# It's Nov 10 opening day for zone 3 water. Anybody setting today?



## Fool'em (Sep 29, 2016)

Gota be a few rat trappers getting started today. 
It kind of snuck up on me. 
Daughter and I will set a small marsh tomorrow after our morning deer hunt and pull on Sunday. Only real goal is a little warm up and some fresh muskrat mink bait


----------



## FREEPOP (Apr 11, 2002)

It makes good predator bait too.


----------



## MIfishslayer91 (Dec 24, 2013)

I couldn't stop thinking about water trapping, so last night at about 11:30 I told my wife I was leaving to set some traps at midnight lol. Only ended up setting two conibares at a culvert down the road to no avail. Didn't expect to catch anything going in blind last night, just needed to cure the bug for the night so I could get some sleep. Going to set some more traps out at some productive spots later today.


----------



## shutherdown (Nov 3, 2013)

1/4 ice with snow on it makes marsh trapping about impossible. Set a few close to shore. Waiting for the warm up next week. Hopefully I can get a good week of trapping in. Good luck


Sent from my iPhone using Michigan Sportsman


----------



## furandhides (Jul 3, 2008)

We had 10 here this morn. Everything but the fastest water is froze tight. suns been out all day here and no sign of melt.


----------



## trapper ed (Sep 9, 2011)

I got about 50 sets out today but that was only about half of what I wanted to. 1/4”-3/8” of ice on the back half of the marsh.


----------



## Urriah (Jul 26, 2013)

Waiting till at least after the 16th. Going to deer hunt hard a couple days and let them prime up for at least a week anyways. I've had a couple years around me where rats the 10th-14th were super, super blue still.


----------



## furandhides (Jul 3, 2008)

Another cold day up north. No melt after the hard freeze. highs in the 20's with a good stiff wind this morning.


----------



## trapper ed (Sep 9, 2011)

My 50 sets got me 16 rata 2 xl 3 2x 2 3x 9 lg. Most sets were froze in.


----------



## Anita Dwink (Apr 14, 2004)

1/2 " of ice and cold enough to lock em up on most of my spots. Almost thick enough to run under ice in some runs. Put a few colonies in and marked active bank dens. Hope it's warm enough to melt what's there. Pushed back my schedule a week.


----------



## Johnson103103 (Jan 5, 2013)

Got 66 yesterday and 65 today


----------



## Fool'em (Sep 29, 2016)

Well we had some delays this weekend and I ended up putting a couple sets in the dark Saturday and ended up with one little rat yesterday. Got a few more sets in yesterday so tonight's check should be better. 
Friday i start targeting mink hard and I'm still doing final prep work for that line. Hopefully my last FnT order shows up tonight. I ran out of a couple things over the weekend. 
Setting all day Friday out of a boat and I really need to keep to 5 min or less per stop if I want to make it work


----------



## 9 (Jan 17, 2000)

Here's what I hope will be taken as helpful advice from what I've learned in my 63rd years trapping. Yes methods and for some, setting goals are important but much more important even than that is just the whole experience---slow up a little and enjoy learning and the daily contact with Mother Nature. Yup, I'm older then most on here but years ago I came to prefer to doddle along and soak up the contact with nature than push, gung ho, rush rush rush to do more and more for what? Numbers? Not for me, sorry, knowing the animals and enjoying the feelings as well as accomplishment mean much more to me than numbers or the numbers games.


----------



## K-zoo (Jul 19, 2008)

My thoughts exactly Seldom. In just over 3 weeks I'll turn 60. Just getting out and enjoying what most others know nothing about lights my fire. I've always liked this quote from Henry David Thoreau, I think it fits here. 

"You shall see men you never heard of, whose names you don't know, going away down through the meadows with long ducking-guns, with water-tight boots...on bleak wintry, distant shores, with guns at half-cock; and they shall see teal...shelldrakes, whistlers, black ducks, ospreys, and many other wild and noble sights before night, such as they who sit in parlors never dream of."


----------



## Fool'em (Sep 29, 2016)

I appreciate the perspective guys.
This is something I have not done before. This will be the closest I've got to a long line opportunity.
It's going to be an adventure for sure
The work is part of the experience for me. I have a week dedicated to trapping this year and I really want to see what I'm capable of. I've been planning and scouting since last season in preparation for this. Anything I catch is a plus as I don't need the money just hopefully I can cover expenses.
While I'd love a hero shot with 100 mink in the back of the truck I'll be thrilled with anything I get. 
What I lack in skills I have to make up with effort. Until I have as much of the experience and knowledge as the more seasoned trappers such as yourselves I will just have to outwork you
It might take me 2 or 3 times the traps and 2 or 3 times as long to catch that mink but I'll keep at it and learn the whole time. Then next time different story. 

Tight chains


----------



## Fur-minator (Nov 28, 2007)

All of this rain has my water sets on the river 2-3 feet under water. I am hoping I can get to them by the end of the week.


----------



## Fool'em (Sep 29, 2016)

Ha glad I'm not the only one with this problem right now. Makes me feel a little better that I'm not the only one with an entire water line out of commission.


----------



## Fur-minator (Nov 28, 2007)

Looked a little better this morning. By tomorrow I should be able to see some traps!


----------



## wicklundrh (Mar 18, 2014)

You know, with the way the weather has been this year, I should be water trapping and having the same issues as everyone else! Set today, they are three foot above water early next week.

I have some coyotes on a farm that I need to get rid of however the property is mostly muck bottom soil and if you have ever worked with it and trapping, it is a real pain to get traps to fire out of that ground! Waxed dirt and light camo sifting of the black stuff helps, but with this much rain, they get packed in. I think I will wait till the snow flys.


----------



## FREEPOP (Apr 11, 2002)

I have to clean my **** out before canine trapping, it'd be foolish to try before that.
First I have some beaver to chase this weekend, then moving to the ****.


----------

