Horses have been fed, the rig cleaned out “good enough” and loaded up for the beginning of the 2013 trapping season.  Todays temperature is right at 41 degrees and the snow is melting fast…I love it!  Out at the trapping properties it might even be warmer than it is here and I sure hope so.  Yesterdays reconnoiter trip sure didn’t have me feeling all that comfortable about starting trapping tomorrow.

So, what all is involved with getting ready to trap?  First off you have to have some traps.  You have to have a basic plan.  You have to make sure all the vital fluids in your rig(s) are up and ready.  Trespass permission and trap use permission slips have to be signed and on your person.  A few shells for the 22 pistol needs to be on hand, as well as the 22 itself.  Your hip boots need to be inspected for cracks and any holes repaired.  Shoulder length rubber gloves need to be packed and don’t forget the cloth gloves you need to put on before you slip the rubber gloves on.  Plenty of warm layer clothing needs to be at the ready.  Some rain gear at least in the form of a rain jacket.  Maybe some of those instant hand warmers tucked in a coat pocket.  It’s always nice to know you have some cans of kipper snacks and crackers for those days you might forget your lunch, or worse, get stuck or stranded.  In case of emergencies, make sure the first aid kit is packed and a flashlight is handy.  The cell phone needs to be fully charged.  A pack of blank paper and some pens and at least one pencil.  For record keeping you will need a paper dedicated to mark down gallons of gas and the price paid.  And for sure don’t forget your map drawing papers so you can find your traps once they are set.  AND lastly the flag clips.

That is quite a lot when you think about it.  I always toss in a pair of binoculars as well.   Not only are we going to see a lot of wildlife, we are going to wonder who that is way over there in our trapping area.  Are they infringing on your area or is it part of the ranch crew?

And so, just when you thought trapping was a couple of traps tossed over your shoulder, a bucket in one hand and an ax to cut some stakes in the other, along comes “long lining trapping”.  I say if you shoot enough times you are bound to hit your target and it’s the same with trapping…set a trap everywhere your targeted animal is likely to step and you are going to catch him and many others as well.  More is always better in the fur gathering business.

So, here is my rig all ready to go:

All the traps and trapping items belong to brother Bob.  All are marked with his trapping number and I have his permission slip to use his equipment in my wallet.  He likes to put 20 conibear traps and 20 stakes in each of the burlap bags and 10 traps and stakes in the leg hold trap bags.  I have loaded up 3 bags of conibears and 3 bags of leg holds for a total of 90 traps.  I also tossed in two floats which have two traps each on them and two folding colony traps in case I find a good deep run to set them in.

You never know the trapping situation that will present itself when you are out on the line and seeings how it’s an hours drive from home to get there, you might as well be prepared for any situation you might encounter.

When I get to the trapping location, I need to quickly put my wet gear on and head out to set and check traps.  I don’t have too much time and have to make every minute count.  No time to lally-gag around.  And so to expedite donning my boots and cold weather coats etc., I place them right behind the drivers seat.

This year I’m trying something I just read about in the latest Fur-Fish and Game magazine.  I have mixed up an anise oil solution and have one of the bags of chopped carrots soaking in it.  According to the old boy that wrote the story, the licorice smell really attracts muskrats.  I’ll try it and see for myself.

Now don’t think the way I have packed my rig is just an arbitrary jumbled up mess, there is some order to the way I have packed it.  My conibears are on the left, leg holds on the right and the other traps stuck in the middle.  The cooler without the lid is to carry the rats I catch back to the skinning shed and it doubles as a rat carcass carrier back out into the field.  I always like to put the carcasses out where the scavengers can clean them up.  It helps them survive the winter without having to hunt down food.

Next I find my old record books from last season and ready them for this years trapping.   Everything I purchase that is related to the trapping season gets marked down and especially the fuel costs and all costs are paid back to the home account with the fur check.  Even the cost to heat the skinning shed is deducted from the fur check on a 50/50 basis with brother Bob.

So, I found my old records:

My old trap line maps on the left and my fuel records on the right.  Both books are cleaned up, fresh pages inserted and pens (that work) put with each of them.  The trap line map booklet goes with me from the vehicle out into the swamp.  You can read about how I keep track of where my traps are in a post I put on here last year.  Just go to the Daily Trapping Events category and search for trapping map.

