the joy of colony traps and the wandering muskrat

[trappnman]

so if a log is there- its legal?

but if you bring it there, its not?

good grief!

as stupid a law as not setting snares in "deer trials" in MN

I guess I'd go out a week before I set traps, and put in my blocking- then when I set traps, its there. if "he" meaning CO doesn't like it- take me to court

[seldom]

There must be a conspiracy or colugeion amoungst the State's DNR's to see which can come up with the most UN-commonsensical trapping regulation!!

[thebeav2]

Your being way to nice Seldom

And now they are talking about having wolf hunting and trapping season. Just wait and see how the DNR screws this up.

Yep I think If one went out early before season and did some prep work you might be OK. It would be very hard to prove It wasn't there naturally.

[seldom]

Feb 27, 2012 14:25:48 GMT -6 @thebeav2 said:

Your being way to nice Seldom

And now they are talking about having wolf hunting and trapping season. Just wait and see how the DNR screws this up.

Yep I think If one went out early before season and did some prep work you might be OK. It would be very hard to prove It wasn't there naturally.

:)Ya well I read our Regs very closely when we first got the colonies because I could see where attached/fold-out wings would be a great help in certain instances. Well, attached wings wouldn't get it but separate ones did. Certainly makes it harder to carry by loose pieces any distance and easier to carry in and just use 2-3 traps side by side instead. Heck, your CO would go ape chit to see some of our beaver lodges and bank dens that look like they have a picket fence at each entrance from folks blocking in their 330s.

[thebeav2]

Just wait a minute. here In WI we could stretch a length of snow fence In front of every culvert and cut a 330 sized hole In that fence and then set our 330. But you can't use any guides on a colony trap what a freaking joke.

[seldom]

Feb 27, 2012 16:59:00 GMT -6 @thebeav2 said:

Just wait a minute. here In WI we could stretch a length of snow fence In front of every culvert and cut a 330 sized hole In that fence and then set our 330. But you can't use any guides on a colony trap what a freaking joke.

[trappnman]

since colony traps were banned in WI and MN until recently, mn being a decade or more I guess. I wonder why they were?

Were they considered that efficient a trap that they would harm populations? or unethical somehow?

just seems silly with no rhyme nor reason for such restrictions.

multiples side by side ARE legal?

[thebeav2]

Yep you could block off the whole creek If you wanted to.

When this thing was written up by the Fur Harvest Committee none of these restrictions were In place. The only restriction was the size. It was 8x8x36.

But when It left the DNRs brain trust It had all these restrictions tacked on.
Did I mention wet dream.

I see where the trap Is super effective. But being detrimental to the rat population I don't think so. A good trapper with a few foot holds and body grippers can catch just as many rats as you can with colony traps but It just takes a lot longer.
The first time I ever checked any type of colony trap I had 8 rats In one and the one next to It had 4 and the two on the other end of the tube had 5 more 17 rats at one stop on the first check. Caught a lot more In that same tube over the next few days. Got to love those colony traps.

[thorsmightyhammer]

Feb 27, 2012 17:25:25 GMT -6 trappnman said:

since colony traps were banned in WI and MN until recently, mn being a decade or more I guess. I wonder why they were?

Were they considered that efficient a trap that they would harm populations? or unethical somehow?

just seems silly with no rhyme nor reason for such restrictions.

multiples side by side ARE legal?

Steve, I'd say about 1996 in MN give or take a year.

I know it was before 98 because I havent run a serious fall line since then and i used them the last time i did.

[mustelameister]

Another screwup: As of the beginning of this trapping season, it was up to the warden's discretion to determine whether or not the colony trap met the 6"x6" maximum size restriction. In other words, a collapsible 6"x6" colony trap might be legal for some wardens, but not for others, which includes the warden in this county.

Word has it that interpretation has been removed, but I haven't seen that in public print yet.

[RdFx]

yeppers Mike and Beav, the DNR wants the trappers input and then impliment stupid restrictions. Some i agree are needed but not the way DNR comes out with rules without consulting trapper input.... wait till wolf snare regulations come out, probably have to have a shock spring on snare so we dont injure the wolf! Yea - yea i know we should call cable release ect-ect but its a snare PERIOD.

