Twernt long back we wuz a huntin fer big game bucks an it wuz pert neer a perfect fall fer doin just that.  The fall colered leeves wuz turnin perty orange an yeller, an even sum wuz startin ta fall ofen the trees.  The air wuz crisp in the mornins an it wud warm up considerable durin the afternoons.  When the sun dun goed down, it wood cool down agin.  Might say it wuz most excellent times.

Anyhow, we wuz huntin muley bucks an as usual I wuz drivin my wagon and they wuz a heap o mountain men with me.  We wud go up ta the top of the mountain frum camp an hunt whilst we wuz ridin along.  Whenst we gitted ta where we dun figgered there wuz some good deer lookin spots we wud unload from the wagon an head off ta see what wuz there.  Sum times we wud see sum bucks an most time we woodn’t.  But we wuz there ta try an fill the meat pole with some tastey buck meat.

Well when we wuz ridin in the wagon, an everbody wuz lookin around as we went, sometimes we wud see a buck just standin next ta the trail.  An we wud git outa the wagon an take a shot ta try an git it.  Most times they wuz such a ruckus whenst we wuz unloadin from the wagon that the buck wood just runned off an hide.  The mountain men wud be pert near ready ta shoot an offn in the brush the buck wud go.  An no shot wud be got.

I am always tryin ta make sure the mountain men in my wagon had pert near ever thing they needs ta git outn the wagon real quick like an git capped up an take careful aim an git they selves a buck.  This here particular wagon ride wuzzn’t no differnt.  Everbody had ever thing whut they dun needed ta make meat fer sure.  We dun talked afor leavin camp what we wuz gonna be doin whilst we dun rode up ta the top of that there mountain, an one of them things wuz ta be gittin outa that there wagon real quick like if we dun seed a buck.

After ridin in the wagon fer a long spell an the afternoon sun is dun heatin up the mountain air, the mountain men in  the wagon dun starts ta nod theys heads an closing theys eyes.  They be plenty times whenst I look around in the wagon an I is the onlyest one what aint sleepin.  This happens a bunch with these mountain men what I hunt with.

There we wuz clear up on top of the mountain an we seed this here deer standin in the trees lookin at us in the wagon.  I dun pulled up the reigns an we is all alookin at it an tryin real hard ta put sum horns on it.  We is always wantin ta see them horns cuz that is sure nuff what we is wanta ta kill an only bucks has horns.  I git ta thinkin about what wuz happinin in my wagon an onest we dun decided the deer we wuz lookin at wuz a doe deer, I put the brake set on the wagon an dropped the reigns an gitted myself outn the wagon.  I walks back to the back of the wagon an all the mountain men in the wagon is wonderin what I is doin.

I looked at each one separate like an started in ta remindin them what they said what wuz gonna be dun whenst we wuz back at camp.  Member fellas, whenst we see a deer we is all gonna git outn the wagon an cap up an then decide if the deer is a buck er not.  What just happened wuz no body dun gitted outn the wagon atol, an if that there deer hada been a buck, he wooda runned off an nobody wooda got a shot off.  So’s next time we dun seed a deer I wanna see sum gittin outa the wagon.

I reckon my talkin wuz a bit much fer most of them in the wagon cuz they started in on me about gittin the wagon movin agin an they wuz wantin ta git up the  trail sum ta find a buck deer an I wuz holdin up the proceedins.  I gitted myself back inta the wagon sure nuff, but not afor I told them just what I figgered wuz gonna happen.

I said, now fellas, whenst I is drivin this here wagon an we dun sees a buck, an I wanna try an shoot it, I gotta stop the wagon from goin forward down the trail.  Then I gots ta set the brake on the wheel real good sos the wagon don’t go ta rollin down the trail.  An then I gots ta git outn the wagon an git my gun an cap it up an then aim perty gud an take the shot.  Alls yous got ta do is git outa the wagon an cap up an aim an shoot. Perty simple on your parts, an perty lot ta do on my part.  But I’m here ta tell ya, whenst we seed a buck, I am gonna be the one whats gonna git it an hang it on the meat pole afor any of you.

