# A Day On The Line - Part II (pics)



## Northcountry (Feb 4, 2004)

As planned, I took my wife out yesterday to set her first muskrat line...which consists of one-dozen 110's. It was a gorgeous winter day.

If any of you saw Part I of this post, last weekend, I took my wife out to this new area I scouted for her...it was just an introductory trip but we set some weasel traps, too.

So yesterday was her Setting Day, I played the "guide" and showed her all types of sign and how to make sets. We worked in fast-moving stream environments as well as mucky shoreline. Not too much rat sign but her goal was to "just catch one!"  

Here she is as we scouted the stream for set locations...










As I pulled her and the boat through the knee-deep muck, she made some sets from the comfort of her seat. Heres a bank den entrance run...










Here she is setting a bottom-edge...










Then this morning, in a stiff wind and 16-degree air, we checked the line with great anticipation.

Whoo Hoo!!!!! Her first muskrat!!!!  










The guide caught a 3-3/4 pound porker in a 160...










Running out of picture space in this post, so heres our final catch...


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## trout (Jan 17, 2000)

Nice catch! Looks like a really good time.


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## CBrooke (Aug 23, 2006)

Cool, very cool. Maybe I can catch my first soon too. I needed one of those sticks for the creek...........somehow the underground roots liked nipping at my toes..................congratulations to your wife. :evil: Maybe I need a new guide!


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## hunt4life (Dec 22, 2006)

congrats to your wife, she must of had a preety good guide. Was the weasel turning at all?


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## Northcountry (Feb 4, 2004)

hunt4life said:


> Was the weasel turning at all?


Just the faintest hue of yellow in a small area.

You know, I wonder how much of an effect the yellow has on fur price, when we sell. Ermine are sold fur-in, so how does the buyer even know how pronounced the yellow is? I bet they bleach them all and dont worry about the yellow.

Multibeard, what say you?


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## hunt4life (Dec 22, 2006)

Not sure wasn't sure how to put them up fur in or out. Started trapping them last year and sold the ones i got to a few taxedermists. Seen one of them after he did it. He had it mounted in a coyotes mouth preety cool mount.


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## alexsalmon (Feb 16, 2006)

Congrats to you and your wife!! 

The weasel I caught today had no visable white on it! I think I might have it tanned.


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## 1-CHANCE (Feb 1, 2003)

Congrats to your wife on her first rat. I know you'd be one heck of a guide.


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## ottertrapper (Jan 6, 2006)

Congrats to your wife on her first rat!! Nice haul again NC! As for the weasel and the yellow affecting the price I think it does a little, but it is a personal preference thing thats all. I prefer to get them pure white and have two months to do it so that is why I do. And if they are dying them that is extra cost to them. Again personal preference and great catch!


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## SNAREMAN (Dec 10, 2006)

great job!!!thanx for posting


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## brent164 (Mar 6, 2005)

great job, and tell your wife congrats also!


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## gunrod (Jan 16, 2001)

That's a pretty cool post. Well done to both of you.


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## Yoopertrapper (Jan 24, 2006)

Way to go.
Great pics,Congrats to the both of you!


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## Liv4Trappin (Feb 22, 2006)

Congrats to your wife with her very first muskrat!
Looks like a very productive day of teaching.


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## muckamuck4 (Sep 15, 2006)

Congrats NC, and to your wife as well. Although i'm not the least bit surprized that she caught one with a guide like you. You'll have to keep us posted on her line. Thanks for the pics and the story.


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## dsmithgall (Oct 10, 2006)

Great Job once again, and tell Mrs. NC she did a fine job.. Great pics!


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## hoytshooter4 (Oct 3, 2005)

Way to go!! That one rat on the far left is definately a hog!!


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## Northcountry (Feb 4, 2004)

hoytshooter4 said:


> That one rat on the far left is definately a hog!!


Yeah, I've been calling that one Cartman :evil: My previous biggest 'rat was 3-lb 5-oz...and it stretched until the hooks ran out of travel on the #1 wire frame. Now this one is 3-lb 12-oz so I'm wondering if that size frame will even be big enough? I'll find out, soon.

Thanks for the comments, guys. I showed this post to my wife and she never stopped laughing after seeing the pics of her, all bundled-up. She wieghs 100-pounds less than what it looks like in the pics....I'm supposed to tell you that.  :lol:


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## THUMBTRAPPER (Nov 17, 2006)

I wish my wife would get out and go trapping with me...Maybe when she gets used to me bring home dead animals everyday she will start tagging along. Great pics and keep them comming,


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## HunterHawk (Dec 8, 2005)

Congrats to both of you.. That is awesome you guys were able to share that together. Congradulations on your catches and spending time together in the outdoors, I am pretty jealous.. hard to find a female that likes doing that these days. too cool.
-Hawk


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## David G Duncan (Mar 26, 2000)

Congratulation to your wife and to you on connect with the muskrats on the first check!

