Mn Marten/Bobcat 2019-2020 season and a few coyote

It's that time again,first check starting at 8am,will post pic's later in the day/evening good luck to everyone trapping marten/fisher/bobcats.Hope to see some kids trapping pic's.Here's a picture of a different Logan with his first and second trail walk thru bobcat sets,he used 2 of my 3N's for the sets.

Those look like some heavily used trails! Good luck.

There's lots of rabbit in there,been feeding the bobcat for about 5 1/2 weeks wolves had moved on to the bait,it might take a few days for the cat to return no fresh,fresh cat tracks there yes I'm sure the cat will return,just poor timing for the wolves to show up,DANG WOLVES..

Got the 1st fisher this morning with a couple more coyotes. Its a good day!

Nice.

That’s a great day!

Nice catch

I pulled up to a bait pile this morning to check the 8 coyote snares that I hung there yesterday and had a cat sitting in my walking trail looking at me. Yes! Foul snared is better then nothing I figure. But, it just turned and walked off! Dang it. I doubt it went too far though.

No way! That would suck!

Old trappers moto; " what is hit is history----what is missed remains a mystery"

and the wise old duck hunter often said, "Only fools or idiots go without their guns to retrieve a down bird"

Got lucky this morning!

Excellent!

Nice big prime fisher.

Nice big male fisher.

Awesome Backroadsearcher & 20scout!!!

20scout, one has to love them big toe headed males.

Great pic's thats a huge male fisher,we had a good run today,bad thing is we need to pull the marten/fisher boxes tomorrow.Have 14 out and picked up 3 marten today,so it's pull tomorrow.No cat today,no coyote did pick up another fox.Hung 7 more coyote snares today and pulled two locations for coyote,tomorrow i will pull a couple more coyote locations.Set up 1 more bobcat spot today and will set up the last bobcat spot tomorrow.

Wow, that one is a brute!! I suspect that about 95% of Americans have no idea that fishers exist and what they are. On my bucket list someday, maybe a month in the Adirondacks after I'm not answering to a time sheet...

Rick- Those sable look plump! Are those about average size for your area or a bit bigger...?

I'd say average all 3 were adults,i'm sure tomorrow we will have our 4th.

Nice catch Rick

What’s limit Rick? Two each or 4 each?

Nice catches by the way! And huge fisher!!

Two per person,next year they might bump it up to 3 a few years back it was 5 per person.

The young men and their father came up again this year.
About wore me out setting up yesterday, but today made it worth while!
The smiles on their faces made it a great day.

That’s cool friar I remember that from last year. Good deal

Thats what it's all about,great day in the northern woods,hope you guys get a cat or two in the next few checks.Tell them young men CONGRATS.Logan's bobcat has'nt came back,i think the wolves being there has made the cat leave for a few days.

Good catches everybody hope the luck continues!!

Rick,

I love the snow in the photos! I miss it. Well, maybe not so much.
Good luck and Merry Christmas.

Great Pictures Rick

Thank you Mark,Merry Christmas to you and Donna,i sure hope Logan gets his Christmas bobcat,helping new trapper young and old is what it's all about.What Friar Tuck has done with those two young men is awesome,Jim rode with me once last year and we had a great time visiting and talking about keeping trapping healthy and getting and helping as many young and new trappers as we could get out to enjoy this great sport.

We pounded in some #3N’s yesterday so hopefully the kitties cooperate in the next few days.

Good luck Rob and Logan i'm sure those 3N's will grip a cat or two,i have 3 3N's and 3 MJ 600's waiting for the cats to return.

I was surprised and happy to see this big boy in the trap this morning. Surprised since I did not put out many sets (6) and did not see any sign up to that point. I only set where I had caught them before and hoped one would come through when I had a set there. It actually happened. He weighed 13# .

That isn’t bad for an old man!

The young men caught 2 more marten and 1 beaver today!
Wild how excited someone can get over a kit!

Now that right there is three men having a great time on a trap line. Excellent effort FriarTuck.

Christmas came a little early for Logan,he connected on his first bobcat a nice tom.Here's a few pic's.

Way to go Logan!
And excellent job helping the young man and his dad.

Great pictures Rick!

Nice looking cat Logan and Rick congrats!

A few more pic's of Logan's bobcat.They are going to get it tanned,i gave him the 3N and chain/drag to display with his first bobcat.

I'm jealous, wish I had a childhood like Logan's having!

Nice work! Good luck today everyone.

great job guys , thanks for sharing

Rick,
Logans cheeks are rosy. But he doesn't seem to notice the chilly air because the bobcat fur is warm
Great memories.

Morning Mark,yep it was a little chilly yesterday,not too bad,i think it warmed up to 15 for a high.Logan's cheeks were rosy,at that time in the morning it was about 8 or 9 above.Have a great day and evening and remember the true meaning of Christmas.Heading out to check the traps here shortly.