[thebeav2]

You will probably never be able to use CRs when trapping wolves.
The BAD would have to be capable of letting a deer break free and If that was the case your not going to hold a wolf.

[packerfan]

Beav, you are so right. When setting my BE and channel sets this year, I finally went back to #160's in most spots. I want to GUIDE!

[packerfan]

Mike and Lee........the DNR wants US to do THEIR work! LOL!
In Kansas, I met with several wardens and wildlife biologists. It was SIMPLE. Use your common sense. VERY FEW TRAPPING REGS!

[trappnman]

packerfan-

I didn't guide most of my colonys, and because (not thinking I guess and a good price) I bought WI legal traps last june, on a spur of the moment thing- never thinking (or perhaps even knowing) I had far more latititude in size being in Mn- in any case, I used the same traps you did usually just placing them along a horizontal bank that was a sharp edge-

and my % with the colonys, far outproduced the bottom edged sets I made in previous years.

While the BE set is a good one, on rats at least I think for whatever reason, rats often go around BGs, esp on harsh edges, where with a colony, they don't.

logic would make one think the opposite-

I have to admit, I set them (colonys) wondering if it was going to be another mink box or bucket set method that seems to work for some, but not for me (vis a vis high % vs misses)

so when I made my first check, and had a rat, then the next, then consistent over heavily trapped ground I ws pleasantly surprised thinking if I had this success with no experience, than experience would make them dynamite.

BE sets I can take em or leave them

[blackhammer]

It's hard to keep rats out of them if you have rats.But I have the same "problem" with legholds, heck even 330s. lol To really get all the rats in an area,and I'm not sure you want to get everyone.You do have to move traps a little and use a variety of traps or sets unless your house trapping.I got so hooked on colonies I didn't want to set anything else for rats.Which is a mistake unless you got an endless supply of runways.I sure don't and really half to hunt to find those sure fire sets.
It would be fun to run a line of just colonies in country were there are a lot of culverts like maybe North Dakota in the fall or spring.With these prices I suppose about every tube is plugged. in many areas but I bet you could still find good areas.If rats hit three dollars again lol, and our state gets their stuff together maybe I still can run that line one day.

[seldom]

Feb 28, 2012 9:47:03 GMT -6 trappnman said:

I used the same traps you did usually just placing them along a horizontal bank that was a sharp edge-

and my % with the colonys, far outproduced the bottom edged sets I made in previous years.

While the BE set is a good one, on rats at least I think for whatever reason, rats often go around BGs, esp on harsh edges, where with a colony, they don't.

logic would make one think the opposite-


BE sets I can take em or leave them

No, in my experience with yours, logic should tell you that with a linear, sharp edge a swimming rat doesn't necessarily need to rub it's shoulder along it. Logic tells me that when swimming the rat is free to move in and out away from tne edge at will or as current may dictate. Thus, the larger target area of the colony or a larger body grip(160-220) would/should take more rats than the smaller sized 110.

I think sometimes when talking BEs we tend to lump the characteristics of the set, an edge/bottom interface, into one entity where we should only lump in the principle! By this I mean, an animal swimming as in the above example is swimming "along" a linear edge and it's correctly called a BE. Whereas an animal swimming around a projection(nonlinear) is also correctly called a BE but the action of the animal swimming around the projection is not the same as linear.

[blackhammer]

For be sets I believe you are better off for the most part if using conis to go with 220s or I suppose the 155 type trap.A 220 will also pick up a beaver or otter and debris would be less of a problem,imo.

[trappnman]

agree with the larger traps-

my point more was the colonys I used, were for all practical purposes the same entrance size as a 110, and the 110 offered an open entrance, whereas the colony doesn't.

[seldom]

Feb 28, 2012 11:23:18 GMT -6 trappnman said:

agree with the larger traps-

my point more was the colonys I used, were for all practical purposes the same entrance size as a 110, and the 110 offered an open entrance, whereas the colony doesn't.

Hmmmmmmmm!