Follow along as the author straps on his skis for a fun winter trapline.
Text and photos by Zach Cason
The temperature read around 10 degrees Fahrenheit, not too cold and certainly not too warm. It was an ideal day for weasel trapping. I hefted a pack basket filled with traps and bait onto my back, secured my skis, and was ready to go. I sliced through the snow with ease in the cold, and when I hit my tracks from previous outings, skiing became effortless. I could glide through the prairie and marsh toward my sets at a speed equal to that of running. As I approached my first trap, excitement began to course through me. Etched in the powder was a fresh set of tracks bound for the entrance of my cubby. I lifted the box and was greeted by a weasel, just as white as the snow, frozen in the jaws of the longspring trap.
A #1½ longspring serves as a fatal bodygrip for weasels. Sometimes they miss the pan on the way in, but they almost always get caught when heading back out. Photo credit Zach Cason
Many people would say that trapping begins to wind down during winter. I beg to differ. When everything has frozen solid and snow covers the ground, it opens a world of opportunities. It becomes possible to read the story of the land through the snow. One can see details as fine as the daily routes of mice, and the wing prints of an owl hunting them. I gear up and set out to take advantage of this natural newspaper, for the snow also makes evident the routines of sought-after furbearers. A variety of traps make their way into my pack basket, and my main quarry is the weasel. The United States is home to three species of weasel: the short-tailed, least, and long-tailed weasels.
The long-tailed weasel is the largest of the three, with large individuals achieving sizes comparable to a mink. They occupy similar habitats to those of short-tailed weasels but are generally less abundant. The short-tailed weasel, also known as the ermine or stoat, is the next largest at about 7 to 13 inches in length. They are the most prevalent species here in my home state of Wisconsin, and the main focus of my trapping. Finally, the least weasel is the smallest on average. It can be distinguished from the short-tailed weasel by its shorter tail that lacks a black tip. All three of these species are widespread across the United States.
Weasels are very opportunistic, living wherever sufficient prey and cover are present. Like all mustelids, however, they tend to be very unpredictable. I’ve found that short-tailed weasels commonly frequent the habitat edges between upland grasslands and wetlands, sometimes prefer occasional woody cover, as well. Meanwhile, least weasels are more common where shorttails are not, generally occurring farther from water in upland fields. I tend to focus on wetlands when trapping. In these areas, especially during winter, prey is abundant in the form of mice, voles, rabbits, shrews and various birds. Weasels prefer some immediate dense structure to live in, whether it be a stand of cattails, phragmites, sedges, or some type of shrub or tree. With this in mind, it is not impossible to find shorttails in woodlands and prairies.
Prop the cubby up and center the trap in the outline left in the snow. Place the bait toward the back, alongside the trap’s spring. A muskrat leg fits nicely. Photo credit Zach Cason
When trapping such an opportunistic animal, it is important to have an equally versatile set. Cubbies have proven to be just that. They are the best way to trap weasels in my experience, and will catch all three species. A cubby does a good job of catching a weasel’s interest and greatly reduces unwanted catches of birds and other mammals. I build my own cubbies, made with 3/4-inch thick plywood, and large enough to house a #1½ longspring with extra space in the back for bait. I make them bottomless so that the traps rest on the ground. My design is enclosed on all four sides and has a top that overhangs the front by a couple of inches. Then I drill a 2⅛-inch diameter hole in the center of the front. Drilling a hole in the front, as opposed to leaving the front wide open, greatly reduces the catch of voles and shrews, and it also forces the weasel to enter above the trap and land directly on the pan. No. 1½ longsprings are my go-to trap; they serve as a body-grip trap for weasels. Wide-panned rat traps and No. 1 longsprings will also do the job and allow for smaller cubbies. Weasels are constantly killing, often more than they can eat, so using fresh bait is important since they have no interest in rotten food. Natural prey such as mice, voles, muskrats and rabbits work great, as do competitors, such as mink and weasel carcasses.
Drop the cubby back down and make sure the entrance is unobstructed. Your set is ready to go. Photo credit Zach Cason
I take an interesting approach to winter trapping, not often heard of among trappers, which is cross-country skiing. Skiing has many overlooked benefits. As I mentioned before, it allows me to move much faster than walking, often cutting the time it takes to check my traps in half. It also reduces disturbances to the area being trapped. When walking a trapline through the snow, a person will make a beaten path obvious to every creature around after just a couple days. However, on skis, the same tracks are used each time, making one’s presence tougher to detect. Lastly, if nothing is caught on the outing, then it is simply a ski trip through beautiful country. Skiing is by no means a necessary element of a winter trapline, but it is a nice addition, nonetheless.