So, everything looks like it is ready for the morning to arrive and then its off to the trapping grounds to begin the season.  All that remains to get ready is a hydration pack filled with water and a sandwich for lunch.

Bears Butt

Feb. 19, 2013

(What’s the 139 in the title?  My weight.  Watch what trapping does to that number.)

Took a drive today out to Promontory to check out the snow and trapping situation.  It does not look good.  I called Doris and told her we were coming out and would be driving around her house looking at the pond and things.  She was OK with that.

The guys have really done a lot with that little pond since last year.  I guess my trapping has gotten them a little excited to fix it up and maybe even plant some trout in it.  They put a very nice head gate in on the down stream side and made the pond deeper (2 feet deeper).  That depth has pushed the island that was sticking up in the middle down and drowned out any rats that were living in it.  A very good move on their part.  Also, without walking around the pond I’m sure the bank rat houses also were covered over with water and drowned those rats as well.  Another good move on their part.

That should keep their rats population in check for a year, until a new batch comes along and begins to dig at the banks again.

I still plan on going out and setting a few traps around the pond, most likely I’ll use floats as the water will be to deep to set anything around the edge.  I will be prepared to set a few traps if there are any high runs.  Then set a few traps down the drain ditch that leads away from the pond.

Other than that, the snow is way too deep to even pull off the highway.  6 to 10 inches and very wet.  If a guy pulled off while pulling a small trailer like mine, he would be stuck very quickly.  And even if he was able to pull off the highway and unload a toy, the toy would most likely get high centered as you tried to drive next to the ditches and trapping areas out there.

So, it looks dim for now.  Maybe in an other week, maybe two.  That sucks big time.

Bears Butt

Feb. 17, 2013

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!

Well the 2012 trapping season has come to a close!  Finally an honest (as they can be) fur buyer bought our lot of rats.  Paid us good to.  We feel like we got a fair price and sold to an honest man.  We hope he makes a dollar to two off the rats he bought from us.

I told you I would let you know what we got for our rats and I will.  It took some time to get things all worked out and I’m very glad we did not fall for the trickery the other buyers were trying to feed us.  I’d rather sell for the same price as a trickster is willing to pay to a local guy who seems to be as honest as they come.  And this is what we did.

We had an offer we turned down.  And after much discussion, Bob and I agreed to sell to the local guy for the same price.  $8.75.

Thank you for buying our rats.  Thank you for being up front and honest.  And a very GOOD LUCK to you on selling those furs for as much as you can get out of them.  I hope you make at least $2 on each pelt.

Bob and I are happy!  And now, with the season behind us, it’s time to really get down to catching up on the work we both have let get way behind on around the house.

Until next season!

Bears Butt

April 7, 2012

Update!  Update!  Update!

Yes we are finished with our trapping, but now are waiting for the “buyers to trap us”.  Our furs are put away in a freezer somewhere and awaiting the right buyer.  The “big” sale at the “North American Fur Auction” house in Canada won’t happen until May, but the deadline for having furs delivered to their place has already past.  Sorry Charlie!  (which by the way is what April 6 is…National Sorry Charlie Day).

Bob and I have had some interesting bids for our rats so far, but we have politely turned them all down.  It’s one thing to step into a number 2 trap, and completely another to saunter into a live trap.  We had high hopes on a buyer the other day only to be rather insulted by their offer.  Not that the offer was a terrible one, it wasn’t, it just wasn’t what we feel our rats are worth.  So into the freezer they went.

They are safe from mice and other vermin, especially where they are stored.  Off site and out of harms way.

You know what really bothers me about the last group that came and looked at our rats is this.  First off, they graded us “very hard”, two bite marks anywhere on the rat tossed them into the “ugly” pile…rats worth a whole lot less than “reality” at any auction, in their opinion.  Secondly, to tell us that our rats measured an inch less than we know they actually measure!  Give me a break guys!  Spit on the ground all you want.  Tell us you are the most honest buyers in the whole wide world if you want.  Tell us you will pay us the difference if  you sell for higher then (?) some number you don’t ever intend us to know you sold for.  Come on “honest buyers”!  For heck sake, do we have to bundle up these furs and send them off under our own name to the auction house?  We can you know.

