Good trip to the cabin even without any wolves waiting for me. Marten are still fighting to get to the salmon heads and had a good check on them. The warm weather that plagues wolf traps really seems to get the marten moving.

Ended up with 2 juvenile females this trip making 7 total females so far out of 55 marten caught. That seems really off to me but had a old timer tell me one time that the females are more hesitant to climb the poles and when food is plenty they don't need too climb. Sure amazes me to how small they are.
I'd been working on a bypass trail to get around a bunch of overflow and it seems like this overflow and I have some sort of connection. It followed me into the trees and down the trail. This was not how I wanted to start my trip but such is life with a full bunny boot of water

The overflow really came down the trail behind the cabin also
Reset a bunch of wolf gear in preparation of their return. Ran 300 miles and didn't cut a single wolf track. Set two pee posts out front of my cabin that they marked a couple weeks ago when they passed by. These will probably be covered in overflow next week but had to try.


Covered a lot of country this week just looking for antlers, tracks, critters and loving this life we live.



Found a couple places I shouldn't have been


That last pic looks harmless but trust me you do not wanna be in there with your sled.

Saw lots of moose and a few bulls still carrying their antlers. The moose are really high on the mountain this year and I didn't find a single shed antler.



Put up a load of fire wood just to feel like I'd done something and burned a log jam at the same time

35 degrees the last two days and then wind and snow. Pretty sure most of the gear will be out of commission again. The snow sure was soft coming out though. The groomer was on the wrong side of the creek with some overflow preventing me from dragging in out so I came out with a light sled. That was sure nice.


Good luck, be safe and hope to see some of ya the Fur Rondy next weekend.

Great pics JR. It's hard to pass up a pee post no matter the conditions.

Nice looking marten.

I agree that ratio on the marten seems wrong !! Great pix !! Thank you !!

Nice going on the marten, that should bring a decent payday!

Very nice looking marten JR. I can’t wait for you to get the wolves again.

Nice pics, JR. Really warm temps up here in the Arctic as well. Lots of overflow. I got into some last week. Lucky I had my new Polaris Titan XC. Anything else would've been uncivilized. A couple questions: I see your pee post for wolves. So you just put your chain in that hole, put snow with some water, making a slush, huh? Keep packing it down? Then you put your trap over that and some wax paper over your trap? Just curious.

Also, that last pic. What's under that snow? Water? Air pockets? Great job on the marten by the way. Gotta make lemons, huh?

Your doing great on the marten! I feel for you and the overflow and warm weather. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks guys, really enjoying trapping these marten. Been a rough season for wolves but lucky enough to still be out doing what we love. Complaining about the weather, snow and critters doesn't help put fur on the stretchers but to me it not all about the fur anyway. I just love being out there enjoying the country, seeing game, reading sign catching some fur and knowing that WE are to thank for being the conservationists that make this all possible. I'm really tired of all the negativity towards trappers and hunters on the social net these days. These worthless bunny hugging fruit loops don't do anything but complain about what we do while not helping with the problems at all. Sorry for the rant, woke up on the wrong side of the bearskin this morn.

Inupiaq... I usually just chop a hole under the trap bed about 4 inches deep, drop around 4 or 5 inches of the end of the chain in, pour some hot water out of the thermos and pack it with snow. The chain anchor would be about the size of a Spam can in the ice under the trap bed. Coil the chain in the bottom of the bed, lay a piece of wax paper over the chain, place the trap and another piece of wax paper over the pan under the jaws. I like the top of the pan to be about level with the ice. Cover with light covering of snow, blend and chop it out of the overflow next week and do it all over again. That's how it's been this year. One thing you wanna make sure of is that the ice is solid. Some of the overflow will drain the water out of your anchor pocket you chopped and you know right away that this is not a solid anchor. You should be able to pour you hot water in to the hole just like it was a coffee cup. If the level goes down, you'll need to chop a different hole. Speaking of Thermos', I need to get a new one. Mine hasn't faired to well this year and not keeping my water hot.
How are you liking that Titan? My buddy has one and I haven't got to ride it yet.

