My '19-'20 Nevada Trapping Journal

[backcountry_sassn]

Pulled all the traps in this area last night. I won’t be able to check over Christmas so i figured it was the perfect time. Caught a very nice female. I’ll be setting in a new area after Christmas. Even though I’ve been consistently catching cats where I was, it’s a good time to move. I’ll scout it more in the off season and hopefully be able to pull even more cats out of it next season.

 

[backcountry_sassn]

I’m up in Northern Nevada for 6 days for Christmas and of course have to get some steel out. Put 4 coyote sets around the farm and a half dozen muskrat sets in the drain ditches. Went for a dirt bike ride for fun and decided to get the muskrat sets a quick check even though it has only been 3 hours. Haha the luck streak continued with a fat rat in a #1 long spring. A quick remake and we will see if anything else connects tomorrow! I set my first trap ever in April 2008 for muskrats. It’s where my trapping addiction started. They might not be worth much, but I still trap them every chance I can. I might have to keep any I catch this trip to make a hat.

 

[backcountry_sassn]

Quick update.....barely missed a few coyotes the last few days. They coyotes around the farm are making me go crazy. But anyways, the muskrats have been keeping us busy. Got a bag full of pelts in the freezer and one last night to catch something before we head south again.

 

[sharpshooter97]

Quick update.....barely missed a few coyotes the last few days. They coyotes around the farm are making me go crazy. But anyways, the muskrats have been keeping us busy. Got a bag full of pelts in the freezer and one last night to catch something before we head south again.

Nice! Coyotes have always managed to stay out of my traps. Trapping muskrats is a blast its how I first got into it as a kid.

 

[Big Fin]

Cool stuff. Nevada cats are some of the most impressive furs I've ever caught.

 

[duckhunt]

Great thread

 

[backcountry_sassn]

Got started on the new line yesterday. I was planning on getting 30 sets out but ended up only getting 25 out. I should be able to get 15-20 out on New Years days, then I only have to worry about checking and moving a few sets around as needed. Feels good to have traps out working right now haha I get anxiety when there’s nothing set. Attached are pics of a few of the sets I got out. Mainly all exposed walkthrough sets with one cage trap out. These cages are made for cats but I’ve only used them to trap fox in areas that are near roads or camp grounds. Figured setting two cages for cats gives me 2 more chances at a cat.

 

[mevertsen]

Pretty cool adventure.

Question though...

Is there a reason to leave the traps exposed? I am not an experienced trapper, but I had always learned to spend a good deal of time concealing the traps, either with sandpaper or natural materials. This way the set is still there, but it just looks like a path.

Good luck!

 

[backcountry_sassn]

Pretty cool adventure.

Question though...

Is there a reason to leave the traps exposed? I am not an experienced trapper, but I had always learned to spend a good deal of time concealing the traps, either with sandpaper or natural materials. This way the set is still there, but it just looks like a path.

Good luck!

We leave the traps exposed for sets that we want cats in. Cats are very confident animals and have no problem standing on a trap pan. I’ve caught them on small stock pans, but now have expanded pans on all my traps to give them a bigger area to step. There’s a few reasons for the exposed trap.

First off, time and weight. Some of my traps I’m hiking a mile too. The last thing I want it so have to bring a small shovel, hammer, stakes, sifter, and pan covers. And digging out a trap bed and concealing the trap takes time. When you can just throw your drag in a bush or wrap your cable around a tree, set the trap, and add some blocking it’s saves time.

Second, and exposed trap doesn’t freeze down. So a couple inches of snow, or freezing rain won’t put your trap out of commission.

Third, it’s keeps most of the coyotes out. Coyotes aren’t confident like cats and a very small percentage will step on an exposed trap. Our coyotes down here aren’t worth much even in this high market, but our cats are some of the most valuable fur in the world. Takes 10-20 coyotes to equal one cat. So if a coyote is in my trap, it puts the trap out of commission until I remove it.

I do burry and conceal traps for coyotes and have a few out right now, but when I’m in prime cat country, I don’t want anything else. Our problem is grey fox. Takes 60-80 of them to equal a cat and there’s nothing you can do to keep them out of your traps. They will step on an exposed trap just like a cat will.

 

[mevertsen]

Ok. Now it makes sense. Thanks for clarifying that.

 

[backcountry_sassn]

Happy New Years!!!!! Took this day off to check the sets I put out on Saturday and get the rest of the line out. Connected on a beautiful Tom!!!!! When I set on Saturday, I didn’t find much sign, but today I was able to find a few washes with a lot of sign so I got out pretty much all the traps I have. Also connected on 2 kit fox. Not a bad way to start the year!

 

[Indyridgerunner]

Very cool, thanks for sharing.

 

[backcountry_sassn]

No cats on today check but we did hammer the K9s. 3 kit fox, a grey fox, and one coyote. Had a close call with a lion, but got lucky and it stepped over the set.

 

[Sytes]

Got started on the new line yesterday. I was planning on getting 30 sets out but ended up only getting 25 out. I should be able to get 15-20 out on New Years days, then I only have to worry about checking and moving a few sets around as needed. Feels good to have traps out working right now haha I get anxiety when there’s nothing set. Attached are pics of a few of the sets I got out. Mainly all exposed walkthrough sets with one cage trap out. These cages are made for cats but I’ve only used them to trap fox in areas that are near roads or camp grounds. Figured setting two cages for cats gives me 2 more chances at a cat.

Very cool to follow along with your trapping adventure(s) Sask Hunter is another with some great threads. Curious, in the post quoted above, what is the black flex tubing for? How often are you required to check your traps in NV? are snares permissible and you stick with footholds... do snares damage the $ value of cats or, too much of a catch all or... are they not permitted? (or??? )

Great thread! I had hoped to venture into this for a hobby in MT, received the trapping certificate and still may though it's a challenge w/ limited time available to handle properly.

 

[backcountry_sassn]

Very cool to follow along with your trapping adventure(s) Sask Hunter is another with some great threads. Curious, in the post quoted above, what is the black flex tubing for? How often are you required to check your traps in NV? are snares permissible and you stick with footholds... do snares damage the $ value of cats or, too much of a catch all or... are they not permitted? (or??? )

Great thread! I had hoped to venture into this for a hobby in MT, received the trapping certificate and still may though it's a challenge w/ limited time available to handle properly.

There’s a lot of old mines down here. This is old pipe that connected to a spring to feed a small mine shack down the hill. This is where it was laying so I just left it there.

We are required to check traps every 96 hours (4 days). This is to make it possible for trappers to get away from congested areas. Areas close to Vegas and Reno have 48 hour checks.

As for snares, they are legal, but today I trapped in a t-shirt in 55 degree temps and that’s cause it cooled down. Our animals would rot before we got to them if we used snares. Lots of guys in northern Nevada use them.

 

[backcountry_sassn]

Finally started my weekly vlogs of my trapline. I know the season is half over but here the video of the first week on our new line.

 

[sharpshooter97]

Finally started my weekly vlogs of my trapline. I know the season is half over but here the video of the first week on our new line.

Cool, I enjoy the trapping content. Subscribed to your channel now that will give me something to watch since the snow got too deep on my line.

 

[backcountry_sassn]

Our last trap check we really hammered the K9s. 1 coyote, 3 kit fox, and 1 grey fox. The female was I heat and there was tons of coyote tracks around the catch circle so hopefully we can pick one up in the remake when we check tomorrow night!

 

[backcountry_sassn]

Here's the Vlog (video log for you elderly people) for our last trap check.

 

[backcountry_sassn]

Another day with no cats but plenty of Kit Fox. Time to move the line again. Need to find an area with active cats.