Sorry folks. Right in the height of the early season. 16 November 2019, commencing at 0900 at the Salmon Regional Office. Call to register. 208-756-2271.

Jack

Hey Jack.... do the L-48 wolves seem to be easier to catch? More difficult? Compared to the ones in AK that we have been pecking away at (and thus educating) for years?

Do the time-tested AK methods work as well there?

Are L-48 trappers making modifications to AK methods to adapt?

"Asking for a friend....!"

Pete

Mornin' Pete -

Methods, and even gear in some respects, is marginally a bit different. When I first started chasing these guys down here, they hadn't been exposed to footholds or snares in a couple of generations. That, and the fact that they're in pretty constant proximity to man's influences (barbed wire fences, logging roads, sheer numbers of outdoorsmen), they were relatively easy to catch. Now that they're a bit more educated, they've reverted to their roots, and are a bit more wily it seems. Before we were allowed to harvest, I would see wolves regularly on my coyote line, here just above the house. We would see them from the front windows pretty much weekly if the elk were around. Once the shooting seasons were enacted, it's rare for me to just bump into them. Too, they seem to be less willing to come to calls and howling doesn't always elicit a response, as it once did. They seems to catch on pretty fast.

There are a healthy handful of people down here that have figured 'em out, and are fairly successful at trapping them. Yes, many of the Alaskan "tried-and-true" methods have their place, usually with some adaptions. In many ways, in my opinion, these wolves are more difficult to trap, simply because of the nightmarish weather patterns that one needs to contend with down here. In Alaska, at least where I chased wolves, winter was winter. Once the chill settled in (in the old days), those were basically the conditions I trapped and snared in throughout the winter. Down here in the lowest-48, it might drop a foot or two of snow one day, rain the next, turn to -15 the next, etc. Tough conditions. The Alaska Trappers Association DVD and booklet on wolf trapping is still one of the better primers for wolfing down here, at least in the Intermountain west. I've still not trapped in the upper midwest, so can't, with any experience under my belt, say much about their wolves or their conditions.

Please pass this info on to your friend, huh?

Jack

Thank you sir. I would guess that the weather/moisture/snow conditions would be a royal pain!

When I started snaring coyotes back in NJ a few years ago, I had to "learn all over again" about trapping in wet conditions, often times without snow. It made the process a lot more fun. (Not real productive, just fun to start over as a beginner!) As it turns out, an old dog CAN learn new tricks.... I admit I learned at lot from Jonesie and Newt at the S. Jersey Trapping School last season. NEVER to old to learn!

Thanks for what you do to help out the ID folks. Glad the Manual has some useful application.

Keep experimenting and modifying....!

Pete

" Down here in the lowest-48, it might drop a foot or two of snow one day, rain the next, turn to -15 the next, etc."

Sounds familiar.

I saw that particular wolf of Sharon's just yesterday in my new copy of Trapper's Post!

Good story on the #9's by T-man's own Yukon254.

Pete

That wolf looks like it needs a saddle !!

Pete, Idaho and Montana do make some wonderful wuffs ! Thanks to Jumperzee for catching this one and allowing me to put Blue into motion again.

Blue sure is large enough for that saddle, Sir Ken He reminds me of big Garth that Jack caught , too . I hope for some more photos of big or unique ones to add to the collection.

Thanks to the one of a kind classes scheduled, these results continue to show immense enjoyment on seeing just what's out there .

Snowfreezingrainslushbombcrud!

I like 'em all, Sharon, but that one is as good as it gets. Feet of canids must be very difficult, as most all of the "other" artists seem to like to submerge the feet in snow or behind tufts of grass. You put them out there for all to see, and they are basically perfect, right down to the dewclaws and the "sheen" on the claws . I appreciate your attention to the minutest detail. Thank you.

Jack

Many thanks , Jack, I know I got it decent when you like it .

Yes sir, the amazing dexterity of feet fascinate me , in how perfect they are tuned to the ground, the bones and sinews working together in grasping, turning, the angles never boring.

To the trapper, feet are of vital importance as well .

Intriguing as other critter feet are , I think the all time topper for me is the human arm and hand . There is no better three dimensional beauty than the arms and hands of the human physique , and of course , the whole body in movement , to me . A strong build in a man , especially.

Machine inventions have come a long way in simulating the plethora of rotations and dexterity of hands and arms , which is a good thing, though to my mind, will never be able to equal perfectly in such lovely delicate tasks as well as brute force in strength , as the real thing.

Sheer art in motion.

I am presently working on the fronts and rear feet and toes of my wolverine ...a crash course in fascinating study in itself ! Their feet and toes are baffling to me in all the ways they turn and serve the owner so perfectly in any weather condition !

Miss Sharon
Difficult feet? They all have that look like you owe them money!
How do you do that???
They also look like they are looking directly into your soul?

Using the word, “stunning” to describe your work just doesn't do them or you justice.

Many thanks , Leary . A lot of study in anatomy , appreciating the honor of working with such talented and fantastic people in the industry . Such as Jack, who enriches other's lives in sharing his valued experience . His added stories are priceless , way beyond the written info considered in the classes. You can't get those gems anywhere else. I am just happy to be in the cello section of this orchestra , benefitting from this amazing education , wanting to keep this info upstream !

Amazing Sharon!

I'll see you there. Looking forward to it.