Lyonch Trapping 09

[lyonch]

Well the trapping season started in minnesota this weekend and i am off to a rocky start. On saturday i was busy filling my boiler system with water/glycol mix so i can burn wood for heat this winter and have in floor heat That took until 4 in the afternoon on saturday, and then i set 2 dozen conibears and 8 foot holds by 7:30 pm. I have some new ground that i am trapping so i am sure there will be a learning curve to start with. The weather has been raining non stop and it just flat out sucks. everywhere i want to set is water and more water and the ground is sticky. On sunday i was able to relocate some poor set locations and get all 4 dozen traps that i have out. I hope after toonight i will have more pics than just the few that i have.


Here is a pic of my new tag along trapper. He is the wifes dog and she doesn't like that fact that i take him with trapping, but oh well she'll get over it and im sure this little bugger will teach me where to make a set or two


Here is the biggest possum that i have ever personally seen in my area. I'm sure they grow them bigger in other places. I placed my setters for the 220 conibears right next to him for a size indicator.


Here is a before pic of a set that i made on some new ground that i really feel should produce for me. I hope anyway


Here is a pic of the second fox den/hole that i found this season. I have one in my backyard and this one at a neighbor ladies woods. This one is no longer active i dont think. The one behind my house i know is becuase everday i check a trap back there the mound either has fresh dirt ro scat on it and there area alot of tracks around the opening. I will take a pic tonight if i get there before dark.

[lyonch]

Here are some pics from the last two checks. I have been trying to take before and after pics and maybe a picure of the sign. It finally has worked out for me on two sets that were set appriximately 10 yards apart.


This is a picture of a hollowed tree that i found along a tributary (sp) that goes into the mississippi river. There were tracks in the mud and the hollowed tree told me there were coons close.


Here is a before pic of the set at the base of the hollowed out tree. This is a basic pocket set that i put fish carcasses in the hole of the tree in the center of the pic. The trap is located 9 inches in front of hole.


Here is the after pic. Take not that i caught this coon by one toe The bone was broke, any was only being held by the tendon The trap is a standard 1.5 bridger.


Here is a pic of a set that i learned from jamie. It is a simple re-rod drove into the river bottom and then i put a 1.5 duke 9 inches in front of the can of moist cat food. The cat food has two holes punched in it and is wired to the stake. I then crack the can and let the aroma out. I dont crack the can until it is up on the stake and wired, so that the juies in the can get in the water and float downstream.


Here is the after pic. The coon was nicely caught by the wrist. He was 10 yards from his buddy that was caught in the pocket set by one toe.


Here is a badger that was caught in a #2 fully modified bridger and really made a mess of the area. I could see the catch circle from my house and that is over 500 yards away


Here is a coon that was caught by another 1.5 bridger from that same set i learned from jamie again


Here is a pic of a coon that i caught in a fox set. He was caught with a #2 fully modified bridger. This set was the one i made right next to the fox den/hole that i posted in the first post.


Thenthe last set i checked last night i found this nice bore caught in a bucket set with a 220 conibear guarding the bucket. The coon was baited with dry cat food.

[bucksnbears]

Great job bud!!!!! nice photo's however can of cat food,.59cents. coon 5.00$$$

[lyonch]

Isn't that the truth

[Tim Anderson]

There is a guy that works on a bridge crew thats been looking for that piece of green re-bar, he said they can't finish the bridge with-out it and would takes weeks to find a replacement.

[lyonch]

There is a guy that works on a bridge crew thats been looking for that piece of green re-bar, he said they can't finish the bridge with-out it and would takes weeks to find a replacement.

I have a friend that works road construction, and keeps any pieces that were put in the scrap pile that i can use for trapping. I have two pieces that the green coating hasn't fallen off yet. That green coating doesn't last very long

[lyonch]

Well i dont have any pictures to show you on this post (left the camera at home will post them later), but have an encounter that jamie wanted me to share with you guys. The second day of trapping season i had one of my traps tampered with and it had a note by it saying i was on private property and that i am to remove my trap and leave. The trap is located in a ditch on a really good looking coon trail. It's a trails set with a 220 conibear. Well i knew who wrote the letter since he lives across the road from me. I drove up his yard and told him that it is illegal for him to touch my traps. He told me that he pays taxes to the center of the road and that he owns that land. I said you are right in the fact that you pay taxes to the center of the road, however 36 feet (i think) from the centerline going each direction the township owns. He told me i was wrong and that i need to get my trap and leave. I told him that i am just reassuring the issue that if you tamper with my trap that i will call the local CO or sherriff. Everything was left at that. i left that trap in its choke point spot on the trail. Well last night i saw him walking along the woods with my trap in his hand. So i drove up to his house and said can i have my trap back. On a side not the 220 was set and the safeties were not on he was carrying it by the springs and i was hoping and praying that it snaps well he told me that i can not have it back because it is on private property. I said well last time was your warning and this time i am calling the authorities. About 20 minutes go by of him and i arguing if he owns the land, then the sherriff shows up. We each had to say our side of the story. After all said and done the sherriff told the guy that he had to give the trap back and that if he tampers with any of my traps again that he will get nailed for theft and trap tampering from the DNR. He was not pleased with the outcome. The guy who took the trap is a late 50's early 60's tree hugging hippie who lives across the road from me . This is to let you guys know that you have rights when you are trapping. To let you know Yes i took that same trap and put it right back where it belongs. I have permission to trap all the way around his property, so if i wanted this to get real ugly i could. If you catch someone make sure that you enforce it. The sherriff was really cool about everything and told me that if this happens again i am suppose to personally call him and that he will be there with the CO to take care of the issue. He said i did everything right and that i could get the guy for a lot of different charges, but thought it would be best if we just let the issue go unless it happens again. So once i get back to my camera i will post the pics. Last night was a long night for me

[1Shooter]

Sounds like a heck of an ordeal. Good for you though man, way to know your trapping rules/regulations and fighting for them

[bucksnbears]

sounds like you handled it very well. i am getting more intolerant of those type the older i get. i'm not to sure i woulda been so nice.

[Coyotehunter]

good job

[Tbush]

Stand tall and proud.........love it when we (sportsmen/women) are right

[Prairie Ghost]

Music playing in the backround " Were not going to take it...... no were not going to take it" Good job man

[lyonch]

Heres a few from the line right before and during deer season. My line has minimal equipment set on it when it comes deer season. so I didn't have squat out but did manage to catch a few critters.

Standard ugly possum. I bet i caught 12-15 of these ugly fugly things


Big Stinker


Another stinker


A coon caught in a #2 fully modified bridger in a fox set. The fox ins't in the trap, but i am hoping i will get him in a snare.


Caught 30 yards from the back door on my house


A nice stinker caught about 35 yards from my back door on the same trails as above.


Another coon in a 220 trail set.


Here is a double in a trail set. The coon on the left hit the end of chain so hard, it opened up the heavy duty j-hook ended up laying next to his buddy who found the second trap on the trail


Here is the other nights result.


Last night i went to check my lonely 4 conibears that i had left that were set (so now i have no traps out ) Lone and behold i went 2 for 4 on this great coon trail. Well i didn't have the camera to take pictures on site, but i brought them back and let mick play with them for a bit. When i get a coon in the shed, he wont stop howling/barking and growling at them When i was skinning one of them i had it on the gambrel and i look back and here is mick dragging the other coon down the steps to the basement growling and pulling I asked him what he was gonna do with it and he gave me that look like what do you think i am going to with it

[1Shooter]

Way to go Lyonch! Nice coons!

[bucksnbears]

what kind of camera do you have??? sure takes nice pic's