end of the season

[trappnman]

ended up with 5 badger- couple of real nice cream colored ones, and this big old brownish one- might or might not be biggest badger I ever trapped. but certainly the biggest catch circle- the red a couple of pics down was taken the day before in this set- 2 to yotes before that



last 2 coyotes of the year-



4 singleton reds this year-































look close, there are 2

[RdFx]

Thanks for posting Steve and Lori, nice pics. That brown badger diggings looks like a bomb crater, whoooeee ! Did you find that once deer season kicked in where you were trapping that the yotes didnt work baited dirt holes as much ? I find that here where im trapping but it only takes a week after season closes and they work the dirt holes again.

[trappnman]

it depends on the season Lee. here, we have 9 days of 1st season, then a week of off then 9 days of 2nd season.

1st season seems to be leases and public land more- and actually had my best week during it this year

2nd is more the local farmers driving the lands, and catch did go down then

[lumberjack]

Great pictures as always. I wonder why Badgers never filtered into PA? I wonder what they need that my state doesnt have? Well now I have to deal with flood conditions on the water line, I knew it was coming.

[blackhammer]

Nice pics ,thanks for sharing.

[trappnman]

here the #1 food for badgers are pocket gophers- where you got gophers, you got badgers- out west at least where I saw it, their prey are prairie dogs

hard to catch intentionally unless a quick den. Badgers are really nomadic, travelling around their range with a series of temp/overnight dens (or just dig new) and most times when you come in, the sign is old., during gophers, I often find overnight dens, badger still inside, and almost daily get gophers eaten

[blackhammer]

In many respects they are like fisher or wolverines traveling big ranges. Gophers are the most common food no doubt. But I have caught them in the woods and caught one in the boreal forest of northern Mn once. They are a pretty cool animal I just wish ours were worth more money. I don't like skinning them and really think they stink though. They never seem to be very common but there is always a few around.

[Deleted]

Dec 2, 2015 19:27:51 GMT -6 blackhammer said:

 I don't like skinning them and really think they stink though. 

That's the absolute truth.  Heck, I can't hardly keep from throwing-up before I take them out of the trap!

[trappincoyotes39]

Badgers can be targeted at prairie dog towns but the best fur comes in January and Febuary. Caught many at this time of year in dog towns and in bobcat sets.

Also dead piles become magnets for them and they can be targeted there as well in the winter when it gets really cold. Another place a road killed deer, used to have many people think mt lions where in the area but nope just a badger digging I. And laying claim to those large meat sources LOL.

No problem with the smell,of badgers and a good January badger fur is a real thing of beauty . Creamy,silky and very soft.

The ranches I trapped on where they had a dead pile for many years where badger magnets.

[trappnman]

I get more selling whole for taxidermy

smell never bothered me either-

agreed- those winter ones are nice

[braveheart]

You have some good looking coyotes Steve.I to take and sell mine to a taxidermist if little foot damage.Mine all been coated in mud.Nice pics.

[Aaron.F]

Nice pictures. I have only seen badger sign around here once before and that was probably 7-8 years ago.

You are done trapping coyotes and I just started this past weekend.

[trappnman]

its tempting to get back out- but this nice weather actually hurts access- all that rain is just under the surface- just a few places yesterday (bean fields) were greasy.

but darn it- you could not ask for better weather for so late in the year

[Deleted]

Dec 3, 2015 15:52:11 GMT -6 trappnman said:

its tempting to get back out- but this nice weather actually hurts access- all that rain is just under the surface- just a few places yesterday (bean fields) were greasy.

but darn it- you could not ask for better weather for so late in the year

You got that right!  If sleds are made for snow, quads are made for this mud.  Exactly 1/2 of the properties I set yesterday and today can be directly attributed to using a quad instead of my 4x4 Ford Ranger!  Mud, mud, and more mud enough if I were a rookie and driven with my truck, would have embarrassed myself for being inconsiderate with irate property owners for tearing-up their trails.  I even had one plowed field on a property that I almost buried the quad in if it weren't for having 4x4 to use and backing out!.  That property will have to wait for some real good freezes before I can set it.

[musher]

Badgers smell? Like what?

Do you have to flatten out the catch crater to avoid getting the land owner peeved?

[trappincoyotes39]

Musher when done trapping one could level out the ground some and it will settle on its own fairly well "I" have never had problems with land owners and badger diggings.

[Deleted]

Dec 3, 2015 19:09:32 GMT -6 musher said:

Badgers smell? Like what?

Do you have to flatten out the catch crater to avoid getting the land owner peeved?

I worked an entire career in the chemical industry and nothing I ever smelled caused a gag reflex like the smell of a badger to me.

Two badger catch circles/excavations I filled-in.  Hell, a person could fall in either and break a leg!  The 3rd was so deep and mounded the property owner used his backhoe to fill the excavation in and level.  I gave that particular badger to the property owner so he could have a full-body mount made for his trophy room.  He took it to a sportings goods store(Jay's for the MI folks) and they said it was the largest badger they'd ever recorded.  Weighted 31.8 lbs. and was as beautiful mounted as alive.

[braveheart]

Down here farmers are happy last hole it will dig.

[trappnman]

I just don't have that reaction to the smell- in fact, until now, I wouldn't have even considered that some might not like it

now chili= smelling it cooking makes me want to gag- seriously

pretty much what braveheart says is true- last hole they ever will dig. I fill them in best I can

[Deleted]

Our firearm deer season ended Tuesday so it's just a matter of time for the coyotes to get back into their normal cycle.  In my area it's got to be pretty wild for coyotes because starting Thanksgiving deer drives are the norm and everybody is filling doe permits so lots of people "moving" in the woods pushing deer and coyote alike and lots of shooting.

I stopped back at the dairy farm for a look-see at my old sets and noticed as I was driving by the farmer had a tiling crew setting-up.  Well lucky me!  It appeared instead of all the heavy equipment coming in to the field north of where my sets were they came in WHERE my sets were.  They never missed a single set and drove repeatedly over all of them.  Whew, saved the Jakes by pulling for deer season!!

its tempting to get back out-

  With your style of getting in and getting out quickly you know you left coyotes BUT if you ever confessed to going back in on previously trapped properties, 1080 would probably roast/crucify/dismember/disinherit you at the very least!
Speaking of you going back in and given all the talk about dispersal and back-filling, didn't you start in mid-October?  If it was about 6 weeks ago, wouldn't you think it's be like starting fresh on the earliest properties?  If you think it might be and you don't take advantage of the snowless weather this year of all years I think you'll be cutting off your nose to spite your face!   In the words of Dow's founder- "I can find 100 men that will tell me it can't be done but I'm looking for the 1 man that says it can!"