Hi all, I said I was going to keep a journal this year... well, it's late, but here's the start:

I got a late start this year, life got in the way, and weather made it tough to get out with the plane in the beginning of the the season. I think I finally got gear out around the 7th of January. I'm working some new country this year, so it's been a challenge learning the country as I go along. There's been a lot of wind, snow, short days, and flat light, all making for challenging conditions to see sign from the air. I started off prospecting a different locations around my area for marten. I just pulled the last of my marten gear on the last day of the season. I'd never trapped marten before this year and I've got a lot to learn about catching marten, but I've got a pretty good idea how to catch a bunch more next year.





The cabin is up a little higher than the river and more than a few mornings I've seen quite the inversion. I often takeoff from the cabin and it's only -10 or so, but landing down on the river can be quite a bit colder.

By the end of January I started working in some wolf and wolverine sets, which was frustrating at first. It seemed as though nothing I learned about wolfing last year was applicable in this new place. One of the big reasons I moved this year was to catch wolverine. There's a ton of sign around, but they have proven to be fairly crafty critters and have spent the last month educating me.I couldn't say how much bait they have managed to steal from me without getting pinched, but it's been a lot. Just when I was beginning to think I'd educated every wolverine in the country, I managed to hook up with one in a 330 cubby.

Unfortunately, as you can see another wolverine took a liking to it before I found it. What a disappointing way to find my first wolverine!

That same week out on the line I picked up my first wolf of the year, a pretty 90lb female in a snare going into a bait station.
A wolverine had stomped all over it and peed on it, but didn't eat on it at all.




That's all I've got time for now, but I've got the latest check still to write up...

Nice pic cub pilot! To bad about your first wolverine. Yrs ago I was teaching a couple of boys to snare wolves, after two yrs they each caught one and both were eaten.

Gang setting helps a lot on extended checks to prevent cannibalism,especially with lynx.

Looks like you're in some good country cub pilot! Those wolverines are fun....dont blame you for moving up there to catch wolverine. I cant imagine trapping where they weren't on the list!!

Sounds like you have a good population of them. Might want to try a snare pole set. I used it a lot when I was trapping up in the Logans. Basically you just put a good size pole between 2 trees.....get it up about 4 feet off the ground. Bait goes in the middle and a snare on each end. You won't educate wolverine with this set. I bet Ive caught 30-40 with it over the years. Good luck and thanks for sharing your journal!

Good job! I like the mix of black and white on the wolf!

Whooeeeee!! 40 below in a cub is an adventure in it's self!

Thanks for sharing!

Welcome! And keep sharing your endeavors! I had a few frustrating moments with gulo, this year Just haven't shred them here, yet.

Just got back yesterday from another trip out to the line. After closing up the marten gear and collecting my last 6 marten of the season, I headed for the wolf and wolverine gear. As I came up to a kill I'd set I initially saw a black wolf running off the kill, "Bummer, I missed it" I thought to my self. However, as I got closer I saw I had this white male in a #9 pee post I'd set next to the kill!



I was so focused on the one, I didn't noticed until I landed and dispatched the one that I noticed I'd actually gotten a double off the kill. This female was in the willows I'd snared next to the kill.




The male in the #9 had plenty of fight left in him, and I couldn't get a good look at his foot, so I figured I better put him down from afar. I'd been wanted to try out my .17 hornet on a wolf, so I figured I had a good chance here. One shot to the chest from 150 yards and he was down and out in about 3 seconds. That .17 seems to be a good little gun, very accurate out to 300 yards, the furthest I've tested it. It's a bolt action savage.

I continued on down the rest of my gear, but found no more fur. A few close calls, and a lot of gear out of commission from all the snow and wind we just had. As I was sitting in the cabin that night eating dinner, I was very happy with the double on wolves, but still bothered by the lack of a wolverine.

The next day dawned clear, cold, and calm. Good flying weather and good light to see tracks. It's amazing the difference good light makes in that country, especially since I'm still getting to know it and where the critters run.





It sure is pretty country....

I put in a few more sets and set another kill I found, near some open spring water. I've noticed that wolverine love to fool around open water in the rivers. They seem to give it special attention, more than the other critters. Anyhow, at this particular place there was a lot of activity, so I set a wolverine lean-to cubby down by the water.

The next day was go-home day. I typically spend the morning working trapping stuff, then head out early afternoon for the flight back to town. This morning for some reason I had a feeling I should go check that kill I set yesterday with the wolverine cubby down by the water after I finished up with the trapping work. At first I flew over it and didn't see anything, then on my second pass I saw it, the diamond on the back of a wolverine in my cubby!



The remake, for round 2?


Not huge, but I'll take it!

All in all a great trip out to the line this week. The March weather is getting really nice out there. What a privilege to be able to run this country.

So I've had 4 snare poles out for about a week, with no luck yet on them. I have high hopes for these sets. I prefer to snare animals honestly, it's easier for me to carry snares in the plane, and I like that they dispatch them rather quickly. It's also easy for me to find places along the river to make these sets where a tree is already leaning out over the bank horizontal 4-6' off the ground, and wolverine often travel along these places as well. I have heard of mixed results with wolverine in snares, we will see.

One problem I am having with these sets is the bait is out in the open, so birds and marten are having a heyday with it. I re-baited this week and tried to make sure the bait was extra securely wired to the poles. We will see what next week brings.

Living the dream!

Bummer about your first wolverine! I've never had one eaten up before. It must be fun running a line with a plane!

Awesome journal, thanks for sharing. I know what you mean about snares being lighter and easier to transport with a plane but.. a live animal most likely will not get canibalized and easier to transport in the plane after dispatched, of course. I seen some frozen wolves that were hard to put in a big sled let alone in a cub or on the strut. Awesome work on the wolves, that white male is beautiful. Good luck and be safe out there....

Hey thanks for the line check ride along! That light color wolf is an odd one.
Are those dark patches on it rubbed spots ?

Yes that is a peculiar wolf ! Looks rubbed pretty badly from the pix

Thanks for sharing !

X2. Never seen anything like that before

That's quite the trapping setup you have!

You could try a 330 on a leaning pole to reduce critters eating on your catch. I'd camouflage the 330 with sticks/limbs. I've snared 2 wolverine on a leaning pole. One was a nice catch behind the ears and one was a hip catch. The next time I try a snare on the pole I'm going to make the loop about 7" and camouflage the loop really well - just one hole to walk through.

Thanks for all the advise. Howler, those are all good points for leg holds, I've certainly had a few wolves that left me scratching my head as to how I was going to get them in the plane (that's where the PA-14 is really nice over a supercub). I guess I've also got a lot more experience setting for wolves with snares, so I'm more comfortable with them, but I'm learning.

We will see how the white one turns out when I get him cleaned up, he is pretty dirty from laying in the dirt/snow/ice after he was caught. Those two dark patches you see in the pictures appear to be mostly dirt, but he's an older animal, so we'll see how he cleans up.

Running the line in the plane on a nice day is fun, but I've had plenty of days when the weather isn't so nice I'd really have preferred to be on a snowmachine. Snowmachines have some real advantages too: They make a trail for critters to run, it's easier to stop and make a quick set, and you don't have to worry about finding a place to land that's going to be good regardless of wind or changing snow conditions. But, you sure can cover more ground quicker in the plane, plus there's heat! (sort of)

Did you fly the elan in there?
mt

Not personally. But it was flown in in a pacer.