Under Ice Beaver Trapping 2015
01-01-15
Knowing what we have coming for weather this weekend and having absolutely no snow on the seacoast I went and checked out our 2013 under ice beaver line.
Wasn't disappointed. Found four active huts.
#1 The Condo
#2 Back Country Lodge
The hut used to be on the island. Now it is on the bank on the far end of the pond. It is as big as a castle.
#3 Two for One
Two huts in this pond. The one way out in the distance is also a castle. I trapped this same lodge 22 years ago. It comes, it goes.
#4 Last but not Least
When Turkeystalker and I trapped here in 2013 this lodge was not active. Theeerrrreee BACK!
Now we need some ice!
01-07-15
I got an email yesterday from the company across the street from the beaver pond pictures I posted requesting I trap beaver for them. They had a facilities meeting and the maintenance man asked what they were going to do about the beavers in the fire pond.
I trapped for this company back in 1988. The guy who signed my permit still works there. In reality our companies do business together and we stay in touch.
So this afternoon took a drive over to get the permit signed then took a drive to the pond.
The lodge is in the rear in the reeds and you can barely see the feed bed sticking above the ice. They said this is only the start of a flowage.
Any beaver pond I can drive to is going to get my attention first and foremost.
I saw snowshoe hare and cottontail tracks on the same runs. Deer, fox an coyote also crossed the road. Bet a bobcat lives here. Good place for a camera.
Let me take a few beaver and then I'll ask permission to hunt.
01-14-15
Trap tuning tonight. A very useful tool used for the right job.
All the tools of the trade. Throw in a pair of rubber gloves and a backpack of extra clothes and Bucky has a problem.
Sharpened the chisel and the hatchet. Good but cold weather in the forecast. No major snow.
Just like a well oiled gun, traps need to be tuned to ensure they are crisp when the trigger is fired.
A thorough inspection of the trap is first. Some need new triggers. The chains are checked for wear. Safety's that hold the springs locked need to be pinched to take out any slop. A very important job is sanding the trigger lock where it meet the trigger of a set trap. Removal of rust and debris ensures the trap fires cleanly.
In NH we can trap the entrances to the lodge and bank dens. I look for the arch on the hut. Just like in a castle the arch supports an opening below.
I'm a conibear beaver trapper. When I find the run I probe it side to side to find the center and deepest part. Beavers don't really swim in a run they walk on the bottom with their front feet tucked in against their body. From experience you can feel the sandy bottom of the run.
Once found I stick the probe in the bottom right in the center. For blind sets the trap sets tight to the bottom with the trigger up.
For baited sets I use a small twig of poplar wired directly to the trigger. I stripe the bark in the center exposing the white cambium layer. That is the 10 spot like a target. I don't know how but the beaver and the occasional otter have no problem seeing it. I like to make these sets around the feed beds.
But I'll take a well made blind set in a rock hard run any day.
This line will have no monitory value. I am doing it for the love of trapping. I'll rough skin and freeze each pelt I am blessed to catch and later in the winter flesh and tack the pelts up for shipment to Canada for the NAFA May sale.
Unfortunately in this down fur market beaver pelt value has fallen. But there is one ace up my sleeve. Any beaver caught in the next couple weeks will be fully winter prime or referred to as a shearing beaver. The guard hairs will be stood up when processed and all cut to the same length accenting the soft thick down underneath. You can only get this quality of beaver under the ice and no matter what the market pays shearing beaver are always in demand.
As always...teach them young....they will remember.
I am as excited as ever. Just like opening day.