Thank you Jack for writing out your thinking on some real thought provoking questions.
I believe you will have a true archive piece here.

Mr Whitman you said you liked drags bc you felt the wolf did not fight the trap as hard. Do you think using drags for coyotes would be the same as wolves. Far as them not fighting the trap as much if they can get away from the catch site and hide? Thanks for sharing.

Great info Jack. Love this thread. I would like to hear some ideas for wolf trapping locations off the roads. I know the Biologist are trapping right on roads and intersections. But we have a 150 ft setback from roads. Do you prefer ridges, Trails, skid trails, ravines ??? Just curious if you have better luck on any one of these locations off the roads.
I also wonder if you ever run two or more traps per location whether side by side or one on left side of road and one on right side???

Mornin' 2 TRAPS.

The use of drags is somewhat of a 2-edged sword, in my opinion. Some trappers like the torn-up trap circle, thinking it's an additional drawing card for the next coyote that comes along. I don't quite buy into that argument, especially for wolves. If you use a relatively small drag, and the coyote can get well away from the trap site, I have always felt I was better off. Too, I suspect if the coyote was better hidden, his reaction would be similar to wolves. However, how far away from the trap site is too far? How far is far enough? Largely, it depends on the terrain and the vegetation, so the size of your drag and the length of your chain will dictate how far that critter is likely to travel before he hooks up. On wolves, shorten the chain and reduce the size of the drag, and in some situations, that darned thing may go half a mile. On the other hand, we were having wolves in SE Alaska that couldn't even get off the trail because of the heavy, rainforest underbrush, especially near second-growth.

That help?

Mornin' Rio. I'll be glad to ramble a bit this morning on these questions.

Wolves do a pretty good job at conserving each and every kilocalorie that they take in. Therefore, when moving from area to area within their territory (which averages, In Idaho, about 250 square miles), they usually take the path of least resistance. That is, travel is most often along back roads, trails and game trails. In looking at telemetry data, it's pretty clear that travelways are generally along ridgetops and creek bottoms, and they spend little time mid-slope (unless, of course, that's where the food is). One of the other things that I've noticed about wolves too, is that they visit old (I mean OLD) kill-sites. Even if the kill was 1 or 2 years old, if they're in the vicinity, they'll generally swing by. They were successful there once, they'll go by and check out the area, even if there is nothing consumable remaining.

Real good to hear from you, Clinton. Obviously the grizz and the woofs ain't eaten your carcass yet. Yeah, check that north/south thing out up there in your toe of the tundra (neck of the woods?). I'm assuming all's good with you and family?

Take real good care...

Jack, a page back or so I inquired about kick backs...canines marking a spot. Ive seen ankle biter dogs kick back/mark after a Great Dane. What is your take on these AND have you figured out how to blend a foothold in on grassy areas AND/OR is it even necessary?

Our library purchased the book. Cant wait to read it!

Again, Spot, many thanks. The novel is pretty much Alaskana, but I sure hope you enjoy my attempt at spinning a yarn. I've gotten positive feedback from Dall sheep hunters from up there.

Mornin' MChewk! Sorry I missed it.

You've probably spent more time thinking about that than I have. I'll again stick my neck out, and give you my thoughts.

As far as I can tell, it's usually a dominance display. My wolfing dog, who is only 2-years-old, won't do the back-up-scratch-dance at a defecation or urination spot when he marks over the matriarch's previous sign (an older female he's grown up with). When he's out and about on our property, however, and comes across a "signpost" left by either a coyote, lion, or red fox, he'll mark and do the dance every time. Not the case when we're roaming the hills off our place. He'll smell, then urinate, but won't dance. I've watched wolves and coyotes for 40 years, and can't tell with any certainty what elicits this response. At this point, I don't think it's an effort to stimulate anal gland secretions, as they would probably do the dance before they do their business, if that were indeed the case. But, when they do the dance, is it an effort to get their own smells radiating more scent, or is it an effort to dispel or diminish the advertisement that was deposited before them?

Because of this line of thinking, I don't make scratch marks at my sets for wolves. My thought process is that with urine or gland-based lure, I'm usually after any wolf that comes along, and I'm pretending to be an "interloper", not the dominant wolf in the area. What are your thoughts?

Glad to see you back here, Jack! If you ever grow weary of those canines down there, I think we still have an endeavor for you up here in God's country....

