Ran the line today and conditions weren't great. A lot of the holes had barely frozen, due to the warm weather, which leaves the poles unsupported at the top, or in short the beaver just grab onto them and pull them under the ice, several of them without being caught! Water on the ice from melting snow, and sagging ice.
Pictured above^^ is how I check these snare poles when they freeze, which they normally do in proper cold weather. I don't have to chop out a hole large enough to pull the whole pole up, I just chop a hole large enough to get my hand through, then reach under the ice and feel for my top snares. If the top snares are still set, I just go to the next pole. The neoprene gloves go up to my shoulder, and in cold weather I wear a pair of wool liners under them for warmth. Usually when a beaver has been caught they knock all the snare down, so if the top snares are out of place, I chop the entire hole open and pull the pole out. If I've caught a beaver, I go to one end of my slot I've cut in the ice, chop out a hole just on that end large enough to pull a beaver out head first by reaching under the ice and getting hold of the beavers front foot to guide it out the small hole.
Started at house one, which showed no activity at all. Loaded back up and went to the main contract area. Pictured above ^^ is house #2, and had another small one here today.
This ^^ is the beaver at house #2 caught by the tail, with a stick also in the snare loop. The beaver was probably headed back into the house carrying the stick when it went through the snare loop
Nothing at house #3 except a few new chew marks from muskrats on one pole. Above ^^ is house #4 and a beaver had again pulled the same pole under the ice and just about chewed the pole in half, without getting caught. I'm sure the pole hadn't frozen in at all, and look at the water in my boot prints. We need a couple days below zero to solidify this ice again.
This ^^ is what I saw when pulling up to house #5. Two of three poles pulled under the ice!!
And this ^^ is the results of the two poles pulled under at house #5, a nice big pair! Things are looking up!
This is the beaver caught closest to the house at #5. Shrews do this, and often chew the heels, nose or ears, while the beaver is completely submerged under ice. They like the fatty areas and on rare occasions even chew through the tail leather. Usually doesn't hurt the value of the hide, because like this facial area, is cut off when we flesh them anyway.
This ^^ is a dried up old beaver pond between house #5 and #6. This area of the creek ice either fell in when I drove over it last time and I didn't feel it or fell in some time during the last two warm days. It's a pretty rough ride with all the hummocks in the area, but I didn't notice it anyway until I saw it today, had to re-route a short ways to pick a different path around it. No big deal except I had the sled on and had to unhook three bait poles to go in reverse! It's the little things in life! LOL
This ^^ is what house #6 looked like when I pulled up to it, three of four poles pulled under. I didn't have a lot of faith in this house, just didn't look very hot.
But,,, there was a nice big dark beaver ^^ caught on the pole closest to the camera. It had gotten to the pole closest to the house and also pulled it under, and a beaver had pulled the other two poles under on the right but hadn't even chewed on them. Probably just trying to get them out of the runs, which tells me they were in the right spot, but hadn't frozen in yet. I put them right back the same place!