Who Says Moose Are Only For Eating?

Edward Snow from Porcupine Mountain, NB shows that a Moose has so much more value than a good steak. He found the young bull abandoned as a calf and raised it along with his draft horses. He experimented working it along side of and training it with his horses. The moose, named "Grunt" now outperforms the horses in weight pulling ability. Next summer, Mr. Snow plans on entering "Grunt" in some of the local horse pulls around the region.

All right.......it was starting to be a pretty good story, but we'll level with you. It is actually a fake picture. Somebody with some darn good graphic skills and maybe just a little too much time on their hands created the picture by using several images put together. But, we thought it was pretty neat just the same and thought we'd include it here.

Removing Oil From New Traps

To remove oil & grease from new traps, soak them in a mixture of vinegar & water for several days. Remove them from the mixture and let them sit outside for a few days. They will take on a light coating of rust and be perfect for dyeing or dipping.

Destroying The Myth Video

 

The National Trappers Association's video, Destroying the Myth, explodes the heart of the anti-trapping strategy by exposing it as false. Now you can watch the video by clicking on the play button below.

If you would like to purchase a copy of the video, got to the National Trappers Association website by clicking here.

 

Do You Wear Gloves When Handling Fur?

 

 

Do you wear gloves when pelting and handling fur? As much as we like to think trappers are a tough breed, wearing disposable latex or vinyl gloves make sense. Years ago, it was never even thought of to wear any kind of gloves for skinning and preparing pelts. But, as biologists, scientists and health officials learned more about diseases that fur bearing animals can carry, trappers started to think maybe the idea wasn't so bad after all. When you think about rabies, raccoon roundworm, sarcoptic mange, distemper and a host of other diseases that are common in furbearers, it kind of makes a person wonder how they have managed to avoid coming in contact with them before now.

 

If you ever have a chance to take an intensive information session on wildlife diseases, jump on the chance. Guaranteed, it will really open your eyes and make you re-think skinning bare handed. A box of disposable gloves usually runs around $10 and contains 50 pairs, pretty cheap health insurance when it comes right down to it.

 

Night Latching To Tune Your Traps

 

Just like you can tune your vehicle for better performance, it is also possible to tune your traps to perform better. Adding a Night Latch to your restraining traps can improve several aspects of trap performance. It decreases pan travel so that the trap fires sooner, giving a hair trigger effect but still maintains the pan tension so it does not go off prematurely. It also makes it much easier to get the pan to sit level...every time the trap is set. Thirdly, it makes the trap work so much crisper when it fires.

 

The modification can be done very easily with a vice and a flat metal file.

  • Place the pan of the trap in the vice to hold it firm and steady. Experiment with different positions until you get it placed in such a way that you can comfortably file the notch. You shouldn't even have to remove the pan from the trap.

  • Just above the regular notch in the pan, gently file a notch 1/16 of an inch deep and 1/16 of an inch high. That's all you need. File very lightly, the metal will come of much easier than you think and it is easy to ruin the pan.

  • Place the dog in the vice with the end pointing straight up. File an angle on the end of the dog with the bottom side of the dog being the short side. 30 degrees works well. Be sure to file the angle square and straight. Before filing, check to make sure you have the angle pointing the correct way. If need be, use a pencil or marker for a reference.

  • Set the trap to test the night latch. If you place the dog in the original notch, then gently pull down on the pan, you should hear it click into place. When it clicks, it is ready to set.

  • If the pan still sits a little high, using a pair of vice grips or slip joint pliers to close the curl on the trap dog slightly will lengthen the dog, making the pan sit lower.

The diagram below is for reference purposes. A standard pan and notch is shown in the top image with the night latched pan at the bottom.

 

 

Ever Wonder How Beaver Pelts Are Dressed?

 

Click the Video below to see what happens to your beaver pelts after they are sold.

 

 

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