup:
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: cem3434 on January 18, 2019, 07:33:34 PM: Congrats, way to get it done.
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: greenhead_killer on January 18, 2019, 10:01:13 PM: I went out for another check. Two more today. A 19.9#er and a 45.2#er. Got them all processed tonight. Still haven’t figured out the rat game yet. I’ll keep at it and see what happens
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: greenhead_killer on January 19, 2019, 02:06:48 PM: Few pics
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: huntnfmly on January 19, 2019, 02:25:52 PM: Very cool congrats thanks for sharing
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: Norman89 on January 19, 2019, 03:08:11 PM: Nice work and good choice of trap :tup:
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: greenhead_killer on January 19, 2019, 03:59:20 PM: Thanks for the replies and encouragement guys. It’s been fun learning something new and having success early. Makes it easier to get out there. I’m packed in about 1.5 miles or so. Bruce’s traps are perfect for throwing on a pack frame and getting them back in there
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: greenhead_killer on January 21, 2019, 08:46:03 PM: First otter. Measured out 46.5” nose to tail. Third critter in that trap in three checks.
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: Norman89 on January 21, 2019, 08:48:41 PM: Sounds like a dang good spot! Nice work :tup:
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: lewy on January 22, 2019, 09:54:29 AM: :tup:
How’d ur trap fair? The last otter I got did a number to mine!
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: greenhead_killer on January 22, 2019, 10:24:04 AM: Solid as a rock. I didn’t see any visible damage to the trap. He beat himself up pretty bad trying to get out though.
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: Machias on January 22, 2019, 10:35:47 AM: Awesome job, congrats on a super nice looking otter!
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: lewy on January 22, 2019, 01:19:03 PM: Quote from: greenhead_killer on January 22, 2019, 10:24:04 AM
Solid as a rock. I didn’t see any visible damage to the trap. He beat himself up pretty bad trying to get out though.
Awesome! I had one broken and one straightened door hanger and the coni triggers twisted together like a bread tie along with some bent cage wires!
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: Buck457 on January 22, 2019, 06:01:35 PM: Quote from: greenhead_killer on January 22, 2019, 10:24:04 AM
Solid as a rock. I didn’t see any visible damage to the trap. He beat himself up pretty bad trying to get out though.

What'd I tell you about those Vandervort swim through traps? They are built tough. :tup:
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: greenhead_killer on January 27, 2019, 12:32:08 PM: Well, got my first rat today. Set up in a little creek. That’s 4/4 on checks so far. Still have a lot to learn but at least I’m finding some success. Now I have some mink bait too!! I’ve got a few places I have seen them so now I can get on it! That being said, how feasible is it to use colony traps on mink? I don’t have a single door mink traps atm. If it’s worth while to use colony’s, what’s the best way to bait them? Tie the bait with tie wire and force the mink to get in to pull it out?
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: Buck457 on February 04, 2019, 02:03:28 PM: A friend of mine has a felony in the state of New Mexico, is it possible for him to obtain a trapping certificate in the state of Washington?
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: cem3434 on February 04, 2019, 03:31:02 PM: I would think he could get his trapping license, just can't use a firearm for dispatching animals.
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: greenhead_killer on February 04, 2019, 03:32:47 PM: Got a few more rats the last week. Moved one of the big swim throughs and caught this 54.4 pounder today!
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: Buck457 on February 04, 2019, 08:24:41 PM: Quote from: greenhead_killer on February 04, 2019, 03:32:47 PM
Got a few more rats the last week. Moved one of the big swim throughs and caught this 54.4 pounder today!

WOW, That's huge! Well done!
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: greenhead_killer on February 04, 2019, 08:48:01 PM: Thanks. Was a great day. And to your earlier question, your friend should be fine to trap as long as he doesn’t have a firearm on him
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: redi on February 04, 2019, 10:25:40 PM: nice work
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: greenhead_killer on February 07, 2019, 04:20:52 PM: got another otter today. same set i got that 54 pound beaver in. its close to 44" tip to tail. ill get a pic up later.
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: Buck457 on February 07, 2019, 05:57:57 PM: Quote from: greenhead_killer on February 07, 2019, 04:20:52 PM
got another otter today. same set i got that 54 pound beaver in. its close to 44" tip to tail. ill get a pic up later.

RIGHT ON!!! :tup: keep that set there and you should catch more. i caught two back to back! working on the third but everything is frozen right now. I hope it sticks around after things thaw out.
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: 3nails on February 07, 2019, 06:17:27 PM: You've picked up a couple of huge otters! Great job.
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: greenhead_killer on February 07, 2019, 06:21:35 PM: Thank you for the kind words guys.

