My wife told me I should post this story from when I was a kid spending time out at my Uncle's farm back in 1971 or so. Anyhow I hope you all find it interesting
I've never done any trapping of my own but I used to go out with my Uncle many, many years ago when he was trapping beavers. The first time he took me out to check traps I didn't even know that's what we were headed out to do. I was about 6 or 7 something like that and out we went on this old snowmobile, a Ski whiz or old Massey, the type with the boogey wheels inside the track instead of sliders anyhow it rode like a steel wheeled tractor. So we headed out into the creek valley at night with me holding on for dear life and him driving like a maniac when we stop on the creek for some unknown reason. He tells me to wait on the sled while he checks something, next thing I know this monster dead beaver lands on my lap with him telling me not to drop it as we blast off to another to check another trap I'm guessing. Now I was a very small kid at the time so trying to hold onto this dead furry monster as well as trying not to fall off in the snow while bouncing madly away on the back of this snowmachine was quite the feat. Plus that was the first time I'd ever seen a beaver that close up and it was bigger than me for Pete's sake. Did I mention he was driving like a maniac down the creek bed and through the bush? Anyhow we made it back to the farm house with just this one beaver as there was no more to be had that night. This was my first time on his line as well as my first time on a snowmachine so it was an event that'll I'll always remember that's for sure. I guess it explains some of my desire to be outdoors and the driving part I guess is in my families genetics because we all drive things like a maniac when we get the chance too..