Picked up a beauty black/tan today. Such a classic drowning I thought you might find it interesting. Now that I posted the picture, I see that my arrows/markings weren't big enough. Dang. Anyway, the four small arrows point to previous trap placement. Because of how the pile was made I wasn't able to go with a perfect star pattern. The area sprayed white is where I built up a pile of rocks making it impossible for him to steal the bait. The bottom trap is actually still set. This is just your run of the mill tide pool set. 4 traps to two drags. Guide rocks deter wolf from digging at the bait/rock pile in those areas. He came in and put his front foot in a #9 and danced over to the other side of the pile and stepped in a SC 4 1/2 with his back foot so he was connected to both drags spread 20 feet apart. This is the reason he didn't travel far and the tide got him in probably 3 hours. Side note, he had a pure white claw on his back foot attached to a very swollen toe. Ten days ago I had a wolf in this set that only drug about ten feet and barely hung up on a rock before pulling out. It was the only time I've ever had a miss/pull out with a #9 (knock on wood). Judging from the wound and freshness it has to be him. So I guess he wasn't totally educated or he was very hungry.


Another weird occurence. That wolf with the pitch in the hide from a few days ago had been shot twice with looked to be a .22. The leg was broken just below the shoulder and in the wrist. That was actually the foot I caught her in too. I found splinters of the lead mixed in with the bone and hide. It had been a while as the wound was festering pretty bad and she was swimming in her skin. Large frame and lower weight-ribs and hips poking out. At least I got her and saved her a brutal death of starving. I personally would never dream of shooting a wolf with a .22 that wasn't in a trap. This would have been an ugly way to go. Weird stuff happens out there doesn't it?

That's just to cool!

I have places where shallow water stays open sometimes, depending on temp. I wonder if wolves here in cold country would step in traps in water to investigate scent or bait.
mt

wow, totally different type of trapping isn't it

How do you cover your traps? Kelp? Sand? Moss?

Man that is cool! Thanks for the pics SE.

mt-
I would think that definitely it would work. As long as they stay open you will have a chance. If they freeze in you may get some sprung traps/bait steals. But with no tide you don't have to worry about tide taking away a big frozen chunk of ice holding your traps and drag. It's happened. I've found my sets a half mile away still frozen in the "iceberg". You do have to pay attention to rising and falling creeks. I made a few sets this year during a cooler/dry spell in creeks. We got a little rain and they became raging torrents. Lucky I prepared for this, by making the set in a slow moving pool to the side and not directly in the middle of the creek. Make sure the bottom is hard ie sand, gravel, rock. Soft mud will not work and will result in misses and sunken traps. And keep your bait a ways above the surface of the water to account for rains and melt off rising things. Should work for you. Make sure you cannot see any bait or you will have a bird problem, I cover the bait with seaweed, grass, moss, and sand and mud, BEFORE I put on all the rocks. Getting the rocks to fit just perfect for total coverage is a bit of a challenge and watch your fingers slamming these things down making them fit. I'm going to lose my pinky nail because I was in too much of a hurry today to beat the weather.

wilsonjr-
As long as the traps are speeddipped black you should be good. A lot of guys that set in the water will wax as well to protect against rusting, but I don't bother. It get's knocked off so fast. If you have a trap dipped properly, that's about as good as you can get. No matter what, your traps are going to take a beating. Usually the creek beds, tide pools, ponds, sloughs have a darker hue to them so the traps blend in well, I imagine they just look like rocks and sticks to the wolves. If you have a white sand bottom like I've come across a few times I will stick grass, sea weed, or moss under the trap/pan to break up the outline. Bury all chain and drag, probably not nec, but I don't take chances.

This is just a standard 4 trap pool set. Just like any set, you have to make adjustments for location and specific animals. I have a lot of one trap creek sets that are adjusted for specific animals that have come in numerous times in the same way and passed. I have done this in the old days and eventually got them, I will keep you posted to the results. So far in these sets the score is Wolves 6 SEwaterboy 0.

I wish I had known about this type of set BEFORE we finished the new Wolf Manual!

