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Actually may get to do some trapping this year!   been a WHILE for me with the new job duties in MGMT.. 5 yrs... seem like a lifetime since i set steel...     Scouted a farm for water sets to help a friend last night... got some promise, a few otter, and more beaver than i can set for... should be an easy gig to get back into the swing of it...     hoping price does a jump so i dont have to skin/ store it much...   

time, is money in this type game. specially with pricing low...!        GOOD LUCK newbies and oldbies!      Its fun no matter what!   TL

Good luck TL. Coon meat market has me trapping coons every year. Plenty of beaver to catch also. Going to get started this weekend with beaver and a few coon sets. The kick off weekend for me, will be expanding from here on out. Trapping close to house to keep expenses down, unless it's a paying gig. I'll start playing with coyotes and cats at the end of the month. Give the deer hunters a couple weeks to get hounds out of the woods. Tight chains everyone.

I live in Perry county along the Arkansas River. Sign on the river is sparse but I imagine that has much to do with the historic flooding experienced ealier this year. I expect many of the young critters perished when that occurred. Caught a couple coon over Thanksgiving weekend, those boars sure were lacking fat. Figured they would be ripe with fat by now, they usually are. Not hearing as many coyote packs but there are a few around. On the bright side, the flooding has seemed to put beaver in places they normally aren't. Got plenty of folks wanting me to catch them. Hopefully castor prices stay high.

This may be a slow year for us.  However, this could also be the Lord's way of providing better prices down the road for trappers.  Remove the supply, and the demand will pick up resulting in better prices in the future.   Look what the castor prices have done the last few years when low beaver prices caused fewer beavers to be trapped.       

Went out and got one small boar coon couple weekends ago, but had the 4 days off for the holiday and set close to 20 different traps and snares and had 0 activity. Not even some tracks to make me feel better about the area. Same way it was for me all deer season too!
Keep on keeping on though right?!? Can't catch nothing if you don't set nothing, good luck folks.

You have just described my area also.  Usually I can get a fairly good gage of the wildlife population by the road kill.  Seven miles to church and I usually see 8 to 10 road kill at this time of year.  Today I drove 25 miles to Siloam Springs and saw one small coon laying beside the road.  Checked the creeks, and saw no muskrat, mink or coon sign.  So, looks like otter and beaver are the only other options....lets hope they are still around. 

I spent 3 nights out in the Quachitas in lower Perry county away from farms and I heard no coyotes. But its the same with deer in Winona. Acorns, hickory nuts, lots of browse. I have seen few deer and most were does only bucks were spike 3 and 4 points alot of them deformed antlers. No squirrels, ground is just covered with nuts. That three point rule needs to go. There are many people who have seen the same thing all the big ones are gone and now its only small and they are the ones who travel the farthest and breed, big deer rarley leave there area. This was the argument when this first started and now for three years legal bucks are very hard to see. But that is another topic. I am going out this week end to set and try to find some good ground.

I live in and trap the Caney Creek management area.  No traps out yet because of deer hunters. I have a deer feeder at my house and last year had several coons that showed up every night. This year I haven't got a single picture of a coon at the feeder. Feeder has been there since late Sep. and over 7000 pics taken. I live very much in the boonies on a creek. Have not heard the coyotes as much as last year.  I know where one cat den is I found deer hunting and saw the cat go in the den. I did see a mink once, so far,  just across the creek in front of my house, about 35 yards away. Usually see it several times each winter.

I have been out for five days now checking for sign and have found almost nothing. One cat I know of. Six different cameras and miles of walking and searching. But nothing. The cameras have been out for 3 weeks no coyote, fox. one cat and 2 small coons. I am not sure if deer dogs ran them all out or if they are just not there. Trapping the Quachita Nat Forest. I think they have either been run out or have all moved to the city. I can hear them at night all around my home just outside the city and on several farms but when you leave the farms and drive into the hills you get nothing. The only scat I found is very old. I have pictures of three fox and I didnt even bother to count the coyotes coming through my yard. If they have all moved to the city does anyone have their address. Hows is trapping for you?

Sorry but I have been in talks with my Buyer and he DOESN 'T yet have prices
EXCEPT to say they "should " be about like last season...
I ll post when I know something firm...

Well it s time I gave up my rig. Very Good 23 hp "long-tail" in very good condition ,,,ALL welded flat bottom ,,, heavy duty factory trailer and full size tires
runs about 4 to 6 inches deep(depending on number of fat guys...) gun box, open floor,good hvy battery,6 gal. tank. AND LIVE WELL,
NO LEAKS & WATER READY,,,, $2800 cash
Thanks,,,Dub
479 997 5062