Is your friend’s Visla okay?

What do you suppose that trap was out there for? To the best of my knowledge trapping season for fur bearers is not open this early....




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Dean....pup did not have any lasting issues. That trap was set in National forest land on the edge of the walking trail not far from the cabin we stay in. The trap had no name on it, my friend took the trap and left a note for the person who owned it. My setter Ruby has been in two leg holds in Potter county P.A. Both times I was the one bleeding not the dog. The first time Ruby latched on to my left hand and would not let go. I got both hands in her mouth to keep her from really hearting me while my friend un-trapped her. Soon as her paw was free she stopped chomping on me. The second time I was alone, I put my hunting vest over her head and used one hand to press the one lever and my knee to press the other, it opened just a little and she got free. Just in the nick of time as her head got out through the arm opening right next to my face. I had one small cut from something? I also found a big conibear trap in Kansas in a fence row on dry land, it was re-least when I found it but my whole boot fit in that one. It took some work but its now in my shed. We found out later that a nabor boy had set it, but it was not on his land. Nothing was ever said about the issue to avoid conflict. A dog could be killed outright by a trap like that. I have made ropes to open them but its still really hard job that can't be done fast or easy. Stay away from beaver ponds and buckets that have them type of traps. Don't let your dog wade in the water. I bought a 4 1/2" cordless grinder to cut the steel hoops, they are about 3/8 spring steel and even a grinder takes time that the dog does not have! Its heavy to carry but the rope deal is too slow, dog will be dead. I wish we knew if traps were in a area so we could avoid them. SXS Ohio

I am also planning on going to VT this weekend. I'll report back on the woodcock numbers encountered as well as the grouse.

My friend Dr. John Sinclair hunted in Nebraska for pheasant a few years back & along a ditch line his Brit got her head caught in a coyote snare, lucky he had a pair of wire cutters in his hack pack or would have lost his Brit.

Always be prepared !!!
Allan

Wow! That’s very upsetting. I never even considered the danger of traps as legal trapping seasons in the Northeast don’t begin until later in the year. Definitely will be more prepared from now on.





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Sounds like the makings of a 1st class diabetic tsunami!

A few days ago, I hunted in the North Maine Woods with a guide and his two English Setters. It was an off-year for Ruffed Grouse, but I did get a few very good opportunities on them, mainly due to my guide’s skill in setting up the shot.

It was the Woodcock shooting that was a pleasant surprise, and is aberrational for those environs, according to the regulars up there.

The cover we found the Woodcock in was very dense (and curiously evergreen). Thus, I got very few good chances for the many flushes.

Most of my past hunting has been without a dog and I have rarely put Woodcock up. So, it was a new experience for me when “Archie” pointed 14 birds in 1 ½ hours, late in the final day of a three-day hunt -- intensive sport; great aerobic exercise and lasting mental images.

Dean: we did meet a trapper working his line in those woods last week.

I hunt every day now that I am retired. The Pawling and Millbrook area of NY has not been blessed by flight woodcock, as far a I can tell. I usually do birds in the morning and ducks in the afternoon. Woodduck numbers are up in my area as are mallards. Overall mallard numbers are down and the limit has been decreased to two birds. But you wouldn't know it by the number of mallards in my swamp. I'm actually seeing a lot more mallards than I did as a kid hunting the swamp. This is probably due to the large number of beavers that are flooding areas which open up more open water as the trees die over the years. The swamp looks a lot different than it did when I first started hunting it at thirteen years old. The swamp has always been a mecca for waterfowl and that hasn't changed over the years.

I just traded text messages with a good friend just down the road from the area I hunt. He is the consummate outdoorsman and is an avid trapper. He told me that he doesn't trap coyote any more now that prices on them are depressed but that coyote trapping is open right now in Vermont.






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I hunted wednesday afternoon, I had about 6 grouse and 6 woodcock points in about an hour. It was one of the best hunting days I have ever witnessed. There seemed to be more woodcock than usual in the area I hunted, either birds stacking up, or maybe some flight birds. Today, I hunted in snow and 30 mph winds, my brittany got birdy several times, but no points, I only hunted an hour or so. I did not hunt in one of my woodcock areas, I just walked 2 tracks and let the dog run. My buddy got 8 woodcock points and 2 grouse points in small evergreens this morning. He has been seeing a lot of woodcock all season. He cannot tell either if flight birds are here because of how many woodcock there are all over. Its a nice problem to have:)