Trap Attachment and Ice Otters

[Roughfisher]

Hoping for some advice on anchoring for land-trapping. I decided to lay some steel during deer season as fox sign has been thick (Chippewa National Forest Area). Bough a dozen 1.65 bridgers, plus the dozen 1.5 B&L coils I have and built 3/8" re-rod stakes 20" long. First night an animal pulled my stake and make off with the trap ... pretty sure it was a fisher ... I tracked it for a mile and could not find it. A bummer all around, losing an animal, out of season, and losing a trap. Thought about pulling everything and quitting, then I decided to re-rig with double-stake rigs made from aircraft cable. Last night out another animal made off with my trap after breaking the aircraft cable. Also pulled a zero on otters (snapped my 330 while climbing on my stabilization pole).

So it ended up being a pretty crappy trapping season. I've trapped a lot of beaver, rats, mink, and coon in the past, but the otters and the land trapping had me in fits.

For next year I'll be switching to cable stakes hopefully, or maybe buying or making some double-stake swivels. I'd rather not leave hardware in the ground. Any advice for trap attachment? For the otters, the problem I have is that all day long I watch them running around on the thin ice, but you can't walk on the ice, and you can't make open-water sets very well because the edges freeze overnight. So I tried a 330 underwater with a fish on the trigger and they snapped it without fail. Any advice on otter trapping would be nice. I know I'm on location because I can watch the otters from my porch windows. This is on a small lake with no trappable streams coming in or out.

[protrapper]

Most likely it wasn't a fisher that pulled your stake, it was probably a coyote or a bobcat. I rig my fox and yote traps with the disposable cable stakes also. I use them in the same locations year after year. Taht double stake aircraft cable rig is terrible in my opion. There is no swivel point for the trap when the animal fights it. I don't know what kinda soil you have up that way but if it is rocky them rerod stakes are worthless. Go to a drag with six feet of chain and use the steel drags from supply houses. Not logs and brush animals shred that stuff to pieces.

I use the bullet type super stakes. They are plugged at the end. Minnesota Trapline Products carries them. You want to use the strongest cable for attachment also. Yotes and cats are strong fighters.

As far as the otters the set you where using is a good set. Are you using the strongest setting on the 330 trigger? Wireing the fish tight to the trigger? Also make sure the pole is straight up and down. They dont climb the pole they are supposed to swim into the trap while trying to get the fish. Another set that works slick is sinking a 5 gallon pail through the ice it works in open water also with fish in the bucket wired to a couple good sized rocks to sink it. Put the 330, 280, or 220 in notches cut in the bucket. Wire the chain to bucket and then to something on shore. Also you can use this set with a 220 on the ice or shore where the otter enter and leave the water.

Another thing I dont go cheap with chain and wire on my traps. I add swivels and 3 feet of cahin to all 220,280,and 330 conibears. Same with land traps lots of swivels. Thats how you get twist outs and pulled stakes. Animals rolling and pumping the trap. You need swivels and long chain for land traps.

Good luck get them otter you got till the 4th of Jan.

Good Trappin,

Trapper

P.S. If you need more advice keep posting. Also the Minnesota Trappers Assc. Is having a winter convention at the Isle High School by Lake Mille Lacs on Saturday January 10th. Starts at 8a.m. and entry is free. There is always dealers and pros there giving demos and advice on trapping. I will be there also.

[Roughfisher]

Thanks very much Protrapper I will take your advice and go for the bullet-style cable stakes. I know the first animal was a huge fisher because I tracked it, but the second could've been anything. There were a lot of timber wolf tracks too, who knows. I sure hope they open a wolf season someday.

I'll see if I can make it to Isle; funny thing I tried to make it the 2003 convention in Wadena this August but for some reason I misread it as "Waseca" and ended up hundreds of miles away. No trappers at the Waseca fairgrounds to talk to.

[protrapper]

I dont know whether to laugh or cry at that one. This summer the convention is in Mora Minnesota. I think I am giving Marten and Fisher demos. Also January 24th is the District 6 meeting at Carlos Avery Wildlife Center. Starts at 8am.

[Roughfisher]

Definitely will make the Mora convention. It's about time I joined the MTA; been trapping off and on since I was a kid. From reading the MN Trappers HSOforum it sounds like the Wadena convention was really good.