This was the scene Saturday night with Skinner Man in the lead and 51 rats to skin!  That is a pile of rats right there!  And that ended week number one on the trap line!  102 rats for the week!  Not a bad start!

Today begins week number 2, what is in store for this week?  For one, I plan on moving out of Bull Run and the seeps this week and be firmly planted on “The Trellis” and at “Fish Springs”…in order to do that I have to move a lot of steel.

Today, however is its own day.  My goal…Pull the traps from the top of Bull Run and move them to seep number 3.  The live traps will stay where they are at the top of bull run in hopes of taking out a few more critters from that area.  It seems like I’m a skunk trapper and a poor raccoon trapper…4 to 1 so far.  Skunks need controlling too.

With yesterday being a day off from checking the line I expect a lot of damaged rats to be laying in wait, I just hope I don’t lose any traps.  The weather is predicted to be warm with a high near 55 and no chance for rain.  It will be a nice day.

So, what do I expect for a catch?  One raccoon is on my list and 12 rats, my hope is all 12 are in good shape…something that has not happened yet.

By the way, Weasel checked his traps yesterday and had 2 rats!  Great catch for where he is trapping!  Nothing caught in my newly created floating colony trap however.

Gotta Go!

Bears Butt

February 17, 2014

P.M. REPORT

What a day it has been!  As I approached Bull Run I could see 3 bulls had breached the fence and were out in the muddy alfalfa field leaving tracks as they plodded along.  I thought then, Pete aint gonna like that!

I loaded up 7 rat bodies to put in the live traps…fresh bait is always a good thing.  My plan was to pull the first 18 traps, but leave the 7 live traps…I did those things and was surprise to find a big old raccoon in one of them!  YAY!  One shot!  He’s gone!

During my trap checking I lost 4 more rats to critters but I don’t think they are raccoon.  Mink most likely.

Well I got around the bulls OK and finished my checking and ended up with 20 rats and one raccoon!  I  pulled the 18 traps and then set 20 more on the 3rd seep.

When I was driving out, I came across Bob who was checking his traps along the right of way, he had 21 rats and still more traps to check!  He kicked my butt again!  I did make him a beer bet on a trap I set on his run, he bet it would not have a rat, I bet it would and sure enough…big old rat!  He said the beer had to be paid tonight…that will taste mighty fine!

Back at the shed, I see where Weasel caught a rat today!  Nothing was written down from Brek however, so I assume he caught zero.

Bob came in late with 23 rats!  YAHOOOOOOO~

So, a 45 rat day!  Not a bad day at all!

Bears Butt