# Seldom and a Goal



## Nostromo (Feb 14, 2012)

Seldom said:


> Looks like 1/3 the way to my goal. Caught her at a crossover. The same with then beaver and it bottomed-out my 50# scales. 1st check on new line.
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Nice work!


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## Spade (Feb 20, 2007)

Seldom said:


> Looks like 1/3 the way to my goal. Caught her at a crossover. The same with then beaver and it bottomed-out my 50# scales. 1st check on new line.
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Now that is sweet. I like the feel of fur, when it on the boards, but I think otter is my favorite. Question? Is that a sling for your coni bear setter, or to sling your critters for carrying out? Also, I like the way you cable off your traps. Your drying rack is neat also.


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

Seldom said:


> Looks like 1/3 the way to my goal. Caught her at a crossover. The same with then beaver and it bottomed-out my 50# scales. 1st check on new line.
> View attachment 872126
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What's with the beaver's tail? Is there a chunk missing or an illusion?


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## FREEPOP (Apr 11, 2002)

sureshot006 said:


> What's with the beaver's tail? Is there a chunk missing or an illusion?


Beavers bite eachother all the time, tails, legs, back pretty much everywhere. Nice greenish puss pockets when you're skinning and fleshing


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## Seldom (3 mo ago)

Thanks for the compliments!

Yes, it is a homemade sling. I save carrying straps when the bags are trash and I could see where attaching one of the straps to the setter could be darn handy and by golly, it really is. Now I wouldn’t be without a sling so I’m glad I keep straps.

I learned years before that I didn’t like a long piece of cable to step on/trip on or get tangled so I only use short lengths on the trap itself with a swivel clip and carry lengths of cable coiled up in my wader pocket. As I’m using homemade H-stands I just unclip the tether cable and clip the cable to the H-stand and remake the set. Once the stand with trap is back in position I just reclip the tether cable.

I have to testify that I’m anti wire! LOL. Fixing wire poked holes in gloves, waders, & hip boots got real old for me years ago so I switched to cable. Just last week I came across two old beaver sticks with wire wrapped on and each had 8”-10 of wire sticking out, neither got my waders so I was lucky!!! Pisses me off when trappers can’t take the time to remove ALL of their tie-off wire. They hauled it in, they can haul it out!!


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## Seldom (3 mo ago)

sureshot006 said:


> What's with the beaver's tail? Is there a chunk missing or an illusion?


No illusion SS. The older the beaver the more there are territorial fights And as the loser is swimming away the winner can get a good bead on the tail! A parting gift to the loser! LOL


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

FREEPOP said:


> Beavers bite eachother all the time, tails, legs, back pretty much everywhere. Nice greenish puss pockets when you're skinning and fleshing


Haven't caught a ton of beaver, I think 6 or so, and have found a little infection but never a huge chunk missing! Nasty bite


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## Spade (Feb 20, 2007)

Seldom said:


> I have to testify that I’m anti wire! LOL. Fixing wire poked holes in gloves, waders, & hip boots got real old for me years ago so I switched to cable. Just last week I came across two old beaver sticks with wire wrapped on and each had 8”-10 of wire sticking out, neither got my waders so I was lucky!!! Pisses me off when trappers can’t take the time to remove ALL of their tie-off wire. They hauled it in, they can haul it out!!


I'll have to agree with you whole Heartly, been poked more than once with old wire, always keep up on my Tetanus shot.


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## Spade (Feb 20, 2007)

sureshot006 said:


> Haven't caught a ton of beaver, I think 6 or so, and have found a little infection but never a huge chunk missing! Nasty bite


Spring beaver trapping they get some real nasty bites, during breeding season, those big old males get a really bad attitude.


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## FREEPOP (Apr 11, 2002)

Yes, spring is when they get the most bites.
That 58 lber I got yesterday had been bit up all over it's back at one time. No infection as it had healed but it will be a damaged and a pain to flesh


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## FREEPOP (Apr 11, 2002)

sureshot006 said:


> Haven't caught a ton of beaver, I think 6 or so, and have found a little infection but never a huge chunk missing! Nasty bite


You'll notice when you see the bright green goo. 🤢


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## Seldom (3 mo ago)

Spade said:


> I'll have to agree with you whole Heartly, been poked more than once with old wire, always keep up on my Tetanus shot.


There is one thing worse than leaving trapper’s wire, leaving huge(11/2” across) treble hooks dangling from limbs where I want to set for coyotes!! Twice on 2 different properties I’ve narrowly missed getting hooks in my face from people leaving them hang. 

