Leap Day, Feb. 29, 2012

A.M. Report:

Holy Moly, winter is about to happen upon us!  We have a winter storm WARNING that begins today at about 9 a.m. and last until Friday about 11 a.m., deep snow accumulations in the valley expected……NOOOOO!  I want to go trapping not move snow!

Well, whatever we have happen with the weather, I am going to the swamp today and see just what happened on my lines last night.  My plan was to set a few traps on the Big Spring line, but this storm might stop me from doing that.  We will see once I’m out there.  The weather is entirely different way out that way than it is up next to the mountains where most of us live.  Sometimes it’s worse, sometimes it’s better.

Todays lunch will be a bologna sandwich with mayo and cheese.  An almost “staple” in my diet.  As I eat my bologna sandwich, I think of steak, tacos, hamburgers, tuna, chicken and pork chops, and when the sandwich is done, I take a large drink of water and then get back to work.

It was cold and windy last night, so what do I expect as a rat catch today?

10 again.  Actually, with over 90 traps out, 10 seems like a low number, actually I’ll take 10 any day.  That is nearly $100 after they are sold and if Bob and I can make that much each day, we each pocket $50 and that is good.

OH!  I almost forgot!  My expensive boots came yesterday!  YAAAA!  I tried them on last night and they are the most foot friendly hip boot I have ever put my foot into.  Soft and cushy!  Now if they will keep the water out, I will be a happy guy with a big ol grin from ear to ear!  The box says they are tough.  The box says they “breath”.  The box says they are the best commercial boot made.

They are made of a thick rubber from the knee down, a cleat sole, but not a sole that will fill with mud and keep the mud captive.  The toe is stiff so you can’t depress it down, but it does not have a steel insert.  And there is a tough cloth type of material that goes from the top of the foot, all the way to the top of the boot.  A material that looks like you could poke it with a sharp knife and it would not cut it.  Briar and thorn proof and snake bite proof…that is what they advertise.

Will they hold up to the bite from a 5 foot rat?  I hope we don’t have to find out.

More later!

Bears Butt

P.M.

What a storm!  I made it to the parking spot and the weather was a little breezy but balmy.  Maybe temps were around 40, maybe even 45.  I don’t have a temp gauge so I don’t know for sure, but it was comfortable.

I put on my new boots…AHHHH…nice!  And the rest of my trapping stuff and headed off.  Checking the Trellis line I netted 2 rats.  About usual in my opinion, and normally I would have all of those traps pulled and set somewhere else, but I promised Bob.  Anyway, 2 paid for the gas.

Then loaded up and headed farther West to check the Goose Club line.

The signs at the line are showing me I am making a big dent in the population on that line and it won’t take too many days to have the bulk of them caught.  4 set off traps and one of them really raised my eyebrows.  A conibear that was triggered but did not close.  Nothing was stopping it from closing and when I picked up the stake with the trap it did not close until I touched the trap…then SNAP!  Lucky rat.

My new boots are wonderful!

Hitting the rest of the line I did not start picking up rats until the few traps just before the channel and then things started looking good to fill my goal.

One bait set down the channel had rat crap on the trap, but no set off trap.  That to me is a rat telling me to “kiss his behind”.  I’ll catch him tomorrow.

Around the horn and to the traps Wapiti and I set yesterday yielded a welcome surprise…rats and more rats.  We set some “air hole” sets and of the 5 sets, 3 of them produced and one was set off (already counted above), not bad for 7 sets.

Down at the end of the line, we set 8 traps and 4 of them produced!  A great day of trapping.

Me: 16, Bob 6!  Great Day.

The weather continually got worse and worse to the point that tumble weeds as big as me were being tossed over my head.  The temperature dropped about 15 degrees since earlier and I decided I had had enough fun for one day and headed for the barn.

Bears Butt

P.M. Report