Agin, they is yellin an stompin an sayin fer me ta git back in the wagon an drive it down the trail.  An that is just what I did.  Later on back ta camp, they dun telled sum of the others what wuz camped with us what I dun said an they got a good laugh about it.  I told them that I wuz gonna git me a buck the next day if it showed itself.

Next day, just as soon as we cud see ours sights we is loaded up in the wagon an headin up the trail agin.  Afor we left camp I reminded them agin about gittin outa the wagon.  An agin I heared the same as I dun heared yesterday bout drivin the wagon an quit talkin.  It wuz a perty morning agin with a nip in the air an the leaves wuz fallin more than they wuz yesterday.  We dun comed up the trail an shore nuff there stands a deer big as big.  It wuz close like an it wuz plain it were a doe deer an not a buck, but agin, nobody is gittin outa the wagon.  I dun sets the brake on the wagon an right there in front of the wagon runs a big ol buck deer.  Sure as sure cud be, an it dun runs right up an stops next ta that there doe deer.  I am slidin outn the wagon real fast like an grab my rifle as I is slidin.  I hears the wagon beginnin ta unload like a heap o potato sacks is bein tossed about.

The rest wuz like slow motion ta me.  I has meself a piece of leather what is attached ta my rifles trigger guard an I keep sum caps in little holes I dun punched around the leather.  As I is slidin outn the wagon an grabbin my gun at the same time, an whenst my feet dun hit the dirt of the trail, I is cockin my hammer an reachin fer my capper.  The capper dun cums right up an does a real neat flip an dang if a cap don’t land right smack dab onta my rifles nipple, reat perty like.  Alst I had ta do then wuz ta aim real gud an shoot that there big ol buck right there, an that is zacktly what I dun did.  BOOM!  An that big ol buck wuz down an out an pert near ready fer the meat pole.

I look over ta my left side an there stands one of the mountain men what dun gitted hisself outn the wagon an he aint even got no cap on his gun yet an is fumbling an droppin stuff an I said, aint no nevermind ta cap now, cuz I dun kilt that there big ol buck, just like I said wud happen yesterday.

Ifn them mountain men in the wagon wooda gitted theys selves outn the wagon whenst we dun first sawed that doe, the buck probably wuda been kilt by one of them an not by me, but we knowed now that aint how it happened.  Will them fellas member this here story whenst it cums ta huntin next frum my wagon?  Maybe sum, but I bet a cold one, not all learnt the lesson ta git outa the wagon.

Bears Butt

July 2011

Trapping muskrats the past few years had taught me a very lot about the little critters.  I used to think the little bounders were the dumbest critters this side of a ground hog, but have since learned they are not so dumb after all.

Muskrats are “creatures of habit”, like most of us.  We awaken, go about our normal morning duties, eat, drink, lazy around, work and then go back to bed.  Muskrats too, wake up, do their morning things, swim around, eat, bask in the sun, duck out of harms way, travel the same “runs” as they did yesterday and the day before and for the most part, just do what muskrats do best.

I have learned that muskrats are desired by nearly every predator that walks or fly’s in Northern Utah.  Hawks, eagles, owls, falcons, bobcats, coyotes, fox, raccoons, weasels, mink, I’m sure there are others, AND man!  How could a lowly muskrat survive at all with seemingly everything out to get him?  That question hit me a couple of years ago and I have since learned the answer, at least in part, because I’m sure there are more lessons for me to learn.

For those of you thinking you need to go on line and learn the difference between a muskrat and say a……wood chuck…..let me tell you right now, a muskrat is more closely related to a beaver.  Muskrats and beaver can and do live in close proximity to each other.  They build similar homes and both have buck teeth that are very sharp.  Read my earlier article on the difference between beaver and wood chucks.  Study about the beavers teeth and then cut all of the dimensions of the beavers teeth and cutting abilities down to 1/10th the size….there you have a muskrats teeth.  Instead of cutting down trees and eating the bark, they cut smallish willows, cat tail roots and other roots of plants that grow in wet and swampy domains.

