Hi ho the merry oh a beaver trapping we will go.

01-12-13
This morning TS79 and I took a look at a couple of trapping permit locations we share in anticipation of chasing Bucky under ice. It was very foggy and the snow very soft. Since this was only exploratory we left the traps in the truck and only brought the chisel. This way we could spud the ice for safety.

Our first location is in an apple orchard where the beaver have moved into the irrigation pond. The hut is along the banking. These are the runs on each side.

Left



Right



These pictures will help us locate the runs in case we get any snow on top. The clear ice was at least four inches thick. We will place the 330 conibears right in the middle of the black ice and tight to the bottom. These will be blind sets. We will fence it in and force the beavers through. Although neither run will need much because as you can see the runs are about as wide as the trap will be.

The second location we scouted is familiar to DWS, Oddfish and Ryan. We call this hut the "Condo". The area of open water is where a few years ago DWS was lying down on the ice peering into the hole looking for the run when a beaver swan right by. The beavers are keeping the water open from the amount activity at this lodge. This lodge will be set with poplar baited 330's. The run is just too wide to fence.

"The Condo 2013"



The Condo with Ryan and Oddfish 2010



This beaver was taken the next day on a baited conibear. Where I am standing is the open water in picture with TS79.





We found three more active beaver huts in this NH WMA of more than 300 acres.

Two are in the main pond. The fog was too thick to see the distant one.



Close up. Note the active feed bed.



This lodge is in the powerline pond and will be the last check of the line when set.



Arctic weather is set to return to NH in the upcoming week. This will firm up the snow for better footing and thicken the ice for safety. Active beaver runs depending on the depth most often have much thinner ice.

I can't think of a better way to stimulate our mountain men testosterone and increase our winter exercise than an under ice beaver trapping adventure.

It felt good to be back on the line.

Looks like fun. Congrats.

Vic

01-19-13
We returned to orchard this morning intent on setting traps for Bucky Beaver. We mixed the sets up.

This is a blind set. We set in on the run on the left side of the hut.



The right side was a little move difficult. After opening up a big hole trying to pinpoint the run we decided to try a feed stick on the trigger of the 330. Since we were in an apple orchard we borrowed a small green branch for bait.

This set is deep. The trap is about three feet off the bottom with a striped apple twig wired to the trigger.



The beavers have been working the flowing seep that feeds the pond cutting fresh brush. They are coming over the banking where the hut is and following a spring run into the pond they occupied last year. There is a perfect hole just made for a trap. With the warm weather my highest expectations are for the this set.

It has been a long time since I've set for under ice beaver. The rest of my thoughts for the day were like a good kid on Christmas Eve hoping Santa would visit, eat the cookies and leave much lighter with a smile.

01-20-13
We met at the Orchard this morning as the sun rose above the trees and warmed our surroundings.

At the seep set we found all the cookies eaten and a present from under the ice.







The blind set on the left was empty.

After opening up the ice on the feed stick set, we saw Santa left us another present.



After washing our catch in the snow we could see these were high quality winter shearing beaver. In three decades of trapping I've learned one of the most sought after raw furs are under ice beaver. They can only be taken in the dead of winter under a sheet of frozen water. The industry stands up and trims the guard hairs accenting the thick coat of down underneath.



We reset the traps, loaded up the sled............



And headed back to civilization. Our first adventure complete.



Many thanks to Turkeystalker79 for being my trapping partner. His youth and eagerness to learn has reminded me how much I like traversing our NH winter woods.

Next weekend, weather permitting...the Condo. Our adventure continues..........................

Lots of hard work, looks like a ton of fun. Give me winter turkey season though instead. Great pictures and story, thanks for sharing.


Earl

We got another one at the spring seep set last night. Another adult at probably 25 pounds. It will stretch large. The fur looks prime, literally.

Went over to my buddies house yesterday and picked up my knives, scrapers, box nails and fleshing beam. Gonna need one more trip to pick up a couple boards.

I bought one of those prefab sheds a few years back. I needed the storage space but I've always looked at it as my new trapping shack. It is insulated, has lights and I stole back my skinning table from my original trapping shack at my dad's house. Now all I need is heat which won't be long.

Oh ya and can't forget tunes. My original trapping shack at our last residence rocked. I'd light the stove before dinner and then after retire to my own lodge, away from the women and children for a night of skinning and stretching.

No wonder I have hearing loss.

Our work has just begun. Our fur needs to be ready for the next NH Trappers Association fur sale in March.

Awesome Coalman, looks like a lot of fun! Keep us posted on the haul!

01-26-13
Today was the last check at the orchard. We arrived to light dusting of fresh snow and a brisk eight degrees Fahrenheit. We caught two beaver. One in the seep set and another at the apple stick baited conibear. We got five total, two adults and three kits. The landowner is going to keep an eye out for any sign of activity when the water starts to open up.