Just once.  Just once, it would be nice to have an honest fur buyer come around and “be honest” and “up front” about our quality, quantity and give us an honest price.  JUST ONCE!

I think back at the days in the field.  Freezing cold.  Wind blowing hard, tumble weeds flying over my head.  Hands so cold from being wet I want to cry and trying my best to take a caught rat out of a trap…and now..some dude trying to “pry that rat out of MY hands for $2 less than it’s worth”!  Not today guys!  And not tomorrow!  You call me and please add a dollar to your offer or you will hear the phone hang up.  That’s what I say and my partner agrees.

Does anyone want to hear the name of the company that made us that ridiculous offer?

When it comes down to “principle” and “integrity” and “true honesty”, I sure am having my doubts about most fur buyers.

Someone recently told me they would like to see all of Northern Utah fur trappers get together and meet somewhere centrally located to sell our furs.  It would have to be after the trapping season for all species of animals.  Invite all the fur buyers from all over the nation to this event.  And have them bid on our furs.  Of course we could turn down the bid we heard if we felt it wasn’t high enough.  I really like that idea.

Number one:  It would make the under-the-table-guys stay home.

Number two:  It would make those trying to steal the furs have to up their price or go home with nothing to show for their travel expenses.

Number three:  It would give us trappers a reason to “party”!  I like parties!

As a side “number”, it would boost the local economy.  What say we meet in Grouse Creek, Utah?!!!

This is fun folks!  I really like to think that I helped one of my fellow trappers get almost $3 more for his furs than he was willing to sell his furs for.  Now deep down inside, that REALLY does make me feel good.  I am a very happy guy for him and I know he does appreciate it to the fullest.  I’m sure I will see him at rendezvous and we will pat each other on the back and have a drink over his good fortune!

Me?  Frozen furs!  Next year they will be worth even more because the demand will be that much higher and the supply that much lower.  I can wait. But I am still willing to sell to the “right” buyer!  Are you out there?

Bears Butt

April 2012

The waiting has begun!  We have a commodity of fur and there is a very high demand for that fur.  The local buyers are now beginning to get antsy to purchase those furs from us and have made some “not so reasonable” offers of late.

The word is out on the latest fur sale up in Oregon where the average price for their 8,000 or so muskrats went for $10.47.  That means some rats sold in the $9 range, while others sold in the $12 range.  We think our rats are of a quality to classify them in the upper range.  So, if you are a speculating buyer for our rats this year and are reading this, take note:  We would rather freeze them than give them away, for a price that makes you $2 or more p/hide.  Get reasonable with us and you can have them.

The big buyers are also looking closely at the belly fur this year, which means if we have a damaged fur where the damage is all on the back of the fur, the belly is still clean and in high demand.  The color of our furs believe it or not is on the “blue” side of white on the bellies.   Extra Large furs in the 15 plus inch range, perfectly skinned, fleshed and stretched.  They just don’t get any better.

And so, to you who are just reading this because you like to read Bears Butt dot Com, this doesn’t mean a whole heck of a lot.  Not even much entertainment.  I’ll let you know when the selling is all done just how we did.  And believe me, (this is the entertaining part) the ones doing the buying will NOT like it when I advertise on here what the price they paid was!  HA!!  Why?  Well, because since the beginning of time, fur buyers always have had the desire to buy at the lowest price they can and then turn around in a short period of time and sell those same furs for a much higher price.  In todays times, they have recently been buying furs for extremely low prices (comparatively) and will reap the benefits of prices at or higher than the recent Oregon sale.

So, let’s just say they bought 100 furs last December from some trapper who wanted to have some Christmas money and they bought those furs at a price of $4 each.  The trapper did not feel too bad about getting $400 for his hard earned pelts.  And of course the buyer would have spun a tale about fur prices might be as high as $6 in the Spring, but probably wouldn’t be that high and that they were gambling just parting with $4 etc. etc. etc.   When all the time they know they will far exceed $9 each for pelts damaged or not.  Do you see the deal here?  That is why the old saying holds so very true:  “You catch the fur.  The fur buyer catches you”!

