What an Adventure!!

[Lookn4Fur]

Well I am back.  Two days early due to scheduling commitments.  I scheduled "Brekkie" with my wife. 

It started out very rough.  Left at the height of the snow and ice Saturday morning.  Had to cancel my pit stop to Jaspr1's house for some super secret bait.  Next stop to a friends house who forgot some stuff for camp.  I proceeded to get stuck for 45 minutes in his driveway.  I should have mentioned I did not have my truck or four wheel drive because My son needed my truck.  You would have thought old pops would let me borrow his truck but that never happened. 

I finally arrived after 5.5 hours which it usually takes 3.  There were three of us trapping as a team this week.  We set 9 traps on some marginal cat sign and had our first cat waiting for us the first morning.  Sunday was a different story.  It poured down rain all day.  We scouted all day and drove to Clearfield for some peat moss because everything was starting to freeze.  Monday was a cold 12 degrees (low) and our 9 traps were froze solid.  After remaking them with peat moss in the bed and as a covering, I sifted some snow over top.  We set three more traps in another location with marginal sign.  The next day revealed nothing in our traps but I did miss a coyote.  I think he stepped on the jaw and the pan at the same time and it threw his foot.  We discovered also that we should not have sifted snow over our peat moss because it froze and created a solid plate of ice over the pan (low of 3 degrees).  So remakes were in order all the way around.  Was supposed to warm up a little the rest of the week.

After the remakes we did some more scouting.  Found some fresh cat sign and decided to follow it and try to learn more about his travels.  Well after what seemed to be like miles of hiking we found what is now called "The Sanctuary".  There were cat, coyote, fox and yes, Fisher tracks.  Traps were being set the next morning as it was too late to set that day.  Next day we set 9 traps.  All 21 traps were dirt holes by the way.

The next day rewarded us with another nice cat and a grey fox in the sanctuary.  The next day we were rewarded with two more nice cats in the sanctuary.  Since there was only three of us we released the fourth cat, pulled all 21 traps and headed for home.  No Fisher for me this year again but the sanctuary is calling my name already for next year.  Pictures have to be sent to me before I can post but I will post as soon as I get them and the video of the release.  I had a blast and someday I will get my Fisher.

[Hern]

Lookn4peatmossthatyoushouldofhadwith,
Great story. Good job on the Bobcats.

[Huntin 4 yotes]

Congrats Tim!

[Misterjake23]

Thanks for sharing Tim.  Congrats!

[Brushwolf]

Congrats Tim looking forward to see pics and the  video. What's was this "sanutary" constive of ( rock cropping, clear cut, swamp???

[Pa Goosehntr]

  Good job Sonny,    Pops will be proud when he reads this. Now you have found the honey hole so put it on your super secret map  sooos you remember it for next year  Good job on the cat..

[jaspr1]

1.        You would have thought old pops would let me borrow his truck but that never happened.    What did you say to me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "Your Nuts"......whose the nutty one now..... ...........you can ride in the bed some time, maybe... cough,cough,cough,cough,cough,cough...the smoke is worse than one of your 1/2 baked camp fires...bottom line is  as we predicted  ...NO FISHER... ......Glad I've been working on my appetite  Goose and I need fed before you conveniently forget  .....

2.There were three of us trapping as a team this week.  We set 9 traps........ What??? Did you all have ID tags on these traps? Next year team with Hern and me,he has Peat Moss available and I have super secret bait..... ............and what happened to the rule : Every man for himself no help? 

3.  Well after what seemed to be like miles of hiking we found what is now called "The Sanctuary". Reading between the lines... Across the road from camp ,behind the outhouse.... ..just sayin...

4. BOTTOM LINE.......YOU LOSE......Pay-UP!!  "No Fisher for me this year again but" ......... ........ POP's.........

5. I scheduled "Brekkie" with my wife. You should have taken the Goose and me and got it over with... Your afraid we will become the wife's favorite "keep an eye on Tim" aren't you???

[Pa Goosehntr]

  And you have been told!! 

[Lookn4Fur]

Brushwolf, the Sanctuary consist of several grass fields surrounded by pines and laurel on one side and a steep hollow on the other with mixed laurel and hardwood.  There is one access road I assume from logging at one time.

I actually found where a cat had killed a mouse in the snow.  My key to the cat success was following fresh tracks one day which led me to this spot.  Funny thing is i have hunted and trapped very close to this area for years but never knew it existed until now.  I actually put a deer drive about 100 yards away this year.  I am not a great trapper but I know to do my homework and set on sign.

What I don't understand is where the coyotes are because I usually find a ton of coyote sign and I only saw two sets of tracks in a week and I missed one of them in my trap.

Here is a question for anyone that knows.  I pulled my trap that missed the coyote.  Do you think that coyote would come back to that trap again?  Should I have reset that trap?  Should I have reset and added another a couple feet away?  I only had one day left and did not think he would come back so I pulled it.

And for the "Brekkie" moochers, Traps were all tug legally.  We all had our own equipment and all set our own traps.

[Lookn4Fur]

Here are some pictures.  Having problems with the video but hope to resolve it.

[Misterjake23]

Pretty awesome!!!

[Pa Goosehntr]

  Good job! 

[Brushwolf]

Good pics Tim. That's awsome

[Hern]

Holy Cats!! and a Grey!
Great Pictures

[TrappinJohn]

Sounds like a very memorable AND successful trip.  Great job on the cats Tim