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Post by 4fur on Apr 5, 2011 6:13:11 GMT -6
You will go over a hundred when you get all your floats out. Are you moving some of your floats to new locations? That is just crazy catching so many the during the day! Are you seeing any red tail hawks? Any problems with ducks? Good luck with selling today!
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Post by trapping24 on Apr 5, 2011 7:55:44 GMT -6
Make sure you get some tailgate shots...Sounds like you are having a good time!  |
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Post by kyle on Apr 5, 2011 8:00:14 GMT -6
You will go over a hundred when you get all your floats out. Are you moving some of your floats to new locations? That is just crazy catching so many the during the day! Are you seeing any red tail hawks? Any problems with ducks? Good luck with selling today! I was thinking and wondering the same thing. |
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Post by ~ADC~ on Apr 5, 2011 8:20:08 GMT -6
Makes a person want to plan a trip! Keep piling them up Kelly!  ~ADC~ |
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Post by jdrogge on Apr 5, 2011 10:56:59 GMT -6
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Post by Kelly on Apr 5, 2011 22:35:57 GMT -6
Yeah, quite a few Hawks and lots of ducks but no problems from them. The Geese have pretty much moved North.
75 today, which was excellent considering I had less than 45 floats operational. Reset the 32 repaired floats today including 6 new sloughs. The rats are really starting to hit the floats now-making them TOILETS! ;D When they do that one could easily check twice a day. Repaired another 16 floats tonight and worked on the new ones which I'll complete in the morning.
Did not sell tonight because the buyer did not have room for all of mine so he'll come tomorrow at 6:00 so it will be a short day for me-may not reach 100 tomorrow but for sure Thursday after having all the floats set. I've previously-many moons ago-had two 100+ days-best was 116 I believe but expect to beat that personal best very soon. Best 14 days total is 1067 and hope to beat that , too.
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Post by ~ADC~ on Apr 6, 2011 8:58:42 GMT -6
Sounds like a good plan Kelly! You're certainly shortening the learning curve for others who may go there in the future. Thanks for sharing!
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Post by iowatrapper on Apr 6, 2011 13:05:22 GMT -6
Great Job Kelly, sounds like both a ton of fun and work.
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Nick C
Active Trap Talker
Posts: 73
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Post by Nick C on Apr 6, 2011 17:33:01 GMT -6
Awesome Kelly!
I'd love to go there and try this spring rat trapping!
It's on the bucket list for sure!
Wouldn't be too far for me and Big T!! haha
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Post by x-demoman on Apr 6, 2011 20:24:07 GMT -6
Going to use Big T for the float or the bait.  Its in my plans for next year. Gene |
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Post by 4fur on Apr 6, 2011 21:24:35 GMT -6
Going to use Big T for the float or the bait. Take Thane for his driver and ditch him in the road ditch! ;D I was talking to Kelly and he was waiting for the buyer. The buyer was buying so many rats he ran out of checks! Man there must be a bunch of rats up there! They are pooping all over his floats and eating the rails on his floats like beaver! Of course they're eating the Styrofoam he just installed, too. But Kelly is only catching one rat in a trap at a time which shows he is still learning...  Kelly had a monster day considering he didn't have many sets out. But I'll let him tell you about his record setting day. You probably thought I drove through some bad reception and the call got dropped, Kelly. But I hung up on you because I was about to throw up with jealousy! Good luck tomorrow. 200? |
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Post by Kelly on Apr 6, 2011 22:01:01 GMT -6
Well, I still own my rats-buyer reneged on the $4.50 price he quoted me Sunday night-only wanted to pay $4.00. So I have another option tomorrow night but have to haul the rats 35 miles but that buyer is still paying $4.60. I will take a picture of a truckload(F-150 that is) of rats before I go. Took quite a few pictures today of my personal best, record setting day. Can you say, SMASHED the old record. ;D How about some guesses? Wayne and Tim are NOT allowed to make guesses. Still my personal best is below what some others are doing here but they have had lots more floats than I have. My two motel trappers have been close to 200 a day but with 150 floats. Figure I now have 75 floats set, still 3 more to repair and 15 more new ones to finish. I do have about 4 colonies set and about 25 bank sets-traditional rat sets which really produce but there is no way one could run enough of them- These float are the cats meow in Spring. Rats are really moving right now-have about 20-25 floats I check for second time on the way back to motel. It sure is cool to pull up to two floats-put 4 rats in the truck-then check on way back and put another 4 rats in truck. 8 rats from one stop in a day is good!  |
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Post by Kelly on Apr 6, 2011 22:03:12 GMT -6
Going to use Big T for the float or the bait. Take Thane for his driver and ditch him in the road ditch! ;D I was talking to Kelly and he was waiting for the buyer. The buyer was buying so many rats he ran out of checks! Man there must be a bunch of rats up there! They are pooping all over his floats and eating the rails on his floats like beaver! Of course they're eating the Styrofoam he just installed, too. But Kelly is only catching one rat in a trap at a time which shows he is still learning... Kelly had a monster day considering he didn't have many sets out. But I'll let him tell you about his record setting day. You probably thought I drove through some bad reception and the call got dropped, Kelly. But I hung up on you because I was about to throw up with jealousy! Good luck tomorrow. 200? No Wayne have not figured how to catch two rats in one trap but did catch 3 rats and 4 Northern Pike in one Colony yesterday. Today that same colony had 2 rats and 2 NP. |
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Post by Kelly on Apr 6, 2011 22:06:14 GMT -6
Sounds like a good plan Kelly! You're certainly shortening the learning curve for others who may go there in the future. Thanks for sharing! Well will post pictures when I get back home and share the basics but not everything.  There are just some things that need to be learned by doing. |
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Post by Kelly on Apr 6, 2011 22:09:46 GMT -6
Going to use Big T for the float or the bait. Its in my plans for next year. Gene Bring plenty of freezers, Gene! Next year I'm going to bring 1 or 2 more with at least one upright with shelves to sort of flash freeze-then transfer next day to chest freezer. I've been catching so many that have had to double layer in my 2 freezers each night-then anotehr 2 layers the next night. There is not enough time for those layers to freeze but they do cool down a lot. |
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Post by Kelly on Apr 6, 2011 22:11:20 GMT -6
 Any skinners available? Time for me to get some early  C ya tomorrow.
