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Post by jim on May 15, 2012 11:17:16 GMT -6
I know a guy has a couple dozen wire stretchers for sale the hooks just have a right angle end on them he said you leave a litle bit of the tail on back and belly to push them into it. Anyone ever use them, who made them? I don't really want them but he also has some stoploss traps that I might buy if I get the right price for everthing.
Jim
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Post by trappnman on May 15, 2012 11:20:15 GMT -6
they sound like Peerless Jim-
old school here on the river was to always leave a bit of tail on
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Post by thorsmightyhammer on May 15, 2012 16:56:50 GMT -6
400 stretchers?
500 stretchets?
What do you guys do, never tale a rat off until.the stretchers are all full?
I cant even fathom how many rats I'd have to catch to need 400 stretchers.
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Post by thebeav2 on May 15, 2012 18:27:15 GMT -6
When we came back we were putting up around 450 a day. One days drying time and put another 450 on the forms.
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Post by BadDog on May 17, 2012 0:37:34 GMT -6
How 'bout that eh? Start a thread and then not participate... Sorry!
The boards I got are these funny little thin planed boards, They are made of solid wood, not plywood, a standard perhaps? and reinforced across the base to prevent the wood from splitting. And they are planed/tapered, and I suspect the concept is to not use a wedge. Ya for presentation purposes they make the nicest job, much better than the wire crap I have here, but pinning sucks. Although pinning on the sides can yield that extra 1/2" measured the old fashioned way. (I hear NAFA has a machine that measures sq inches now?)
I was hoping you guys were going to tell me that there were these beautiful wire forms available now that made perfect rats.
But it is interesting Steve that your guy actually prefers rats done on wire. I suspect that is his personal preference but not industry standard. I do recall hearing from the NAFA folks way back when that wood was prefered. Perhaps it also had to do something with this, some people put soaking wet rats on stretchers, as in fur sopping wet. We had some of them come thru the depot and they were moulding away by the time we got them. Neat. Fresh stretched rats with these great big emerald green mould patches. I should have hucked them but I set aside or a week or so til they redried.
Anyways, I sure like the convienience of the wire but love the perfect shape of the wood.
And, all rats I get just go to NAFA. Some guy kept phoning me wanting to buy my coyotes and phoning and phoning, but he never showed up, claimed he was going to buy all my rats too but I never got out. I finished putting up my coyotes 2 weeks after ice out and figured the rats were all wrecked.
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Post by thebeav2 on May 17, 2012 6:49:03 GMT -6
I have some of those rat boards that have planed tapered edges. I think It's a perception thing. Because when a rat dries on wood there Is no give In that form and the rat dries tight In all areas. So In my opinion you need to use a belly wedge when you use wood.
I think most people stretch rats wrong. In my opinion you need to pull the rat down on the skirt edges first and secure that area. Then you pull down the tail and belly edges and secure those points.
if your pulling the heck out of the belly and tail areas first then your creating a larger difference between the skirt and the tail area. And rat are measured to the shortest spot.
Yes NAFA uses a scanner to scale rats as to square centimeters. But this Is how It works. The rat Is laid down on the screen with It's nose against the leading edge of the screen. The machine scans the rat to the shortest point. Thus eliminating the tail area. This Is done to compensate for the scanner scanning the head area which has no value. So by pulling down the skirt area and thus making the length of tail area shorter you are gaining size since they aren't deducting as much from the tail area.
All skins of the same size are tossed In a bin. Then they are graded as to fur and leather quality.
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Post by jim on May 17, 2012 7:24:25 GMT -6
Do they just scan one side?
Jim
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Post by thebeav2 on May 17, 2012 7:41:45 GMT -6
both sides
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Post by thorsmightyhammer on May 17, 2012 19:21:13 GMT -6
And, all rats I get just go to NAFA. Some guy kept phoning me wanting to buy my coyotes and phoning and phoning, but he never showed up, claimed he was going to buy all my rats too but I never got out. I finished putting up my coyotes 2 weeks after ice out and figured the rats were all wrecked.
Marty, if I were you I'd trap until the rat season closes.
You will get damaged ones but 95 percent will grade at the worst spring slight damaged.
Very very few actually grade as sec III at the auction. Usually they are half eaten.
A spring slight xl rat at the feb nafa auction was probably nine bucks.
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Post by northof50 on May 21, 2012 9:30:31 GMT -6
The bottom little piece is to stop the board from warping with wet skins on boards . Belly wedges are still needed. That 1/2 inch means a lot with western rats.
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Post by thebeav2 on May 21, 2012 11:22:15 GMT -6
Someone Is putting WET rats on boards? NOT a good Idea.They dry all matted and ugly and you will take It In the shorts when there graded.
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Post by trappnman on May 21, 2012 11:33:09 GMT -6
400-500 stretchers?
got a bunch from dad, had a good opportunity from Tracy T to buy another bunch a couple of years ago, and when my uncle died last year got all his. So yes, got way more than I'll ever need or use at one time. but just can't bring myself to sell them
I pretty much leave them on until I sell, except for the early ones, most of mine are cold dried. I take out 100 or so to use, and I sell often enough that I don't run out- rest stay in storage.
no one likes those newhouse open bottomed kind? too bad- got a bunch I'd sell cheap.
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Post by thebeav2 on May 21, 2012 11:45:28 GMT -6
I pretty much leave them on until I sell, except for the early ones, most of mine are cold dried. I take out 100 or so to use, and I sell often enough that I don't run out- rest stay in storage. I'm guessing that the 100 In your statement was a miss print and It should say 10  |
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Post by trappnman on May 21, 2012 11:51:01 GMT -6
well.....I took close to 600 rats sleeping in my own bed every night this past year.....no ice really kept the numbers consistent over a long period If one leaves the lure at home and sets where rats "be"- you dont need to travel to the north pole to trap rats.....  |
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Post by thebeav2 on May 21, 2012 15:02:21 GMT -6
Well between the fall season here and away and the spring season we took over 3000 rats and That was In about 70 days. How long did It take you to catch 600? And we never had to deal with any Ice In fact It was way to warm Sleep Is way over rated and hell you can sleep anywhere. Your problem Is you live In MN and no one will let you travel across the state line to trap rats.  |
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Post by calvin on May 21, 2012 19:40:33 GMT -6
Man I have to buy more stretchers. Just 78 here. Skin, scrape and dry in the basement with the dehumidifier on. Nice, warm and dry. Rats are dry in 36hrs. Less with a fan on them. The wife has allergies so can't smell a thing. Well less than most women anyhow. I/v had wood and many different kinds of wire stretchers. Sold em all and bought Duke stretchers...as I like them narrower than most stretchers. Have to roughen the sides with a file when new but it/s nice to have them all the exact same.
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Post by calvin on May 21, 2012 20:52:31 GMT -6
Good to know Steven. Think I might have hit the hooks with a file as well now that I think of it.
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Post by trappnman on May 22, 2012 7:03:26 GMT -6
not trying to whip anything out- just responding to beavs quip
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