Re: Trap Check After Cold Spell
[Re: bfisch]
#6724114
01/10/20 11:04 PM
01/10/20 11:04 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,741 SW Alaska
otterman
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,741
SW Alaska
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congratulations on the first wolf looks like a pretty one too
We get out of life only as much as we really want and work hard enough to achieve
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Re: Trap Check After Cold Spell
[Re: bfisch]
#6724145
01/10/20 11:45 PM
01/10/20 11:45 PM
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Joined: Feb 2019
Posts: 119 AK
Bushwhack Jack
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Feb 2019
Posts: 119
AK
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Beautiful Silver Fox. I got a kick out of your pictures of the weasels in the foot traps. Reminds me of one time I was at my cabin and this little weasel kept climbing on my front porch and stealing my fishing and trapping bait on my front porch (rabbits and whitefish). I set #4 victor foothold (because that was all I had) on the front porch in front of my bait. In the middle of the night I heard some noise going on at the front porch. I came out and saw that little weasel hopping up and down on top of that foot trap. He wouldn't even set it off. I finally ended up shooting the sucker with a .22, but those little buggers sure are bold.
Last edited by Bushwhack Jack; 01/10/20 11:45 PM.
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Re: Trap Check After Cold Spell
[Re: bfisch]
#6724231
01/11/20 01:32 AM
01/11/20 01:32 AM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 651 Alaska
T. Meyer
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 651
Alaska
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Congrats on your first wolf bfisch, well done.
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Re: Trap Check After Cold Spell
[Re: Bushwhack Jack]
#6724744
01/11/20 03:09 PM
01/11/20 03:09 PM
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Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 1,144 AK
bfisch
OP
trapper
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OP
trapper
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 1,144
AK
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Thanks everyone! I am gonna make a couple more sets next time I go out, but will see what happens as there is only one pack of 6 now 5 that goes through my area. I got a kick out of your pictures of the weasels in the foot traps. Reminds me of one time I was at my cabin and this little weasel kept climbing on my front porch and stealing my fishing and trapping bait on my front porch (rabbits and whitefish). I set #4 victor foothold (because that was all I had) on the front porch in front of my bait. In the middle of the night I heard some noise going on at the front porch. I came out and saw that little weasel hopping up and down on top of that foot trap. He wouldn't even set it off. I finally ended up shooting the sucker with a .22, but those little buggers sure are bold. Good story! The weasels can be a nuisance at times. I haven't had one in my porch yet but two years ago I had two buck mink about a month apart stealing bait and fish from my porch. A lot of mink that year. I set 1 longs for them and I caught them, but my porch sure stunk like mink.
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Re: Trap Check After Cold Spell
[Re: bfisch]
#6730035
01/15/20 04:17 PM
01/15/20 04:17 PM
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Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 1,144 AK
bfisch
OP
trapper
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OP
trapper
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 1,144
AK
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Went out two days ago. It was a gray, blind day and with two inches of fresh powder I had a hard time seeing the trail at times. No tracks in the fresh snow, so I guess everything moved beforehand. Had a lynx follow my trail to my marten pole and get caught in a snare. Little guy. Seems to be a few kittens this year, but we will see what happens as I think our hare population is going down. The rest of the line was empty til the last couple traps and the wolves hadn't come back through. Last time I was out, I had a marten take the bait off the last two poles. The first pole the trap was not set off and the second trap was set off. However, this second trap I think was going off by itself. When I initially set it, it went off before I walked away. I reset it and on the next check it was set off and the bait untouched. So two sets bait gone and no catch. I was also getting a load of wood that trip and replaced the one trap with another more reliable one and rebaited it. The other trap was still set, but in the midst of switching gears to getting wood, I forgot to rebait the other pole. I guess I didn't need bait as it held a really small female marten. So small that when I was driving up I though I had caught a marten tail and the marten had taken off. The last rap of the day held a good sized male marten at least twice as heavy as the other. Overall it was a productive day!