Morning...Good Lock

The young men went home for a day so I brought out the A-team, my wife!
40 years of marriage and she still enjoys the time in the woods together.

Merry Christmas eve,had a great day again caught a 38 lb bobcat,caught #30 coyote and it was warm enough to let a red fox go out of a foothold,pulled a few places today and hung 2 more snares.Heading over to my brother and sister in law house for the evening in a bit.Made another 3 gallons of waxed dirt/sand tonight,Jim congrats with your wife and your self.Again MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE......

Merry Christmas Rick and all you Minnesota trappers
Red

Here's a few pic's from today.

I like your choice of the trap you used; looks like a 3N Victor, a great trap.
Congratulations on the nice cat too.

Merry Christmas everyone,i think Merl will have a Christmas bobcat today when we check the line today.

Awesome catches All !!!

Merry Christmas

Fantastic, great pics! Merry Christmas everyone!

Well dad stayed at the cabin and checked his line this morning and found a live and very upset fisher. After the whole ordeal he agrees he needs to buy a gun.

ROLF! I can relate to that!

Oh the dreaded Belisle toe catch! Been there, done that.

No Christmas bobcat for Merl today,he/she will be back shortly probably tonight.1 fox today in a coyote snare,pulled a few traps today,hung 5 more snares and remade 4 foothold sets today.Did'nt check any weasel boxes today,late this after noon I took Brian and Logan out to set a few marten boxes we'll check them in a few days,pretty sure Logan will catch his first marten this year too.Have a great night I need to put some fur on some boards.

Heading out to pick up a coyote or two and see if any of the cats came back through,have a good one.

What's your count on coyotes now.

Stuck at 30 and 15 fox was able to release 3 of them so 12 on the boards,no cat or coyote today 2"to 3" of snow late last night,it's going to clear off late tonight I think everything will be on the move.Had a 3X maybe 4X coon in a coyote snare today.Heading into town to watch the Holiday Classic HS hockey tournament 4 teams 3 games over 3 days.

Morning,big storm coming for us,not good.Here's a few pic's of a cubby I built on a good cat crossing no trap just bait,i'll wait to see if a cat gets on it and a couple of snare's set under a fence waiting for mr or mrs coyote to come through.A good friend of mine called last night and said there was a fur buyer coming through Roseau at 5pm,he brought what he had finished and ended up selling northern MN coyotes for an $80 average,thats good news.

What are you using for bait and how much?

Rick, you guys have a pretty decent coyote. 80 bucks is about right as long as there isn't many turds. It seems there is always a couple of those.

A goose for bait,i like waterfowl,beaver etc.Yes $80 is a good price,cash in hand no commission,i have 30 some and maybe 3,4 might be $55-$60 coyotes.Picked up a real nice female pup today and a fox,missed a cat,got lucky and stepped over the trap,it's now a 2 trap trail set lol.Checked another baited cubby just before dark,there was a cat on it and a coyote circling around it.Did'nt have time to set up tonight,tomorrow there will a trap or two and a couple snares for the coyote if it comes back by.Heading into town for the 2nd hockey game,hope this game is a little closer than last nights blowout.

Hockey game was another blow out after the first period,the goalie stopped the first 18 shots.Here's a few pic's from today Mitch on his marten line and me on my line.

Good morning,heading out to pick up some critters in about an hour,have a great weekend,pic's to come later.

X2

That's what it's all about,helping new trappers young or old.I'm hoping Merl's cat came back last night,Logan and Brian should have a marten another first when we get together later to pull the couple of marten boxes.Done with breakfast time to think about heading out to collect some critters,pic's to come......

Thats how I rolled this year... ah, next year Ill pre bait

Great catch MnMan!!!

Awesome pictures All !!! Great job with the kids!

Good evening,another long day pulling checking etc.Saw some cat sign today,none caught however,we pulled Logans marten boxes this evening,he now has his first marten also,he was really excited.His dad and Logan were talking about what trapping stuff they need to order for next season.Saw one area today that it looked like two coyotes were working a bait,i hung three snares there,set up that cat locations this morning with a rub type walk thru and a back door set at the cubby,hung two coyote snares about 30 yards and 60 yards where he had been circling.Set up one exposed trail walk thru heading to a bait with a 3N,other than the storm coming we'll see what happens tonight and after the storm Monday night,forecasting 4"-8" up here,sure hope it 4" or less,i feel for you south of us,you guys have been hammered this early winter.Have a great night,heard the boys won 6-0 today there 11-0 now.

The young men got their cat yesterday, all their marten tags are filled
They got their first fox the day before. Now they are trying for their otter.

Nice to see the young men are doing well,your a good mentor,Logan was PUMPED about his marten,this has been a GREAT SEASON.I'm hoping to get 3 to 5 more coyotes and maybe 3 or 4 more cats.

