What a season!  It has been froze up in Anabel since the week after Thanksgiving and the trapping has been tough.  I got off work on the 12th and helped Momma build snares until cable restraint season opened up on the 15^th.  I started looking for sign and setting restraints and a few footholds on several different farms.  The ground was frozen so hard sign was hard to find but it was easy to get around for once.  The cats and foxes were scarce but I caught two coyotes in cables.  I didn’t set any coon traps because everyone said they weren’t going to be worth skinning and I was waiting on Gus to get out of school for Christmas break.  Plenty of possums found my best cat sets though.  Seems like they multiply faster than anything else when you don’t trap them every year.   Broke the ice in one lake for a guy who wanted the rats gone.  He had some beavers before season but they moved out before freeze up.  Cleaned them up with 110’s in four nights and picked up a coyote in the CRP and my one skunk of the year.  Lots of old coon sign but they were denned up while we were there.  Gus set some Lil’ Griz’s but couldn’t buy a coon off this farm.                     

I went back to work for a couple of days after Christmas then loaded Gus up for our annual trip to the river.  It was forecast to freeze up two days after we got to the cabin and I let my dad talk me out of putting the boat in.  Glad I did because the weatherman was right for once and it dropped below zero at night then started snowing.  We pulled the few sets we had out New Year’s morning and came home in a small blizzard with no fur to skin.  We spent the rest of the day with my folks and the kids eating too much and playing cards.

I worked in the shop for a week and nearly had it warm enough to keep the presses running when we ran out of propane.  After Momma called the gas company and they didn’t deliver like they said they would, my redneck carnal nature surfaced and they brought us a tank the next morning.  I hate it but sometimes that’s all that works.                     

Took a three day trip to northwest Kansas to visit a friend and see if he was lying to me about all the pheasants and quail they had this year.  He wasn’t!  We killed 13 pheasants and 15 quail in three days, caught up on our visiting, and met some awful nice folks.  I’m not going to say where Dylan lives because I don’t want any more competition than there already is when I go back next year.  I have never seen over a hundred pheasants in a flock but I witnessed it twice and found 3 or 4 coveys of quail with over 20 birds in them.  Also saw some muleys and one whitetail big enough to go on the wall.

Finally got to the river again the last week of season.  Thought I would run a few sets after work but the water dropped out from under the ice around 4 inches thick leaving it on the slope of the bank.  Getting down to the water was impossible.  It didn’t matter much because my boss decided to work tens instead of eights leaving me zero daylight to work with anyway.               

The one bright spot took place at the Missouri Trappers Associations second fur auction of the year.  I averaged $10 for the few coons I had and $18 for the one blanket beaver.  Got four bucks for my rats and it was all green.  Wish I had trapped harder now.  The cats and otters sold cheap.  It’s sad to see an otter as big as an ironing board bring $30.  The highest priced cat and otter of the sale were sold frozen whole to taxidermists.  That’s something to keep in mind if you have freezer space.  

Gotta run but check back soon as I’ve got a beaver trappin trip to tell you about with some tips on snaring and footholds.  Still have several beavers to catch for farmers if it ever thaws out.  Let me know how you did and send me some pictures.  We’ll post them and maybe make you famous.

Good luck and take a youngun with you!

Another season is here and I finally got a few days off around Thanksgiving.  Gus and I got a small line set Wednesday evening and Thursday morning.  The local fur buyer told me he wasn't buying anything smaller than a 27 inch coon and they were starting at $2.00.  So we are being real selective with the ringtails.  Caught 2 good ones and Gus caught a pair of nice boars and turned 4 kittens loose for next year.  Been trappin' rats for a couple of local guys, mostly for landowner relations.  Set one beaver snare Thursday morning in a narrow spot in a ditch, 1S-72 with a 10" loop about 1" off the bottom and had a 45 pounder Friday morning.  Caught her around the neck but she had a front foot in the loop.  Had the treelock on a good stick jammed in the mud and she pulled the whole mess up on the bank where I found her tangled up.  Learned a good lesson about anchoring.  Looks like colder weather coming so I hope work slacks up and I can get more sets in.  Let me know how y'all are getting along and if we can help with anything.  Good luck and take a young'n with you.  Thad

We are heading to Salem, MO later this week for the Missouri Trappers Convention.  Please be sure to stop by our booth and say hello.  We'll have cable restraints and other products available for purchase.  Hope to see you there!

We had a great time in Lima, OH last week at convention and would love to hear what you thought of the event.  Did you find everything you needed to get started this fall?  What was your favorite demo? 

Welcome to our first blog!  We are interested in what you think about our site, the upcoming trapping/snaring season, and anything else on your mind.  We'll be attending the NTA Convention in Lima, OH later this month and would love to meet you.  Please stop by our booth in the Dairy Barn and say hello.