It has been -60 for the last three days and -40 or colder for the past nine days. Warmed up in a hurry late last night to -10 and was five above this morning. Got a late start, but finally got my line checked.

First catch was a bummer. Had this snare set on a for sure fox trail, but after I set it the fox sign disappeared until now. I guess the location got hot real fast. Fox, lynx, and crows all needed a few calories to stay warm and this is all they left me.



Threw the feathers and innards from our Thanksgivings turkey we butchered in a likely location. Last check had a very fluffy red, but also noticed a lynx passed by. I redid the snares and got him this time. Unfortunately, shrews found him. Will see what the damage is when he thaws.



Had a lynx visit another set and set off the trap. Scared him enough he didn't take the bait, but not bad enough to make him run away. Either way a little disappointing, but I had more lynx sets not far off and was hopeful. I showed up to what I initially saw as another trap set off with no catch. Upon closer inspection it was not empty. It just had a really small furbearer! Little guy must have eaten his fill before he jumped on the #4. Maybe the lynx will be there next time.



No wings to hang for lynx attractors this year so I am trying cd's at a couple sets. Didn't seem to hurt as this little guy was the final catch of the day.



Fun day! Saw some fresh sign and put in a couple new sets. Scouted some new territory and maybe make some sets there the next trip out. Hopefully the marten will move the next 3-4 days before it is supposed to cool off again. Ended with a beautiful sunset that cannot be appreciated in a photo. . .

I always enjoy those days when you see the sun come up and it set, the beauty is priceless Some nice looking kitties! I haven't had a problem with the voles this year, minus stealing bait, hope they didn't get that one to bad,

Thank you for sharing a part of your line with us isn't it amazing what we experience while out on the line, one never knows what to expect it's a great adventure that's for sure.
I hope the damage isn't to bad on the lynx.
Allan

Congrats on the critters. A couple years ago I found a fox head and cape like you have there. Used it as bait/attractor in a cubby set. So far have caught 2 lynx (last year) and a silver fox this year. Stashed it in the shed over the summer with my wings and such.

Update on shrew damage:



Three shrew holes. Looked worse so I am glad there wasn't more. Two in the belly and one on a back leg. The big hole is a little bigger than a fifty cent piece and there was another about that size in the leg.



Wife made them look better with her sewing.



I salvaged the skull from the fox and will clean it up. It was an old fox by the looks of it. It is a big skull with two well worn canines, one canine with the root showing and missing the last canine along with some back and small front teeth. Not worth selling but would be an interesting comparison between it and a young all intact skull. I saved the rest and plan to use it for what you suggested. Awesome silver! How did you keep the flies out storing the fox over the summer?

Nice you could salvage the cat, should be fine by the looks of it.

Fox had been killed by wolves or coyotes, was mostly freeze dried by the time it got warm out. Flies were not an issue.

Well, had a bunch of snow after the cold weather. The 10 inches or so that we got put most of my stuff out of commission. Went through a few days ago and uncovered my traps and opened the trail back up. Only fresh sign on that check was wolf tracks, but did see two decent bull moose that still had antlers. I guess they survived the pack passing through. Hung some wolf snares and set a couple traps, but I am not a wolf trapper. Also was able to make a couple marten and lynx sets in the new territory I made trail into last time.

Checked the line again yesterday and the first set on the new trail was empty, but the second, fourth, and sixth sets connected. This weasel stole the bait at one of my lynx sets (lots of weasels this year). I saw where he had taken some of the bait down a hole so I placed a 1 1/2 long over the hole after putting some fresh bait down the hole. Rebaited the lynx set and nailed the bait to the tree this time. Barely got him as I am guessing the jaws might have been tossing him out when the trap went off. He didn't move though after the trap fired.



New marten set I just put in on the previous time out. A small female.



Made a marten pole set not far from a lynx set, but my lynx sets must be more appealing as this marten jumped on the bigger trap. Nice male. Makes for marten number four so far this year.



Here is the remake after the marten tore up the area.



Have fun and stay safe!