Well Jacob was happy to see traps held some fur when we returned from Christmas, pulled all the traps and made it home from the cabin tonight

Way to go Jacob,already looking forward to next years marten adventures.

Great pictures everyone!

Rick your coyote looks like hes starting to break already, is that normal in your area so early/

The last one was just starting to break in the hips and a little rub on the tail,depends on the weather last year they stayed pretty good till Jan 20th the last 2 from last year started showing.That warm up we had put a crust on the snow so there starting already I will see what the next couple look like,more than likely i'll pull the plug by the 10th if not a few days earlier.6"'of snow with 30 mph winds today on the line no catches but mon tue night should be a good night after the storm for the critters to be on there feet trying to fill there bellies.

Turned the bobcat and the two coyotes ready for a few more in a day or two,hope we don't get too much more snow durning the night and for the wind to go down,it's winter now for sure.

So on blizzard days do the CO's just drive by trappers homes and check if they go out for their 24 hour checks?
Then write tickets the next day ?
or just posting on here get you a

Days like yesterday it would have been real nice to have a 48 hour check,but we don't.Had a trapping friend ride with yesterday and burned over a half tank of gas,pulled a few,got stuck turning around one place for a short time.Ater checking my line my friend went out to check the few sets he had out,he called me later and told me where he was "He was stuck"went over and pulled him out,no catches for either of us,but I didn't check all the weasel boxes today everything will get checked.Dont know if anything moved last night or not,it was still a little nasty last night,7" of snow or a little more hard to judge with 25 to 30mph winds,i'm sure it will be another half tank of gas again today.

I've wondered that myself. As of tomorrow night at midnight my season ends. Sixty days straight of checking traps and I'm beat. Got the sled stuck one night and had to walk about four miles out in the dark. Hiked back in the next day pulling a sled full of gear to get it out. Got to check those traps.

Four months of beaver trapping ahead but it's all under ice so I can let them soak for a week if I want. Looking forward to a more leisurely pace.

Today will be the 72nd day checking,i'm looking forward to the end coming soon,a couple more cats and coyotes.Might be 80 checks the line is getting a lot shorter that's for sure.It's been a very good year,but I do need to wind it down and get going on some other projects,have a fairly busy Jan coming then Feb,March will be real busy and lots of traveling for work.Have a great rest of 2019 and a great 2020 to come.

No catches today,got cats sets back in working order with the boom.Had about another 1" last night and today,snow was a little harder I got stuck a few more times today,but that's why they make shovels.I'm hoping to go one more week if possible,we'll see what the weather does.I don't want to break out the snowmobile if I can help it.Have a good night everyone.

It's 0 here after the storm,thinking the critter's had to get out and try to fill there bellies,hope to have some last catches of this decade,we'll find out in a few hours.Have a great day everyone,happy new year a little early,be safe.

We only have a few sets left out and all are conibears so no check for us today. It was pleasant checking yesterday in the wind. Don’t forget to register furs today guys!

Heading out to the winter wonder land,the sun is out for a change,hope to have a catch picture or two,check in later.

Great pics everyone, thanks for sharing

Home before dark for a change,no catches today saw a couple of wolf tracks saw a 15 lb cat on a coyote bait,pulled out of there so it didn't end up in a coyote snare.It will have enough food there for a few weeks.Tomorrows a new day the coyotes and cats are due back anytime now.Have a great evening i'm going to have a late lunch.

The cats are moving today. We saw lots of fresh traps on both of our remaining spots this afternoon. Of course the pigs have the feed bag on tonight too!

Nice pic's Rob,the deer I ''ve been feeding headed to the heavier cover for the rest of the winter.Yesterday I had a young buck here in the yard.They winter 1/2 mile south of my place or 3/4 north east of here in the good conifer woods,my 160 acres might have 15 conifers on it.HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE......2020 HERE WE COME...

Wonder if there will be a NEW YEAR cat waiting for me today,a 2020 coyote would be ok too.Have a great day everyone,the start of a new decade.

No New Year bobcat but there was a 2020 coyote so I covered some gas for the last few days.Big dark adult male above the Warroad river,he was heading down to the river when he got hung up.Waiting in 5 spots for bobcats to come back through,maybe tonight will be the return night.Have a great rest of the evening everyone,todays 2020 coyote make #31.

All of the coyotes around here are 80-100 pounds and too heavy to carry out.

Yes MN has a too healthy population of the bigger dogs,everything needs to managed,sure hope the get delisted this year,IT'S TIME.....State issue not a FEDERAL JUDGE that knows nothing about living with wolves.

I'm curious as to how big an area you cover, Rick. Do you measure it in acreage, miles or counties? I trap all private ground and it's a very sizable chunk just due to the way it can be accessed. I'm the only one trapping it.

