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Roys Boys

Roys Boys
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jckjr8

jckjr8

Posted
Posted
44 minutes ago, quality time said:

I've heard much about fisher killing turkeys. I have never seen that but I have seen birds of prey take out turkey poults. These animals are native to the area and serve a place in the eco system. I do not doubt that a fisher might take a turkey once in a while but I can tell you last year we saw fisher almost every weekend and they were hunting mice in the field. A much bigger issue with turkey population is the destruction of eggs and nest by things like skunks, raccoons and opossum . I have been a trapper for over 40 years and have watched the fur prices go to almost nothing but I still get out and do it. I set some traps for fisher this fall during the very short season but was not successful. I have heard people brag about shooting fisher during turkey season. Since they do not have a hunting season for fisher I'm sure the fines would be high. Is it worth losing your outdoor privilege to kill a member of the weasel family. The muskrat population is almost zero near my house because of all the bald eagles. Does that mean I should shoot the eagles to improve my muskrat trapping! I think not! All things have a place in nature. This is not an exotic. Our ecosystem is always changing and we all must learn to deal with it. Its not always up to humans to control the critters that run in our back yards. If you want to lower the fisher population in your area and you live in the newly opened trapping area try your hand at trapping them and take a kid with you if you can find one that will put his or her phone down long enough to do so.  Wes   

We'll said 100%. As a trapper I couldn't agree more

Xxx

Xxx

Posted
Posted
27 minutes ago, dawsonscreek said:

I’m not trying to start anything. I have more respect for the older generations than you want to believe. Not once did I claim to know everything or call you a “dumb azz”. I simply tried to respectfully post a reply based on facts that I studied during my time at a highly accredited local conservation based degree program in the Finger Lakes. I’ll leave it at that, I don’t want to argue. Good day, sir

 

Peace Dawsonscreek, just you started out by saying false accusations herd by hear say, that’s about the most polite way of saying what I said is pure BullShyt!! I’m not a fighter either, there’s many different situations for why things happen. I’m also happy to hear you furthered your education in this field, as we all know we need more guys like you. Again peace man!! PAP.

  • Like 1
ontherise

ontherise

Posted
Posted

I think your all wrong. I heard that Bigfoot brought fisher here from the north west to kill the turkey so that he (Bigfoot) could in turn steal and eat said turkey from the fisher. It's all making sense now huh?


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Fishnut

Fishnut

Posted
Posted

There are fishers all over in Elk Co. Pa. they are killing machines. I’ve lived on and around farms all my life. I’ve seen lots of critters get into the hen house and grab a chicken and off they go. When a fisher gets into a hen house they kill every chicken they can catch. Same goes for yotes. They kill them all.

I’m with Mike on this!! Back in the late 80,s I caught a coyote in the owls nest area of Elk Co. (first one I’d ever seen) it had a game commission tracking collar on it that said Pa game com. On it.
I called the game warden and he showed up. They took the collar and I was told they were tracking there east ward progress.
That was there professional position. The game warden at that time was a good friend of my dad. He told us that they had in fact brought some coyotes in to see how they would do.

Well F&$k me!! They are doing well!!! The deer? Not so well!!


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  • Like 1
Xxx

Xxx

Posted
Posted

Maybe that was the truck load of yotes we heard in the back. I can also say about the tattoo marks that were found on the t

cmc5028

cmc5028

Posted
Posted

I m only 31, but when I started hunting at age 12, nobody talked about coyotes, fishers and bobcats. I have seen all 3 species in Clarion County since.

Course back when I was 12, PA still had county doe tag system, 3 day doe season and no antler restrictions. Tons of deer too.




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  • Like 1
quality time

quality time

Posted
Posted

All I can tell you is that when I started deer hunting in the mid 70's you were lucky to see half a dozen deer a season. A turkey sighting would make the papers and coyotes were not heard of. Now with fishers and coyotes I see more deer and turkeys in a day then you would see in a whole season back in  70's. All animal populations go up and down in cycles. Did we have more turkeys and deer 20 years ago? Without question. were they so over populated that they were eating themselves out of house and home? You bet .When a farmer loses over 20% of the crops they plant you might have to many deer and turkeys because that same over population causes damage to the forest as well and that takes a long time to correct. You should enjoy the challenge of a moderate population of the game you hunt. If you want to kill game every time you step in the woods go to a game farm. I see the best balanced eco system of predator and prey in my near 60 years on this earth. Does anyone think about the facts of all the modern things that are allowed to hunt and how that has affected the populations of our game animals. 40 years ago a hunter walked to his stand and did not ride a 4 wheeler 3 miles to the top of the hill. We used recurve bows  not cross bows, we used flint locks with no scope not inlines with high power scopes and we used smooth bore shotguns not 300 win, mags  On top of that the seasons are longer.Did you ever think this might have an affect on our game populations. It's easy to blame natural predators but maybe we should look in the mirror. I'm not sure why everyone thinks everything is so grim. I saw more trophy bucks taken this year than ever. I hear turkeys on every ridge in the spring. Sure we had more turkeys 15 years ago but is it really fun when you call and you are not sure which way to face because you have birds coming in from 4 directions This year I've seen fisher ,bobcat fox. coyote and I didn't see a bear this year but I did last year. As I see it, things have never been better.