At the other end of a muskrat is his tail and much like the tail of the beaver a muskrat uses his tail to help change his direction while swimming.  Remember a beaver has a wide flat tail, right?  A muskrat has a long slender tail that is sort of flat up and down, not flat like from top to bottom.  Is that clear?  Maybe you should go on line and look up what a muskrat looks like.  I’m getting off my story here.

God knew that when he created the muskrat that he had all of these other animals out to get it.  So he made him smaller than the beaver and able to squeeze his body into the most uninhabitable places ever known.  He also made them smart.  Perhaps smarter than the critters that are out to get him.  Here are some points of interest that I have discovered in my trapping endeavors.

Muskrats build “runs” in the muddy bottoms of lakes, streams, ponds and plain old swamps.  These runs are easy to see and if a muskrat is using the run, it generally has a muddy look to it.  Sometimes the muddy water obscures the run from your sight, but eventually the mud will settle and reveal the run.  I like to use a trap called a “box type trap” for setting runs.  These traps are typically 4 inches square when they are set and when the muskrat swims into the trap it clamps down on him, usually just behind his head  and again just above his tail.  The trap holds the muskrat firmly and usually kills it when it snaps down on it.  If not, the muskrat will just be caught there under water and drown.

Muskrats are very plentiful in the swamps and water ways where I trap and multiple muskrats will use the same run.  When a muskrat comes swimming down a run and bumps into a muskrat that has been caught in a trap, he quickly goes around it.  But, he then goes to his den and tells the others not to use that particular run.  After the muskrat meeting takes place all of the others come out to see their “brethren” who is caught and they hold a ritual in which they block up both sides of the run with mud and debris.  After I take the caught muskrat out of the trap, I have to remove the mud and debris from the run in order to get the water flowing back through that run, or I will never catch another muskrat in the run the rest of the season.  Lesson learned the hard way.

I obtained permission to trap a private duck club a couple of years ago and upon my initial investigation of the water ways, ponds and swamps I thought that the place looked good for trapping, but that there were not many rats to be found.  I figured there wasn’t enough food for them to survive and that the ponds must dry up in the summer and the muskrats that were there would leave.  After two years of trapping it I have learned this lesson….Never assume muskrats have not adapted to their environment.  What I discovered were there den openings were so flat they were almost invisible to see.  I found this by accident one day while setting traps.  I had one more trap to set and then they would be all out and waiting for muskrats to get into them.  One more is all I had to set.  I was going up the shore line of a small lake looking for that perfect spot to set it.  Nothing.  I looked and looked and then I saw this very small opening in the side of the bank.  An opening about one inch high and maybe 4 inches wide.  It was getting late and so I plopped that trap down over that opening.  What the heck!  At least the trap was set and had a remote at best chance to catch something.  A trap in the truck won’t catch nothing.

As it turned out, that trap set was one of the best I had in that area.  I caught nearly a rat a day out of that spot.  I learned rather quickly to look for those type of places to set traps on that club.  Believe me, there are a lot of rats on that club.

Another lesson learned was when I use what is called a colony trap.  A colony trap is a long narrow box made out of stiff mesh type wire with holes about one inch by 2 inches.  The box is about 24 inches long, and 4 inches square.  The open ends of the box have  hinged doors that protrudes into the box about 4 inches and are slopped on about a 45 degree angle.  When set, the box sets down inside the run and the bottom of the box sets on the bottom of the run.  The muskrat swims into the box and the door closes behind him and does not allow him to exit the other side, nor turn around and swim out the way he came in.  He is trapped and drowns.  This type of trap also allows for other muskrats to join him in the trap and thus the name colony trap….stemming from the fact that you can catch a whole colony of muskrats overnight.