The last pic was a field of niggerheads AKA Tussocks that are about 3 feet tall blown over with snow. It was fun getting out of there. Felt like a pin ball...

Only 4-5 inches? They can't pull that out? I guess I have been working to hard going down 12 inches!

I used to walk beside my elan in the niggerheads back in the day.Now I wait for more snow.

Quick trip out to the trapline on Thursday morn when I got off work. Took one of my pilots with me to show him what it looks like on the ground and test out his new sled. Weather was pretty nasty, snowing and blowing. Marten activity was pretty light this trip only picking one on the way in and seeing another one eating the bait over a tripped trap. Took a few pics of her as she watched at us.

Most of the wolf gear was out of commission as I suspected, froze and covered in new snow. DIdn't see much sign on the first leg of the journey but things were picking up as I neared the cabin. Missed this one that I'd set last week. Didn't look as it spooked him judging from the tracks leaving.
I've seen this happen on numerous occasions with tracks and a tripped trap still in it's bed. Most of the time I believe the wolf tripped the pan but the trap was froze in. As the temps warm up the trap fires and jumps out of it's bed not scaring or educating the wolf. Got a fire going in the cabin, unloaded the sled, grabbed the water jugs and headed on up the line. Looked to be a couple single wolves running around on the line. Got up to Pee Post Pass and this little 72# male was dug in tight getting out of the weather. Must have been blowing 30 to 40 MPH over that pass. It was ridiculous.
Put him in the sled and carried on back to get water for the cabin. Hung him in the cabin, stoked the fire and headed upriver picking up another lynx behind the cabin.

Put her in the sled and on up the line about a mile and a half and find this little gal waiting for me in a #9 along the trail.
72# female in a pee post
Put her in the sled and made a run up the river. Starting to get a little hungry and a whole lot tired. Back to the cabin at 6pm and had put on 85 miles. Got something to eat and pulled the four critters out of their pajamas. Caught my second wind and had enough left to play a couple games of cribbage and watch a movie with Ben. Turned in at midnight.
Got up early and headed for the truck. Had plans of driving down to Anchorage today for Fur Rondy and SCI banquet. Ol mother nature had different plans. Lots of fresh snow, deep soft drifts and an airplane pilot not a Skandic WT operator at the controls. Not quite as much lift in the ol WT as in Ben's Citabria left him stuck many times. Trees down in the wind really slowed travels. Picked one more marten on the way out.


Decided to fly down to Anchorage this evening and save some time. Down here till Monday. Feel like this is going to be a very expensive weekend.

As usual, great stuff, Howler!!
Thanks for sharing, have fun at the Fur Rondy!

Nice you got some dogs!

Thanks for coming down to the Rondy, good to chat with you a while.

Good stuff, JR. Took me a minute to see that wolf at p post, pretty cool picture. Is that a 114 on the lynx?

Drasselt.... Was nice to finally get down and see you guy's fur sale. Wished I could have spent more time but you know how it is. Seems like the same thing goes on up at our fur auction and Fling in Fairbanks. Busy, busy, busy and this is the only time we get to see a lot of the trappers and visit. Hope you are coming up for the Fling

Smalltime... The lynx is in a #4 Victor DLS

couple pics from the Fur auction in Anchorage

We put on a little trapping seminar for the SCI banquet on Saturday afternoon and our own ATA President won the Conservationist of the Year Award at the Alaska Chapter of the SCI on Saturday night. Well deserved award for Randy and Congrats. That was a good time and hope to attend again in the future.
Here's a little closer pic of the gray wolf dug in on Pee Post Pass.

Flying back to Fairbanks this morn and head back out on the line. Gotta trip my marten gear, re-set some wolf gear and haul in the WT.

I'm glad to see the strong appreciation from SCI because they are a determined ally against the antis and put their money where their mouths are.

Congrats Randy, your a long way from Wisc and the place you had out on Landing Road.... You deserve the award with all your dedication