The 5 bobcat locations are from 1 3/4 miles to maybe 6 miles from my house 3 locations are on private land the other 2 are on state land.

Thanks, Rick. Like I mentioned, I have pretty much exclusive access to a few thousand acres due to the way the land is accessed. Best I can tell, there are three to five cats using it. I could expand my area with a little door knocking but there's more than enough ground where I'm at to keep me busy.

That's nice having exclusive acess I have a few land owner like that other land owner let a couple of trappers trap there land,the other trapper are honest guys so it works out,but exclusive is nicer no doubt.My furthest west farm has been really good this year 9 coyotes,released 2 fox kept 3 fox and 3 coon 2 4X and 1 4X that property is about 2500 acres.Gotta love 17 critter farms.Another section 640 acres I've taken 6 coyotes off that one section.A private gravel pit over west has gave up 2 coyotes and 2 fox so those 3 locations has produced 17 coyotes and 7 fox,i like those kind of property's.Closer to home has been almost as good.

That sounds like a pretty good year, Rick.

I missed the biggest cat in my area judging by the size of the tracks it left behind in the snow. There's a logging road the cats frequent and I get year-round pics of them using it. I had a flagged rub post set there. The cat went straight to the flag and ignored the rub post three feet away. That was about a week ago. The last time it came through was late October. That's a long time to wait only to miss out.

Great pictures everyone Rick here's my secret of how not to have to worry about snow work on your snowmobile and get it running I did right after Thanksgiving and we did get some snow but nothing like what we could be getting.

I went and checked my super short snare line no coyotes but set more snares on another ranch west of here .
Happy New Year to one and all !
Allan

That might work here,but we don't get those Shinnook winds SP,most year we have snow on the ground from mid Nov to April 1st most of the time.Making some eggs and heading out to see if any cats came through last night,hope so I need to see spots.Have a great day everyone.

So I am from the very southern end of Minnesota and when I went to register our marten i was very surprised to find out that there were quite a few other guys that had registered as well in my area. Didn’t realize how many other guys were making the trip north. I think it’s a great tradition and glad others are doing it as well.

I'm hoping next year two brother's from down by St.Cloud will be able to make it up this way for marten/fisher season,it didn't quite work out this year.He promised next year they would come up,hope so it will be fun to get together and do a little trapping.Still no cats returned only a large weasel today,i think sunday I will pulling 90% of the coyote snare's I have out.The 5 cat locations I might leave out till the following sunday the 12th.Have a good night everyone.

We are pulling today. The snow is crusted hard so the critters can walk anywhere they want. Time to pull and get back to reality.

Yep, I pulled 2 days ago - ended with a total bust! The bug/crud I'd been fighting off hit it's turbo button and put me on the couch for a couple of days. Yuck. Good job to all of you who got your animals. Still hoping to get out to a few more beaver ponds but we will see what happens.

If you have the crud feel free to stay away from me!

ME TOO.....I'm pulling 90% of the coyote snare's tomorrow,i will leave out the 5 bobcat spots till the 12th and 3 coyote spots till then also.Work is going to keep me too busy to try to keep doing what I've done the last 70 plus days.It's been a good year hoping for 2,3 more cats and maybe 2,3 more coyotes if I get 4 more canine's fox,coyotes that would be 50 during the fur season,plus cats,coon,mink,otter,marten,fisher,weasel,cant forget about the 2 skunks lol......Forgot no cats or coyotes today,tonight is the night....

Well we will see what todays check will have,pulling all but 3 coyote spots and the 5 bobcats locations will stay out till the 12th,then i'll see what I want to do.Have a great day,missing the winter meeting again ,but I have some other project going on as well.

Ended up pulling almost everything today,kept the 5 bobcat spots set,i'm down to 2 spots for coyote.One more coyote and two more cats would be nice to end a great season,31 coyotes,15 fox,8 3x-5x coon,1 otter,1 mink,12 weasels,2 bobcats,2 marten and 2 skunks that I didn't skin,no muskrats or beaver this year,the otter I caught in a mink set.Have a great night everyone,the Tanned Fur project MTA will be getting some of the red fox,coon,mink,otter,weasels and a bobcat this year again,GREAT PROGRAM to donate to.

No cats today,tonight is the cat night if not some time later in the week.20 to 40 mph winds during the day,it's laying down a bit now.

The wind howled here today for a bit, too. What conditions make you so confident of a cat tonight?

They need to fill there bellies,it been too long for them to not return to where they had been camped out before the storm,just a feeling there due back.I could be wrong,but i'm a betting man within 2 nights i'll see SPOTS lol.

Nothing yet? The warden stopped by my house a couple days ago to tag my cat. I asked him how many guys were taking cats. He checked his laptop and said just one cat beside mine had been tagged in his district. Fifty miles away from me. Feeling pretty good about taking one.

