Finally got started with our trapping season.
Caught our first problem beaver, looks like a nice one at 40 pounds. Bridger #3, four coiled trap.
Put out 20+ sets for coyote and bobcats too.
We'll have a short break at Christmas for our trip down to Texas then back at it until about mid Feb or so.

Well done!

Bighorn sheep rut is ongoing, rams are travelling and hoping none get taken out on the highway.. This nice young ram has been pretty visible lately.
And of course this nice 4x3 mule deer buck is hanging around the ranch since season is closed.

nice mulie

Wytex thanks for posting, that's a stout ram, and beautiful buck. Always enjoy y'alls posts

Great pics, thanks for posting!

Drew a blank on our coyote and bobcats sets but had 1 more beaver, smaller female about 30 lbs.
Saw another good group of bucks.

Good work
Those ragged aquatic feral hogs will sure mess
up a tank dam or a levee really quick, and any
plantings you might have nearby

Very nice.
It’s seems to be somewhat of a market up north, down here our market has been destroyed by the animal rights loons.
When I was in high school back in the 70’s that was the only way to make money in the winter time, we could get $30 for a coon, $2 for a possum, gas was $.50 a gallon so that was worth skinning.
That’s was before 4 wheelers were heard of, we had to walk, but I liked it, I always wanted a line as long as I could get it.
I still trap for predator control and I do still enjoy it, there are so many coons now.
I miss those days, I was young, an athlete and I really enjoyed trapping.

Same here. My family had a lake house on Lake Whitney when I was a kid and my brother and I trapped untold numbers of coons and grey foxes. As Tx452 said, raccoons brought about $30 each back then (early 70s) so they were worth the hassle and foxes brought even more. I would ship my furs to Eddie Bauer in Illinois and would use my earnings to buy more traps, scents, etc. I read every issue of Fur Fish and Game cover to cover. I never could bring myself to skin a possum or a skunk though. Just too nasty for me.

We had local fur buyers back then in several different places in surrounding counties, there never was any problem selling furs back then.
1 possum was almost 5 gallons of gas, as poor as we were I would gladly skin one.
I never have skinned a skunk.

We still have a few fur buyers around up this way and Petska does have routes in North Texas- panhandle.
We plan to send our hided off to Canada to FHA this Spring. They auction off furs to folks all over the world and prices can be good.
They have a positive outlook this year compared to the last 2 years.

Beavers are looking pretty good this year, $25 +.
Our bobcats can bring hundreds of dollar's but hoping for at least $150 this year if we get some good ones. Best bobcat we sent to Canada brought $350.

Snow is our limiting factor, none right now but that may change at Christmas.

My brother has shipped hides for auction three or four years ago, but the last couple years it hasn’t been worth it.
He shipped bobcat and coyote, coons weren’t worth the trouble.
I’m glad things are looking up for y’all up north, y’all do have better quality than we have down here.
Hopefully our market will come back some day.
This is a good thread, keep it coming.

Getting back at it this weekend. We're taking the time to hit it hard for about 3 weeks or so.
Bitter cold snap coming so we should get some animals moving before that hits and hopefully during it.
Need to get another couple of beavers, and hoping the bobcats are moving.
A few snow flurries for Saturday or Sunday so tracks will be easier to find we hope.
Have a coyote on camera at the bone pile, hope it is still around- nice looking fur on it.

We have snares for deeper snow and lots of wax dirt put up and ready for use.
Hoping snow doesn't limit our access but we'll see.
We do set along the highway going in too and that is always accessible if the road is open.



A pair of Golden eagles claimed the beaver carcass we had staked down. They are impressively big birds.

Good luck.

Very cool, ma'am. Good luck and safe trapping!

nice pictures

30 sets out yesterday, includes about 5 snares.
Promptly got a good inch or 2 of snow over all of them.
Hoping we at least see some fresh tracks for sign if no catches.
Wind will pick up this week so drifting can be a problem for some sets.

Beaver sets have no action so we'll have to move down the creek it looks like for them. Not much open water left but some, that will change this week though.

Saw a couple of nice young mule deer bucks too, 3x4 and 4x4, in the meadows.

Looks like I snared the coyote from our trail cam pics, nice pretty female.
We'll get her put up and see what she's worth and maybe just get it tanned to sell.
Dusting of snow and windy today, tracks all over so we have multiple targets to catch.

Very nice. Well done! Keep at it.

keep those pictures coming

Cool

Love this thread

Went up and checked and decided to snap the traps until Sunday or Monday, when we may be able to get back up.
We have high winds and snow with the bitter cold for the next 2 nights, roads may not be passable until Sunday or so.
Had a nice crisp morning to check, no real wind and about 11 degrees with a dusting of new snow.
Last 2 days were very windy so not much moved, very few sets of tracks.

Couple of pics of set areas and sets.
Did snare a coyote, nice fluffy female. We have to adjust the deer stops on the snares though.

Cool pics !