I’ll let these sets ride for another few weeks then I’ll probbaly move/scout another area. Give myself more options for next year and how to set them. It’s a learning curve but I’m having a great time doing it!
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: Turner89 on February 11, 2019, 10:20:02 AM: That's a very nice otter :tup:
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: greenhead_killer on February 11, 2019, 12:59:58 PM: Another nice otter today. This one measured out at 44”. When I reset the trap today, I got in a hurry for some reason. Was checking my other traps and thought, I don’t think I removed the safety hooks on my doors. Went back to double check and sure enough I had forgotten to take the safety clip off. Good thing or it would have been a bum check in a few days
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: redi on February 11, 2019, 01:38:04 PM: Nice one congrats
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: Buck457 on February 12, 2019, 09:45:42 PM: I am stoked to see you catching these otter! I've only caught two so far. my area froze up, so they seem to be walking on the ice around/over my Vandervort traps.
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: greenhead_killer on February 18, 2019, 02:14:30 PM: Caught this one today. 57.3#. New high for me. This puts me at my goal for the year. Wanted to catch 5 beaver and 5 muskrat. I’ve now hit that and then some. Too much fun to have waited so long to try this.
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: greenhead_killer on February 18, 2019, 02:16:37 PM: Had this happen the other day too in one of the bigger swim throughs. This rat got caught and had 3/4 of his body out of the trap but got his hips stuck. Makes me wonder if a few of my misfire traps were hit by rats that got out.
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: greenhead_killer on February 18, 2019, 02:18:32 PM: Quote from: Buck457 on February 12, 2019, 09:45:42 PM
I am stoked to see you catching these otter! I've only caught two so far. my area froze up, so they seem to be walking on the ice around/over my Vandervort traps.
you should be able to find their trails on land where theyve been moving through and set a trap in line with it. as long as you can check every day, might be something to try
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: redi on February 18, 2019, 10:15:30 PM: Congrats on a great beaver
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: Humptulips on February 18, 2019, 10:48:49 PM: Quote from: greenhead_killer on February 18, 2019, 02:16:37 PM
Had this happen the other day too in one of the bigger swim throughs. This rat got caught and had 3/4 of his body out of the trap but got his hips stuck. Makes me wonder if a few of my misfire traps were hit by rats that got out.

Yep, small rats can get out, also mink. I tried to get some 1 3/4"x 1 3/4" mesh but the cost is too much.

Hey measure those tails! There's a contest you know. Don't let Carp Commander skate with that trap so easy.
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: Oh Mah on February 18, 2019, 10:58:48 PM: Is there a link to this contest? :tup:
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: Humptulips on February 18, 2019, 11:24:22 PM: https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,233000.0.html

Look up! It's pinned to the top of the page. Third thread down.
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: Oh Mah on February 18, 2019, 11:29:03 PM: Thanks for the link.I must be blind i still don't see it pinned. :tup:

Oh you meant the top of the trapping section. sorry thanks.
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: greenhead_killer on February 19, 2019, 09:57:10 AM: Quote from: Humptulips on February 18, 2019, 10:48:49 PM
Quote from: greenhead_killer on February 18, 2019, 02:16:37 PM
Had this happen the other day too in one of the bigger swim throughs. This rat got caught and had 3/4 of his body out of the trap but got his hips stuck. Makes me wonder if a few of my misfire traps were hit by rats that got out.

Yep, small rats can get out, also mink. I tried to get some 1 3/4"x 1 3/4" mesh but the cost is too much.

Hey measure those tails! There's a contest you know. Don't let Carp Commander skate with that trap so easy.
I haven’t had any over 6 1/2” yet so still looking for one to beat carps
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: greenhead_killer on February 21, 2019, 02:23:11 PM: 42#er from today.
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: Machias on February 21, 2019, 02:51:31 PM: Awesome!!
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: redi on February 21, 2019, 10:48:26 PM: Nice one
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: greenhead_killer on February 25, 2019, 08:25:45 PM: One more from today. 59.2#. Almost broke the 60# mark I’ve been shooting for.
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: Machias on February 26, 2019, 09:50:59 AM: Nice big one!! Fur looks great! Are you doing anything with the tails?
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: greenhead_killer on February 26, 2019, 10:48:41 AM: The last two I’ve gotten I feel like the fur is really nice. On the tails, I’ve given a few away. Some buddies have wanted to try it. With the rest, I’m not sure yet, gonna look into how to tan and whatnot.
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: Machias on February 26, 2019, 11:38:02 AM: They make really nice leather! Very easy to prepare. I did send off mine to have tanned. $6.50 per side, but they turned out really nice and you can get all kinds of different colors.
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: greenhead_killer on February 26, 2019, 06:28:27 PM: That’s what I was thinking about doing. That’s pretty sweet. I’ll youtube how to skin them out. Thanks
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: Machias on February 26, 2019, 08:39:01 PM: I slit them up both sides, careful at the ends, it gets very thin. Then I skinned out about an inch along the base to expose the tailbone where you cut it off from the body. Then I put the tail bone in a vice. I grabbed the skin with a pair of vice grips and just pulled them off. One side will always have more fat left on than the other. Then just flesh them carefully. Then I tacked them down and covered them in salt until they were dried and then shipped them off. The tanned leather is SUPER nice.
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: Born2late on February 26, 2019, 09:38:25 PM: Fred, who tanned the tails for you and what was the cost if you don't mind sharing.
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: Machias on February 26, 2019, 09:46:20 PM: $6.50 per side and it was Specialty Tanning in Iowa: http://specialtyleather.com/hides/
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: Born2late on February 26, 2019, 10:15:19 PM: thanks, I'm going to have to do that those look nice!
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: greenhead_killer on February 27, 2019, 09:27:06 AM: Thanks for the info Fred! I will def do this with the left over tails I have.
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: Machias on February 27, 2019, 10:40:18 AM: No problem, they make some really nice leather for all kinds of fun projects!
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: greenhead_killer on March 07, 2019, 02:12:28 PM: Got one more otter on Monday. 46” female. The fish population should do well in there this year I hope
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: AL WORRELLS KID on April 14, 2019, 03:33:30 PM: Welcome greenhead_killer,...........But can you "Skin Grizz"? ;)
Doug
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: greenhead_killer on April 14, 2019, 04:24:04 PM: Skin, yes! Fleshing, getting my butt kicked so far. I’ll learn though. Nice find on that clip. Jeremiah Johnson. That’s a classic
Title: Re: new to the trapping world
Post by: Birdguy on April 16, 2019, 07:41:35 PM: Greenhead_killer I am not a trapper but our of protection of the birds but it looks like you are getting the hang of it. Followed your thread this year looked like you had a good time and got some decent critters! I would call that a win :tup:. Now to hope there are a few sheds up at the hunting hole for you this spring!!