Ode to Uncle Elton
- Thread starter Big Fin
- Start date
bigskyblueman
Member
An outdoor story that belongs in a nationally syndicated newspaper chain.
EODRay
Active member
Warms the heart no matter how cold it is outside. Well done!
recon6036
Well-known member
Thanks for sharing a great story Big Fin! Memories will live forever.
Art Vandeley
Well-known member
Great post, I enjoyed reading it and thanks for posting the pictures.
LopeHunter
Well-known member
Nice recap of your uncle's visit. A great memory for you and his family.
I trapped muskrats out of ponds in the 1970s in northern Missouri. Used #110 conibears placed just below the water line. The first skim of ice would trap the air bubbles revealing where the muskrats swam into holes burrowed into the pond banks. Set a trap there and set a couple of guide twigs to funnel the swimming muskrat into the trap. An adult muskrat skin stretched was around $8 which was also the price of a case of beer. I caught other critters using leg hold traps and even some beavers with #440s but muskrats were the easiest to catch, skin and stretch per $1 earned.
I live out west now but on my last trip to the farm I bumped into a guy who trapped when I did and says he rarely encounters muskrats anymore. Otters moved in during the 1990s but nothing else changed so not sure why the muskrats thinned out so much. Time keeps on slipping, slipping, into the future.
I trapped muskrats out of ponds in the 1970s in northern Missouri. Used #110 conibears placed just below the water line. The first skim of ice would trap the air bubbles revealing where the muskrats swam into holes burrowed into the pond banks. Set a trap there and set a couple of guide twigs to funnel the swimming muskrat into the trap. An adult muskrat skin stretched was around $8 which was also the price of a case of beer. I caught other critters using leg hold traps and even some beavers with #440s but muskrats were the easiest to catch, skin and stretch per $1 earned.
I live out west now but on my last trip to the farm I bumped into a guy who trapped when I did and says he rarely encounters muskrats anymore. Otters moved in during the 1990s but nothing else changed so not sure why the muskrats thinned out so much. Time keeps on slipping, slipping, into the future.
noharleyyet
Well-known member
Nice tribute Fin.
Muleyfanatic
Active member
Awesome post! Speaks volumes for you as a person.
Hem
Well-known member
Feel good story and excellent nuts and bolts for us non trappers.I liked every part of it,except the prospect of all that skinning.
Fixitman
New member
Great story and wonderful memories
bobbydean
Well-known member
Really enjoyed this post. Family taking care of family is the best karma,
Loved the description and pictures of the trapping. Here in the desert, I have zero knowledge. Thanks for the info.
Loved the description and pictures of the trapping. Here in the desert, I have zero knowledge. Thanks for the info.
jones39
Member
Great story!! Hope I can make a difference in someone's life one day just as you have done.
Devil Diver Down
Well-known member
Great writeup and an even better motivation behind it - that's what it's all about. I've always been intrigued by trapping but never knew squat about it, aside from what I've seen on here. Cool stuff, for sure.
mn taxidermist
Active member
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2010
- Messages
- 179
This is great stuff Randy.I think of Elt a lot when I'm trapping.I can only imagine how much fun he would have had now that its legal to trap wolves. The only tough part would have been convincing him he could only tag one.All the critters in Big Falls are a lot safer since he moved.
This morning was an exercise in extraction, given these temps. Every trap was froze to a point of non-working. Even the conibears on dry land had ice on them due to the moisture rising from the creek. When I got back from chopping the first sets out of the ice, this was the temp.
It was a beautiful morning, even if it was ridiculously cold. A reward for being out there, even if being wet in these temps makes it a tad chilly.
It is supposed to get -20F by Wednesday morning, so no sense in leaving the traps out this week. Season closes April 15th, so I might do some more in March or April, once the temps warm up and the water is open.
Elt just called me . He was really excited. The 41 muskrats they put on the fur auction yesterday got the highest average of all muskrat lots on the sale - $11.38 per rat average. I remember getting $4 for rats and thinking I had just hit the lottery.
It was a beautiful morning, even if it was ridiculously cold. A reward for being out there, even if being wet in these temps makes it a tad chilly.
It is supposed to get -20F by Wednesday morning, so no sense in leaving the traps out this week. Season closes April 15th, so I might do some more in March or April, once the temps warm up and the water is open.
Elt just called me . He was really excited. The 41 muskrats they put on the fur auction yesterday got the highest average of all muskrat lots on the sale - $11.38 per rat average. I remember getting $4 for rats and thinking I had just hit the lottery.
Knowing Elt as you do, you understand how frustrated he is to not be able to trap as he once did. And, the excitement it provided for him to be part of this little trap line.
Now that you mention it, are we gonna get to see any pics of the wolves you guys caught the last couple years?
Most don't know this due to his modesty, but MNtaxidermist is one of the most accomplished outdoorsmen I know. He and his brother have been fulfilling their civic duties the last couple years and helping Minnesota meet their wolf quota. I suspect the guys here would enjoy pics of those.
And if you want to see mounds of beaver, like a mound of 100 of them, MNtaxidermist could probably produce that for you faster than anyone I know. I always threaten that I am going to head back to MN in April and tag along with him on his beaver lines. But, the idea that he might decide to skin all of those, and enlist my help in doing so, is enough to keep me away.
idahofishnhunt
Well-known member
That's awesome thanks for that great write up and pictures, enjoyed reading it a lot.