If those of you who don’t understand what I’m talking about let me explain. There are people who dislike coyotes to such a degree that during winter, they will hang big treble hooks from a sturdy branch with either wire or cable and glob onto the hook a handful of hamburger and let it freeze. Do I need to explain more?? It is and has been a quite common practice up here for many, many years. Over the years I’ve actually had property owners threaten me that if I didn’t trap coyotes on their property they’d hang the hooks. Sort of like blackmailing me because they knew of my feeling for wildlife and the Law. 

I know this is off topic but still relevant to finding stuff while trapping that will cause either equipment harm or personal Injury.


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

FREEPOP said:


> You'll notice when you see the bright green goo. 🤢


I mean I have seen infection for sure. Just from punctures not a chunk of flesh missing.

Last I was near beaver sign, I could hear something really faint coming from a den (hard to describe. Not quite like a puppy), after I saw 2 adult beaver escape under water. I assume a few young uns in there. Maybe next year I will try to get a few.


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## MichiFishy (Sep 17, 2019)

sureshot006 said:


> I mean I have seen infection for sure. Just from punctures not a chunk of flesh missing.
> 
> I could hear something really faint coming from a den (hard to describe. Not quite like a puppy), after I saw 2 adult beaver escape under water. I assume a few young uns in there.


Those teeth work on more than just wood. A tail I’m tanning now. You ever hear the Foxworthy joke about the dead beaver? “Bit his nipple off!” Lmao


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## Seldom (3 mo ago)

MichiFishy said:


> Those teeth work on more than just wood. A tail I’m tanning now. You ever hear the Foxworthy joke about the dead beaver? “Bit his nipple off!” Lmao


No, have you heard about the radio DJ down in Chicago in the early 60s that spun a record for all the virgins listening that night “It Only Hurts For A Little While”. Sucked to be him, they fired him on the phone! That’s what I figure about beaver bitting other beaver’s tails!


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## ottertrapper (Jan 6, 2006)

Nice work Mike!


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## Seldom (3 mo ago)

ottertrapper said:


> Nice work Mike!


Thanks Kurt! 1st otter I’ve ever killed. I can’t say it was an otter specific set being a crossover 330 but I had seen tracks in the near vicinity So I wasn’t surprised. You and the boy keep on trapping up there. Do you ever miss the old Hunt Creek Fish Lab job?


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## ottertrapper (Jan 6, 2006)

Hey Mike if it’s a crossover it’s an otter set just as much as a beaver set IMO. Good job! I should probably set for otters again. They were my favorite for a lot of years. When they became almost worthless and couldn’t sell I hung up the otter traps . Maybe I need to blow the dust off them this winter. This is now the time I would start setting for them. Looking forward to more catch pics. My son is after a cat right now so hopefully he connects soon. This mornings rain never helps lol


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## Seldom (3 mo ago)

Here is a short clip of when I started beaver trapping 12/1. Those are 20 year old Cabelas breathable wader I have on with muck boots(gave my wading boots to grandson). I need to try and do more videoing of where I’m at now. One of the dams is at least 150yds long.
Beaver Trapping 1 2022 SD 480p


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## Seldom (3 mo ago)

I’m surprised that no one asked about what those black pads glued to my wader’s legs were. LOL


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## Seldom (3 mo ago)

Ah Ha she cried as she threw her leg on the kitchen table, one-legged girls can have fun too!

It seems like it was Freepop who mentioned running into educated beaver. Well, today I verified a suspision that one of my floodings I just sethas educated beaver. I've been suspicious with the two other checks observing the oddities of trails in the thin ice but today with the slush & thin ice exposed the puzzle of not catching any beaver in a swamp where there is a ton of fresh & old sign. I saw it the last check and today it was clear, the beaver are really screwing me over. Sign shows they are swimming over my 330s, in a couple spots they are going around, and in other locations they are stopping short & turning around. They sure as the world recognize a 330!!

I pulled the traps this morning and I'll wait for walkable ice and see if they avoid snares or not. With snares I can quickly make the runs into obstacle courses.


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## Nostromo (Feb 14, 2012)

Seldom said:


> There is one thing worse than leaving trapper’s wire, leaving huge(11/2” across) treble hooks dangling from limbs where I want to set for coyotes!! Twice on 2 different properties I’ve narrowly missed getting hooks in my face from people leaving them hang.
> 
> If those of you who don’t understand what I’m talking about let me explain. There are people who dislike coyotes to such a degree that during winter, they will hang big treble hooks from a sturdy branch with either wire or cable and glob onto the hook a handful of hamburger and let it freeze. Do I need to explain more?? It is and has been a quite common practice up here for many, many years. Over the years I’ve actually had property owners threaten me that if I didn’t trap coyotes on their property they’d hang the hooks. Sort of like blackmailing me because they knew of my feeling for wildlife and the Law.
> 
> I know this is off topic but still relevant to finding stuff while trapping that will cause either equipment harm or personal Injury.