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Re: Trap Check After Cold Spell
[Re: bfisch]
#6731911
01/17/20 04:20 AM
01/17/20 04:20 AM
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Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 1,144 AK
bfisch
OP
trapper
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OP
trapper
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 1,144
AK
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Set out this morning with plans to check the line and then extend it another couple miles. So I packed my chainsaw and was ready to walk and cut. Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans. . . Not far down my trail I saw fresh mink tracks. He was zigzagging all over the place, but generally going in the direction of some 220's I have set for mink and otter. Sure enough! He was headed into the same hole I had caught an otter and a mink in earlier this season. Have a small bait station on the end of a grass lake that produced its third catch of the season. Nice and red but the smallest fox I have seen all year. Passed by half my wolf snares and a couple urine post sets with no wolf sign when suddenly at the end of a lake as I enter a portage there is a set of big wolf tracks on my snow machine trail. Last time they past through this area they went around the lynx set that I have a trail camera on but this guy didn't want to get off the trail. Unfortunately, I checked the camera and a couple batteries were loose. No pictures of him checking out the lynx set or passing by. He almost went for it but kinda glad he didn't as he probably would have wrecked the trap and got away wiser. So he didn't get pinched but he exited the trail the same place he did last time and that was his last mistake. I remember setting this snare thinking, "This is goofy. The wolf had to practically crawl to get under these spruce branches when he went through. He won't do it again." Glad I was wrong and just goes to show that a snare in an unlikely spot is still better than in the bag. Or maybe that wolf just liked to crawl? 91 lb male Anyway, I was excited and had half the wolf gear left to check. Further down 3-4 wolves (all part of the same pack I've been working on) were going down the main trail. I passed a few empty snares and the wolves were not going off the trail where they had before, but I had added a set since catching the first one, a urine post, and it was just too much for this young 75 lb female. She had a full paw in the mb 750. I was just telling my wife yesterday, "It's a good thing I don't catch wolves everyday. They are a lot of work!" Well, I skinned out the one from the trap this evening and I learned it is much easier to skin a young fresh wolf than an older one that has been frozen. More work tomorrow, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I ran out of time and never did cut any new trail. Sometimes the best laid plans. . .
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Re: Trap Check After Cold Spell
[Re: bfisch]
#6731935
01/17/20 06:35 AM
01/17/20 06:35 AM
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Joined: May 2011
Posts: 7,993 Montana
beartooth trapr
trapper
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trapper
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 7,993
Montana
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Good job, thanks for showing.
Let me sugar coat this
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Re: Trap Check After Cold Spell
[Re: bfisch]
#6732461
01/17/20 02:29 PM
01/17/20 02:29 PM
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Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 123 Alaska
Super Wide
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 123
Alaska
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Fantastic job, great pictures and story!!
My Super Wide will pull your broken down 4 stroke, up a hill backwards, with you on it!
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Re: Trap Check After Cold Spell
[Re: broncoformudv]
#6735978
01/19/20 03:29 PM
01/19/20 03:29 PM
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Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 1,144 AK
bfisch
OP
trapper
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OP
trapper
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 1,144
AK
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My pleasure to share with you all! Sounds like a much better day catching animals than cutting new trail Agreed! If it would keep going like this I would be happy to not extend the line.
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Re: Trap Check After Cold Spell
[Re: bfisch]
#6738142
01/21/20 02:52 AM
01/21/20 02:52 AM
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Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 1,144 AK
bfisch
OP
trapper
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OP
trapper
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 1,144
AK
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Traps were pretty empty today, so I had time to make some new trail. It did not go as fast as I planned and the area was not quite what I expected. Google maps doesn't show you everything! Also had time to cut and haul a sleigh load of firewood. Didn't even take my camera out once. Did catch a rabbit in a lynx cubby. It was quite fresh, but the head was gone and the entrails placed neatly on the ground. I was confused as to what exactly happened. Fortunately, this particular set had a trail camera on it. I remade the set and pulled the camera. Looks like Mr. Owl found a good meal! Looking through the other videos on the trail camera I was able to see what I have been missing. First time seeing wolverine on the line! Didn't even know he came by as his tracks must have got covered. Still not sure why he didn't take the bait???
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Re: Trap Check After Cold Spell
[Re: bfisch]
#6743388
01/25/20 02:16 AM
01/25/20 02:16 AM
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Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 1,144 AK
bfisch
OP
trapper
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OP
trapper
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 1,144
AK
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Headed out on the line yesterday. I made it about 3 miles out and I noticed I was sitting real low on the machine. A spring support broke so I turned around and gently made my way home as to not cause undo stress on any other part of the machine. Funny thing is I just helped my buddy replace his spring supports three days ago and he had the parts I needed to fix it (for now). I got a new one and an extra coming in the mail. It wasn't long and I was back out checking the first half of the line. Nothing in the traps, but I did make another marten pole and set a 330 for the wolverine. It was getting dark so the other half had to wait until today. Much cooler today. Yesterday was -15 and this morning was -37. According to the forecast it is not supposed to get warmer for awhile. So dressed warm and headed out with plans to get a load of firewood after checking traps. Saw some fresh fox and lynx sign. Wolves also passed through this side of the line for the second time this season. Didn't have any gear waiting for them, but have plans to bring some next time I go out. I wonder if they will be on this side more because they don't like the other side of the line anymore. Picked up a lynx in the same cubby I caught a marten in before. It was nice to work on wood before the ride back. It warmed me up and with the sun out it felt much warmer.
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