Second part of your question, MChewk. No. For flat sets and pee-posts, I don't take the time and effort to try to blend the trap. In grassy areas, I've never quite figured out how to do a good job of blending and garnishing, so will usually go with a dirt-hole where I don't need to blend. I'll wimp out and go down the trail another quarter-mile to put in my flat set or pee-post where I can do a decent job of blending. Sorry I'm not more help on that one.

Thanks Jack...good common sense insights and honest too...lol
Nope, I still haven't figured out the whole "kick back" actions done by canines...there doesn't seem to a set answer on this either. AND... can you discuss your thoughts on canine rolling on stinky stuff...lures, baits, bad urine, carcasses, etc..
This is another perplexing action to me...hope I'm not wasting your time...

When I find a spot where the wolfs have a toilet(more than one marking and scratching)It is a spot where pack territorial boundarys meet,and both packs use the same spot to mark territory.This pisses off(literally) the wolves and there is a lot of the dominance scratching\marking.

So, Boco, it seems that the "scratching back" is indeed a dominance thing to you as well? Do you see the same amount of scratching and "posturing" in the middle of the territories where the wolves aren't necessarily working the boundaries?

Mornin', MChewk! Not a waste of time at all, man. I'm always trying to learn as well, and many of these questions help me get my thoughts straightened out.

Canines rolling in stink. One man's stink is another man's cologne. While scientifically, we have extremely poor understanding of what a dog (or a coyote or a wolf) can smell, we have no doubt that their olfactory reception is almost infinitely better than our own. I read something many years ago that tried to get a handle on a domestic dog's ability to smell things. The author had measured the square millimeters of the twists and convolutions inside the nose of a dog where smell receptors were located. His conclusion was that their sense of smell was in the neighborhood of about 800 times what a human can detect.

Too, a canine's ability to filter "good smells" from "bad smells" must be astounding. We've all been in a truck cab with the heat turned on, heading home after a hard winter's day of hunting. The dog silently breaks wind, and the green haze overtakes everyone and everything in the truck. If the dog has such a heightened sense of olfaction, how can he stand the stink? However, he continues to sleep through the entire episode, even after you roll down all the windows. Been there?

Continuing along these lines, it's obvious that there are selective receptors for different micro-substances that are floating through the atmosphere. Apparently, the human nose can detect certain volatile compounds such as cadaverine and putricine even better than a dog's nose can. Our ancestors needed this to be able to detect rotten meat so they could stay alive (Don't eat that! It'll kill you!).

Obviously, this propensity of certain dogs to roll in putrid guts or rotting fish is a smell that they like. However, to our sense of smell, it's beyond disgusting. The different brains of a dog and a human have decided, independently, what is a "good" smell and what is "bad". That rotten carcass, way back in time, was a source of food and sustenance for the dog, while for a human, it was potentially a source of sickness and even death.

Again, one man's stink is another man's cologne.

My take only (again with very little hard science). What's your take?

Gulo,I believe the boundary marking is a"show of force".I also see it when I activate a jackpot(bring bait to a snare set up)for the first time.The wolves don't always commit to the bait right away,but will defecate and do a lot of the scratch marking when it is first activated with bait.I believe they are marking the site as "theirs"to let any other wolves (or me)know to keep out.I believe they mill around for a while and their excitement as well as cautionary behaviour elicits this marking.When they find a jackpot they are actually "stealing another animals kill".I believe this is why they don't commit right away,but mark it,as a "test".On their next trip around If they don't detect another pack"marking" they go in.
Before I drop bait or after I am done and there is no more bait,I notice passing wolves will urinate near the site on occasion.I don't activate the same wolf jackpots every year.
I believe whenever something gets them excited,like the smell of another pack at the perimeter of their territory,or the chance of a feed,wolves exhibit this behaviour.
One other point,over the years I have noticed when I take several wolves out of the resident pack,Another pack will start to make forays from outside.I believe they know that the resident pack is weakened from changes in their marking behaviour at the territorial boundary marking spots.

Thanks Boco. So you're thinking that the back scratching is an excitement thing rather than a dominance display? Interesting...

Thanks again Jack...and Boco....good responses and I have to admit I understand this explanation. What I don't understand and maybe I'm over thinking this....is I consider a wild hunting canine as a stealthy creature. A predator that wants everything in it's favor to increase the odds to be successful to make a kill. Why in the world would one want to stink itself up with putricine and caverdine odors? Wouldn't that allow other prey animals or other bigger predators to wind them...easier?