I love those little ermine I had a marten jump dead center of a #5 a few years ago, not the preferred method and did a little damage. Good you only got that little joker by the back foot

Just got through another cold spell. Warmed up to -20 and I took off to check my line. First section was slow and weasel tracks were the only fresh sign. Have seen more of their tracks this year than any other. Not as much marten sign as I expected. Hopefully, they will move now that it is warmer.

I think it is the year of the weasel.



Wolves came through again and I was hopeful as they followed my trail. Last time out I hung half dozen snares in two spots. They ran around the area and each trail that had a snare in it they turned off it right before the snare. I added a couple snares and made a urine post set. The wolves continued to follow my trail same as last time and they exit the trail about 50ft before a lynx set and reenter the trail about 50 ft past the set. These exit/enter trails were the second place I set snares last time. Coming up to one lynx set, I could immediately tell I caught something because it was tore up, but I didn't see the catch. Walked up to it and saw that the wolves found my lynx before I did. Bummer! Now the wolves are not only avoiding my snares they are stealing my catches!

What is left of the lynx.




I had two wolf snares and one lynx set left to check. I past by the first snare. It was empty. I continued and accidentally passed the second snare so I went on to check the lynx trap. No sign there. I turned around with my weasel and lynx leg kinda disappointed with the day's catch. As I came up to the snare I had previously bypassed I saw the area was tore up some. I got off my snow machine seeing a little gray fur and thinking I had caught a lynx in my wolf snare. My first thought was, I hope the wolves didn't ruin this one too! I soon saw the little gray fur get bigger and the little gray fur had a big tail. The little gray fur was a nice wolf! My first wolf! A milestone I have been hoping to pass for a few years now. I am super pumped! For the most part the fur looks to be in good shape. She weighed in at 86 lbs.




I believe this wolf is one of the ones that took the lynx. That helped make up for the loss. I guess trading a lynx for a wolf isn't a bad deal.

Congrats on your first wolf! Looks like a nice grey too.

Congrats you just caught the hardest one . Gets easier from here on out .

Nice work bfisch and congrats. Now your hooked

Congratulations!

That is awesome that you got the wolf! Congrats! Hope you connect with some more!

Good for you !!! That made your day !!.

Man those ermine area PITA !!!

Congratulations on your first wolf ! Keep up the good work !
Allan

Congratulations on your first wolf!

Congrats she is a beauty!

Congratulations! And way to keep after them, hope they come back soon!

You did it .Some folks never leave couch .

Way to go!!!

congratulations on the first wolf looks like a pretty one too

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.

Congrats on your first wolf bfisch, well done.

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.



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.

Great job
That last snare!
The Ata wolf manual is gold, and I learn something new every time I look it over.
Now you are hooked!

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!

Nice lynx and marten keep up the good work !
Allan

Some nice fur! I had a few 120's that seemed to always fire after I had set them, I had to file the triggers to get them to work right, except for one, That dang thing messed with me for a week before I finally tossed it in the parts bin Hope the wolves come back through for you!

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. . .

Good job, thanks for showing.

That is totally awesome and congrats!

Fantastic job, great pictures and story!!

Sounds like a much better day catching animals than cutting new trail

Good deal!

My pleasure to share with you all!



Agreed! If it would keep going like this I would be happy to not extend the line.

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???

I love seeing those big owls! I had one here at the house a few years back, that joker all but wiped out my flock of chickens and ducks. I noticed I was missing a chicken, then a duck, then another chicken.....but there were no track around the coop, no bloody mess, nothing, Then we had a fresh snow and sure enough you could see the wing imprints in the snow! Had to put up netting to protect my critters and he moved on.
That is a good looking wolverine! Hope you get some gear out there for it and that you connect!

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.

Good looking kitty!

Went out two days ago. Our weather has been a few days of real cold and then warmer for a day or two back and forth. Saw a fair amount of fresh tracks. That was encouraging. Wolves came back and at one urine post I missed by two inches! He stepped on the jaws. At another urine post that was visited the wolf went to the back side and avoided my trap in the trail. Maybe next time. I am actually surprised they came back to the area they did. I was about to pull me gear and move it to where I though they would go next. Instead added I added couple snares in new spots and also replaced the ones where I had catches as they got visited again and I wasn't ready for them. That'll teach me.