Using these type of traps, once the muskrats find their buddies captured up like that in three and four at a time, they go back and call up another emergency meeting of the rest of the colony and they set out a work order to plug up the entrance to the trap on both ends and over the top and along the sides and literally bury the entire trap right there where it is set.  Then often times, they would go up to the bank where their entry hole is to the den, and fill it up with mud and debris plugging it off so that none of the rats in the den will use that run.  Without removing the plug at the entrance to the den, that colony trap with not produce another rat the entire season.

The next lesson I learned still takes its toll on me.

Winter begins to give way to early Spring when I begin my trapping season and there is a lot of thick ice still in the swamps.  What happens during the winter is the ice forms in the swamps and because of the nature of ice, it forms a cap over the top of the swamp.  Sort of like us walking into a mall.  Picture the high ceiling of the mall as a thick layer of ice over head.  The muskrats are safe from the flying predators both night and day.  They love it under that cap of ice.  They can come and go pretty much as they please.  It is very difficult for a trapper to know exactly where to chop a hole and set a trap and so most of us just leave the muskrats to doing their thing under that cap.  As the warmer weather melts that cap down, we are able to find holes in the cap and the running water and runs beneath.  We set our traps and catch a few rats.  As more ice melts, the water generally gets deeper, because the down stream ice is not yet melting and so it creates a dam and backs up the water.  We wade through the deeper water and set our traps and catch our muskrats.  All of that being said, here are a bunch of muskrats that have been living under that cap of ice all winter.  They have pretty much depleted their supply of roots and tubers and are very hungry.  They too like to see the sun and so they come out and chew up newly growing shoots of cattails and bullrush stems.  We set our traps on these mounds of chewings and catch more rats.  Well it does not take too long for the muskrat gang to catch on to our trap setting and they stay clear of those places.  Even though they don’t close down runs etc. right next to the trapping spot, they do close off the runs around the trapping area.  This directs the little critters around the trap and safely on their way.  When this happens to me I get real antsy to catch them critters.  Almost to a obsession.  They know my trap is setting right where it is and it is being held by a nice willow stake.  The willow stake has green bark still on it and they will sit right there and munch on my stake.  They will move all around that stake and eat it down to the water level, over night!  Of course the next day when I check the trap, if I don’t have another stake to replace the chewed off one, then I have to pull the trap and re-set it the next day.  They must dance for joy when they see I have removed the trap.

Other times, I have had them squat right over the trap pan and take a well deserved dump right on top of the trap!!!!   OOOOOOOOOOOOOO!  That one really takes its toll on me!

By the way when I write “OOOOOOOOOOO”, like that, picture my squinting eyes, mouth in the shape of an “O”, fists tightly clenched up near my face and my face turning bright red……OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Back to the story.  When this happens I “MUST” catch that little bounder.  And I have been known to pull all of my other traps from the area and move them to another trapping spot, but leave that one there and come back every day to see if I have caught the little bounder or not.  I have left a trap in the same spot for the rest of the season and never caught him!    OOOOOOOOOOOO!

Well, there you have a few of my lessons taught me by the little muskrat of the swamp.  The guy who is so prolific he abounds ubiquitous (seeming everywhere at the same time) in all waterways, ponds and swamps around the country.  The guy who is so dumb, even I can catch them.  So why do I trap them?

Well, for instance, last Spring, my brother Bob, his grandson, Brek and I pursued those little critters from the first part of February until the middle of March and we collected 991 of their little fur bearing bodies.  We skinned them, fleshed them and stretched them.  It did not take long for the fur buyer in the area to hear we had 1,000 rats and he came a knockin.  Paid us $7 p/each rat pelt and we were some kind of happy about that!  Got us pretty excited about next years trapping too.

Bears Butt

July 2011

It has come to my attention that in my stories I mention animals and such and some of the readers of this material don’t quite know just what it is that I’m talking about.  You know who you are.

