Trapping- What did you catch today?

[fishermann222]

If you are going to get it tanned it does not matter how you finish it on the stretcher. I would NOT turn it fur out, as it does not matter if you are going to get it tanned. I believe if you were selling it, it would have to be fur out. It has really nice white stripes. Nice and wide.

[tip-up king]

Some more 2006 season pics.

[The Grebe]

Sachem...They'er like coon, they come out when the weather warms up abit and they stay put in a semi hybernation state when the cold comes.

[The Grebe]

Leechmann...They are put on the stretcher with the leather side out....seems like no matter how good you flesh em, they still get greasy. If you put them fur side out, that grease creates heat, taint, get sour and cause slippage.

[leechmann]

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Don't they hibernate? I remember trapping as a kid and nothing was more of a let down than a skunk in a fox or coon set. I learned that if you stayed away from them and shot them from a distance, they wouldn't spray

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Sachem, they are like a coon, they hibernate when it's cold, and come out of warmer nights. I think when it hit 25 degrees, they start wondering around.

Thanks Grebe, I'll put him on the stretcher fur side in. I skun him right after he died. Being still warm, he sure skun nice and easy. Then I was impressed that it fleshed out so easy. I used a dull draw knife, and just pushed the fat off. Pretty easy, if they didn't stink, maybe a guy would go after them.

[fishermann222]

Grebe so if you were going to sell a skunk it has to be fur side in like an otter? You don't turn fur out after a while? Do you cut a viewing window?

If you ever get skunks with LOTS of white, there is a pretty good taxi market for them.

[leechmann]

Fishermann, I caught another stinker today. I can't believe it, but I skun it out for the second day in a row. Now if you want to make a trade, I've got one to give.

I thought maybe the new moderator made the website crash yesterday. lol

[The Grebe]

222...Just like a coon, just like a mink, just like a rat. back during the day, they used to stretch them square, they used to stretch alot of the furs open.

Yeah, the sight window lets the buyer have a better view of the stripe, or lack of it. When I used to sell the occassional skunk they wanted them mostly black, or I should say that is waht they preferred, the less the white, the better the price....if the size was there?

Always seemed to be something with the local buyers, so I started shipping to Canada.

[leechmann]

fisherman, if you get time one day, you should take some pic's of the village you live in. It would be fun to see where you buy gas, maybe a cafe, the school, the different places within the village. I think all the guys would be interested.

[leechmann]

Grebe, I just put 2 stinkers on the stretchers. Hope it's ok to use wood stretchers. What are your thoughts, wood vs steel stretchers?

[fishermann222]

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fisherman, if you get time one day, you should take some pic's of the village you live in. It would be fun to see where you buy gas, maybe a cafe, the school, the different places within the village. I think all the guys would be interested.

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I will take some photos, no cafe or resturant though Friday they give out 35 tags for musk ox. SO tomorrow I will most likely have to get in line as soon as school gets out and wait in line over night to get my ox tag. Should be great with -45 wind chill factors, and suppose to be blowing snow with less than a 1/4 mile vis.

Next nice day i will take a bunch of photos and post them. My traps are all sprung until after the musk ox tag day.

Great job on the skunk, lets see a photo :) If it has some real nice white stripes I am totally up for a trade

[leechmann]

Cool, those pictures will be great. Does everyone get a ox tag, or is there a limited number?

I'm getting to be a real good stinker skinner. My wife and kids hardly say anything about my smell as I enter the house anymore. My buddy who I took trapping today was complaining every time he was down wind of me. You really have to like this trapping stuff, to be a stinker skinner.

[fishermann222]

they hand out 35 cow musk ox tags on the island, and another 5 cow tags in Bethel. The bull tags are all drawing hunts that anyone can apply for. So I have to be one of the first 35 in line.

your new nickname should be "stinkerskinner"

[leechmann]

Well I hope you get a tag. as for the new nick name, it would be one that has been earned. lol

Fishermann check your e-mail.

[Stiff]

I Love this thread!!

[The Grebe]

Although I used the wood for fox and mink also, I liked the steel, especially for rats and coon. I had some large wood stretchers that I made for coyote.

For the fox, I think It was something about the steel having some reaction with the leather, or something like that? And even with tying them tighter together, and making other adjustments to the steel, they never seemed to be shaped right? I always liked the uniformity I got with wooden fox boards.

The skunks I would put on a wire coon stretcher...I think they have wire for them to, but it wasn't something I was gonna buy, for the few skunks I would skin. Probably not truely the shape the market wanted, but hey, like I said, it was only a few now and then.

I bet those whopper fox from Alaska would turn out pretty nice on a wire stretcher? Be alot easier to turn if you left em a little to long.

[The Grebe]

Leech....When my nephew and I were running traps up by Little Falls one fall, we came into a field and there sat a big fat skunk in my nephews trap.

His method of taking care of them was to take the .22 rifle and walk up close to them, sometimes point blank and pop em in the head.

I told him he was gonna be sorry one of the times cause he was gonna get sprayed. "Nah, as long as you keep em facing you, they can't spray forward." Well, this particular skunk proved him wrong!

My nephew had a full, thick beard and hair to his collar...he walks up on this skunk, extends the rifle out with one arm, leans forward to take the shot and this skunk did like a somersault, a$$ over tea kettle and hit my nephew with a solid stream of liquid stink, right square in the face at about 6 feet!