A pale male marten. He is lighter colored than the picture shows. I would like to see some darker ones but not many like that around here.

Always safety in numbers when it comes to snares Hope you connect with them! I have had zero luck with pee posts over the years with anything out on my line. I try though and can only imagine the frustration of missing one by inches Hope they come back and you connect!

Nice looking marten you got there. Been a fun journal to live vicariously through! Thanks for sharing.

Temperature rose today, but is was a windy and snowy day. My trail going out was covered and drifted by the time I came home. Fresh lynx and marten sign and the mink tracks I have been seeing for the past month were in the drainage yet again. Broke down and threw in a 220 for him. Wolves came in again before the snow, but I don't know where they came from or where they went. The only reason I know they came by is that there was one waiting for me. Glad he wasn't my first as he is in rough shape. Mange I figure. No guard hair on his sides at all so it looks like he is sporting a mohawk down his back. Some of the pelt should be salvageable for sewing and he has a huge head.

Wolf #4 male 96lbs



After catching him, I continue down the trail and all of a sudden there were fresh hot wolf tracks on my snow machine trail. Without closer inspection it looked like it had fallen out of the sky onto my trail as the tracks started that abruptly. I quickly dismissed the thought for something more logical. Maybe the trail with the wind and snow was just drifting over faster than I thought. Again, that didn't make enough sense. I hopped off my machine and went for a better look. The wolf had been coming my way at a walk and had suddenly turned around and took off at a trot. I realized I had just spooked him. My hopes were high because the direction it had come from and was now going again has some snares and a urine post. I followed it a ways and it ran off the trail onto a trail previously made by a wolf that I had set a snare on. Bummer! He ran right beside it! All the rest of the sets were empty, but they are still in the area so will see what happens.

That is awesome! Hope you connect with a few more!

That is not mange. I forget the proper term at present. It’s a skin problem not associated with mites or lice.
mt

Only one or two left in the pack on my line. Only hope for any after that would be to expand or hope for some new ones to come in. Maybe later this month they will start moving.


Do I need to be worried?

Folicular displasia. Talk to F&G in Fbks. Tony Hollis can fill you in. Likely other members could have it.
mt

Nice light colored marten, mine are darker than that. Neat seeing the different colors they come in. Sorry to hear your wolf fur is not in good shape. Hope thats the only one in your area like that.

Talked to a guy at fish and game and he said that it is most likely folicular displasia like you said. The condition is most likely genetic and they are still studying it and taking samples. They want to know more although they don't think they can do anything about it.



Marten sure do vary. Buddy of mine caught a wolf that looks the same and other guys have caught them like that in the past. Just the way its going to be. Just glad it wasn't my first. That would have been disappointing.

Checked traps two days ago after a couple days of snowing and blowing. Spent a lot of time breaking the trails back open and uncovering traps and snares. Put out a few more wolf snares. Other than that the day was a lot of work with nothing to show for it. Always good to get out!

Started tanning some critters a while ago. Finished today. My goal this year is to tan all the thin skinned critters and send in the others that are more work. With the prices I'm hearing for male marten I am hoping to still sell them to make a little money and cover expenses, but I figure females are worth more to me and my wife. She will use them for sewing or I may sell or give them to local users.

So far this years females plus one male that my wife caught and wanted to have tanned.




A few weasels too.




Have been using Trubond 1000b and am happy with the results. Used their tanning oil Lubristretch 2000 for the first time this go round and not that its hard to make marten or weasel leather soft, but now its even easier. Have two mink and a fox in the pickle to work on next.

Tony Hollis talked to the AC about FD a couple years ago. FD is most common in wolves in flat country, like Minto Flats. If you look at the wolves JR Petersen catches in the hills south of here, he rarely, if ever, gets one with FD. Are you in mostly flat country Bfiisch?
mt

Yeah, I trap the wooded ridges, but we have a lot of flats around. Some small hills not too far, but across the river. I've heard the wolves about 30-40 miles north of me where there are some mountains have wolves with really nice fur.

That is some good looking leather! Nice job on the tanning!

More snow and more wind! I was out two days ago and saw a few fresh tracks, but no wolf sign. Moose were everywhere. Spent time rebreaking my trail across some flats. Talk about deep snow and drifts! Ended up with a couple catches on a beautiful, cold, and sunny day.