Well, we don’t feel like we want to step into a full on hind leg catch.  Maybe we just want to take a chance on loosing a toe nail this year!  We are clearly knowledgeable about the buyers needing to make some money on the deal.  Bring us your best and final offer right up front and let’s quite pussy footing around!

Bears Butt

April 2, 2012

For those of you who don’t have a calculator Bob and I ended up with 677 rats this year.

Bob started early in January and ended with a total of 311 rats.  I started the second week of February and ended with a total of 365 and No Grimace came through with one rat!

We have the last 122 drying in the shed right now and are patiently waiting for a buyer.

There is a very important auction happening this week in Klamath Falls Oregon and after that auction the buyers will be coming out of the woodwork.

What does not make sense to me is that if I was a buyer I would be making us offers to get our rats at a lower price because once the Klamath auction is over, everyone will see that the rat prices will be very high…could be as high as $11 or maybe more!  None of this hurts my feelings.  Every penny is $6.77 more.  That is like saying, every penny is another 12 pack of Oly.  Works for me!

I’ll keep you posted on the sale of our rats!

Bears Butt

A.M. Report March 23, 2012

Today is the official end of my trapping season for 2012.  There are still a lot of things that need to be done after pulling the traps.  We still have a bunch of fleshing and stretching to be done and of course the few rats we caught yesterday and what we catch today will need to be processed.  But the actually catching ends for me today.  Bob is continuing to trap until Sunday.

A beautiful Spring day is on tap for today.  Highs expected in the mid 70’s!  Wow!

Expected catch today?  That is a tough one, but after yesterdays disappointing catch on my lines, I have to say I’ll catch 3 rats today.  It won’t pay for the gas to go out to Petersons, but it is what it is.  I just hope I do catch 3.

There is some excitement in the wind right now and Bob is taking the lead on that.  I’ll let you know later on how things go.  What am I talking about?  I’ll give you a hint: “You catch the fur….The fur buyer catches you”!

Later!

Bears Butt

P.M. Report

All my traps are now out of the swamp and in a big pile waiting to be looked over for repairs before being put away for the rest of the year.  The season was a tough one on a lot of the traps.  Broken chains, broken dogs, broken pans and triggers, missing hing pins and connectors, just about anything you can think of that makes a trap unusable.

It was a pretty fun ride through all the weather and moving traps, but it was worth it.

When I started on Feb. 13th I weighed myself and wrote it on the calendar…145 lbs.  You could have said I was short for my weight.  Today, March 23, six weeks later, I weighed in at 133 lbs., a 12 pound loss.  I think I’ll have a beer on that note!  And I think I’m still a little short for my weight.

It was a beautiful day even with a bit of wind and a proper ending to a fine trapping season with a finish catch of 7!

Now it’s time to clean up the rigs and get ready for the next adventure.

Bob netted 8 rats today and thanks to yours truely he was saved a rat and a trap as I “the hero” came along just about the time he was giving up trying to find a live rat caught in a leg hold trap that had broken the chain.  With one quick look around I spotted the little devil hiding under some grass that cascaded over the bank and into the water.  That saved us about $20 in trap and rat.

So, the daily trapping stories will come to an end, but I will keep you informed as to the price we end up getting for our furs.

Thanks for tagging along on this journey!

Bears Butt

A.M. March 22, 2012

This is the next to the last day of trapping for this year for this kid.  What with 55 traps on Petersons and 21 traps at Doris’ pond, I expect to catch about 15 rats today.

Bob and I figure if we could each catch 30 or more rats each in the next two days, our total rat count would go over 700.  Wouldn’t that be nice?

My thoughts on it are this…I’m tired of trapping and my honey do list is getting longer and longer.  If I want to do any fishing this year I had best get started on that list.

Back to trapping.  Usually a new line will net the trapper 25-50% on the first night.  I caught 20 yesterday on a 54 trap line.  I did set one more colony trap on that line yesterday, so I am checking 55 traps today.  My expectations for that line today is 10.  Half of yesterdays catch.  Any more than that will be bonus rats in my opinion.

As for Doris’ pond.  Well, I figured there were about 10 rats there when I looked it over the day I set it.  I have already caught 12 and so, there couldn’t be more than maybe 3 or 4 left to catch.  If I catch 3 today there I will consider myself very lucky.

