Rat trapping year end pics/review

[northof50]

Just finished and pulled, what a year of water..frozen flooder and not co-operating all the way.
Last year by the end of March was dragging the "Old Indian" carrier into the marsh, this year there was no open water till the 29 April.


Had a lot more Minn fishermen in the last week of March, with a little trespassing across our land, someone did not like to be told and pulled 17 traps in a drive by revenge attach..only to freeze out @0f that night.
Then the Red River spilled it's banks and put 3 feet of water in the marsh, just as the girls were swelling, putting everyone out of a house.


Then a little boo-boo on my finger from a rat that I did not see. 11 stitches later on my working hand, got some help to pull..egrh on the 100 rat days that were ahead was the flustering part to miss out on.
Ten days of healing was road trapping, still could not get around in the marsh, what a down grade of rats in that time and size much smaller from 3 stem bulrush rats.
Rats fared well in the winter. There was the Major storm in Oct that wiped out all the huts with wind tides. 3 weeks of building before ice up and the survivors got some made. Lots of snow cover, did not make much ice, but protected the huts. Early March thaw took away all the insulation of the snow and the ice went down 18 inches then. Could not travel in the marsh in Jan or Feb with only 6 inches of ice, and non around the huts over 6 feet of water it was not worth it.
Tried a new method of drying using a clothes pin to take up the slack when drying big rats. Notice the larger size since these were caught over cattails in deep water..50 year old stretchers and closest pins were 2 inches away

[northof50]

photo bucket issues pics to follow.
Got a 84 year old out for a week of work out, got 6 rats.


Feeders were hard to find, especially the small holes in the ice type. Tried new Duke 155's in them, and the two springs held them in place, just right, a little ice chiseling to get below the nightly frost action.


Last day damage, someone pulled a sub and then drove over one end, rat was inside dead already, showing drain into marsh, had gone down 4 feet after spring runoff.


Thanks 49er for storing the traps for a couple of months,and for our good shipper Mr Schmitt for shipping them up. I found the lure 2 days before the end, and the gloves that I was not wearing but contemplated on bite day...have no holes in them.
Now to wait till the NAFA auction in May.

[musher]

Sounds busy.

11 stitches from a rat?

It must have almost chewed the finger off.

[northof50]

No it was a pretty intern that was sewing it up, and when she said is that enough, I just kept saying ah-hu.
The one front incisors went down the entire side of the middle finger, and with 2 joints and flexing, some bracing was needed. Luckily no nerve or ligament damage.
I've seen other guys that keep trapping and infections and then weeks to repair, so no chances did I take. The longest part was explaining about the rabies program I was in and that I did not need shots..luckily I had the researchers home # to get her to pull up my titour #'s for the ER Dr's.

[trappnman]

ok- whats the pic of the bike wheel?

[northof50]

When I was going on my first duck hunt at 14; I was told to go get the "old Indian" ready to carry the canoe 300 yards to the marsh. In the dark 5am I walked around and started to ask a whole bunch of old..60's hunters, Where the Indian...everyone said in the bush, or so-a-so boat is carring it now. I went back to my dad and said, something that has haunted me since. After the First world war they de-comished an old Indian motor cycle and used the ridgid tires for the canoe carrier... sure wish that the frame was around somewhere.

[northof50]

Next years breeding stock;



Fast Freddie in March..this took 30 pics to get a blurr.



Winnipeg Floodway with just ground /spring melt water. It goes up to the side of the riff rock', Highway 59 north overpass.


Much always get talked about what the leather changes in the spring. This is an exaple of the kidney area weakening. Note the colour of the hide from a deep red to an orange hue. Long hair guards came out with my finger when rubbed


The real breeding stock 0f 2012

[rk660]

North of 40, had a deal with sub or funnel trap too: trying to slide one in a culvert right under someones rat float, plenty current and sucked it right out of my fingers into curvert. I couldnt reach from either end with 2 5 ft poles and a T-bar ducttaped together. Put a solid stake downstream side to catch it if it ever came thru before I could fab up a longer retriever pole. 4 days later there it sits against my pole---with a about a 29-30" pike in it. Belly looked bigger than the funnel hole.
no wonder it moved! Got bit by the damn thing trying to bend him in a "U" to fish out of the door, then when about out of door he kicks my arm against the points of wire on the door cutout, drawing blood twice. (some piss poor traps I bought up there, the doors he just cut out in middle of 1x1" squares, leaving the tits on both door and cuttout). 3 bleeding tooth gashes on thumb, 4 equally spaced bleeding punctures on my forearm. He "died" from trauma resulting from his release, since he couldnt be released alive, my skinner had a good supper I believe.
Prolly caught over a 100 pike in funnels and colonies, mostly funnels.

[blackhammer]

Didn't get any bigger northerns like your RK but did have six smaller ones in the trap at once.Got a few rat northern ,doubles there but pulled because of the fish plugging the trap.Had a couple of traps vanish into bigger culverts I'm sure because of bigger fish northerns or carp.Live and learn I guess.