No spots today,that really surprised me,maybe tonight the night lol.The wolves were on the move,lots of tracks today.I need to skin the last two fox if they are thawed out,have a great night everyone,i need to check the few weasel boxes I have out tomorrow.

Pulled a spot today down to 4 bobcat spots,leg snared a wolf in a coyote snare today,the break away worked perfect I don't think he was there for a minute even.If I have time tomorrow I'll check the cubby I put bait at on Sunday.Have a great night I need to run to town now,spots are coming tomorrow,or the next day.

Looks like the yotes are finally checked out one bait sight. Going to give them a little time to set up a couple of trails before I land mine the area.

Good deal I hope you get a few more,i might pick up 1 or 2 more might,i still think i'll have 1 or 2 cats by the end of the weekend.I have other commitment for the next 3 weeks so i'm super limited for time.Barn shot coming hopefully next week,as of now everything is put up.

Very nice!

I sure hope to have another bobcat picture and I might pull a coyote out of my hat.I've said it before it was a great season personal best on coyotes and having Logan catching his 1st bobcat and 1st marten made the season that much better.Maybe i'll start a spring beaver trapping thread,just kidding.I've caught maybe 200 to 250 beaver,but prefer dirt trapping a lot more.Thanks for following along and everyone who posted and shared some great pic's.

Those should be framed!

They might have talked Mom into mounting it,Jess will do some real cool pictures with those.On canvas etc.they do a monthy book of their kids,Jess is really good at computer stuff.

If they do those on canvas ...post a picture ...that'd be Awesome

Will do.

Right now have a few beaver and 1 more coyote to put up. Should be done by the end of the weekend. Then hopefully it starts all over again.

When it gets -20 or colder I don't expect much bobcat movement,no cat's today never saw a track in my travels other than more wolf tracks.1 to 3" of snow is forecasted for tonight,if they don't move tonight tomorrow after the snow they will.I checked the cubby this evening no sign of the bobcat yet.Picked up a couple of weasels today,have a great evening everyone.

Good evening,well a cat came through wasn't the one I was waiting for,but it's a cat.To bad the foot was froze other wise it would have been released.A yearling 17 lbs,we'll see if any of the other bigger cats return,pulled the one spot today where the cat was,it was getting tough getting back into that area.3 bobcat locations left out and two spots for coyotes till sunday,come on one more coyote lol.

Looks like it got the drag looped around a pretty good tree.

If you look at the 4th picture you can see the drag hung up on a little sapling about 10 feet from the big tree he's in,chain wrapped around a smaller limb on the big tree.

Did you any idea on the age structure of the cats in your area, Rick. What do you normally pick up?

Generally they are mostly adults toms 30 to 35 lbs,but over the years I have caught 14 toms that have been over 40 lbs,48 lbs being the biggest.When people see bobcats over 35 lbs and bigger they ask me,what do they eat?I tell them when there that big they it what ever the heck they want lol.This year a 42 lb caught early in a coyote snare,turned into the CO's a 38lb cat that someone shot in a coyote set,deer rifle nothing to turn in to the CO's notifed,another 38 lb tom during season,Logan's 1st cat ever 24 lb tom and now this yearling at 17 lbs.Normally they wont set off the trap,i try to run about 4 lbs of tension for that reason to try to avoid catching yearlings.

Thanks, Rick. I saw one really sizable track this year and it walked right up to my flag but ignored the rub set. Painful lesson on where not to put flags. All of the other tracks I saw seemed small by comparison.

I mentioned elsewhere that the warden told me the only other cat caught in his district was taken almost fifty miles away from me. There is no trapping pressure on these cats and I was expecting more mature ones in the area.

By yearling you mean 18 months right?

Roughly no adult female hanging around,wish it wouldn't have been so cold,it would have been released,i wont release any animal with a frozen foot.

Good job Rick you did the right thing.

Thank's Kurt I hate to harvest a smaller cat,but sometimes like you said it's the best thing to do.No cat returns today,think i'll pull 2 spots this Sunday and leave 2 spots out for one more week for cats,the coyote snare's are going to be pulled this Sunday,it's been a great year.

I might get stupid and put a couple of sets out tomorrow for a week. Nothing like checking them in the dark after work at 20 below zero.

It's a Mn thing Rob,we are kind of simple folks -20 in the dark why not lol......

Nice cat Rick, hope a few more come through with this cold spell.

Hope that big cat your waiting for returns this week for you as well.How's your new daughter doing?

Nice cat Rick, my coyotes went on vacation here again. Havent seen any new sign for over a week. Oh well has given me time to finish up on fur, 2 beaver and 2 rats left will get them done this morning. Will add the fleshing to a bait pile this afternoon.

