Bob and I are getting a bit un-nerved not being able to head out and get started trapping.  The snow is way too deep and has two layers of ice one about 6 inches down and the other about 5 inches below that.  Not a very friendly situation for vehicles, unless of course it’s a snow mobile or tracked vehicle.  We are SOL right now and at the mercy of the melting Gods.

But, while we wait we can get some necessary preparation work done.  It might seem like busy work to some, but to us it is something that has to be taken care of or our trap setting time will be cut down.

I told Bob last night that I had had a dream….”I had a dream….” that we should catch the rats, skin them on site and put the green hides in the freezer to take care of once the season is over.  He laughed.  He wants to process them as we go.  My argument in support of my dream was that we could catch the rats quickly and before they start to rip each other apart during the mating season.  We could spend more hours out in the swamp and not have to come home in time to process the hides before it gets too late in the evening.  Remember, we will have 30 plus rat days.  Time will tell what actually is going to happen, but for now it’s prep time.

And so the beginning to the 2013 trapping season is upon us.

There is a Facebook friend of mine that lives on the ranch that we trap and occasionally I’ll contact him about the snow depth and ice issues.  He is a pretty good judge of what it takes to travel in and around the trapping waters and so I rely a whole lot on what he tells me.  Bob had to make a trip out there and see for himself the situation and he loaded up his little dog “Abby” and headed down the road in his Cadillac.

In the meantime I shoveled a path to the trapping shed.

We need the paths in order to carry the coolers filled with rats.  A job I actually love to have the problem of.  And of course when Bob and I are trapping there is always the “how many did you catch today” verbage and when he catches more than me in a day, I cringe, the same goes for him.  A constant competition between us.  Fun times!

As I continue to shovel snow, I know that Bob will be home at any time with the report of snow and ice conditions and on I trudge through the nasty snows of the winter of 2012-2013.

I only have to reach Bobs Arbor, as he has already shoveled the snow to that point.  I’m glad too, because this is not an easy task for an old guy like me.

With the paths completed, I stepped into the shed and looked around.  Everything seems to be just about how we left it last Spring.  Nice and orderly (at least in my mind) and very cold.  The only heat is a small heater we plug in when the skinning actually begins.  And that heater will stay on until it’s warm enough outside to not need it for drying the hides.

It’s always an exciting time to think we are about to begin our yearly trapping adventure and today is day one.

Last year, if you followed me on my daily trapping trips you will recall I tested the use of some plastic clippies with my flagging material and decided that it would be a great idea to include them as part of the trapping excersize.  So, after the season was over last year, I ordered 500 of the clippies and put the box of them in the shed.  Today was my day to take them into the house and put the flagging material on them.

They sent me five bags of 100 each and in different colors.  My thought on that was that maybe we would want to color code our trap sets.  Sort of like, blue clippies to tell us from a distance that we had leg hold sets and red ones for Conniebears etc.  Who knows?

Each clippie comes with two slots through which the ends of the flagging tape can be pushed and then tied on the outside.

Once tied on, the flagging material is wrapped around the open clip and then the clip snapped shut, holding the flagging in place for easy transport and not creating a big tangled mess.

I figured if I prepared 250 (half of the total) that Bob and I could each carry 125 and that would probably be enough for our trap lines this year.  At one point last year I did have out over 160 traps, but this is a different kind of year.  I think we will be lucky to set 100 each at the high point.

Well, as I was busy doing my thing, little to my knowledge Bob was having his own adventure out on the ranch.  He pulled in and saw my friend Ed Loyde milling around and so Bob got out and began B.S.n with Ed.  Bobs little Abby was in the car and of course somewhat nervous to think her master had just stepped out and left her behind in the car.  She bounced from window to window trying to make sure her master was OK and in the process, her little foot stepped right on top of the “Lock all doors” button….CLICK!  The car was still running.

I can just see the panic in Bob’s face.  His spare key is back home safely tucked away where no body will be able to find it…now what will he do?

Ed and he tried to figure out a way to get into the car window and in my mind I’ll bet they were both hoping Abby would go over and step on the “Open all door locks” button, but neither the window prying effort or the pray for Abby ideas worked and so Ed did the only practical thing he could think of…Break the window…..Crash!  Done.

Bob was back inside his Caddy, only with a bit more fresh air coming in than he would have liked.  Before he left the ranch however, Ed gave him a rather unique chicken egg and told him to give it to me.  When Bob got home he brought it right over.

Compared to the white store bought egg on the right, it looks like a giant robin egg…pretty pale blue in color.  It must be something in the chickens diet and being so close to the ATK rocket testing area that caused the color.  At any rate, it went well with a sausage patty and some fried spuds this morning!  Thanks Ed!

So to continue with Bobs adventure…..he headed for the glass store in Brigham as quickly as he could.  The store guys said that the Cadillac guys don’t carry those pieces of glass any more and would have to special order one for $1,000!!!!  Can you believe that?  A thousand dollars for a little piece of glass.  Bob told them to stick it and that he would put a piece of plywood in the opening before he would spend that kind of money on a piece of glass.

When he got home, he called up No Grimace and told him of his dire situation.  No Grimace went right to the internet and found a piece of glass that will be expeditied via UPS to his home for $50!  Hero of the day!  Bob was very happy at this point.

And so, the 2013 trapping season is off to a big start and we haven’t even set the first trap yet.  Keep checking back on here to get the daily updates and I sure hope we get a nice warming trend very soon.  There are $8 hides running all over out there and we need to get them on stretchers hanging in the shed!

Bears Butt

Feb. 14, 2013…Happy Valentines Day everyone!