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Post by Sunshine on Nov 14, 2008 7:07:55 GMT -5
for ya'll that are trapping rats, are they as plentiful this year as they have been or are they just found in isolated pockets here and there?
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Post by coonripper on Nov 14, 2008 7:42:54 GMT -5
In our county in Iowa they are in every drop of water this year. The past three years I havnt reached 50 for the season. This year in two weeks im almost at 200.
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Post by Sunshine on Nov 14, 2008 9:30:59 GMT -5
wow, thats great for you guys.
its been dry here so we got a few but nothing like in the recent past.
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Post by wheelers on Nov 14, 2008 18:30:04 GMT -5
Seems to be quite a few on the river. Made the mistake of mixing my fish oil with a little pro-coon. Couldn't keep the rats out of the pockets.
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Post by shaggy on Nov 14, 2008 19:27:34 GMT -5
Tey are pretty spotty up here but have picked up a few dozen in coon set. Planning on setting more for rats in a few weeks.
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Post by coonripper on Nov 14, 2008 23:39:20 GMT -5
Dont kick the rats out of your pocket sets, They are worth almost as much as coon this year and easier to put up.
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Post by Sunshine on Nov 15, 2008 19:48:05 GMT -5
our possum here averaged more than our rats last year.
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Post by coonripper on Nov 15, 2008 22:16:30 GMT -5
I see no sign of my rat ponds slowing down, Its amazing...we have had no rats for years, this year its like WOW!!!!
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Post by Sunshine on Nov 16, 2008 10:15:07 GMT -5
keep us posted on your catch and good luck.
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Post by samuelhasguns on Nov 16, 2008 18:35:55 GMT -5
Good Luck catching a rat. ;D
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Post by rszwieg on Nov 16, 2008 21:08:40 GMT -5
We have plenty of rats in ponds, creeks, ditches and potholes. Rats on the bigger streams seem to have been forced out.
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Post by hotwire on Nov 28, 2008 20:22:54 GMT -5
There seem to be lots around here.
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Post by frshwtr on Nov 29, 2008 20:04:44 GMT -5
got 7 today makeing a total of 40 so far. i know its not the big numbers some get but i'm haveing fun.
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Post by shaggy on Nov 29, 2008 22:56:58 GMT -5
got 7 today makeing a total of 40 so far. i know its not the big numbers some get but i'm haveing fun. And that is truly all that matters.
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Post by Sunshine on Nov 30, 2008 5:06:42 GMT -5
yes it is.
i was just curious as to numbers cause seems we got more this year than last.
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Post by trapper7 on Dec 3, 2008 15:10:08 GMT -5
I never trap rats, but always get a few in my mink & coon sets. This year I have yet to get one. There are several pot holes in my area that usually hold some, but this year not a single house on any of them. Their numbers have been diminishing progressively over the past few years around here.
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Post by frshwtr on Dec 3, 2008 20:08:14 GMT -5
rats around here are in pockets. you can walk a lot of creek and not find any and then a mile away on the same creek find decent numbers (well at least catch 10 or 15 in a couple of hundred yards) and still leave some for seed. it often wonders me if the big herons have anything to do with numbers i have seen them mouseing in hay fields and i do know they play havoc on the minnow numbers (makeing them none existent). well i'm still catching some and tonight my son brought in a nice male mink. i cant wait to see what tommorow brings.
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Post by Sunshine on Dec 3, 2008 20:16:05 GMT -5
im surprised that our eastern rats ar bigger than the western rats.
jerry caught several out in wyoming last year and the nes we caught here make them look like beebees.
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Post by BlakeTheTrapper on Dec 3, 2008 20:38:19 GMT -5
ive caught like 5 so far this year in our pond, havent really tryed for them, there is a bunch more in there though, found about 12 or so feed beds in our new pond and there is a bunch of bank dens in our old and new pond.
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Post by coonripper on Dec 3, 2008 21:21:24 GMT -5
I did break 300 rats. Pulled them all yesterday though. getting most of them ready to ship to NAFA tomorrow. I think i will hold 100 back for spring sale
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Post by Sunshine on Dec 7, 2008 9:44:13 GMT -5
wow, i cant even begin to imagine catching 300 rats, i thought 150 was alot to put up,lol
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Post by frshwtr on Dec 7, 2008 16:36:39 GMT -5
one year with a partner we broke 400. we set thanksgiving day, checked that night and the next morning, set more and then the next morning we counted 147 rats (kept a diary that year). was a late night putting up fur. now its a hobby so to speak. still haveing fun but a lot of things are froze up. got a total of 65 and a doe mink so far. takeing this week off to sit in the woods (deer hunting).
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Post by coonripper on Dec 11, 2008 1:52:16 GMT -5
317 total. Sent 150 to NAFA. Lets hope for the best.
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Post by billmeyerhoff on Dec 11, 2008 20:22:26 GMT -5
Nice rat catch. Hope you get a good price at the auction.
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Post by Sunshine on Dec 12, 2008 7:36:15 GMT -5
itll be intersting to see if our rats average as much as our possum. last year they didnt but jerry had a bunch of smaller western rats from wyoming and they brought the rat average down.
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