So to say a 15 rat day for me today is more than what I really expect to catch.  We will see.

I’m headed out fairly early, but have plans for this afternoon.  Part of the honey do list you know.  When you think about a trap line and take everything into consideration, today is sort of a day of leisure.  Only 76 traps to check on two lines.  No traps to pull.  A beautiful drive out in the country where most people don’t go.  A wonderful spring day ahead.  Weather near 70 degrees, what better day for a trapper?

Bears Butt

P.M. Report

A beautiful day it was.  The only thing that wasn’t what was expected was the catch rate.  I could go into a long story, but then you would just thumb your nose and say, “He don’t know nuttin”!

The 55 traps kicked out a whole 6 rats today and no additional ones set off.  Did I catch all the rats in one night?  Well not quite, but add the six I got today and maybe I have caught them all from Petersons place.

Doris’ pond was a clean “nothing”!  The pond water is nice and clear and so, I think I have caught all the pesky little buggers from there.  She will be happy about that.  I did find a run that had a bit of mud in the bottom of it.  Was it mud made by a rat or a duck?  Tomorrow will tell.

All my traps will be pulled tomorrow.  Bob is going to stretch his season out until Sunday and then pull his.  Speaking of Bob, his catch for the day was 8!

Bears Butt

A.M. March 21, 2012

Very busy day in the works for today.  Hitting Club 41 and pulling all traps there.  That will take some time!  I am expecting to catch around 14 rats on that line.  If it wasn’t for the end of the season they could still be left and catch a few more rats, but there isn’t time left for me.

Then over to Petersons and Doris’ to check the other traps.

It will be a late day/night before retiring.  18 rats from yesterday to skin/flesh and stretch plus today’s catch.

Let’s see…hmmmm…with 59 newly set traps and the usual 25-50% catch rate added to the expected 14 rats on Club 41 I could net 30 or so rats….hmmmm.

So, here is my thought process:  The weather is absolutely beautiful.  No wind, warm, calm in the swamp.  All that adds up to a wonderful night for the rats to swim and play.  Plus they are looking for “muskrat love” (I’d post the song but I don’t know how).  Second,  I’m very optimistic about the Peterson line.  54 traps, most of which are set in very good places.  If I was to net a 50% catch rate there that would yield 27 rats.  Discount some “near catches”, you know, traps that get the trigger caught in the jaw and hold it open for the rat to escape, or the rat is swimming too fast for the jaws to catch etc.  So, with say, 5 of those I expect 22 rats there.

I set 5 new sets at Doris’ pond and they “should” net 50%, so there is another 2 rats.  The “old” sets at Doris’ should yield half of what they did yesterday which was 7, and so give 3 more for today, total yield at Doris’ today would then be 5….what it all means is 14 + 22 + 5= 41.  That is my expected catch for today..41…

Now once home with my41 rats.  Bob will come in with 10 and add to that the 18 in the fridge we will be processing about 70 rats tonight.  It looks like I better get off this computer and head out!

Bears Butt

P.M. Report

This P.M. report is actually being accomplished in the A.M. of the next day.  My rear was kicked big time last night and when I came in from the day’s activities, I crashed!

So, what happened?  Lots!

I managed to pull all the traps on Club 41.  I had over 70 traps out, scattered over nearly 3 miles, so it took some time to gather them up.  I did manage to pull 8 rats, which I call “bonus” rats.  I also took a couple of pictures of what was a lucky rat and I will post them later in a special report I have planned.

So, you are probably interested in “the bottom line” so you too can get your day going.

Bob pulled out 9 rats yesterday.  He too pulled his Club 41 line.

I checked the Peterson line with a great deal of enthusiasm as I really thought I would knock them little buggers in the head.  I had about 10 set off traps with nothing in them.  Caught one duck and two little brown birds, but the best part was I nailed 20 rats!

Over on Doris’ pond I got another 5 rats and so the total for the day for me was 33.

Getting home rather late (after 4 p.m.), and going straight to work on skinning/fleshing and stretching, we had 60 rats to process and it took until just about 8 p.m.  That made for one very long day for this old man.

Bears Butt