What a beautiful day it was today.  A bit nippy this morning but it warmed up fast and turned off really nice.  A great day to be outside enjoying nature.

I’m not sure what is going on in the swamps but there were two really weird things that happened today.  But before I go into those things….I got Bull Run set down to the big gate that separates the bulls from the grain field.  I had plans to set more on through the gate but ran out of traps.  I set 22 traps and 17 of them went into Bull Run directly.  The other 5 went into a couple of seeps a bit West of Bull Run.  I’ll set a few more sets over in those two seeps tomorrow as well.

Anyway, my goal was to get out there, set the traps, check the Bull Run traps all before the sun started to melt the field…I didn’t make it.  I still left tire marks in the field as I came out.  Tomorrow and for the rest of the time I am checking Bull Run, I will have to get out there earlier than I did today.

So, one of the weird things was the catch rate at Bull Run itself.  3!!!  I did lose two more to raccoons and because of my stakes being pressed in so very deep and hard, they ate the rats right there while basking in the moonlight next to the babbling brook.  S.O.B.’s anyway.

So, to go from catching many, many rats each day down to a 5 rat count really makes me wonder what is going on.  Have I caught all the rats that are in there?  Have they smartened up and not running in the runs I have traps set in?  When you think about it, I have caught nearly 70 rats out of there in this short period of time, I suppose I have caught most of the rats that were in there.  Anyway, I found it quite strange to only catch 5 (3 that count)…especially after yesterdays 12.

So then on to the Trellis….3 more rats…one each at the two bait sets and one in a coni next to a drain pipe…the rest of the line is showing signs of being trapped out.

So, with six rats in the bag I headed west to the Big and Little Spring lines.  Remember we set 22 traps out there yesterday.  My expectancy was high for a possible 50% take on those traps.  I checked the Little Spring line first as it was the most exciting to think about.  No rats were caught until I got to the first set out at the far west end (yesterdays sets).  Wapiti and I had set 11 sets in a large grouping out there at the edge of ice-ville, including one colony trap.  After checking all 11 sets, I was holding six rats and had re-set two traps that were set off with nothing in them.  That is 8 out of 11 traps that had some action last night.  (I hope to be like them 8 traps tonight myself).

Now here is where the real dilemma comes in…From that point on up the line, I checked the remaining 11 traps and not one of them was set off….can you explain that to me?  It has never happened to me that way before and I’m sure there is some sort of reason, but I can’t figure it out.

From there I went on to check the Big Spring line and moved the colony trap and one coni over to another small seep near the two I already have traps in.  The rest of Big Spring was dead.  It’s time to move traps out there, probably tomorrow.  Pull all the traps that are currently set at the head of the spring and move them out to where I encounter the ice.  It will be another big day tomorrow for sure.

Well, with 12 rats in the bag, I can’t feel too bad about the catch.  The percentage is terrible, but what the heck, the day was beautiful and 12 rats should net us an easy hundred bucks, I’d say that isn’t too bad a day….consider the exercise, the fresh air, all the sites of nature, the sun shine  and get paid something while you are doing it…that isn’t such a bad day.

So, now I have over 150 traps out (I have used up my 150 clippie flags and had to resort to old fashioned flags).  As is usual during my trapping, I get that many traps out and then the lines begin to go dead, just like my three older lines are now and then it’s time to pull the traps or move them farther out, if they can be moved.  The Trellis line is maxed right now and some of those traps will have to be brought in.  Big Spring can be extended.  Little Spring is maxed out and so is Bull Run (see next paragraph), except for the little seeps areas.

Let’s talk a bit more about Bull Run….I extended the traps out to a large gate that the ranch has to keep the animals from getting into the grain field that I’m trying so hard not to cause tire ruts in.  I set traps out to the gate and planned on gathering more traps from other locations and setting past that gate.  There are no animals out in those fields, but I don’t have any more traps.  That is when I turned around and headed back up and checked the traps that were in there.  Coming back home I looked over toward the Bull Run area from the road way and sure enough they have turned the bulls into that area…Bull Run is now set….have I told you how I don’t care for bulls?

I’ll take a 12 rat day!

Bears Butt

March 5, 2013