Our job is done here. We will be back to chase spring gobblers.



The current snow and ice conditions are favorable to winter beaver trappers. The access is good.



And the ice is safe.



This is the same lodge we visited last week with all the chewed beaver sticks in the open water in the prior post.
The ice wasn't too safe just beyond the traps. The wind blew all the chew sticks toward the lodge and they froze in. That is what we stood on the make the sets. My partner referred to it as fiberglass.

The four sets here are baited conibears. There is a piece of poplar on each trigger.



We took the trapping mobile out to the furthest pond and found a double lodge. We were able to find two runs coming right out of the hut. These blind sets are each covered with a 330 up tight to the lodge. The trail of air bubbles led us to the holes.



The lodge is on an island in the pond. On the opposite side of the island we found a bachelor hut. We put a blind set in the narrow shallow run. These small huts within reach of the active lodge are adult beaver getaways.

Our only fear is if we catch a beaver it will stick to the ice. Which is why the beaver on the right in the first photo, caught in the seep set, has so much ice clumps stuck to its fur. It is best to bring the beavers home and let the ice thaw naturally as not to damage the fur.

We have high hopes for all our new sets. If conditions stay favorable there are still three active lodges on this property.

We are going pond hopping.

How much do you normally get for the smaller beaver from up north?

I haven't sold any beaver for quite a few years. Since we never know the size of the beaver or the fur condition when we pull it out on the ice it is best to talk in terms of averages.

These are good averages.

Fur Harvesters Auction North Bay Ontario. The sale was January 9th, 2013

Beaver offered 19,658 Sold 90%
Eastern Average $33.92 High $72

These are for early beaver. The May sale will tell the story on under ice beaver.

We are probably going to sell them green. We have a buyer who prefers to do his own set up.

I'm not complaining.

TS79 checked the beaver sets today with a buddy. This text message said they had a good morning.



The predicted mid week warmup may make the beaver more active. Our work has just begun.

01-30-13 Mid Week Check.

BIL accompanied me this morning to check sets before the predicted mercury rise to 50 degrees. We took the trapping mobile out to the Double Lodge first.

The bachelor hut produced again.



Both traps set in the main lodge entrance runs were sprung and empty. We need to do a little fine tuning of our trap placement this weekend.

Next we headed to the Condo. Even from a distance we could see the fiberglass ice with the two sets in front was in poor shape. I thank BIL for coming with me for this very reason. Winter beaver trapping is a buddy sport. One wrong move alone could lead to a dunking or death. I'm not ready to die for a rodent.

The set to the left held a nice XL beaver. We pulled both those sets for safety.

Next we checked the two sets in a line on the left side of the lodge. One trap closest to the hut was sprung and had a peeled chew stick in the jaws. A beaver must have come out of the lodge with the stick in its mouth and fired the trap.

The second trap, furthest from the hut, held a large beaver.



Note the poplar stick bait wired to the trigger to the left.



Both of these traps were reset and we headed back to the real world.

We have been giving our beaver carcasses to a coyote hunter. He called to say he got one this morning. It is nice to know our bounty is also working to protect the local critters from Wiley Coyote.

Our adventure continues.

Looks like you are putting a lot in the bank. With the warm up do you have to back off the ice a bit? Down here I was talking with a friend about his trapping and he caught a coon. He was going to toss him away because the warm weather is messing up the fur. I said you might as well use him for bait. Wonder if he did. The hot cold cycle is really messing things up here.

Last day of deer here, gonn hang in a tree one last time.

Vic

It was 54 degrees yesterday. If the forecast were for prolonged warm weather that would be a gift to a winter trapper. The beaver would become very active looking for fresh bark rather than the rancid stuff that has been under water in their feed beds since October.

But alas is us. The weather man predicts back to cold weather and ice. The cold will lock the beaver back in their ponds. BIL and I are going to set up a couple new ponds in the same property Saturday.

Stay tuned, same bat time, same bat channel.

02-02-13
Pulled the last two traps at the Condo this morning. Without caution I could have started the sentence "swam" to the last two traps. The ice around the lodge was not very good. Thanks to BIL and a safety line we rescued both traps.

The Condo has given up five beavers. Four adults and today's kit.



We reset the Bachelor Hut in the furthest pond. There was no way we could have reset the runs in the Double Lodge. The ice was paper thin. Hopping over to the Main Pond the same thing, paper thin ice around the lodges. Off in the distance we could see another hut. Took a drive around to it and with a little bit of light feet we were able to get in two baited traps. There are three active huts in the Main Pond.



Tomorrow is another day.