When the coyote sign disappears here I start seeing Wolf tracks

No cat sign today,i think with this warm up that will change in the next few checks.

Was out yesterday and dumped the beaver fleshings on one of the best bait sites here and wouldn't you know it a pair of wolves were in checking the area out. Yep that's why the coyotes are out of the area. I stay on a 400 acre area and there was no fresh coyote sign any where. Need to go check a few different spots.

Yep those big dogs makes other critters stay away for awhile,notta today did see a small bull moose way south east of here and a male fisher ran across in front of me today.

Thats what happens when the Wolves cycle through

I decided to pull logs instead. I did empty the freezer of beaver and hauled it back for the kitties to enjoy. I need to keep them fat and healthy for next year.

Someone dropped a deer rib cage along my parents road a few days ago. My Dad went to get it today and take it back in the woods for the critters to eat. When he pulled up there was a bobcat feeding on it. He decided to leave it in place and hang a camera instead. I guess he is just fattening it up for next year.

Look forward to seeing some pic's,nothing here again running out of time,here kitty,kitty.

Thats Cool!

Barn shot,well straw bale shot,my count was off 32 coyotes,12 red fox released 3 when it was warm enough,2 bobcats,1 not shown,also not shown 5 - 4X,5X raccoon,3 marten,1 fisher,12 weasels,1 otter,1 mink and 2 skunks.It's been a great season,nothing in the few cat sets I still have out,hope to pick up 1 or 2 more bobcats maybe if not no worries.Have a great evening everyone.

Great pics, Rick. Get some 8x10 glossies made up for the grandkids, they'll appreciate it down the road.

Looking back on the year,1st on the list would be Logan catching his first bobcat and marten,Merle catching his first bobcat and fisher.As for me passing it on and helping others have success and my personal best on coyotes and winning the Big Buck Contest 500 tickets are sold =A very nice rifle, Christensen Arms Mesa 7 mm,free shoulder mount and a decent coyote fur check to come.

NICE

great job Rick-well done and thanks for posting everything-it was fun to follow along!

Here's a picture of a marten dragging dinner from a few days ago,rabbit leg dragging????Followed it for a 100 plus yards.

Great pictures Rick! Just shows you what rewards a little hard work can produce. Congrats on having such a good year and hope you have many more!

Really Super Nice pictures

Thank's it's been fun this fall,winter season.Hope to still pick up 1 or 2 more bobcats,pic's to come hopefully.Looking forward to next season and making it to our convention this summer if work allows it.Thank's for following along and posting everyone success.Get a kid hooked on the great outdoors,trapping,hunting and fishing,because we are not getting any younger,PASS IT ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There's a fur buyer coming through tomorrow evening,i think i'll see what they have to say.There's another fur buyer coming fairly close to me,but with my work we are not able to make a meeting time work out yet.I'll find out more after tomorrow's meeting.

2"- 3" of snow today suns breaking out now,it's going to get cold tonight -25 to -30 don't expect any cat movement but you never know,they're saying -7,-8 for a high tomorrow.I think thur,fri night will be a good travel night for the kitty's.Nothing today,just prepping fur for a buyer to grade tomorrow.Have a great rest of the evening and stay warm.

They are moving here before the cold and snow!

Thats Quite a machine!

Nice ride Shannon,looks like it's going well,hows the fur holding up?Could'nt get my sd card to download pic's earlier,now it did.Here's some better shot of some heavy coyotes,there's some DANDY'S in the lot.Should have a good pay day,here's a few pic's.Last picture check out the first two they don't get much better than that in MN $100 plus coyotes all day with this market.

Rick and Shannon,
Great job guys! Fun seeing your adventures.

It was 86 in south Texas today. We don't wear as many clothes as you folks, although we do wear a couple layers more - earlier in the am when the temps are in the 40's and we're in an open mule.

Be safe and blessed out there fellow crazy trappers!

Mark

Thank's Mark are our coyote's a little heavier furred than yours lol.Enjoyed following your trapping down there.

BRRR -25 with some wind -40 something with the wind chill dought if any cats were on the prowl last night,stay warm everyone.

Yup, it's a little nippy out this morning.

Shannon or that Ranger? Either answer is correct.

At least the bugs aren't bad.....

Yep I never saw a bug today,balmy -9 for the high,it's going to warm up during the night.Hope to have a couple cat come back through in the near future,here kitty,kitty….

Basement is almost empty of fur,sad to see them go each year but the fur check is NICE....Average $102 on my 20 heavies $72 avgerage on the 10 semi's and had one damaged hair had been clipped and there was a scar under the clipped hair that one went for $60 overall straight across the board average of $92 fox were weak 12 at $15, 5 coons at $14 average and the martens at $34 average.Kept some fur for the MTA Tanned Fur Project coon's,otter,mink,bobcats and weasels for now.Have a great night everyone.Kept 1 heavy coyote that would have been another $100 plus coyote.

