Trapping
with The Boss
Article from March
- April 2001 Buckeye Trapper
by Randy
Schworm
No, it is not what you are thinking. I didn't take my wife with
me. I took my other boss, you know, the one that signs my paychecks.
Now you're probably thinking there is no way you would take your
boss with you on the trapline. Well, most bosses that I've had
I wouldn't take either (or I would take them and get them lost).
But Denny is different. He is an avid hunter and fisherman and
has an appreciation for those fevers that hit at certain times
of the year. He go me started on turkey hunting and even gives
me some mornings off (paid) every year to do some hunting. I even
shot my first turkey on his property.
This all started a couple of years ago when Denny asked if he
could go with me some day to check my traps. Denny is 58 years
old, but looks ten years younger. (Maybe if he reads this I will
get a raise.) He is in good shape for his years, but I still had
concerns about him being able to keep up. I warned him that when
I am longlining mink it is not a one or two hour excursion. It
is more like a 9-10 hour day that starts at four in the morning
and that we don't stop for breakfast and there is a lot of walking
and climbing up and down steep embankments. I wasn't able to discourage
him and was glad that I didn't. I enjoy taking people with me
whenever I can and the fact that he had an appreciation for hunting
and the outdoors I knew he would enjoy himself.
It took three years of trying to fit a day into our schedule
before we were finally able to go together. It seemed like whenever
he could go something would either come up on his end or it would
rain cats and dogs and I would cancel because I didn't want to
take him out and show him rain swollen creeks all day. I also
wanted to be able to show him what goes into establishing, setting
up, and running a long trapline, plus I wanted to be able to hopefully
show him some catches.
Finally, this year everything worked out and he was able to
go. Denny showed up at 4am as I had requested. I had trouble sleeping
that night, had got up at 3am, and had already checked two locations
close to the house. I showed him a female mink that I caught in
a bottom edge set and told him that I hoped it wasn't the only
one of the day. I was somewhat concerned about our success rate
because the temperature had fallen into the low 20's, (I knew
some of the water's edge sets would be frozen in). The line had
been out about a week already, and had produced close to 30 mink
and almost as many muskrats and raccoons. I also had four coyote
sets out for some nuisance work and had taken a large 40 plus
pound male coyote.
I decided to run the line backwards that morning, as I sometimes
do just to keep things interesting, so we had a bit of a drive
before we got to the first location. On the way I explained we
would be looking at a lot of empty sets, partly because of the
weather, and the fact that I was trying to avoid raccoon as much
as possible and that when targeting the mink that this is the
norm.
We finally arrived at the first stop and the traps were as I
had left them the previous day. We picked up a small raccoon in
a blind set at the fifth stop. We continued this routine until
finally we reached the 12th location. At this stop there is a
small, fast moving brook with lots of long grass overhanging the
banks and it contains lots of minnows and crawdads. I had already
caught one buck mink here in a bodygrip on a bank trail. All the
sets were empty except the last two. We caught a large male raccoon
in a blind pocket set and had caught another male mink in the
bank tail set.
We continued on, and it was about at this point in time that
I started to hear a constant whining (there goes that raise) from
the other side of the truck. If I remember right, it was something
about giving him the boots with the holes in them and his foot
was getting cold. I assured Denny that the last time I wore those
boots they didn't leak, but that leaky boots are just one of many
hardships a trapper has to endure. I had even gone as far as putting
some liquid boot sealant around the edges of the existing patches
a couple of nights before, but I guess it didn't help.
Things continued to go very slow, but we were able to pick up
a nice raccoon and a muskrat over the next several stops. We finally
connected on another buck mink in a bodygrip under some overhanging
tree roots. This was a set that I had added just the day before.
It sure pays off once in a while to add to and rework your line.
At about 10am we arrived at the farm where I was trapping the
coyotes. I got out of the truck and fired up the four-wheeler.
I noticed that Denny was still in the truck. I asked him if he
was going to ride back with me and he said something about being
cold and having a wet foot (sissy). He went on to say that if
I caught a coyote to come back and get him, he would then come
out for a look and take some pictures.
Well, as luck would have it I caught another large male coyote,
but I had to dispatch him immediately. It was only caught by two
toes and it had pumped my 24" rerod stake up about six inches
out of the ground. I figured that if I took the time to go back
and get Denny I might not have a coyote when we returned. There
was a heavy fog in the valley that morning and I couldn't see
the coyote until I was almost on top of him. If it would have
been clear I would have seen him from a distance and would not
have went up to him, but would have returned for Denny first.
I explained all of this to Denny when I returned with the coyote.
He was disappointed, but still took some pictures anyway. He liked
the coyote so well that he is having it mounted. It is probably
the nicest looking coyote I have ever caught.
The rest of the day was pretty much uneventful. We picked up
another raccoon in a pocket set, but that was it for the day.
We ended up with three mink, four raccoon, one muskrat, and the
one coyote. Not a great day, but still a good day all things considered.
Denny said he enjoyed himself and I truly believe that he did.
I think he now has a better understanding of how much hard work
goes into setting up and maintaining a trapline. He even watched
me skin the mink. He wanted to see it all. We had a good time
and he is welcome to go again anytime he wants, but every once
in a while I still hear him whining, to anyone at work will listen,
about how I kept the good boots for myself and gave him the pair
with the holes.
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