WAHOOOO!!!!  Wapiti is now a full fledged muskrat trapper…he set over 40 traps today!  Tomorrow we will find out just how well of a trapper he is…trap placement is a big deal…He and I will keep track of how many each of us are catching.  I hope he beats me.

We were off early today, right at 8 a.m. (early for old guys), had to stop for gas, but other than that we were right on time.  Hit Petersons about 9:30…

It was windy, cold and looked like rain at any minute, so we donned our rain attire to start our day.  We needed the early start in order to set the number of traps required at this place…we only have a few days to catch as many rats as we can and then get out to bigger and better places.  Both toys were loaded.  But to start with, we both went to a pond on the property, set two floats and then a few conibears…I say a few…we set 9 plus the two floats…sign was everywhere.

Then back to the rig for taking off coats as it was warming up.  Wapiti was not having the best of days at this point….lost his brand new gloves…we looked and looked…go can find.  So he brandished his borrowed from me pair and off we went.  He went South and down that branch, I went North and down that branch…When we were done setting traps and back to the truck it was 2:30!!!!

Both of our butts were kicked….working constantly…no lunch…no breaks…two old guys could get REALLY old doing that all the time.  But we got it set.  90 traps are now working feverishly for the catching of rats and the betterment of Mr. Peterson’s ranch.

With that huge job done, we ate our lunch as we proceeded back to the Big Spring line…we checked it as fast as we could go and only came away with 2 rats….I say that line is dead.

Then up the road to Bull Run…this line has been treating us really well ever since setting it…today…3 rats and one lost to a raccoon…I say this line is dead.

So I caught 5 rats today….We set 90 traps and now it’s time to go home…both of our butts are kicked…

Back at the house, the shed door has been opened and an empty burlap bag lays outside the door…Bob has been there…I open the door and there lay 7 rats…Dang…I expected close to 20…Oh Well a 12 rat day is all we have.  But heck, 12 rats is over $100 bucks!  Right?  And they are all over 15 inches in length, XXL size rats!

Wapiti has to go home, he is being called to a hot tub of water and a cold drink.  I’ll bet Rut Runner will probably even rub his back and put him to bed tonight.

Not me!  I have rats to flesh, stretch and skin!  Go!  Go!  Go!  So Bob comes out and we take 50 rats off the stretchers and put them on the hangers…more room for more rats to dry while on stretchers.  I call Brek, he can’t come tonight and so once Bob and I get the fleshing done on the rats Brek skinned last night and Bob gets them stretched, we can enjoy the fun time of skinning the 12 rats we caught today…we get it done!

Now it’s 7:30 and I’m ready for a cold one, a hot tub and maybe even supper.

How was your day?

Bears Butt

March 11, 2013