This is the same set where I had caught two mink and one otter earlier this season. It is a whole going into a little hill by a beaver pond. After each catch it smells like mink again and others can't help but check it out when they come by. The whole hillside drifted in and the trap was under two feet of snow. I dug it out and found this guy!



Have a short spur trail with a marten pole that has produced in the past. This trip this lady was blocking it. I took some pictures and as I was beginning to put the camera away she started walking towards me at a quickening pace. I yelled at her, but it didn't phase here. She kept coming. I quickly started my machine and was about to take off real fast, but when I revved the engine she ran off. "Good," I thought, "Now I can check the set." I was about to try to enter the trail again when I noticed she had turned and was coming at me again. I revved the engine to leave and again she turned, went off a ways, and stopped. She was making me nervous enough that I just went on my way. I check the set about 45 minutes later on my way back through. I am wondering if she had lost her calf or at least had been chased by wolves before and didn't want any part of being chased again or maybe she was just ornery.



Had a wolf trap at a urnine post along my trail in the flat country where it can really blow. The trap has 10' of chain and is wrapped around a green birch pole about 6' long and 6-8" in diameter. A lone stick marked the spot. Driving across the flats I couldn't see my trail but could feel it under me most of the time. Coming to where the set should have been, I didn't find the stick. "I got a wolf," I thought. No sign of the trap or the birch drag. I started driving in widening circles looking for the catch or any drag marks indicating where it ran off to. Nothing! I figured this is gonna take a while thinking that the wind and snow had simply covered everything. Well it did, but not quite how I expected. I returned to the original set location trying to find the stick to assure me that I was in the right spot. I was walking around kicking the snow when I saw something weird in the snow machine track I just made. I had run over the fox in the MB 750. Apparently, he had knocked over the urine stick, but was unable to go anywhere.



Big trap and drag for such a little guy.

Nice work on the fur and the tanning. Saves ya a bunch of money tanning yourself if ya have the time. Sometimes those moose don't realize that this time a year, we are there to help... Keep it up..

Enjoyed your journal this winter. I hear you on the cold/snow/wind this season!
Been a bear keeping trails open and traps working.... in between the bitter cold and snow.
Too bad on the wolf fur. I've caught very few here in the Fortymile that had any fur problems.
Good luck on the remaining season!

Too bad on the folicular displasia on your wolf but nice on the catch. Hopefully you can catch up with that straggler you chased off. Thanks for sharing with us. Fun to follow.

This weather has been crazy all across the state! I love finding those holes in the ice for the mink and otter they always produce We didn't get much shelf ice this year and those holes are far and few down my way. Funny you mention that about the moose, had one do the same thing about 2 weeks ago, I hate it when you see those ears go back! Glad you found your gear and the fox, wish it woulda been a wolf for you!

The wind is blowing again and bringing some more snow and warmer temps. Went out before light for the first time in a while yesterday. I ended up running my line inside out. I went straight for the flats, where I usually end, and marked my trail better. With the snow and wind it was beginning to drift real fast. I picked up a load of wood I had cut and blocked the other day and made my way back with wind pounding the side of my face. After that I went back to the start of my line and began checking sets.

Had a lynx cubby coming up and fox tracks all over the trail pacing back and fourth. He must of walked by the set three or four times before making up his mind to go for it. Pretty rare for me to catch a fox in a cubby and I don't mind that as I like to keep them open for the cats. I noticed that he kept his right eye closed. Upon closer inspection and skinning I believe he had a birth defect. He had no right eye even though there was a small slit in the hide for it. The place for the socket on the skull was very small compared to the left side. Guy must have been having a hard go of it. Not a speck of fat on him.



Earlier in the year I had caught a lynx and then two foxes at a bait station and then it went dead. For a month there was not a track around other than bunny tracks, but I left the snares out and connected again! The pole laying on the ground on the far left is what the snare is wired off to. I cut the pole and moved it there just sticking it in the snow. The lynx only moved the pole about a foot and isn't even tangled in anything else. Snares put the cats out quick!



