Thanks for that idea Jeff !!..


TxLady~~

Hey WhiteL
I haven't been keeping with the Ak thread stuff this winter...did you go out to your trapline this year? Scarlett and I spent freeze-up at the home cabin this year...never done that before...my son and our guide ran opened up the line....they are doing pretty good with about 50 marten so far and a few lynx, and one wolverine...I personally have been working on a new trail system all winter....only have 3 wolf snares out and 3 wolverine conibears....looks like the wolves ate all the moose and the wolves are really dispersing or starving out..no wolf sign around in an area that has had a very good wolf pop until now...interes3ting wwatching the dynamics
Wayne

Not yet. Gonna wait another couple weeks. Only 2 inches of snow at my place so it would be rough getting in and even rougher getting around.

Marten population looks crummy anyway so was planning on just chasing wolverine and whatever else we can scare up.

Wolves have really become scarce in my country with the predator control efforts but at least the moose are showing some slim signs of life.

I saw my first wolf tracks yesterday,and they were on a slough about a mile from village I travel that slough everyday all season so far and they were not there prior....I saw one! track last year and the boys got him....we have so many moose that FnG is letting us shoot two this year...I remember Wayne...when you were flying around here everyday...I asked.."did you see any moose"...your answer was.."No..there aint any"...well we got em now...and the trapping should get fun here in a couple of years,but now cant hang a snare at all..I would surly get a moose first,they follow every set of tracks I make just walking into a set.

Yeah that is amazing Jeff...there R#EALLY were not any moose around then..but there was musk=ox moving into the country. About 3 little herds of from 6 to maybe 20. I thought that would be the next big game source for the locals...someday.
I remember flyiung to Scammon one day,..pointing out 3 Musk-ox on Kusilvak one time to Ambr---. He said when I get to Scammon I am calling back to Mt. and let people know and those musk-ox are dead....I said well Ambr--- if you wou9old just let those musk-ox live and populate the area in a few yrs you could shoot musk-ox right in your back yard...you would not have to travel 250 river miles to moose hunt(Innoko)he said I don't like musk-ox...I said why, Get this...he said "because they eat my grass!!!!!!!"
Yeah White...no snow here until 10 days ago or so...good now.
Wayne

Yes...its good that the moose came on when they did,because we all got kicked off of the upriver corp lands for moose hunting,and that hurt,because it was also about the time the fishing went downhill also...you know they discused closing the lands here and decided not to...I always thought that was mighty big of them not too.and shows how generouse the people are here,of course when the guides come in I am guessing they will someday.
and that screw ball Ambie,didnt call back here,he called his relitivs in Scammon no doubt,and sad to say there are no herds of OX there as far as I know,I was trapping a few years ago there and we saw gut piles from moose (out of season),so one of the guys callled the trooper and they did a great job of investigating and did find the guys and they were from Scammon as well...since the troopers are flying around here they have done a good job of making Honest hunters out of the people and I welcomed that,and always glad to see them,I even get checked on my trapline.
they had a herd of OX get pretty much wiped out,there at the Mud Vulcanos...they did charge them and they were from Hooper...took snowmachiens and everything..I was glad to see that...it set us back 50 yrs as far as the herd of OX,that sucked....but two years ago I did see one in 30 mile in the fall..that suprised me,so they are still around.
I made it out to my mainline tday with just a whisp of snow on the lakes...I had to mark trail as I went,and only got lost once ..kind of hard to follow your trail home with no snow,and thank God for fancooled snogos,,or I would be out of buisness...looks like I will have a good year,afterall..
well I am getting the Bomb shelter ready for the all the shooting soon.
Have a Happy New Year.

