re: Set traps today (updated 2/23 end of the line)

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but why not just shoot them in the head? seems less painful

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Shooting them puts a hole in the hide. My uncle taught me this isn't a good idea by beating it into me.

We never choked em, but we used to knock em in the head.

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AlxTgr Got caught by one of my 1 1/2 coil springs. Felt bad man.

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i know abt this. double spring number 9 coon set and water came up to about a foot deep, 18 degrees F, Ice. broke ice and reached down to pull trap. Snapped hand. Soft muddy bottom, couldn't depress trap with feet--trap just pushed down in mud. couldn't release. couldn't pull stake because free hand frozen (couldn't grip anything). trapped hand under water. had to get down in water and wrap chain around arm and roll over to pull stake. an hour away from heat. big coons were 12 dollars that year. i quit after that. lol.

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Find someone selling young chikens.

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sounds effective but not very discerning-- catch a dog too. this would work though in a remote area like the spillway after dog hunting season.

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I did this and caught 2 Bobcats, 2 Coyotes, several possums, and a Chicken Hawk.

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i checked my dad's fox sets when i was about 9 years old and there was a huge chicken hawk in there and it freaked me out. i thought holy shite we caught an eagle.

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but why not just shoot them in the head? seems less painful

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It's not what you think, it's like putting someone in a sleeper hold and putting them to sleep. It cuts the blood flow off to the brain but they don't wake up. Cats die VERY quickly, nothing inhumane about it. Also the skull can be sold or some of the pretty cats can be sold to taxidermy market. Neither like holes in the skulls.

Todays check I caught 1 coyote and 2 coon. Had some activity at a few other sets and one coon pull out. I hate catching coons on dry land!

[quote]i know abt this. double spring number 9 coon set and water came up to about a foot deep, 18 degrees F, Ice. broke ice and reached down to pull trap. Snapped hand. Soft muddy bottom, couldn't depress trap with feet--trap just pushed down in mud. couldn't release. couldn't pull stake because free hand frozen (couldn't grip anything). trapped hand under water. had to get down in water and wrap chain around arm and roll over to pull stake. an hour away from heat. big coons were 12 dollars that year. i quit after that. lol.

That's some serious shite. I was shooting Mallards in flooded timber. As I was wading to pick up the Drake for my limit I tripped on a log and fell face first into some freezing arse water (air temp 15 to 20 F)....filled my waders.

By the time I got back to my vehicle my hands were so cold I couldn't get my keys out of my pocket some other guys pulled up and literally reached in my pocket and got my key, opened my door, cranked it up and turned on the heater.

I do believe I would have died of hypothermia if not for these dudes help. I know this not about trapping but you can freeze your arse off in North Louisiana.

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As I was wading to pick up the Drake for my limit I tripped on a log and fell face first into some freezing arse water (air temp 15 to 20 F)....filled my waders.

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aye, thats serious. you are right, anytime you get wet and its cold enough, watch out. it will sneak up on you.

when i rolled in that water with that trap, i knew i had to hustle back to some heat. it was just what had to be done.

now, i have had one much closer call with hypothermia, the result of a bad choice I made trying to track a lung shot 12 point in the spillway in 2001. but i wont post that in this thread.

this thread abt trappin furbearers! if economy tanks, we might need these skills. and some traps! lol

Today's coyote

Yesterday's coyote

My Cat set

Nice

Enjoying the pics and info

I got to talk to a trapper in west Texas last year. He traps for two private ranches that total over 500,000 acres. He has live bobcats in a cage at his house to collect the urine. He traps thousands of coyotes, bobcats, and fox a year. What surprised me is he caught over 50 mountain lion in one year. This is in the Glass mountains around Marathon Texas. That seemed like a lot to me. Said he sold most cat pelts to taxidermist, sold fox pelts, and just killed coyotes because they aren't worth skinning price wise.