Ended the catch with another lynx. This set has also been producing well. Third catch here. I think the hanging cd trick is working well for this location.



Before heading home I put in a couple more wolf snares and traps. The last one of the pack I've been working on returned to the places where I caught the others but steered clear of all my gear. Maybe next time. Also fell a nice big dry spruce and blocked up most of it. Will pick it up later.




Being in the trees I forgot about the nasty wind and when I came to the flats on my way home it was a ground storm and dusky. I continued down the trail at a crawl only able to see the trail a few feet in front of me. Most of the time I could see my trail markers so that helped a lot! Glad I marked it in the morning. However, the 5-10 minute drive across the flats became an half hour ordeal. I was constantly falling off the trail and had to dig myself out once. I was happy to not have a load of wood behind me and only my small trapping sled. I almost took my Inreach out to help navigate, but every time I was about to I would see a trail marker. Made it home hungry and tired. My wife had duck soup and bread rolls waiting for me. She sure is good to me!

Nice catches.

Some good looking fur That is weird about the fox, does make you wonder what happened. The beginning of every season I flag my trail across the flats, I know exactly what your talking about and that wears a mans body out quick! Hope you connect with some more fur!

Headed out to check the line with my wood sleigh in tow. I planned to haul a load of spruce blocks home with me. However the trail was much more blown over and drifted than I anticipated. Got stuck a few time even with the sleigh empty so dropped it off with the cut wood and its a good thing because the trail home wasn't any better. So I spent some time going over it and marking it even better.

One weasel



And one marten. A nice dark female. Guess the snow is deeper than I thought as she was touching the ground.



Wife checked her handful of traps close to the house and caught a red! A solid catch! I mean she is!

At least your pulling in some fur! Good deal on the wife connecting!

Things are quickly coming to a close. The sun is starting to do its job and bring the daily highs up. Made a run out on the line. Fox are really starting to run my trails crossing country and marking everything, but I have pulled all my fox gear as they are showing signs of rubbing. Lynx have been zigzagging the country as well. Their path can be so sporadic. Only a single catch this trip and will probably only have one more check and pull sets at the same time. Plan to leave some stuff out for wolves and maybe a wolverine set or two just in case one is passing through. Other than that, I may set up a beaver house sometime. I have been craving some fresh beaver meat.

Nice sized male marten. Caught same place I got the last marten.



Also brought home a load of wood.

Yep pretty much the same down here, headed out in the am to pull a bunch of gear. Will leave a few bait stations open for yotes and a few otter sets out. Hope you connect with a wolverine!

Plans changed and I went out yesterday to pull half my line. The only sets I left out are for wolves and one wolverine set. Fox are still on the move and so are lynx. Had one lynx follow my trail for two miles checking out every trail marker. I am not sure if it was marking them or just checking where the fox did. I didn't mention it earlier, but after taking out the majority of the pack in my area another pack moved in. It is hard to tell but I would guess there are 5-8 in the pack. I had put out a couple more snares and left some of the others I still had out. Well they came through again.

This one had a blonde head along with white pads and claws. Caught in a blind trail set. 89 lb male



Had been throwing carcasses on the end of a lake and the ravens have been frequenting it. Had some snares set around it and one was at the base of a couple small willows. This guy came to check it out and decided to stay. He wrapped the snare around the other willows and turned it into quite the bundle. 79 lb male

Good deal on the critters! Hope you connect with a few more!

Fur appears OK on those 2 wolves.
mt

Nice work on the wolves!

Fur on the darker one is good, but the lighter one has missing hair on the sides (not as bad as the last one though). Still some salvageable hide.

Been busy and finally taking a minute to update. All the regular line is pulled and I have been through the area a coupe times since then. Wolves are still in and out. Saw fresh lynx, fox, marten, otter, mink, and weasel tracks. Good sign that there will be some more next season. I did put in two beaver sets and will continue to work on the wolves.

A nice 50 lb beaver! Looking forward to some fresh meat!



Also caught these on a trail camera.

Always good to see sign after ya pull the line for seed for next season. Good looking beaver. Heading out tomorrow for a day trip myself to haul a load of fuel and check some gear.
Thanks for sharing your journey with us this season.