For instance, the case in point is what is the difference between a “beaver” and a “wood chuck”?  Of course a quick glance through the electronic world we live in would quickly show you the difference in how both animals look, what their scientific names are, where they inhabit the world, what they eat, how many and how often they have offspring, the color of their fur, the type of feet they have, both front and rear, the size of their tails (if they have one) and any coloration differences there might be between male and females of the same species.  AND a myriad of other differences and similarities between the animals in question.

BUT…I can tell you straight out what the differences are, without your having to consult the vastness of the internet, all you have to do is make a comment on my posting and I will quickly respond to your inquiry.  My explanation will be quick and to the point.  And I will never make you feel uncomfortable about your asking.  It is my nature to not embarrass people too bad (check out my dear aunt Lenora’s posting).  Of course I might throw in bits and pieces of humor along the way, but it is all meant in good fun.

OK.  So, just what is the difference between a “Beaver” and a “Wood Chuck”?

Beaver:  A water loving creature that survives by chewing the bark off of live trees.  Barkuschewus, as some refer to them as.  Beaver can weight up to 60 plus pounds.  They have very muscular bodies, short legs and the rear feet are webbed, much like that of a duck.  The webbed feed enable the animal to swim quickly and for long distances under water, or lazily along the surface at a slow pace.  The front feet work closely with the mouth of the animal as they transport tree limbs to the beavers dam.  They commonly have short fur in the summer time, and it grows thicker as the water and air temperatures drop to freezing temps in the Fall and Winter.   As the fur thickens up, longer hair grows beyond the thick fur to allow the animals thick fur not to mat up.  These longer hairs are called “guard hair”.  The animal can groom these guard hairs with oils from its own oil glands in order to give the animals fur a water repellency.  After all these animals can not survive for too long a period outside of water ways and they need the water repellency to repel the water once they come out of it.

In winter conditions the water ways that beaver normally inhabit will freeze over, producing a thick layer  that the animal can not penetrate up through.  This is more often the case than not and so the animal has a built in seasonal habit to store food inside the waterway and under the surface of the water.  Beaver will crawl out onto the bank of the river or stream and will cut down trees that often have diameters exceeding 10 inches.  These trees are then trimmed of their upper branches and the branches are pulled into the water by the beaver.  Beaver have been known to carry tree branches as far as ¼ mile from the water.

These branches are used to build the beaver’s home, which has a large diameter base, under water and progressively gets smaller as the beaver builds it up.  When we see a beavers house sticking out of the water, we are generally seeing less than 1/3^rd of it’s total size.  The beaver makes at least two entry points to allow access during the times when the water is frozen on the top of the pond.  One entry is right on the bottom of the beavers house, and another somewhere near mid level.  Other entries may be higher or lower.

Branches are also used to build dams across streams in order to back up the water and form a pond.  Beaver will place sticks across the waterway in such a fashion as to stop or slow the flow of the water.  Then using their back feet and the webs to kick up mud, rocks and debris up and against the sticks just placed.  They continue to place sticks and kick mud until the dam they are building  has a water depth that meets their expected winters frozen cap of ice.

Branches are stuck in and around the pond with the largest ends of the branches stuck down into the mud sufficiently to keep the branch in place and not float around.  Beaver are very resourceful and they keep busy, well, as a beaver.   What else do they have to do?

When winter comes and the pond freezes over, the beaver is warmly tucked away inside it’s comfy home.  When it get hungry, it dives and swims out one of the entry holes and over to a waiting branch, where it chews the bark off of it, leaving just a barren stick.  If the beaver did its pre-winter work well enough it will have plenty of food to survive until spring when the ice melts off the waters surface.

Ah, the beautiful beaver.  What value does his tail serve?  They use the flat tail for two purposes.  One to warn other beavers of danger by slapping it hard down on the surface of the water.  This is useless during winter and would only serve to sting the beaver should it slap the tail down on the frozen ice.  The second purpose is to help steer the beaver while it is swimming.  Hold your flattened hand outside the window of your car and move it around in the air as you drive along.  That is much the same way the beaver uses its tail to change its direction while swimming.