  • Like 1
jimmac

jimmac

Posted
Posted

Great post Quality Time! Couldn't agree more. When someone does not fill their tag thats when they want to blame the competition......the coyotes, birds of prey, fisher, etc. Fisher have expanded their traditional range from the ADK south and eastward due to over mature forests limiting their main prey species (squirrel, porkys, etc) in those areas. I'm one of the old guys and I'll pull the BS card when someone says the DEC stocked coyotes. That's silly. Yotes are like cockroaches, they can live with anything and adapt to anything. Part of their showing up here was the result of crossing with the eastern wolf species which naturally allowed their population to expand eastward. Some of the rumors you hear are outrageous. Stocking cougars was the latest farse people claimed and worse even believed.
Again, when someone doesn't fill their tag or get a deer like bucky on the tv show did then some critter or the DEC is to blame.

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stoneam2006

stoneam2006

Posted
Posted

So does a mink, weasel, raccoon, sometimes fox...kill them all.

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Buddy had a red fox get in and kill 19 chickens in a few hrs one afternoon over this past summer. I never would have guessed fox but he caught it on camera from his security system. Crazy my first guess was mink or weasel with what time of day it happened.

But please don't kill them all many of us enjoy hunting and trapping them lol.

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jlogger

jlogger

Posted
Posted

I saw one of these while backpacking in the High Peaks one morning. It was coming right toward the lean too we were in. Big sucker. I started walking towards it and banged a couple of pans together to shoo it away and it just looked at me with a who the F are you attitude and kept on coming. I stepped back into the lean too and let it pass.

longspurs

longspurs

Posted
Posted
We'll said 100%. As a trapper I couldn't agree more

As a turkey Hunter I disagree . They need a longer trapping season , because u are not that successful in a short season u have already. I manage my own land ......

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jckjr8

jckjr8

Posted
Posted
10 hours ago, longspurs said:


As a turkey Hunter I disagree . They need a longer trapping season , because u are not that successful in a short season u have already. I manage my own land ......

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I agree season is to short the season is also at the worst possible time. Trapping organizations tried having the season moved to December. But the Dec felt that more trappers would partake in October. 

stoneam2006

stoneam2006

Posted
Posted
I agree season is to short the season is also at the worst possible time. Trapping organizations tried having the season moved to December. But the Dec felt that more trappers would partake in October. 
October arguably the best 5 deer season days of the year. Fur is garbage Dec really stuck it to us. I didn't even set for them this year bc of it.

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jckjr8

jckjr8

Posted
Posted

Turkey population has many factors going against it. I have even noticed two turkey that I have harvested in the last 5 years had a form of tape worm. Dec said they can pick them up feeding in fields that farmers spread manure in.

jimmac

jimmac

Posted
Posted

I'd like to see the season open up right after deer season through the end of the year. That would be fun, hitting the winter woods with some cubbies and pole sets. The fur would nice and prime and the woods to ourselves. Could even run a snowmobile line.

But who am I kidding...they close muskrat down here (southern zone) when the fur is at its best. Runs 2 months longer 1.5 hours north of me..like that makes sense.

I get alot of fisher on my trail cams down here but I don't set the 5 day season...busy getting my canine line out and the fisher fur is junk in Oct.

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  • Like 2
iceman05

iceman05

Posted
Posted

At my old mans land in Alfred I had a fisher on trail cam two years ago. I emailed the DEC for confirmation. They said 100% a fisher, they asked for the location(road only) and said they have been setting fur traps as they believe the fisher was making a strong comback in the southern tier. Cool to get a pic at least