A good pair of cross-country skis and poles, and a comfortable pack basket, round out the author’s efficient trapping setup. Photo credit Zach Cason
When establishing a trapline, I like to pick a route that will pass by potential cover, straddling the edges of habitat types. I keep an eye out for natural funnels. Frozen ditches are a great place to start and often yield many weasels. Possible attractors, such as a singular log in a field or a brush pile, are something I always investigate. Once I find an area with a high concentration of tracks, I put down a set. I like to use the top of my cubby to compress the snow, leaving a rectangular print. The set trap goes inside this rectangle and the bait behind it. Lastly, the cubby is placed on top. I always double check to make sure the pan of the trap is in line with the entrance to the cubby. The trap should be secured to the cubby or some other type of drag. Weasels will certainly respond to scent, so do not be afraid to add a little lure to the set. I will use anything for lure, as long as it is smelly.
Weasels are by no means the sole focus of my ski-trapping expeditions. I bring assorted body grips along, used to catch raccoons, opossums, muskrats and mink. Weasel traps are a great addition to other traplines, as well. Trapping muskrats and beavers during winter will often bring you to ideal weasel cover. In fact, the lodges of both serve as great attractors and may even house a weasel. Upland traplines for canines and raccoons are bound to intersect the haunts of weasels, too, so I always keep a couple cubbies on hand. While winter is necessary in order to catch the valuable white phase of weasels, snow is not. Although snow will greatly increase your success by making it possible to find tracks, sets can be made under the premise of suitable cover.
As mentioned previously, weasels gravitate toward marshy cover, edges of the cover types, corridors through or between cover types, and attractive features within. These are all good set locations. Examples would be where a stand of cattails adjoins grassy cover, a ditch, a line of willows or a lone shrub. Snow allows you to find the busiest areas occupied by weasels, indicated by the density of tracks. A set can produce a weasel per day in an ideal location, or it may simply catch one then become cold. Do not be afraid to move your sets around, in fact, it is necessary to do so if mice or shrews discover its location, otherwise they will eat your bait and your catch. Bear in mind that, as with any furbearer, it may take a couple of nights for a weasel to come across your set.
A weasel came through here twice. Look for the telltale sets of two, usually staggered. Each individual track is about 1 inch in diameter. Photo credit Zach Cason
Once you have your weasel, you should promptly skin it before the fur begins to slip. This can happen in only a day if the carcass is not kept cool. Freezing them whole will buy you some time, but if left in the freezer too long they may be subject to frost damage. Before skinning, check over each weasel. It is not uncommon for blood to get on their white fur. This can easily be washed out with hydrogen peroxide and warm water. Once it is clean, simply take a hair dryer to it and then it will be ready to skin.
When you begin skinning, you may notice that weasels produce an abundance of their own original smell. This comes from two small glands near the anus. I like to save these glands and use them as lure for a multitude of animals. Finish skinning a weasel as you would a mink, or any furry-tailed furbearer, for that matter. Always split the tail to ensure proper drying. I whittle my own stretchers out of wooden furring strips, using a knife to round out one end and sandpaper to smooth the edges. I also make my own belly boards the same way, using paint stir sticks instead. Then I simply use thumbtacks to keep the fur stretched. Making your own stretchers is easy and can save you a few dollars. Otherwise, stretching boards for weasels can be purchased.
A successful catch will often leave plenty of scent that will attract other weasels. Photo credit Zach Cason
By just spending a few hours after school or work each day, I can accumulate a profitable amount of fur. Even when the market hits a low, weasels tend to sell. One weasel may only bring a few dollars, but those add up, especially considering how easy they are to trap and put up. But trapping is no longer about money for me, instead it is about the experience. When classes, sports and social life become stressful, getting out and feeling the cold against my face and the snow under my skis unwinds me like nothing else.
Trapping is difficult, requiring knowledge of the animal in order to be successful. Consequently, it has given me a better understanding of the natural functions of the environment. I hope that many future generations will have the same right as me, to be able to trap fur in beautiful environments. Snow brings a different perspective to trapping, which can be extremely productive. When winter hits, weasel trapping is at its prime. The same can be said for many other species, which have grown prime pelts by this time of year. For me, weasels just bring a unique excitement to winter trapping seasons, and another excuse to get outdoors.
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