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Post by coonhunter12 on Apr 7, 2011 6:21:51 GMT -6
Good luck kelly. seems like your hamering the rats. Cant wait to see the pics when u get back
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Post by LLLTrapper on Apr 7, 2011 6:41:38 GMT -6
Any skinners available? Time for me to get some early C ya tomorrow. I may be interested if your bringing them back Kelly. I have two more beaver jobs to finish and then will have some time to finish some if your serious. P.M. me,LLL |
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Post by ~ADC~ on Apr 7, 2011 9:05:41 GMT -6
Can you say, SMASHED the old record. (116) ;D How about some guesses? Wayne and Tim are NOT allowed to make guesses. 117? ~ADC~ |
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Post by dspree on Apr 7, 2011 12:10:53 GMT -6
130
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Post by trapping24 on Apr 7, 2011 12:37:54 GMT -6
148
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Post by 4fur on Apr 7, 2011 14:50:06 GMT -6
I think it's BS that I'm not eligible. And I think it was pretty poor planning not to be able to post pictures. You took everything else (except a spare tire for your trailer)! But I got over it when I learned you were buying a really nice spring home up there in SD and starting KLL's 'Rat Guiding Services. And I think it's very generous that ITT members stay FREE! Just be sure to get a place with a guest house for BigT so we don't have to listen to him snore or make weird sounds porking his driver all night! |
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Post by BigT on Apr 7, 2011 15:13:04 GMT -6
PORK PORK PORK |
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Post by kyle on Apr 7, 2011 16:13:09 GMT -6
We heard some strange noises when we were trying to sleep on our ice fishing trip....but it wasn't snoring & there was a lady in bed with him.  |
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Post by minnow on Apr 7, 2011 17:15:38 GMT -6
Hey kelly how many miles are you going each day? Are you still dealing with a lot of ice?
125?
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Post by minnow on Apr 7, 2011 17:19:44 GMT -6
Oh Yeah. You can drop some muskrats off when your passing back threw.
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Post by dfox on Apr 7, 2011 17:26:43 GMT -6
160
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Post by 4fur on Apr 7, 2011 21:29:31 GMT -6
I was on the phone tonight with Kelly and he was waiting for the buyer to come. He had to drive 35 miles to meet the buyer and said he had driven by "40-50, maybe even 60 road killed rats!" There must be rat numbers up there like there are coon numbers in Iowa around Malcomb! BTW, Kelly has been in SD so long he is beginning to lose his WI accent! Pa Ingalls lived in SD only a little longer and got 80 acres! Kelly had a new PB on the line today. I was just joking about Kelly buying a place up there, earlier. But guess what he called about today? There are 10 acres that go with it. Kelly's Camp Rat will make that little bike get together over in Sturgis look like a 3rd grade slumber party! You need to quit talking to real estate agents, wasting time driving all over SD selling and get after the rats, Kelly. You need to think BIG, man! |
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Post by Kelly on Apr 7, 2011 23:02:48 GMT -6
Well, my Personal Best yesterday was 139 and today I had a new PB of 141 counting having to stop checking about 3 hours early to day to take my rats to sell. Literally, I had a pickup full of rats-752 to be exact. Yes, I did take a picture of that as well as others.
Am driving about 116-125 miles a day and only ice problems now are on the larger bodies of water, but there is room around the edges to set floats. Although I did have two floats/stake and all moved about 30 feet by a big chunk of floating ice. We had strong South winds today but it was sunny-no rain.
LLL, minnow and tjk-will keep you in mind. Right now at the pace I'm going will have the freezers full again by Tuesday/Wednesday so probably will have to sell here again. The buyer really liked my rats being frozen the same day as caught-he asked how long I was staying and wanted more. Seems most of the rats he is buying are from 2-4 days out of the trap and never seen a freezer so there will be some spoilage. The buyers last trip will be the 16th so I'll keep at it as long as these stupid rats keep climbing onboard my floats and get caught. ;D
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Post by dspree on Apr 8, 2011 2:39:16 GMT -6
It's hard to imagine that many rats.  |
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There are just some things that need to be learned by doing.