There was this loud yell, he drops the rifle and grabs his face, hollering, "My eyes, my eyes!" and then he like fainted, or passed out and crumpled to the ground?

I grabbed some newspapers out of the truck and waded in, rubbing the liquid off his face. There was a patch of snow here and there, I ran over and got some and continued washing around his eyes. He had come to, he was only out for a few seconds. We got him back on line, but talk about stink!!!

After a time though, you don't even smell it when it is that strong? Maybe it's because it's ALL you smell? We went into a gas station in Pierz to get some Viszine and the lady told us to get out!

One of my nephews buddies pulled into the station, got out of his truck and was stopped right in his tracks at about 20 yards! We both smelled terrible!

You know how bad one smells when you drive by him crushed on the road, doing 70 mph? Well the smell grows exponentially when you take a direct hit! Makes the road kill smell like OutBack Steak House in comparison!

Well, although there were some unhappy wives and alot of frowning people that we ran into, we got through the skunk incident.

My nephews face was burned and blistered in a couple of spots around his lips, but luckily, his eyesballs didn't get burned....can't be messin with them skunks!

[leechmann]

Wow Grebe, thats quite a story. I can't imagine how horrible that had to be. I tell you that when I dispatch a skunk and then set it to the side, and do the remake set right away, sometimes it's so strong that it takes your breath away. Almost feels like it burns your lungs. I can't imagine if you got the full brunt of that liquid on your face, and in your eyes. There aren't words to describe it.

Having that in mind, with this nice weather, I think the skunks are coming out in droves. I may have to start a skunk fur store.

[fishermann222]

Grebe I am sure my fox would look better on wood, but I would need to have wood stretchers made for me, because my fox need to be stretched 7.5 inches at the hips. I use wire because I don't have a fur shed and use the house. I can clean the wire easily.

I have asked people I have sold too what they prefer, wire or wood, and they say they don't care at all. I know they look better on wood, but if I am not going to make more for it, I can't justify buying wood.

[leechmann]

Fishermann, when is the ox tag day? You have got to get that line going again. We got blanked yesterday. Had to drive to Thief river Falls last night to watch my sons hockey game. It made it a short night, not much sleep. Hoping to catch a few today after work. Good luck!

[leechmann]

Well call me stinker if you gotta, but I caught three more peppie la pue's. I brought them home and skun them all. I am rollin in it. Yeeee haaaaa

[The Grebe]

I bet the misses she be lovin you! Hands you the mail taped to the end of a cane pole!

Were you sitting all by yourself in the bleahers at the kids game? Did you get any funny looks?

Once, just after I came in from the trapline, my wife wanted to go over to the video store and get a movie. We were in the store looking around and I noticed this one woman scurry away from me really quick...I didn't pay much attention to it.

When we left the store my wife told me that she over heard the woman tell her husband, "My gawd, does that man over there ever stink! I've never smelled anything like it!"

I think what the lady got a whiff of was the bottle of fox gland lure that I had in my jacket pocket! I bet she still tells the story of the stinky guy at the movie store!

[leechmann]

I have to say, I'm starting to think people who don't smell like a skunk, smell kind of wierd. My daughter had a friend over tonight, She was trying to keep me away from the house.

[fishermann222]

Nice job leechman. I am in line for musk ox right now. The fish and game person could not make it out today to give out the tags. I can not hit the line until she makes it in (when the weather improves). If the plane comes in and i am on the trapline I will loose my ox tag. I can't have that happening.

[leechmann]

Well, I'm thinkin that the stinker action is over. It turned colder this morning and we got an inch of fresh snow. Maybe the fox will have a chance to work my traps now. I'm really going to miss those little stinkers. Maybe I'll order a bottle of Gusto and open it up in my pickup, just to help me get through the day. LOL

[leechmann]

Well I was right, the stinkers are gone. Now everything is gone. Fresh snow, no stinkers, no tracks, no nothing. I hope tomorrow the fox are on the move.

[fishermann222]

Still blizzarding here. We had a break in the snow today for about 2 hours, the fish and game person made it out and I was able to get my tag for musk ox. Now tomorrow I can go and play in the snow with traps

[Stiff]

Sweet F222 - I definately want to see that story after it's played out regardless of how it turns out. I hope you get some nice pics of the hunt to share and hopefully one with you and a big shaggy beast...

[fishermann222]

Got out today and got a few traps dug out but no point in resetting as we are at 34 degrees today and going to get below freezing tonight. These conditions are the WORST for foothold traps. It is about impossible to keep them working when bedding in snow, when conditions are warm during the day and freezing at night.

I think I am going to head out and do some calling tonight, I am afraid I am going to forget how to skin, its been a week without an animal. Tough weather up here right now.

[leechmann]

Funny, we are in the deep freeze down here. 15 to 20 below last night. Seems like all the critters holed up. I haven't had a critter snif a trap since the stinkers decided to go back to bed. Maybe you can run around the village and get some pics. When does the musk ox season start? Are they hard to hunt? Or, do you just do the bold frontal attact? Do you hunt alone, or in a group? Once you should a critter, does the rest of the herd protect it, or do they run off? I've been reading alot on t-mann, I think I'm about to become a weasel trapper. We have weasels running around every where. I might have to make the sawdust fly and make some boxes.