Glad I checked out this post....thank you Mr. Whitman for sharing your thoughts on wolves!
Could you share more thoughts on equipment...like foothold for the big cats....tigers and such?
Have you played with the LPC traps at all? And what are your experiences using snares on wolves?
I ask because there are several states using cable restraints on coyotes and having problems. Look forward hearing your take.

MChewk,

I've not used footholds for the large cats. I trapped Amur tigers, Far Eastern leopards, (and quite a few Himalayan bears and brown bears) in foot snares. However, I have caught and held a number of mountain lions in MB-750-Alaskans. Just the size and power of a tiger would negate the use of all but the largest bear trap, and since I was trapping tigers in an effort to affix radio-collars and release them unharmed, I went to foot snares.

I have used the LPC traps fairly extensively, in many different jaw configurations. They are a well-made trap. I've not used them for several years now, and I would not go back to them for several reasons. 1) They are outrageously expensive. 2)With them being longsprings, it takes me too much time to dig a giant hole, then blend it back to "natural" for flat sets, blind sets, and pee-posts. 3) They don't have an adjustable pan, so bumping up my pan pressure to 12-15 pounds (to avoid catching pups and a multitude of nontargets) is basically impossible. 4) The longsprings seem to weaken rapidly, and need to be replaced periodically (again, very expensive).

I am a big fan of snares for wolves. I've pretty much settled on 7/64, 1x19 cable with cam-locks. Too, especially down here in the Lower-48, I'm a supporter of the use of both diverters and of cable-stops to diminish the catch of nontargets (moose and elk in particular). In using snares, however, there's nothing like good old common sense in how and where you set them for reducing the unwanted catch of ungulates. I am not a fan of cable-restraints and relaxing locks. If I can assure a quick-kill on a canid rather than having the thing bounce around in a "restraint" for another day, I'll go that route.

Hope these short comments were helpful.

Thank you Sir....very informative.

Great post. How do you treat your wolf gear. You said you didn't wax. Do you just dye your wolf traps. Have you ever used foot snares for wolves? If so what type and brand did you use?

2 TRAPS,

I'm pretty old-school when it comes to trap preparation for wolves. I use logwood for the dyeing process. I use the brown rather than the more expensive black, and my traps are still basically black. Don't waste money on the black dye. For the first two years of a trap's life, I throw in a bit of logwood every time I cook the traps when I'm cleaning them. And, I clean them often. Each and every time they come out of the ground, whether they've caught something or not, they are re-boiled in clean water, a bit of baking soda, and a handful of logwood dye. I can't stress this cleanliness enough for wolves. Again, I will say that I do not like wax, except during the shoulder seasons.

I've never used foot snares for wolves, although I have incidentally caught a couple wolves around the hind foot in neck snares. The foot snares I've used extensively were the Aldrich-type, and they're certainly not conducive to being easily hid or submerged in dirt or snow. I think it's paramount with wolves to have everything (everything!) sub-surface where odors are less likely to be rampant. Can't do that with the Aldrich-type throw-springs on a foot snare. Sorry I can't be of more help on that question.

Great info Jack.

My gosh what a great thread!

Mac

Bob, Mac, and others.

Thanks for the feedback. Anything I can do to help, please don't hesitate to ask.

Can you sew up a bobcat pelt that has been sliced and diced in to 4-5 pieces???

Don't get me started WissMiss. I clearly remember those agonizing hours with needle and thread, and it actually brings a chuckle to my ugly face. Those were the good ol' days, huh?

That comment reminds me of when I hunted coyotes with a .308!

Those were the good, old, old, old days!!! Early 1980s, if I remember correctly.

The best part was, you made it work. Do you remember who the buyer was that bought all that thread? LOL

I don't remember who bought the thread (and the little pieces of cat that were attached), WissMiss, but I do remember going through a lot of beeswax to lubricate the thread so it'd go through quicker, and when you use up 4.5 miles of thread it takes a lot of beeswax. Who was the buyer?

And no, you're being too nice. I was in Alaska in the "early 80s". I'm thinkin' it was about 1977 or 78.

Yeah Newhouse, I remember when I thought my new Swift was goin' to be the ticket. That's when I really learned to sew. For yodel-dogs, I finally reverted back to my .222 Rem.

I don't remember who the buyer was. I will check and see if Gary remembers. I thought it was one of the bigger names in the cat buying business. I'm quite sure it sold at an OTC sale.

Wow, that long ago?? Could have been. Those years were all a big blur. So much fur going through that building.

Great thread! Thank you Jack. Much appreciated.

Great thread, Jack, if you could only use one set type and Lure type for wolves, what would they be? Thanks in advance

Trappergbus...

Man, that's like skinnsing an old gristle-necked boar badger; it's a tough one.

I use mostly dirt hole/snow hole sets. However, one of the reasons (there are many) that I use only one type of lure at any given set, is that I keep detailed (anal-retentive) notes on what works and what doesn't. When I look at the years of accumulated data, it's clear that the pee-posts (with nothing but urine) are the clear winners in terms of number of trapnights per catch (Yeah, surprised me as well). A relatively close second is dirt-holes with curiosity lure.

Now, let me digress a bit into "the twilight zone". I've been chasing wolves quite a few years. I'm also (I gotta face it) a bit weird, perhaps, when it comes to details about wolves and how they live. One thing I noticed many years ago was that domestic dogs, as well as wolves and coyotes, have a tendency to defecate/urinate with the long axis of their bodies along a north-south or south-north coordinate (within +/- 5 degrees). Not east-west (or west-east). A couple years ago I found some vindication in this assertion when I read about a British study of domestic dogs in a park in England, where they actually had some scientific evidence that this was indeed the case (something like 75-80% of the time; Google it!). I have no idea why, but I suspect that it's a periodic "down-time" wherein they have a chance to "reset" their internal gyros. Anyway, on pee-post sets, I always try to orient the approach to the post so the wolf can orient his body north-south (or south-north). I actually believe this might give me another slight advantage when trying to trap these guys.

I'm thinkin' I probably lost most of the real wolfers (or coyoters) out there, but I had to throw it on the table for all to heckle me for years to come.

I know sir, if I was limited to one I'd break out in hives. It's a tie here for yotes, GOOD urine or gland, then curiosity. All flat sets.
I think the north/south orientation is spot on for urine sets. Funny how we notice such things. Especially when we have snow to see all that happens. I think its the westerly prevailing winds that makes this so. Thanks again for a glimpse at your knowledge

There is a thread on strictly trapping right now talking somewhat about this with yotes .
Most of my rivers run south to north and my sets reflect a lot of that .
Most post sets we set are close to what your describing.
Going to look up that British study .

Thanks Jack for spending your time on this thread !