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  • Like 1
Xxx

Xxx

Posted
Posted

When I was 9-10 years old my dad showed me the ropes in the trapping world, most were leg holds till I made enough money to buy the conibear style introduced in 1959 the 110 came out, then the 220, but my 110’s produced great muskrat kills, I could only afford 4 they were $3.95-$4.50 depending where you go. I used to get up 4:am throw the single shot 22 over my shoulder hopped on my bicycle and down the dirt road I went I had like a 3-4 mile ride with my basket on my back, I usually had at least 1 in 1975 I was getting $3.50 a fur, then I peddled back home at breakfast got changed for school off I went to the bus stop.  I got home and made my rounds and either moved my sets up or down the stream. In 1981-82 muskrats went up in price like crazy I was getting $7 for medium to small and the bigger rat I was getting up to but never exceeded $9 a piece which added up, so I bought more conibear traps and started asking permission to trap ponds in our neck of the woods, they all said absolutely get them out of there. Soon I was at 35-40 conibears, victor one coils, and for coons a double coils. I’m not up to par with the names of the leg holds, but I saved my money after I had bought what I thought was enough traps. I bought my first car on my own with my trapping funds. I bought my brothers college buddies car, a 1966 mustang hardtop, Black with black interior. 289 with a 4 speed. I was the most proud kid in our neighborhood I did a lot of hrs on my bicycle. The following Christmas I got a ten speed.!!  Keep at Stone rhy w

stoneam2006

stoneam2006

Posted
Posted
When I was 9-10 years old my dad showed me the ropes in the trapping world, most were leg holds till I made enough money to buy the conibear style introduced in 1959 the 110 came out, then the 220, but my 110’s produced great muskrat kills, I could only afford 4 they were $3.95-$4.50 depending where you go. I used to get up 4:am throw the single shot 22 over my shoulder hopped on my bicycle and down the dirt road I went I had like a 3-4 mile ride with my basket on my back, I usually had at least 1 in 1975 I was getting $3.50 a fur, then I peddled back home at breakfast got changed for school off I went to the bus stop.  I got home and made my rounds and either moved my sets up or down the stream. In 1981-82 muskrats went up in price like crazy I was getting $7 for medium to small and the bigger rat I was getting up to but never exceeded $9 a piece which added up, so I bought more conibear traps and started asking permission to trap ponds in our neck of the woods, they all said absolutely get them out of there. Soon I was at 35-40 conibears, victor one coils, and for coons a double coils. I’m not up to par with the names of the leg holds, but I saved my money after I had bought what I thought was enough traps. I bought my first car on my own with my trapping funds. I bought my brothers college buddies car, a 1966 mustang hardtop, Black with black interior. 289 with a 4 speed. I was the most proud kid in our neighborhood I did a lot of hrs on my bicycle. The following Christmas I got a ten speed.!!  Keep at Stone rhy w
That's very cool. My dad bought his first car on rat furs also caught out if the alleghany river less than 15 miles from where I live now. There is still some money in rats if you can find them in decent numbers. I'm happy if I can buy my red bull and breakfast sandwich habit for the season lol. Good thing its a he'll of alot of fun.

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garrymny

garrymny

Posted
Posted
On 12/21/2017 at 9:55 PM, pap said:

When I was 9-10 years old my dad showed me the ropes in the trapping world, most were leg holds till I made enough money to buy the conibear style introduced in 1959 the 110 came out, then the 220, but my 110’s produced great muskrat kills, I could only afford 4 they were $3.95-$4.50 depending where you go. I used to get up 4:am throw the single shot 22 over my shoulder hopped on my bicycle and down the dirt road I went I had like a 3-4 mile ride with my basket on my back, I usually had at least 1 in 1975 I was getting $3.50 a fur, then I peddled back home at breakfast got changed for school off I went to the bus stop.  I got home and made my rounds and either moved my sets up or down the stream. In 1981-82 muskrats went up in price like crazy I was getting $7 for medium to small and the bigger rat I was getting up to but never exceeded $9 a piece which added up, so I bought more conibear traps and started asking permission to trap ponds in our neck of the woods, they all said absolutely get them out of there. Soon I was at 35-40 conibears, victor one coils, and for coons a double coils. I’m not up to par with the names of the leg holds, but I saved my money after I had bought what I thought was enough traps. I bought my first car on my own with my trapping funds. I bought my brothers college buddies car, a 1966 mustang hardtop, Black with black interior. 289 with a 4 speed. I was the most proud kid in our neighborhood I did a lot of hrs on my bicycle. The following Christmas I got a ten speed.!!  Keep at Stone rhy w

I have a similar story, but I trapped Fox, and Beaver. Then I went coon hunting at night! I got $50 for red fox, and up to $60 for Beaver. Coons were up to $35. My dad paid for Christmas for us 6 kids, by trapping mink and rats. He is 80 now, and is trapping a little this year, got 6 rats. Me, I haven't trapped for many years now, except for the coons and woodchcks in my yard.

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