Winter rats sure are beautiful, in my opinion!

Thanks for sharing this great trapping outing with us!


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## scottfree (Jan 24, 2003)

well the smile in the picture says it all......congrats to both of you. obviously your both hooked on this. good job.


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## Northcountry (Feb 4, 2004)

Well, heres a follow-up report....though it didnt turn out the way I'd wished.

We went out this evening to check the line...this was check #2.

It was absolutely gorgeous weather...dead calm, maybe 24-degrees.

We enjoyed ourselves and the anticipation during each approach of a set...but my poor wifey had nothing waiting in her sets :sad: (actually, thats not an appropriate icon because we werent sad at all...just surprised).

Where we're trapping, the backwoods 'rat population is low. In fact, none of the rats I have caught have had even a single bite mark on them. I'm told this indicates a low population and little breeding competition this time of year.

But we did bring back a little fur for our effort. A couple of the "guides" sets produced again...

A good-sized buck mink....










And another 'rat....










Next year, I'm setting her up in these two spots!!!  

Not all the checks result in high quantities of catches...but when the day comes that I measure success by numbers, it'll be time for me to find another hobby.

Looking forward to the next check! (who doesnt?)


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## ottertrapper (Jan 6, 2006)

Great job as always NC!! Hmm those two sets look awful familiar I am starting to wonder if you took the last rat and buck you caught back out of the freezer and placed them back in the traps and staged the pics!!  :lol: 

Just kidding great job!!


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## MERGANZER (Aug 24, 2006)

I wish I had the time to trap and I find it very interesting and again I wanna say thanks for all the great pics I visit the trapping threads daily hoping for more pics it is quite an art I am sure thanks for sharing 

GANZER


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## rlf (Jun 1, 2005)

Thank you NC for another great post and pics


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## Northcountry (Feb 4, 2004)

ottertrapper said:


> Hmm those two sets look awful familiar I am starting to wonder if you took the last rat and buck you caught back out of the freezer and placed them back in the traps and staged the pics!!


No, I did not do that!!!! _(I just stashed them under the bank, near the set) _ :evilsmile :lol: 

Seriously though, I just remembered that my wife did have one 'rat catch...._almost_.

She had a 160 in a super-nice run and it was sprung...but empty. When I examined the trap, I noticed that the spring never expanded. The first thing I suspected was that she didnt take the safety off, but she did. Then I noticed that the safety had wedged and bound-up one of the jaws. Wierd...and I dont think we could do that again if we tried. I made sure the safety hook was free and clear when she re-set it this time.

So, she *almost* had one 'rat last night.


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## ottertrapper (Jan 6, 2006)

Well then she will have him next time or a different one!! Now I know your secrets when it is cold out stash them under the bank they will stay good and you can get good pics every time! Good one I will have to try that!


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## Northcountry (Feb 4, 2004)

ottertrapper said:


> Now I know your secrets when it is cold out stash them under the bank they will stay good and you can get good pics every time! Good one I will have to try that!


Oh, that hurt OT!!! How can you question my honesty like that? I would never stash animals to stage pics. Sheesh!!! 

Anyway.......

I went and checked the line just now and really hit the motherlode! Seven mink from that same location! Boy, this is great! :evil:


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## FREEPOP (Apr 11, 2002)

They look froze or stiff. 

Did you just ram their tails into the snow?

Any GPS coords to that honey hole? :lol:

Looks like a pack of them. Look out you're surrounded!!


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## daddyduck (Nov 2, 2001)

:yikes: :lol: :lol:


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## dsmithgall (Oct 10, 2006)

Wow, I never knew those mink roamed the area in "packs".. Looks like they were getting ready to attack, you must have caught the ring leader.. Nice pics once again, looks like someone has a little to much time on there hands.. Great job NC :lol: :lol:


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## maliki (Nov 18, 2006)

LMAO:lol: 

Brilliant work NC


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## Northcountry (Feb 4, 2004)

dsmithgall said:


> looks like someone has a little to much time on there hands..


