[Lugnut]

The set up:

A double dirt-hole next to a tractor lane. One trap self-fired, never mind that one.

The other caught something last night. There is a light catch circle and small amount of hair between the jaws.

I put this flat set in thirty feet away.

Both traps were sprung and pulled out of their beds, there was a light catch circle around one of them.

Both had the same hair as the dirt-hole trap between the jaws.

There was a small area of blood on the outer edge of the flat set catch circle.

This is the hair I recovered. Most of it was within three feet of both sets with the majority being around the flat set.

What I know; two critters were caught sometime last night then disappeared with very little sign of struggle. There are no carcasses or body parts at the sets or in the immediate area (5o yard circle).

What I think I know; what critter(s) the fur came from.

What I don't know; what happened here.

 

[buckmasters243]

If I had to guess id say possum or coon. I have had the same luck this season. They are tough animals. Traps off and a foot left with nothing in the traps.

 

[trappin4reds2010]

I caught a rabbit by both front paws a week ago. Similar looking situation. Something grabbed it. Only reason I know it was a rabbit is because both front paws were still in the trap....

I think the same think happened to you...

But the fur doesn't do much for me since there's nothing to scale it against..

You think its coon fur??

 

[Strut10]

Dunno.

Fuzzy, under-fur usually indicates the critter was rolling on the set. Is your bait too rotted ?

What size traps are those ?? The blood seems to indicate a pretty bad leg break. The hair could be gray fox. Maybe you are not running enough pan tension and the traps are firing too soon.

All only guesses.

 

[yotkillerbill]

i think a yot took what ever you had trap

 

[Lugnut]

Traps off and a foot left with nothing in the traps.

No feet, nothing but the fur pictured and a little blood.

I caught a rabbit by both front paws a week ago. Similar looking situation. Something grabbed it. Only reason I know it was a rabbit is because both front paws were still in the trap....

I think the same think happened to you...

But the fur doesn't do much for me since there's nothing to scale it against..

You think its coon fur??

I've had a couple of rabbits grabbed this season already. There is always a few body parts left, as well as feet in the trap. Not so in this case.

The guard hairs are about two inches long and silver/black.

Dunno.

Fuzzy, under-fur usually indicates the critter was rolling on the set. Is your bait too rotted ?

What size traps are those ?? The blood seems to indicate a pretty bad leg break. The hair could be gray fox. Maybe you are not running enough pan tension and the traps are firing too soon.

All only guesses.

No bait. The traps are # 2 Bridgers at the flat set and 1.75 Northwoods at the dirt-holes.

Other than rabbits, I've never had a caught critter break a leg.

 

[Lugnut]

i think a yot took what ever you had trap

LOL

 

[Lugnut]

I think two possums were caught, that's what I think the fur is, I'm pretty sure about that.

What I don't get is how they were both removed from the traps with no parts left behind. I've had hawks and owls eat caught possums but they always dine right at the set and leave the remains.

I've had fox take rabbits out and coyotes kill foxes but always there are remains and/or body parts.

Human interference would explain the lack of body parts but that is highly unlikely. I've trapped this farm with sole permission for nine years and only ever had one incident with a moron disguised as a deer hunter. Besides that wouldn't explain the scattered fur.

I set the traps late in the day the day before and checked them before sun up the next morning. I guess it could have been coon hunters but I'm a not aware of any in the area, and this is my home area, I know a lot about was goes on around here.

Besides, who would want to steal grinners.

My working theory is that two possums were caught and a pack of yotes came along and took them. I'm going to search some nearby heavy cover as soon as I get a chance to see if I can find remains.

For now, back to business, caught a fox this morning in the same set that held one of the possums.

 

[Guest]

Wierd...my guess is a coyote is the culprit and maybe got scared off instead of eating the possum on the spot ran with them. Is the location near a road that would make yotes uncomfortable? Tell us more about the place. Does it have coyotes? What kind of critter mix do you usually catch at the spot? How long during the season do you trap it and what are the animal populations like?

 

[buckmasters243]

Hawk,owl,eagle or falcon

 

[Lugnut]

Hawk,owl,eagle or falcon

I don't think so buckmasters243. I've had raptors kill and eat caught critters before and in every incident they dined on the spot. I don't think a raptor could pull an animal out of a trap

 

[Lugnut]

Wierd...my guess is a coyote is the culprit and maybe got scared off instead of eating the possum on the spot ran with them. Is the location near a road that would make yotes uncomfortable? Tell us more about the place. Does it have coyotes? What kind of critter mix do you usually catch at the spot? How long during the season do you trap it and what are the animal populations like?

This is mostly a fox spot with the occasional coon and possum. There are coyotes here, caught one at this location last year.

My working theory is that two possums were caught and a pack of coyotes came along and took them. I just don't know how they could have got them out of the traps without leaving some parts behind.

 

[Guest]

I tend to think only a coyote or bear could take them out of the traps clean. Any chance of bear in the area?

 

[Lugnut]

There was one hanging around here a few years ago, it was big news whenever someone saw it. Hasn't been seen since. Far more yotes around here than bear.