[Arkansas duck hunter]

Kinda late to the party this year but started getting new ID tags on the traps, new anchors on the ones that needed it and everything cleaned and organized today. Hope to finish up tonight and start setting in the morning. Should hopefully have some catch pics this weekend. Season was cut short for me last year with my son deciding to show up 2 months early and then a month in NICU. Thankfully wasn’t many problems there and he’s happy and healthy now so we are fixing to try and hit it hard. Caught 40 yotes almost 50 coons 23 beaver 6 cats 3 otter and I don’t know how many possums and skunks in the 4 weeks I got to run a line last year so hoping it starts off pretty hot again.

 

[Arkansas duck hunter]

Only had 2 330’s a beaver snare and a dirt hole set out last two nights. Caught a beaver in this set both nights but didn’t get a pic of today’s. Gonna try to punch in about 2 dozen yote sets in the morning before work.

 

[Arkansas duck hunter]

Didn’t get as many sets out as I wanted this morning but managed to throw in about 8 dirt holes a cubby set for a cat and stopped at a bridge on my way to work that had abunch of mink sign so set a blind set for them. Snapped a pic of a few of the dirt holes.

 

[Arkansas duck hunter]

Where do you put your traps in your dirt hole sets?

Tight up to the dirt hole with the dog center of the hole. I try to make the dirt hole deep and steep where they have to get above it and move there feet abunch to work it. Long as your trap is bedded solid they can only step so many places without getting caught.

 

[Arkansas duck hunter]

Finally got the first yote of the season

 

[Arkansas duck hunter]

Got up late but threw 8 dirt holes a snare and a couple dog proofs out this morning. Gonna try to stop and set a few more on the way to work. These mountains don’t seem to produce like the cattle farms around here but after a couple years of trapping the forest service roads behind the house I seen the first turkey track I’ve seen in 4 years up there Sunday when I caught that yote.

 

[Arkansas duck hunter]

Gotta love trapping public land. Had an anchor cut this morning and trap hanging from a tree with a ribbon tied to it. Whoever done it stole my id tag off of my chain. Don’t understand why people can’t leave other people’s stuff alone.

 

[Arkansas duck hunter]

Might have caught their dog.

Might have and I honestly hate it if I did but still don’t give them the right to cut my anchor. Ain’t that hard to let a dog out though. I understand it could happen on public land but I’d rather come back to my trap set off from where the dog was released then my cable cut.

 

[Arkansas duck hunter]

I’ve got a feeling he plans to contact the trapper.

All I put on my tags is my id number. After looking closer at the ribbon he tied to my trap he left a note saying I’m lucky he didn’t throw my trap in the creek for catching his dog. Unfortunately for him he went bragging about what he did to the wrong person saying traps don’t belong in the mountains and they let me know who it was. I contacted the warden and he’s handling it now.