when you get those floods and have real wet fur thebig thing to getttingthem dry is get the grit and dirt out of them that's what mats down the fur and keeps them from drying get fluffed up and in front of a good fan as soon as you get em home and as they are drying keep working at getting all that fine dirt and grit out

all right i'll add another when checking traps in an area that holds coon have your 22 and look up you might just be suprised at how many coon you see sleeping in crotchs and on tree limbs in the daytime i probely should'nt have let this tip out for free but i 'm there must be some others that hunt coon in the daytime also and i;m sure i'm not the only one

when trapping in weather, when one day is muddy, and next day is freezing weather...carry around a thermal canteen with hot hot water in it...catch a k9. and you can use that hot hot water to get the frozen mud off the trap so you wont have to pull that trap out and set a clean fresh one...remakes around here are just as good as frsh sets.

Doesn't that then, freeze on the trap?

Well... I mean if it's that cold... Guess you could wipe it down?

when fleshing opossums I put an old bath towel on my beam then slide the skin on. I started doing this a couple years back and it has really helped my not put holes in those thin skinned buggers.

Wrap the area of you gauntlets between the thumb and forefinger (the area that ALWAYS gets the hole) with a layer or two of duct tape. This will aid in preventing this. Heard that at our state convention this year.

Haven't heard that one before!

lt grey, no it dont freeze that quick in only single digits..use the hot water to get off frozen mud, then, of course, its just common sense to wipe the trap down, so it wont freeze the trap. unless, you dunk the trap in hot water and leave it there for as long as it takes to completely freeze.

I wear disposable gloves when I skin. They get very slippery with a little grease. I go to the dollar store and get the cheap 3 for a dollar knit gloves and put them over the vinyl gloves. They give you a better grip and keep the vinyl gloves from tearing so quickly. The knit gloves can be reused quite a few times before they fall apart.Might even save a cut or two from a slipped knife.

dont know if this was mentioned yet but go upstream as you trap so the mud floating down stream doesnt make the water murky where you are gonna set

Now's a good time to get yourself a roll of clear packing tape and wrap all of your lure bottles with it. Will save your label so you know what's what.

Paint the lure caps with a number and have that written down in your notebook, tis a little more waterproof than tape.

I use some of that metal duct tape for my bottle labels. Use a ball point pen to write "Backbreaker" or whatever, the ink will wear off but the pen point will engrave the letters permanently.
In regard to time between trap checks: In Alaska we have no law saying we must check at a given interval.
I run every weekend. If not for this law I would not be able to trap at all.
Have had animals underwater for as much as a week without spoilage.

yea, but how cold is it in your area, in warmer areas they would spoil much faster

The water is around 40 degrees.

I think part of the reason they keep so long is that the water cools the animal so quickly after death.

If your water was warmer, it would be a problem quicker for sure.

Still I bet it would surprise you how long they would keep...

i've got backed up here in TN before on my coon skinning. Even in just the 20-30's in the shade they keep longer than you think. (or maybe my nose is just rurnt from that coyote i tried that on,LOL)

true i understand that the cooler they are the beter they keep, i learned that from my taxidermy work, another tip is too keep as many jars and containers as possible, there is always a use for them, it could be storing freshly cut gland or making your own bait

I used to pile up snow, with a front end loader and keep coyotes and 'coon pelts in there until it melted, when I ran out of freezer space. That way you have more time to work up fur and not worry about slippage.

A hugh pile of snow will take awhile before it melts.

The best way to save your back while trapping is to take a kid along. Even if they cannot carry much this year, they will grow.