I know, I know...that Photoshop job looks so realistic that you probably think it took me hours to meticulously create. Just look at the precision trimming of the mink and natural placement of them around me. Yeah, I could have been doing other things...but I feel it was 45-seconds, well spent


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## Liv4Trappin (Feb 22, 2006)

Photoshop?
Could of fooled me!


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## ottertrapper (Jan 6, 2006)

Northcountry said:


> Oh, that hurt OT!!! How can you question my honesty like that? I would never stash animals to stage pics. Sheesh!!!
> 
> Anyway.......
> 
> I went and checked the line just now and really hit the motherlode! Seven mink from that same location! Boy, this is great! :evil:


Now you see what I question you now!!  Kidding as always great job on the mink the past month and great shop on the photeshop as well I like how they all look the same and were caught in the same exact spot on the body!!


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## HunterHawk (Dec 8, 2005)

haha.... kids these days


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## Northcountry (Feb 4, 2004)

Just another update....

Well, we were out of town this weekend and also did some snowmobiling around the house. Didnt check the water line until this evening.

Ended up catching two more mink...one for each of us.

Thats right...my wife caught her first mink!    

I havent downloaded pics from the camera yet, but the temps were so darn cold that it kept shutting-off right after it would power up. My truck thermometer said 5 degrees.

Lots of new snow so all the weasel traps were totally buried...and empty.


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## ottertrapper (Jan 6, 2006)

Congrats to you wife and you on another nice mink! I have a few mink sets to pull in the UP and will do it tuesday and the rest are all pulled already!  Can't wait till next year!


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## griffondog (Dec 27, 2005)

Congrats Mrs NC

Bill how are the mink looking up north. Had a water trapper down here tell me he caught a couple females that were singed this week.

All these mink pictures are making me wish I had some water trapping spots. Made a set for a dryland mink this week but he hasn't been back since.

Griffondog


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## gunrod (Jan 16, 2001)

Well done. That's great to hear. Congrats to the wife as well as you.


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## ottertrapper (Jan 6, 2006)

The female mink I caught friday was in bad shape good thing the season is ending I wouldn't want to take anymore like that. Just gonna get it tanned because I wouldn't get anything for it.


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## mhodnettjr (Jan 30, 2005)

congrats to you and the mrs on the mink catches. I hope we will get to see some pics of them soon.

Mike


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## David G Duncan (Mar 26, 2000)

Congratulaltions to Team NorthCountry!!

I think I might have told you that mink trapping can be very addictive. The smell of mink musk seems to get more like perfume with very catch.

But you still need to be careful during the skinning process and not cut into those glands. :yikes: Too much of a good thing is not good when it comes to mink musk!


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## Northcountry (Feb 4, 2004)

Dave,

So far, I have never cut open a mink, weasel or skunk gland while skinning. I know where they are located...and just use a sharp single-edge razor blade to cut around the perimeter without adding dangerous pressure. My skinning knives are sharp...but not sharp enough for this area.

But truth be known...I dont mind any of the musk odors at all, so when the day comes that I hit the jackpot...no big deal. :evil: 



mhodnettjr said:


> I hope we will get to see some pics of them soon.


Didnt have too many pics to choose from...


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## ottertrapper (Jan 6, 2006)

Nice! Look at that big smile! I assume she is getting it tanned?


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## Northcountry (Feb 4, 2004)

ottertrapper said:


> I assume she is getting it tanned?


Nope, she just wants to sell it.

On the other hand, she wants to save up the muskrats she catches, to have a bomber hat made.


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## mhodnettjr (Jan 30, 2005)

thanks for the pictures! She certainly has the smile of a happy trapper!

congrats to the both of you.

I have been thinking about getting a fur hat made too, but I am thinking a coyote and a beaver. It might take me 5 years to catch enough rats:lol: 

Mike


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## gunrod (Jan 16, 2001)

Northcountry said:


> Nope, she just wants to sell it.
> 
> On the other hand, she wants to save up the muskrats she catches, to have a bomber hat made.


I just saw an add somewhere that would make a rat hat for $55 and five rats. If I had 5 to spare I would have one made. Maybe next year.


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## Northcountry (Feb 4, 2004)

mhodnettjr said:


> I have been thinking about getting a fur hat made too, but I am thinking a coyote and a beaver.


What gave her the idea is the USA Foxx catalog and ordering guide that came with my latest issue of American Trapper. There are some pretty cool things in there!


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## montrose trapper (Nov 14, 2006)

ive been trying to get my girlfriend into trapping but she's not really into the getting up at 5 a.m. to check the traps but one time we went out in the afternoon to set some traps and she really enjoyed that... whats your secret lol


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