In order for a beaver to do all that chewing, they need teeth equipped well enough to get that job done.  The front, upper teeth of a beaver are about 3 inches long and up to ½ inch wide.  The lower front two teeth are about ½ the size of the upper teeth.  All four teeth are extremely sharp and shaped just like our wood chisels.  It was the design God gave the beavers teeth that man copied from in the making of our wood chisels.  The beaver keeps its teeth sharp by chewing on trees.  The chewing action causes the teeth to wear off with each bite, maintaining the length of the teeth and  at the same time keeping its shape on the edge.

A beaver can fall a tree with a 5 inch diameter in less than 2 minutes of chewing.  They begin at a point on the tree a few inches off the ground and they keep chewing in a circle around the tree until the chewing looks like the pointed ends of two ice cream cones being held together.  At some point the top of the tree can not be supported by the small base and the tree falls over.

On farms with beaver issues you will find highly irate owners with downed trees across road ways, fences and animal paths.  Water flooding pastures and farmed ground.  Owners of property that has the potential for beaver problems all own a variety of guns, traps, snares, boats and people of military experience with access to hand grenades.  Most owners also have hidden somewhere near a cache of dynamite and equipment used to detonate it.  Beaver to these owners are a pest only good for resale value and they believe in all their heart that all beaver should be destroyed and only read about in history books.   Beavers sole purpose in life is meant as target practice to these owners.  On the back bumper of most owners pickup trucks reads a decal saying: “ The Only Good Beaver is a Dead Beaver” , “Save a Tree, Eat a Beaver”,  “The Only Beaver I Like Sleeps Next to Me” or some such other statement.

Wood Chuck

HMMMMMMMM.  Wood Chuck likes wood like a beaver likes the desert.  How in the world it got the name stems from the proximity of its ground hole home to a pile of wood that had been created when the farmer cleared some ground for planting his crops.  Wood Chucks eat roots from plants growing above them as they crawl through under ground tunnels they created.   It’s the tunnel thing too that God decided a Wood Chuck should have a very short tail.  Can you imagine a Wood Chuck trying to turn around in a tunnel if he had a long fuzzy tail?  He might just get himself stuck half way around.   Wood Chuck fur is course, usually brown and mottled and no woman in her right mind would ever think about wearing around her neck.

Wood Chucks do not stock pile food for their winter captivity under piles of snow.  Wood Chucks hibernate and come out once the ground has thawed and the spring sun is beginning to warm the air.  Ever hear about Ponxatony Phil?  He is just a Wood Chuck by another name.

Actually about the only similarity between a Wood Chuck and a Beaver is they both have 4 legs and feet, two eyes, two ears, a nose, a mouth, a way to defecate and urinate,  a strong desire to mate and buck teeth.

On farms with Wood Chuck issues you will find highly irate owners with holes and tunnels in and across road ways, under fences and in animal paths.   Owners of property that has the potential for Wood Chuck problems all own a variety of guns, traps, snares,  and people of military experience with access to hand grenades.  Most owners also have hidden somewhere near a cache of dynamite and equipment used to detonate it.     A Wood Chucks sole purpose in life is meant as target practice to these owners.  There are specially made rifles and shells on the market today because shooting Wood Chucks and similar critters has become such a popular sport.  On the back bumper of most owners pickup trucks reads a decal saying: “ The Only Good Wood Chuck is a Dead Wood Chuck” , “Save a Horse a Broken Leg, Shoot a Wood Chuck”,  “I Like Your Wife, She Reminds Me of a Wood Chuck” or some such other statement.

There you have it:  Beaver = Water/ Wood Chuck = Ground Hog

So, next February 2^nd, don’t think of Ponxatany Phill as a Ground Hog, think of him as a Beaver.  It will brang a big ol smile to yur face, cuz now you knowed the differnce.

Bears Butt

July 2011