Pictures of your Furbearers and Varmints

[Todd Caswell]

Got this guy last Wednesday. 117 pound male. Came in to fawn in distress along with coyote howls. Very fun hunt!

Very nice, congrats on getting drawn and then acually setting up to hunt them. Most that I know who got drawn were just hoping to see one while on stand. What are your plans for the critter?

[HooknHorns]

Wow, what area was that taken, must have eaten a few moose in its day.

[Kyle]

I'm so jealous! Wish I wouldn't have forgot to apply for the license. I hope there is a next year!

[NoWiser]

I shot it in northeastern Minnesota. It may well have taken down a few moose in its day. There used to be a fair number in the area that I shot it in, but we've barely seen sign of any in the last two years. Whatever is killing moose in Minnesota is definitely hitting this area hard.

I will be getting a full body mount of the wolf done. I have a taxidermist that wants to get his hands on one very bad, and is cutting me a really good deal on it. I'm going to let him keep it for quite a while after it is done to take to shows, competitions, and use for advertising. It's not going to cost me much more than the going rate for a wolf rug.

My only concern now is getting the pelt and skull back from the DNR. They didn't have anyone available last week when I was heading home from hunting to do the carcass inspection. This was at 2:00 on a week day in prime wolf country. I couldn't get down to the next office before they closed. I tried scheduling the inspection at the Shakopee office but nobody there would answer or return my calls/voicemails. Monday was a government holiday, so I had to take off work yesterday morning and take it to Rosemount. I called there and they said they could do it. When I got there, they did not have any pelt tags, so they had to keep everything and get someone from the Shakopee office (where I tried to schedule the inspection in the first place) to do it. I will have to find time to pick everything up. The problem is my work hours are 7:00 to 5:00 and theirs are 8:00 to 4:00. It's a huge pain and I just hope they are as concerned about keeping the pelt in prime shape as I am, and don't let it thaw or lose it. If they want to continue this hunt they really need to get their act together. By the time this is said and done I'll end up missing a full day of work and have put an extra 120 miles on my truck just to get the carcass inspected and get my pelt tagged. A lot of hunters will just say screw it and let it lay in the woods if they know what a pain it's going to be....

[HooknHorns]

Typical government. They need to get their ducks in a row a liitle better than that. Was there a time limit as far as registration after shot and maybe they could talk to some taxidermist up there to hold it there til an officer shows up. Then you could pick it up after it was mounted or rugged.

I hope they dont screw this up for you, if they mess this up I'd make it public. Id be nervous too.

[Ray1]

These were shot today 2-23-13. A good morning. All spot and stock. 3 coyotes and a fox.

[bassinboy3]

Looks like a fun time! I have done about 1/8 of the varmint hunting this winter that I normally do, looks like I gotta start getting out there.

[Magnarson]

Short life ahead....I hope.

[Random guy]

Had a naughty one that needed to be taken early.

[Neighbor_guy]

Nice way to start out. I am packing my bags for my NE coyote trip now...

[Random guy]

Nice way to start out. I am packing my bags for my NE coyote trip now...

Ya I'm jealous, I was just talking to the misses about trading in a turkey trip for a predator hunt somewhere.

[Neighbor_guy]

Here is the nicest one from my trip, nicely furred out female...

55gr zmax did the job, lights out and just a tiny little hole in the shoulder, 95yds.

I cant say the same for the other two I shot. One with mange and full of cactus at 318, and the other was a pup that showed up from an area I had not planned or expected for one to come from. He had to travel the same trail I walked on and just appeared out of no where 10 yards away, about half way between me and the call. He exploded like a water balloon at 13 steps when I hit him. Clipped the shoulder blade on the way in and it went Kaboom!!! It looked more like a praire dog than a desert dog, I swing better from right to left, if he went right he likely would have survived the experience. Lets say neither of them was very picture worthy.

[muskrat411]

Beaver from today [img:center]

[Hodgy17]

Couple pics from the past weekend. The last picture is my biggest coon I've ever caught. I didn't weigh it but the thing was a HOSS! (note: I'm 6'2")

[diederich06]

Caught a very nice looking gray fox the other day in a foot hold!

[Gordie]

Great pics guy keep them coming.

[JEV]

This little female was waiting in the trap for me last Thursday. Hard to believe she was out moving around in the weather we were having.

[NoWiser]

We had some beavers cutting down trees on my Grandpa's farm. Besides pocket gophers I've never trapped anything before but I decided to give it a shot since hunting season was winding down. I got a license and a couple 330 body gripping traps, chopped a couple holes in the ice, and set a couple traps. I went the next day with my little nephew to check them and sure enough I got one of the buggers.

I got a second one a few days later. It's getting tougher now with the thicker ice, but I'm giving it a few more days. Does anyone know how many beavers are usually in a lodge? These were living in the bank of a small creek. A couple days after I got the second one there was still a frost hole coming out of the lodge. It wasn't as distinguished yesterday when I rebaited the traps. Both beavers were about 22 pounds. I was hoping maybe there were a couple bigger ones in there.

It's been fun, though! If anyone is having trouble with them in the south metro, let me know. I'd love to try to give you a hand with them!

[monstermoose78]

Good catches Nowiser!! Nice Coyote Jev!!

[Gordie]

Nice Nowiser, was that near my bro's house?

[NoWiser]

Nice Nowiser, was that near my bro's house?

Sure was, Gordie. It was on the creek that runs under the road east of his place. It was upstream quite a ways, although I do have permission to trap all the way down to and past the bridge for quite a ways. I just need to find a couple hours to walk the creek and see if there are any beavers down that way.

It's tougher than I thought to find a place to trap them around here. I figured it would be a piece of cake, but most people I have called already have someone trapping their land. There just isn't enough public land in this part of the state to support my hobbies!

[natertater83]

[K_Josh87]

Here is a pair I shot in Iowa this past weekend... Haven't had time the past two winters to go, and finally got a weekend to get down there to give them a try, called in at least 6 yotes in this one stand, and should have killed three... missed the first one... it was most definitely the neatest stand I have had yet...

[certified jumbo]

1/1 so far.  On sets that is.  critter call strikes again.  After my bow hunt was ruined again by yotes.  Decided to take rifle out the next morning.  Wasn't long till this male popped out, wasn't long for me to pull the trigger either;-)

 

 

[Neighbor_guy]

Was that was that a "local yote" or one from the great white north???