Thanks for the update Rick.

Another snow storm coming up here they are forecasting 3" to 6" with 30 to 50 mph winds,more snow south central Mn and south are really getting hammered this year.We have enough about 20 to 22" on the level,so it looks like it going to be a fairly tough year for the deer again.Gotta run,have a great day everyone.

Usually with selling to the fur buyers you praise their name if you are pleased with the price you got. But not to mention their name you are dissatisfied with your results.

What ever,i sold to Colt Furs I also sell to Matt Carlson,i have a lot on my plate right now.I 've been very happy with both fur buyer's GOOD COYOTES = GOOD PRICES.

I will put a plug in for matt Carlson too. He treated me very well.

Yes he is,it just didn't line up this year had every intention to sell to Matt,work is too crazy now.

Pulled stuff again today. Mother nature isn't being very friendly. Might just wait for spring beaver now. Snow is over the knees in the woods now with more expected plus a lot of wind.

You guys are really getting hammered this winter,i pulled out of a cat spot this late afternoon,with this new snow and wind coming I didn't think i'd be able to get back in there.I know where i'm working about 40 miles south east of here the snow is deep too 24" to 30" the deer are in for a long winter again.It's snowing and blowing here again.

It’s a good thing Dead Coyote gifted me 500 pounds of corn. The deer are eating about 40 pounds per day plus tree tops. I am afraid after this snow I will be done logging so no more fresh tops for them.

Still snowing here 7" so far,there forecast of 3 to 6" is a little off,looks like it will be more like 8" to 10 " not good for the deer herd,or the younger bobcats,looks like another tough winter.

Rick,

As I sip coffee 1500 south of you all, I think, man it's cold in Min--sooooota.
And I don't miss shoveling or plowing snow!

......sip.........sip...........sip..........

Mark

I hear you if winter was only 2 or 3 months it wouldn't be too bad,but most years up here 4.5 to 5 months.It would be nice to get away for 2 months every dead of winter JAN,FEB to trap some southern coyote etc for work or play.We'll see dirt again sometime in April,have a great day Mark.

Rick,

One of these days we need to get you down here to slap on some sun tan lotion, spray on some bug spray for ticks and ear nats, and away we go on the line!

Other than those ear nat thing sounds like a great get away,who knows some year it might be in the cards,7" of snow here at the house where I was working today a solid 10" maybe more was pushing some snow with the bumper 40 -50 miles south east of here,saw a fair about of deer there starting to have trouble getting around,the wolves are going to eat well again this winter.

Mntrapperboy is off to other things but he got dad hooked.

Second Cat was a tremendous surprise. Both big males, 35 and 37 pounds. After 2 years

of looking foolish with what I thought was one big male.

Nice cat,looks like a nice belly.

First cat was nice but second one shows very well.

Congrats on the great looking cats! One day soon I hope to add a cat or two from my line.

2nd cats spots do show up better but is more casty than the first cat,they'll look nice tanned I see you left the feet on so I pretty sure your tanning them,congrats catching cats is very fun, because you never know what kind of bobcat your going to catch,belly wise.

I ran the Tundra around the place yesterday packing a trail for the deer. I see the cats have found a big bait I put out but I believe I am just going to leave them alone this year.

Nothing wrong with that,i've fed many cats through out the winters to help them along.

Well last night wasn't the spot night,a few more days we might get lucky and pick up 1 or 2 more if not,it's been a good year and more to catch next year.A month ago they were on quite a few of my baits,camping out then bang there gone and some never did come back,different year being later than normal.I figured they would be much easier to get on baits,no such luck.One thing I didn't do is set up my best 2 cat crossing this year,did'nt think i'd have too.I did check them a few time's throughout the season and both places had cats coming through,no baits just really good crossings.

In this area not only I should get a pair of snow shoes I think the critters might need to also. Have 1 cat working a bait. I am going leave that one alone and hope there is more next season. I have nothing out and don't know if I will any more unless the coyotes really move in but as of right now haven't seen any sign of them.

I only trap on the home place which is 300 acres. Last year got 8 coyotes and missed the cat/s. This year one coyote and almost no other sign and both cats. They were a week apart and 200 yards apart where they were caught. I just assumed it was only one cat.

5 more checks for the bobcats to come back through on their loop,hope to share at least one more bobcat picture,18 above here this morning,thats way nicer than -18.Have a great day everyone.

Checked all the bait piles tonight. Absolutely nothing on them. Anybody for cards?

Cards sure,yep 4 more checks on the 3 bobcat spots,thinking 3 cats in the last 4 checks lol.It's been a great year,i could go call in a few coyotes,but I think i'll let them mate and make some puppies so I can trap them next Nov/Dec.

