This picture is of a rat that was wet and we put it on the drying rack overnight to dry.  Even though it is very dry it still looks bad…i.e. matted, gnarly, dirty and just plain not good.  This has been our usual for many years…make sure they are dry and then put them up on the stretchers.  I can pretty safely say that most trappers who process their furs will do this very thing and it’s ok to do that.  This year we decided early on that we were going to go the extra step in making sure our furs are the best they can be to go to market.  So, a combing is in order before this rat goes on the stretcher.

It is hard to believe that this is the same rat fur as in the previous picture.  It looks soft and cushy and a fur buyer will feel up inside the stretched and dry pelt and feel there are no lumps, bumps, burs or any reason not to grade this fur as high as possible.  All our furs are combed and we are very pleased with the way they look and feel.

Last night while we were putting up some of the dried pelts, Weasel had combed one in particular and made a comment about the dirt that was coming off of it.  For sure it is a rat that came off of Club 41.  The water there is filled with very fine soil and when you are walking in the mud, it is very sticky and makes your boots want to come off, or worse yet, it won’t let you get your foot out of the mud and you tip over and get all muddy and wet (Wapiti can attest to that).  Well, this fine silty dirt gets into the fur very badly and even though I wash them before putting them in the catch bag, they still have a lot of dirt on the fur.  So, in my process of fleshing this particular rat, I came upon a “bump” that was big enough to notice.  I felt up under the skin and found a small lump of mud still attached to the fur.  The comb missed it and it’s understandable as Weasel was trying to do his best but the comb he is using just missed this one little lump.  I smushed it and shook the hide and the dirt fell out easily.

So, in our process we have checks and balances to make sure nothing is missed….even if those checks and balances are by accident (insert smiley face here).

And so, we have completed week 4 of our trapping season and things are beginning to look like the end of the season is coming fast.  Do we have a full week of trapping left?  Can we stretch it to two more weeks?  All the males are in full swing mating, we are seeing a few smashed rats on the road ways, the weather is warm for this time of year, the ice on the water ways is almost non existent….all signs are pointing toward the end EXCEPT we have NOT seen any fur slippage as of yet.  When the comb starts to show large quantities of fur coming out, we will have to call an end to the season.

Week 4 ended with 116 rats either hanging or put into the freezer….space in the shed is getting tight, and that is a good thing!  Our main goal is still 1,000 rats, but we have yet to cross the 700 mark, a goal we will make before Wednesday of this week!

So, this story has been done on my new computer, can you see a difference?  I thought not….some things just don’t change.  All my files from the old computer are now uploaded onto this new one and it’s time for that computer to go to Weasel’s house for a thorough cleaning and then over to Three Breaks for its new environment!

Bears Butt

March 9, 2014