That is pretty funny chaining up with 120's!

Guess those high dollar conis are good for something!

Love your resourcefulness Brian. Always a bonus we get on your threads.

That's just mean with the bullets lol. I was in Louisiana last March at a hunting show and cabelas got a semi load of 22 shells in and they were gone by 10 am. There are guys with thousands of rounds that bought them instead of stocks.

You can say that again.

Interesting posts as usual Brian. Enjoying your postings.

It's been a tough stretch of weather. After a perfect start with lots of snow and - 30 weather we get slammed with above freezing weather for 3 weeks straight and blasting chinook winds for many of those days. Snow dropped fast and ice became an issue



I knew better than to drop down over this set of switchbacks.. as I'd never get back up. I really didn't want to hike down the 1/2 mile to check a couple snares,




but I'm glad I did as I had a soaking wet cat waiting for me





it turned out fine ( far right) even though caught in the warm conditions

I actually had to cross lots of open water as my trails on river ice disappeared. My wife doesn't like water skipping and I ended up almost sinking her machine. Let's just say if there's any contests for pushing snowmobiles across creeks I might be a contender. The belt started slipping half way across a 50' open lead so I jumped off and kept pushing while I still had momenteum. Water was thigh deep and brisk. I got it right to the river edge and it was still running so all good. I dragged it up on shore and left it running half an hour and the belt dried out. Back on the trail again.

This weather is something else, glad you got out and home safe. One Trick I've always used on my sleds and Polaris 4-wheelers is to put them in neutral and rev the engine and that dries the clutches and belt out rather quickly.

Buddy mentioned same trick today. Also said in old machines without neutral pull muffler off and let exhaust ( heat) dry things off. I needed the 1/2 hour, went back across to my cabin and put dry gear on. That Crown Royal looked tempting for a moment as well.

I asked my same friend, who actually is my mechanic, about studding the track. Challenge getting studs in tracks with the paddles but might try metal screws on end of paddle, worked on my quad tire tread. He also suggested getting a welder buddy to make metal aluminum V shaped insert that goes over paddle and bolts onto track. Lots of mountain sledders around here so kind of an innovative bunch, me I'm a carpenter and leave the metal work to buddies .

Crazy winter here to Brian, finally getting a little cooler. Last week for the first time ever, I ran 50 miles in a rainstorm, hard rain too....in Jan! Only good thing so far is marten numbers have exploded.

That is some crazy turn of events in your weather Brian. We never got the snow part. ;0)
A guy has to wonder is anything we used to be able to count on in winter a thing of the past? Two years in a row a guy has to wonder what is to come.

Crazy weather continues. I've had at least two feet of snow in the last week. - 20 right now and going up to +5 ( 40 degrees F ) temps by weekend. I've got a dozen wolf traps under a thick layer of ice to chop out now. The heavy snow has insulated the open water on the creeks so lots of overflow and running. But what the hades, we're trappers.

I had the pleasure of hosting a couple biologists from Alberta Conservation Association who are working on the wolverine research project. They were treated to a wolverine buffet scene upriver where they've been hitting my baits in preparation of our filming. I've found wolverine like beaver best, followed by lynx, deer, and then moose. I'm getting decent trail camera images.

One interesting thing I noticed is the wolverines avoided the river during the melting conditions. They totally abandoned the river as a highway and stayed on the high country.

ACA bio's



midnight visitor



Looking for a free meal

That marten on the trailcam is an awesome pic !!!!

That marten on the trailcam is an awesome pic !!!!

Great pics Brian. Hope the weather cooperates with ya the rest of the season. Picked up a couple Moultrie M-880's and Solar camera powerpanels myself. Kinda excited to get them out and working. We've always used loops of chain for the skis on the sno-gos and sleds. Pretty neat how you can go from out of control to having to power down the hills with chains on. I carry a 40" piece with a caribeaner on each end for my siglan sleds and just drive over it and hook it to a rope loop on each side about 1/2 way back on the sled. works great for coming down those glaciated creeks in the mountains. Have fun and be safe. Heading out myself in the morn.

Just finished up reading through your entire thread...incredible! Thank you for sharing your adventures, I look forward to checking in on your threads regularly.

- Good trapping!

Despite the wackiest and warmest winter weather I can remember the wolverines are still moving about on my line. My cameraman is up on the NWT border this week filming at some of our other gulo hot spots. But after next week we'll start putting some camera time out in the hills.