NARRATOR: Winter is in full
swing across Montana's Yaak
Valley throwing a wrench
in the works of Tom Oar's
successful trapping business.
 Trapping's been tough, man.
Once it sets out in this kind
of weather, this ain't good.
NARRATOR: His apprentice
and partner, Sean McAfee,
has come up empty for
the last two weeks
on their most productive line.
 Conditions are changing
pretty quickly, now, Tom.
 Yeah.
It's freezing up, isn't it?
SEAN MCAFEE: Yeah.
NARRATOR: And with
subfreezing temperatures
soon to make accessing
local ponds and rivers more
difficult, Sean's
seeking Tom's expert
advice to salvage their
season before it's too late.
 Here's that first set here.
 There ain't nothing in it.
 Nothing in it.
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
 That's kind of been the
story of that trap right there.
 Let me slip down in.
 We can probably just
pull it, though, huh?
 Yeah.
But I think we-- it's going
to be froze in tomorrow.
The rivers and all of the waters
are starting to freeze over.
Once the water starts
freezing, well, now, the beaver
can't step on the trap anymore.
Because there's a layer
of ice over the trap.
So he can't even--
he cannot step on it.
 Let's do it then.
Let's pull it and find
something new here.
[CLINK]
NARRATOR: Trapping under
the ice is possible.
But it requires
different equipment
and a different strategy.
Plus there's no point in
doubling down on an area
that's not producing.
 The other set right
in here, Mr. Tom.
TOM OAR: Yeah.
I see it.
NARRATOR: Beaver pelts are
one of Tom's biggest sellers,
which means if they don't
drum up a plan B soon,
their whole season
could be in jeopardy.
 I know a place
where we can go.
SEAN MCAFEE: OK.
 The biggest thing
in our favor, Sean,
is that it's kind of spring fed.
So it's always the
last leg to freeze.
SEAN MCAFEE: OK.
 The only thing is it's
so far back in there,
we have to spend the night.
 OK.
 There's a cabin, though.
SEAN MCAFEE: OK.
Let's do it.
 All right.
 When you work for
somebody like Tom,
who has that kind
of experience--
you know, he's been
trapping beaver
longer than I've been alive.
So it just helps to give you
confirmation on, all right.
It's time to change
what we're doing here.
NARRATOR: It's been
years since Tom's made
the 15-mile trek to this spot.
And it's a gamble to try and
run a line so deep in the woods.
But since it was high
yield in the past,
he's hoping the journey
will be worth the effort.
 It'll be an adventure.
SEAN MCAFEE: Yeah.
 You stick with me, buddy.
I'll-- I'll keep you
in lots of adventures.
 [LAUGHS]
 There be the river there, eh?
NARRATOR: If the ice is
strong enough to hold them.
 What do you think of that ice?
 Don't look real
thick right there.
SEAN MCAFEE: Some
open water there, huh?
 Yeah.
Maybe we should walk
out there first, huh?
We're a long ways from home.
This could be a pretty
dangerous situation.
[CLINK]
NARRATOR: Probing
the ice assesses
its thickness and strength.
But it's impossible to be sure
that it's frozen over evenly.
 I don't know about getting
across anywhere else there.
This looks like the
spot right here, buddy.
 You don't want to
go across on ice slow.
All right.
It gives it more chance to
break out from underneath you.
So the big thing is get on
it, and run across that ice,
and shoot up that other bank
on the other side to dry land.
You ready?
 Yes, sir.
 Here we go.
[ENGINE REVVING]
[INAUDIBLE]
Ah.
NARRATOR: Tom's been
bested by the ice and snow.
 [INAUDIBLE] stuck [INAUDIBLE].
[BLEEP] I thought
I had enough speed
to make it up the other bank.
But it was a little
bit too steep.
Almost made it to
the top of the bank.
And then that was it.
I was stuck.
[RUMBLE]
NARRATOR: The snow machine
slammed into the bank
at full speed.
TOM OAR: There's one ski.
NARRATOR: And though it
hasn't sustained any damage,
it's not going anywhere.
 Ooh.
 Ooh, huh, that sucker
is packed in there.
 Yeah.
 How in the hell are we
going to get this out?
NARRATOR: Without
a reverse gear,
the only way to
move the 500-pounder
is with muscle power.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING]
TOM OAR: Just throw it
right over on the ground.
SEAN MCAFEE: 1, 2, 3.
[GRUNTING]
Why don't we try again
without the trailer.
And I'll pull the
trailer up there.
NARRATOR: For his
second run at the hill,
Tom's shedding the
weight of the trailer
and circling around
again to build momentum.
[ENGINE REVVING]
 Ho.
Nice one.
 See you later.
 Phew, all right.
NARRATOR: Four miles
deeper into the bush,
Tom and Sean arrive
at their destination,
with little daylight
left, to find out
if they've beaten the freeze.
 These ponds are spring fed.
So the spring-fed
water is warmer.
This could be our last chance
of being able to trap beaver
before everything freezes.
 Looks promising, man.
 Yeah.
NARRATOR: The river
is still open water
and not only flowing,
it's also teeming
with signs of beaver activity.
 Got to be a beaver
around here somewhere.
See all of the sticks sticking
up out of the water there?
SEAN MCAFEE: Sure do.
NARRATOR: Tom zeros
in on a beaver dam
that should be a high-traffic
zone for the animals.
TOM OAR: Probably put in
about three traps here.
 OK.
 The first trap that I put
in is a foothold trap that's
baited with beaver castor.
It's a call lure to
call them to that spot.
And just put it right there.
And we'll have one set done.
All right.
Second set, I thought, I'll
put in the middle of the dam.
[BANGING]
We're going to put
the third trap--
 Oh, OK.
[INAUDIBLE]
 --there, right in the
center, right there.
 Got it.
Conibear set.
TOM OAR: Yeah.
SEAN MCAFEE: All right.
TOM OAR: Conibear, it's
a 10-inch square trap
with springs on both sides.
The beaver swims through it,
and it clamps down on him.
It goes off kind of
like a mouse trap does.
[BANGING]
NARRATOR: They've
already set three
traps around a beaver dam.
Now, further downstream,
the conibear traps
could snare another catch
as it travels up the river.
SEAN MCAFEE: You
drive this one in?
TOM OAR: Yep, go ahead.
[BANGING]
NARRATOR: Their job done--
 After you, mister.
 Here we go.
NARRATOR: --Tom and
Sean head back to camp
for the night in the
nearby trappers cabin.
They will let their
traps soak until morning.
 Home sweet home.
 Later.
NARRATOR: Though they've been
lucky so far, if the traps fail
to produce tonight, their
prospects for a good haul
this season will sink.
 We ought to be able to pick
up a couple of beavers, anyhow.
 I would think so.
NARRATOR: Pulling beaver in the
dead of winter is especially
difficult. And they
can use all of the head
start they can get before
this river freezes, too.
 We've put out five traps.
And normally with beaver,
we usually catch about half.
 Yeah, half our sets.
 Yeah.
I mean, so we ought to
catch two, maybe three.
The only thing we
can hope for is that
from that warm spring water--
 Yeah.
 --that that
spring water keeps--
 Right.
 --it from freezing.
Hopefully, tomorrow at this
time, we'll be skinning.
SEAN MCAFEE: Hopefully.