Wolf's angle. That goes back centuries.


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## Pikestabber93 (2 mo ago)

Seldom said:


> Ah Ha she cried as she threw her leg on the kitchen table, one-legged girls can have fun too!
> 
> It seems like it was Freepop who mentioned running into educated beaver. Well, today I verified a suspision that one of my floodings I just sethas educated beaver. I've been suspicious with the two other checks observing the oddities of trails in the thin ice but today with the slush & thin ice exposed the puzzle of not catching any beaver in a swamp where there is a ton of fresh & old sign. I saw it the last check and today it was clear, the beaver are really screwing me over. Sign shows they are swimming over my 330s, in a couple spots they are going around, and in other locations they are stopping short & turning around. They sure as the world recognize a 330!!
> 
> I pulled the traps this morning and I'll wait for walkable ice and see if they avoid snares or not. With snares I can quickly make the runs into obstacle courses.


That right there makes me want to get out and set some beaver traps, the footholds, 330's and a few dozen unused snares are just waiting. Good luck in you pursuits seldom.


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## Seldom (3 mo ago)




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## Spade (Feb 20, 2007)

Seldom said:


> It seems like it was Freepop who mentioned running into educated beaver. Well, today I verified a suspision that one of my floodings I just sethas educated beaver. I've been suspicious with the two other checks observing the oddities of trails in the thin ice but today with the slush & thin ice exposed the puzzle of not catching any beaver in a swamp where there is a ton of fresh & old sign. I saw it the last check and today it was clear, the beaver are really screwing me over. Sign shows they are swimming over my 330s, in a couple spots they are going around, and in other locations they are stopping short & turning around. They sure as the world recognize a 330!!


An educated beaver is most likely one of the critters that will give you more headaches than you want. Had one that would push a stick threw the 330 on a dam break, then use it to help plug up the break. I tried for over 2 months to nail him. Ended up having to buy a RBG coni and cut the wires so that it tripped when he hit it with his back. Another that would get close to the 330 and turn around and slap the water with its tail an set the trap off, as I always set on the first notch for a light trigger hit. If I had not seen it for myself with my own eyes, and someone told me that I would swear that they were feeding me a line.
I would have liked to use snares, but the property owner was totally anti-snare.


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## FREEPOP (Apr 11, 2002)

Seldom said:


> Ah Ha she cried as she threw her leg on the kitchen table, one-legged girls can have fun too!
> 
> It seems like it was Freepop who mentioned running into educated beaver. Well, today I verified a suspision that one of my floodings I just sethas educated beaver. I've been suspicious with the two other checks observing the oddities of trails in the thin ice but today with the slush & thin ice exposed the puzzle of not catching any beaver in a swamp where there is a ton of fresh & old sign. I saw it the last check and today it was clear, the beaver are really screwing me over. Sign shows they are swimming over my 330s, in a couple spots they are going around, and in other locations they are stopping short & turning around. They sure as the world recognize a 330!!
> 
> I pulled the traps this morning and I'll wait for walkable ice and see if they avoid snares or not. With snares I can quickly make the runs into obstacle courses.


Educated beaver will keep you on your toes and adds some challenge, much like coyote trapping. My money is on Seldom


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## GWGjr (Feb 1, 2018)

No doubt about it, an educated beaver will test one's will and creative skills. I've always liked the way Paul Dobbins put it - trapping beaver is easy 'til it ain't.


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## FREEPOP (Apr 11, 2002)

GWGjr said:


> No doubt about it, an educated beaver will test one's will and creative skills. I've always liked the way Paul Dobbins put it - trapping beaver is easy 'til it ain't.


Very true
Another I heard:
Anyone can catch "a" beaver but it's a whole different game catching the last one.


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## Seldom (3 mo ago)

Yup, but on a positive note, I’m not doing adc work so if the snared runs are avoided I’ll just walk away. There are too many easy beaver for me to catch than to spend much extra time screwing with educated beaver! I am very interested if the educated beaver avoid my beaver spike rods though. 

BTW, this is a surface water flooding contained by the topography so there is no flow or dam.


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## David G Duncan (Mar 26, 2000)

Congratulations


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