Pete

I skinned that guy last night and started looking at that white toe. What happened was the entire "nail" part was ripped out clean to the root leaving just the white spongy center. At a quick glance it looked like the nail had turned white. The toe was definitely swollen. What was strange was this happened in a #9. This is the third wolf that trap has caught this season. I have had to swap him out due to damage and keeps getting placed back in the game in a different spot. He's my MVP if you will.
I can only explain this miss by the fact that the first wolf was a 109 pound brute and he unleashed on the thing. The base was bent and the trigger was bent. I had no other option but the do a quick fix with a rock. The next week, I brought him home and worked on him with the vise, but I think the metal is weakening as the same thing happened on the next animal. I did a "rock fix" again and left him in the game without test firing. HUGE MISTAKE. I had the toe catch and went to reset and the thing wouldn't set. I couldn't get the pan to go over the trigger. I think that this oversite delayed the snap long enough to just get the tip of that guys toe. After yesterdays catch the base is bent into an S as well as the trigger. He needs to go on the DL, but I have to leave him in till next time. I did fire it a couple times though. We'll see if he can play injured. The overall integrity of the trap is ok, it will hold, it just doesn't sit real flat now and is interesting to set.

mt- I started thinking and I want to change my opinion, I got a little carried away there, sorry. I am not familiar with temps like some of you are dealing with, so I would have to say that I am not sure if an animal will step into water when it is that cold. Maybe they would do it for a good enough meal, I'm not sure. I'm sure someone has seen tracks/animals in the water at low temps and can answer this better. Don't you guys see beaver and otter climbing in and out of holes at minus 30? I've seen both as well as wolves running across creeks and mudflats and deer swimming at around 15 degrees. There is a HUGE difference between 15 and minus 30 though. I am interested to find out.

Pete-

Next time around. I just got my copies of the dvd and manual. Very nice. I was hoping for a little more footage of the entire process of making different kinds of sets, but what was there was well done. I like the music too, reminded me of Deadwood.
The manual is great. I can see I am going to have to buy another copy for the "collection" as this one is already getting marked up with notes and hi-lites.

SE,

Those are awesome pictures! Just a different world from here to there in wolf trapping.

I used to know Dan. His son was a year older than me in school. Yeah, deceased-diseased, he died of cancer. Bummer deal, young and two kids and a wife. They have all since moved away, but I hear they are doing fine. He did used to really whack at the wolves...and about everything else. Dan had many different guys running with him over the years. One of them still runs those sets that all those guys put in years ago.
I used to live across from the harbor and would watch to see what Dan would drag up the dock, it was always interesting-especially to a young hunter/trapper.

MT,s question got me to thinking between your set and some water sets I have used in the past and I am thinking in the colder temps the wolves probably wont jump in the water but what they would do I think is step on a trap burried in a mound 2-3 feet off the beach intending on using it to make a dry approach to an enticing smell. It is known as the water set for fox I have used it both on fox and cyotes over the years with success I bet it would work for wolves too the more I think about it the more I am convinced it will work and will keep my eyes open for the one location a year that may present itself as a potential place to set like this

Marty-
Wow. Ralph Young as a walking partner. You can't beat that. I actually wrote a paper on him in the fourth grade. I had to go up to the retirement home and give an interview. I think I asked him such riveting questions as "Do bears scare you?" Man, I wish I was a little older when I was talking to him. What a wealth of knowledge. I actually went up and visited him all the time after that interview. He always had good stories and was a real polite old man. Got him to write some stuff in his books too.

Myron Jr? Yep he's still kicking around. I just saw him the other day actually. Used to run into those guys all the time moose hunting in Thomas. The old man passed on though quite a few years ago.

otterman-I bet that would work. Maybe having a blind set up on a high point as well? In a couple of the sets that I've had passes on they walked up on the highest point of the bank and sat there looking at the bait pile. I don't know. Then you wouldn't be really utilizing the water for scent coverage. If just works here due to the scent factor and the chance of drowning is nice with the tides. These wolves are always running the beaches as well, so that of course is the main reason we're there.

With the wolves lying in salt water are the pelts affected in any way
Hab

No problems with the water that I've seen. I hose em off with fresh water or dip them in a creek if available to get the salt off. I've heard of guys getting sandflea damage but I haven't seen that before on a wolf. I had the eye pecked out of one earlier by a raven, but that is the only time I have ever had a bird come close to a drown wolf. I've heard stories of guys having tremendous eagle damage, but I am not sure how long they were letting them sit.

How often do you check? I would be concerned with belly rot in your usual above freezing temps. Have you had any fur slippage?
mt

Never had any problems. Must be that they cool down quickly being submerged in 40 degree water for six hours. Never heard of anyone else having problems. I usually go through every three days. Some guys that have 9-5ers go on the weekend and have never had a problem. Don't really think it's all that great to let an animal sit that long, but never heard of one rotting/hair slip.
In my experience it's the live one's that I've shot that I have to worry about. Six to ten hours, even in 20 degree weather and you can start to see a little green going on the belly. I always get out the old skinnin knife when I get back.