Field Notes explores wildlife, field-craft, and outdoor education in New England - from trap-line to treeline. This space will host field updates, traditional skills, and thoughts on conservation and craftsmanship. We can also be found on LinkedIn here on our LinkedIn channel
I had 2 dozen footholds out for coyotes that have been eating the livestock. I set heavy on a .9 mile wooded loop. Foot of snow-then freezing rain. I am still digging out traps, chipping ice and remaking the sets. I left traps in place knowing I would have a mess after. Ice coming was a balance. The coyotes were moving that afternoon and unset traps don't catch coyotes.
We put our bacon "recipe" up on the website for those interested. You can find it in the Outdoor Education section under "Boreal Eats" https://borealis-traders.com/bacon/
The skinning and fur processing workshop was held today in central New Hampshire and the class was full! Light snow kicked off the day for all attendees but Bob had the wood stove blazing in the fur shed. Several experienced trappers were on hand to assist Bob and we had about 12 folks which made for packed fur shed.
Baileys Trapping Supply provided the donuts as well as assistance during the workshop along with Bob (host), Bill, Gene the association president, and myself.
Critters processed included otter, beaver, skunk and racoon. Attendees learned about best practices (maint of equipment, importance of first aid kit nearby, etc.) skinning, fleshing, boarding and hooping fur, gland removal, removal of meat for consumption and a brief discussion of zoonotic-al diseases and safety measures.
Just finished a video for YouTube that is all about Virginia Opossums. Caught one recently and let him go (was a non target species) and it got me thinking how little most folks know about the Opossum, hence the video.
You can find the YouTube video here: https://youtu.be/dQw2htjvFPM The image is from the field location I caught the little fellow at.
Live capture job for a landowner in southern New Hampshire.
This beaver had taken over the family’s swimming pond - clogging up water flow and even harassing the kids when they went in the water. Not a safe situation.
We removed the animal humanely and restored the pond’s function so the family can enjoy their property again.
This is what proper wildlife control looks like:
✔ Protect people
✔ Protect property
✔ Respect the animal
If you’re seeing signs of beaver damage on your land - don’t wait. It only gets more expensive the longer they’re there.
Wildlife isn’t tidy, and it isn’t sanitized - it’s real. While doing beaver control work in southern NH, we found a duckling trapped in the dam and rescued him. Before he even cleared the water… a bass made its move. Predator-prey. Zero drama, zero hesitation. This is the wild - life saving and life taking all in the same breath
We’re proud to share that one of our photos was selected for the November-December edition of New Hampshire Wildlife Journal - the state’s only magazine dedicated to wildlife and outdoor recreation. Pickup your copy to see which pic they selected!
Very happy that my recent demonstration of live trapping fisher using commercial cages was so well received at the Connecticut Trappers Rendezvous. Connecticut authorities have reached out to some trappers for assistance in live catching the wiry critters for radio collaring to support a multi-year study.
The US FWS is and has been supporting studies across the north-eastern states to monitor and understand more effectively a decline in population over the past several years. Trappers are a but a small part of this effort but an important one.
A quick and working neutralizer for when those stinkers spray you, your dog, or the deck!
1 Quart Hydrogen Peroxide
1/2 C Baking Soda
1/2 C Dawn Dishwashing liquid
1. Mix in open container to dissolve the baking soda. Do not store in a sealed container
2. Use in a spray bottle or wash cloth or simply put in a wash tub. Put item (e.g.; you pup) into tub and wash it down. Rinse, may affect color fastness so use with caution. Careful-it will clog some sprayers.
I picked up some new lure at a rendezvous a couple weeks back. Its "Yonder" from Jason Vance (next door in Maine). It is one of his long distance calls, a bit skunky so when Winter sets in and those temps go low I look forward to putting it to work! Will post he on how well it works. I know it smells "good."
For those wondering, our state association has an entire section of pics from the 2025 Trapper Rendezvous in Sandwich, NH here 2025 Trapper Rendezvous