Hurray one of the cats came back last night,real pretty cat for up here 24 lbs it has a 2/3 belly lots of fur this time of year.Our old season always ended about the 6th of Jan in the years past.Nice rosette on the back and good marking's on the legs.I think i'll tan this one up,if it had a 1/2 belly I think i'd sell it,probably a $100 to $150 cat if prices are anything like last year,it will look nice tanned with those rosette's.

Beautiful Cat Rick

Nice catches.Congrats

Pretty animal. Snare or a foothold?

Nice cat Rick! Looks like one I caught a couple years back I had mounted. Love all those spots.

Wow that’s a beautiful cat Rick congrats!

Missed it on a single trap trail walk thru,jumped over the trap,if you use a two trap set up you wont miss as many.Had a snare further down the same trail,plus the way it was heading it would have encountered another foothold trail set with another snare 20' feet from the foot hold.I like to use up their lives and set up heavy for those times they miss the foothold,"jump"two traps would have taken care of that 95% of the time.I do know it will look really nice tanned hanging on the wall,gotta love those rosette's.

Absolutely. You've got me looking a lot harder at rabbit trails. I've never noticed cats following one but it does make sense that they would. I was out poking around earlier in the day and noticed how the rabbits (hare) had some really packed trails. I can see where a cat would use one, both for ease of travel and for finding its dinner.

Beautiful cat Rick! Congrats!

Very nice cat!

Awesome Cat Rick!

Of all the cats I have caught in my career I only have 2 rosette cats. They are rare up here. I think tanning is a good idea.

That may be the best marked MN cat that I have seen. Nice!

Thanks Gary and Rob,Gary you have a lot of cats under your belt,saying you caught two,sure wish we had more of those rosetted backs.This one makes #3 but the first 2 were smaller cats 17,18 lbs this one was my first adult rosette cat,went 40" to the base of the tail.Once I flip it and it starts to dry i'll post more pic's.Have a great night.

Nice one Rick

Nice cat, thanks for sharing!

Thanks,here's a few pic's after the flip

I'll tell ya what Rick, I made the mistake of selling both I got and regret it to this day. Yes, I was given decent money although not a whole lot above market value but I really wish I had at least one of them mounted or tanned. Smart move putting it up with the feet still on. Also I have only caught one blue phased cat. Would be interesting to see how many blue phased have been harvested in MN. Ya done good Rick.

Thank's Gary if I didn't already have two other cats mounted I would have mounted this one.As for MN blue backs that would be interesting to know the numbers,i know NAFA...RIP...graded about 8 as blue for me,last year I sold 1 really nice blue back with a 2/3 belly to Matt Carlson,he treated me very well on everything I sold him,good guy and fur buyer.

Saw a canary marten today,about 13 or 14 years ago I trapped one within a half mile where I saw the one today,i think this was a male it looked a little bigger,cool to see.They don't have the market value,they look like a light yellowish orange ghost running through the timber.I should go put a bait there and try to get some trail cam pic's before it gets cold again.

Wish we had marten here
That must have been Beautiful

Yes they sure are different,i had the first one mounted it's in a local sporting goods store so everyone can enjoy it.

Good evening,got a call from Logan's dad a few days ago Brian told me to stop over this Sunday,Logan had something for me.Here's what he had for me a very nice 16" x 20" canvas of his first bobcat.Logan's mom had made up a book of Logan's trapping adventure also,very nice.They will have a few more canvas's made up for their house to display along with the tanned bobcat,the 3N and drag and his first marten also.

Now Thats A Trophy!

Good Job

Went through a bunch of picture's and found that canary marten from 13,14 years ago.Not the best pic's of picture's,but you can see how cool they look,yesterday was a treat to see the one run in front of me. Yes that canvas is a trophy for sure.

Beautiful catch

I Love off colored catches!!! Thanks for finding the picture s

Pretty cool Rick. So, did you hang up your fur line yet?

I agree off colored or color phases are very cool,cross fox been lucky enough to catch four over 40 plus years of trapping,no black coyote yet,a handful of black beaver's,2 Samson fox,2 fisher coon and 1 very dark brown closer to black marten,thought it was a black ranch mink at first and 1 least weasel how it ever tripped the 110 is a mystery to me.

Yes I pulled the last and only cat set I had out on Friday,not even a weasel box out.....It was a great year,look forward to getting together a time or two over the summer and talk trapping and hit that little white ball around.

With otter and bobcat season over I need to register my bobcats and otter tomorrow or the next day.

Yep, looking forward to that. Maybe have to shoot some guns at some distance too.

You bet I need to sight in that new rifle and see if I like the scope,get it ready for the Montana deer hunt if we get drawn.

If Im so blessed to ever catch more Coal Black Beaver Im having Choppers made. The two times before 2o years apart I sold them. Not Again!