Where did yesterday go?

Wapiti and I were at the Big Spring shortly after nine a.m., we unloaded and split up, he took the close end of the line and I went to the far end.  We picked up all the traps and were back at the rig by 10:30…one rat was caught.

Out to Peterson’s we went.  It’s a pretty long ride out to his place and the road is not the best in the world…Tommy Boy…would you put the County crew on fixing that problem.  Those ranchers out there deserve better for their taxes!  Once we got there and unloaded, I saw the ranch owner off in the distance fixing fence.

Wapiti and I checked the two floats and the nearest of the traps before we went through the gate and down to the other two lines.  Before we started checking those traps, we went over to say “Howdy” to Steve Peterson.  He is a great guy with a story for about anything.  We talked for probably a half hour and decided if we didn’t get moving we would not get any traps set on Club 41 (Wapiti calls it Area 51).  On our ride back toward the top of our trap lines we had to pass a small seep.  I stopped my toy to take a closer look.  We could see a rat house in the middle of it!  My eyes got really big and got off the toy.

Wapiti said, what did I think and I said I thought we should each take 5 traps and go set them.  10 should be enough to set this little area.  We took our 5 traps each and headed for the water.  My eyes got REALLY BIG upon reaching the edge of the water….runs, deep ditches, rat sign everywhere!  This seep has never been trapped.  In the three previous years of trapping this area I did not know this seep was even here.  We set our 5 traps in short order and there was still lots of places for more traps.  I went back to the toy and Wapiti yelled across the seep…”How many more are you going to set”?  I said 5 more plus a colony trap…he waved and headed for his toy for 5 more…It didn’t take long to realize this had turned into two more trap lines…me on one side of the seep and Wapiti on the other…when we were done, we had set 38 traps!  We now have 128 traps set at Peterson’s!

As I drove back to the top of my line at the seep, Mr. Peterson came over to see our progress…he was amazed at all the flags dotting the small seep…At the time I did not know how many traps Wapiti had set, but I had set 18 and told him that.  I said if he had set as many as I did, or more, we should have about 40 traps swagged out across that area and we would rid him of the little rats once and for all.  He was all grins and thanked me for the effort.  I reminded him I would give him a full report on the catch once we were finished trapping his place, he thanked me for that as well.  Then it was off to check the 90 traps we had out.

The catch rate was pretty much like it always is…a guy sets 50 traps…the first day of checking those you catch 25 rats…the next day 12…the third 5…the fourth just might come up empty or maybe a rat or two…then it’s time to pull the line.  Wapiti and my combined catch for the check was 22 rats!  Not bad for a couple of old, decrepit guys.

So, now we have 23 rats in the basket and are off to Club 41!  Remember we still have 10 traps over there to check and they are fresh newbies!  Expected catch rate of 5……Wapiti has no faith in the 10 traps and says so…No sign to speak of…the area is desolate, muddy, no feed, the only going for it is water is flowing through…all the bait set we made were just that…we made them…why would a rat stop on a human made spot?

Our plan was for him to go check the 10 traps while I set some more in this terrible trapping area Wapiti calls “Area 51″, the home of rats that glow in the dark….Off we go!

I begin where the last trap was set and am looking for holes in the banks, runs under water, natural setting spots etc.  I end up finding only one run that ended with a hole going into the bank, in went a coni bear.  The rest of 13 sets were all hand made setting spots.  I used wood planks I found floating around, cow pies and piles of mud and grass.  As I set my last trap, here came Wapiti driving up and the first thing he said to me was these fine words…”OK!  I owe you a beer”!!!  Wooppiiiiieeee,  I yelled!!!  (Remember the beer bet set I put together yesterday and Wapiti questioned why on earth I would make a set right there?)

Then he asked me about the total number of sets we had made…I said 10 and pulled out the map of the sets…we looked over the map and he recalled the checking of them…ooopppps….he missed one set…a conibear in a place where we had set two conis fairly close together…we have to go back, there is probably a rat in it!  I have confidence!  And so back we went.  I looked from the top of a small hill and said, Wapiti do you want to go down there and get that rat?  I could see a rat caught in the trap from the toy.  He went down and said that he saw the one flag, but missed this one…How many rats did Area 51 produce…10 traps…6 rats!  Not a bad percentage when you consider it so desolate, no sign, no food, no runs, nothing but barren desert clay alkali sticky mud!  I like it!  And so, Wapiti is in total wonderment as to how one can catch rats in such a place as this.

Before I change the subject I have to show you what happened to one of my sets.  This set was just placed in a spot where a rat would go or come from and travel across the trap.  It should be a near guarantee rat the day of checking and it almost was:

See, no big deal on placement…here is a hole coming out of the bank and a trail leading out to water..plop a trap down and see what happens…but wait…look closer at the trap….what the heck!

That pan is all the way down and the dog is holding on by some bit of tiny rust!  Talk about a lucky rat..maybe tomorrow he will go into the bag!

So the days count for Wapiti and I was 29…A very good day.  We pass Bob checking his line as we come driving toward home.  He waves his one finger wave with a hand clutching a rat he just took out of the trap.  When he arrives back at the trapping shed, he is carrying 19 rats!  A 48 rat day!  Incredible!  We give each other high fives!  Oh and the best part was that Brek showed up to skin again!  YES!!!!  Thank you Brek!  The Weasel even showed to help out and a big help he was.  When Bob can just sit there and put rats on stretchers and not have to get up each time to hang the stretcher on the drying rack, that saves a ton of work.  Plus to turn the skinned rats fur side out for drying saves another ton of time.  Thank you Weasel!  You saved us at least an hours worth of work and we still didn’t make it into the house until nearly 7:30!  Talk about butts being kicked!

Pulling Big Springs traps…setting 51 more sets….checking 100 traps…catching 29 rats….fleshing the days catch from yesterday….stretching those same rats….you would think the boss might give you a break and let you have a day off….but NOOOOOO!  Back to work you slave dogs!

Weather calls for highs in the mid 60!  Very nice and we might be trapping with our shirts off today!  I am anxious to get out to Peterson’s to check the newly set traps from yesterday and pick up our bounty of rats…could it be another 50 rat day?  Maybe more?

Let’s look at the odds:  38 plus 13 new sets should equal 25 rats, 90 third day checking traps should equal 12 rats, 10 second day checking should equal 3 rats….Wapiti and I should catch 40 rats….That leaves Bob to only have to catch 10 to make it a 50 rat day….But if he could catch 20, that would take some of the pressure off of Wapiti and I…GO BOB GO!!!!!!

Lunch will be left over chicken fingers, chips and lots of water!

Bears Butt

March 14, 2013