2010 UPDATE
Trapper Joe came by the end of October to walk the pond perimeter and get ready for the MR trapping season. He normally takes his time and likes to talk, but not today. He steps out of his pick up and shows me a piece of paper with about 20 items listed. They are all the ponds he plans to visit today....he needs to make sure he has the correct amount of equipment for when the season opens.
I ask him if he minds if I walk along and maybe learn a bit. It was interesting as he points out old den areas and other tell-tale signs...or lack thereof. When we get to the area where he found a bunch last year, he is disappointed in the inactivity. In fact, after about 45 minutes of shoreline exam, he reports that he thinks there may be little to no MR action. Good for me, bad for Joe. He says that the sunlight conditions were not ideal and he wants to come back once more with his den probe to make sure. Fine by me.
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Sitting here now, and recently talking with my farmer pal about critters sighted in the area, it now dawns on me that we did see that mink this past spring. I'll bet he/she cleaned house.