This is my first post on trapperman and am doing so just to get a better understanding of how things are in Alaska, as I just happened upon the Almighty Forum a week ago and have read every word in all four.( at first to kill time but after the first I was reading out of neccesity.....very informative and captivating stuff) So now that I am done with this last one I am asking for your input on books about REAL alaskan "outdoorsmen". Sure I could go to amazon or yahoo and research books but I am sure I will like the direction you lead me alot better. Now I have a few questions:

1.What is this substanince hunting that is written about?

2.Do people trap or hunt north of fairbanks?(It looks barron on the map)

3.For the LONG LINERS as we are called in the lower 48 does Fish and Game come to these remote places and check up on you ever?

For an Iowa outdoorsman who loves to Harvest trophy Whitetales, Turkeys, Jig fish the [Please excuse my language... I'm an idiot] out of Walleyes, and put up as much fur as time allows each year, reading the stories of your lifestyles makes me think the stork should have headed North when he was carrying me.

Just so you know if this was a book my favorite characters were--W17,ALASKAN and Family Trapper!!!! BUT I THANK YOU ALL!!!!!

Big Country subsistence is a hot issue but in a nut shell it is a right given to all Alaskans rural or urban that the fish and game is suppose to be managed with that as a priority. Meaning food for the table of all Alaskans is suppose to come first. Now that is how it is suppose to work. It allows us to use things such as gill nets and fish wheels to take salmon. I am not going to get into the hunting thing as it is very controversial.
Yes people trap N of Fairbanks and Yes I have had fish and game troopers check me on a remote trapline.
Also please put your location in your profile it is a requirement here

Yukon sure glad I have fan cooled machines as well snowing now but they are calling for it to get liquidy again I am beginning to loose hope of making it to my main line this year and starting to go with alternate plans

Welcome Big Country. A couple of the best reads I can suggest are;

Alaska's Wolfman. By Jim Rearden

Cheechacko. by Wayne Short

Another great book but not about Alaska is Endurance the story of the Shackleton voyage to the antarctic. Amazing story !

I had a warden stop by my place about 17 years ago as I recall.

BC : Read Wayne Short's other books as well. Ditto for Jim Rearden's other books.

Regarding your three choices - they are character's for sure.

Welcome BC. 'eager to know where the stork DID drop you ;o)
I recommend reading Born on Snowshoes - a girl raised trapping up by Fort Yukon.

Thank you all for the input very helpful indeed:

W17..17 years ago I am lucky if I dont get checked once a week. Just ordered Alaskas Wolfman looking foward to this indeed.

Otterman..I did update my profile thank you for the reminder.

Ol'Blister..the stork dropped me in north central Iowa in a town of 2500 named Eagle Grove. Still love it here but this forum has opened my eyes as to why I hear Alaska refered to as Gods Country.

I am looking after a home in my town now for a fella from Juneau
who will retire here in 5 years from working for the State of Alaska.He says I can sleep at his place if I wanna come up so I may ride the Harley up in the summer and look for a guided Halibut trip. What is the best time of year and what other outdoor excursions would this area offer a midwest farm boy.

Nuthin' to do up here, I wouldn't bother!

Most of the guys that live in that area are still asleep. Eventually they will chime in on activities.

When the warden stopped by 17 years ago he didn't check my license. He needed 5 gallons of gas for his plane.

So did you give it to him? Sounds like a good time to work a deal...

Yeah I thought about that but then I figured I might need a rescue some time in the future.

LOL White! I got flown in on a couple years ago we had two wolves on the ground and a commercial pilot radioed the trooper that we had a moose down, it was Jan or Feb way out of season. I was kinda peed at the commercial guy he even had us as a party of three and there were only two of us! Checked our licenses and let us continue on our way

Don't think I'd fly with a guy that can't count and can't tell the difference between a moose and a wolf.

Our winter subsistance hunt is going on,till the 20th of Jan,and I expect they will extend it,...its for residents of GMU 18,I passed on these two,they looked a bit skinny...and were both down on there knees eating the swamp grass,...at first I thought they might be Camels

YJ : The camels all hang out by Paimiut slough.