Yep it is nice to continue to see sign after season. Not sure yet but I may work a different area next year, but probably won't decide until the time comes. I know an area that has had a lot of marten sign the past couple years, but it is more difficult to access. Looking forward to an update when you return.

It has still been cold at night, but the sun brings it up to nearly 0F during the day. Picked up another wolf yesterday. Missed another a a urine post. It stepped on one jaw then the other, but missed the pan.

Wolf #7. Nice silvery female weighing in at 69 lb.

Good deal! Your stacking them up!

Well it sure warmed up fast. Snow and temps in the 30's. I feel like the geese should start flying over soon, but most likely that is over a month away. I have noticed this second wolf pack isn't as fat as the first pack I was working on and have been more apt to check out the bait station I have and hang around. This is the third one within two hundred yards of the bait.

Another female. It looks like another got a hold of her after she was in the snare as she has a bite mark on her nose on under her eye. Wolf #8 female 80 lb




It is being a good year for wolves for me. The best actually as this is the first year I have been successful. The funny (not so funny) thing is I cannot figure out snaring beaver under ice. I have gone with others and watched them, watched videos, and looked at posts. These beaver I am after are just out smarting me, but I am going to keep trying.

Good deal on the wolf! Yeah I gave up on that under ice beaver trapping, not a huge fan of busting my butt and getting disappointed time and time again, I will just wait for break up and get on them. Hope you connect though!

Nice work hammering the wolves.Your trapline will thank you.

Thanks guys! HFT AK- I agree! The first couple times I take the ice pick out I am sore, but I have been getting used to it or the ice hasn't been as thick as the weather is warming. Once break up happens I lose acces to the majority of the beaver ponds so I guess I will try a little longer. Sooner or later I will get the hang of it and if I just put out more sets my odds will increase . . .

The furs went out to be sealed and then tanned. It has been a memorable season! The whole season my wife has been watching my back via InReach and ready to hear my trapline stories each time I arrive home. It is good to have a woman that understands it is good for a guy to get out. My kids think its great when I bring something home with the youngest naming them wolf, marten, lynx, fox, etc. as I skin and board. I am blessed to have such family and experiences!



Two things I learned this season: 1) Mark your trail sooner than later, 2) Don't leave the snare in the bag even if the location isn't the best.
Two things I was reminded of this season: 1) Animals in traps are fair game to animals not in traps, 2) The weather is going to make things difficult at times.
Two things to be grateful for this season: 1) Family who backs you up and encourages your endeavors, 2) The health and ability to get out and trap and enjoy God's creation.



I still plan to go after a couple beaver and chase wolves a few more weeks, but things are certainly winding down.

That is a dang good looking batch of fur! A lot of hard work there! Congrats on a good season and I hope you connect with a few more wolves! Thank you for sharing!

Very nice collection of fur you have there I've enjoyed your posts congratulations on a good season I'm sure you will have continued success and do well selling those pelts .

Great job this season! Nice display of all your hard work, It is great having an understanding and supportive family like that.

Warm, wet and then freezing at night. Tough for the few wolf traps I have out. Good thing the snares are still operational.
Snagged a wolf in a snare I just put out on Monday. I think I did her a favor. She has no guard hair and a broken back leg. No outside puncture marks so I am guessing she got kicked by a moose. She looked mature but was really skinny and absolutely no fat anywhere.

Wolf #9 76 lb female (didn't take a picutre out on the line)



Hard work and persistence paid off. After having them steal the bait too many times without getting caught, I switched my set up a little and connected on another beaver. Finally!

What's the secret on beaver. They were mostly getting the best of me on the one house I trapped this winter.
mt

Good deal on the wolf! Sounds like you did do her a favor! Good looking beaver! Glad your connecting with them!

Another Folicular D wolf? At least your removing them from the gene pool.
mt

Yeah, it seems about half the wolves I caught this year have it, but guys around here say it is pretty common. FD or not they still eat moose.

As far as the beaver snaring. I think it is persistence as much as anything else. I was hanging two snares off a pole above the ice (cold enough to freeze fast) with the bait between and sometime to one side or another. I caught one out of the two house I had set. Then it got warm and barely freezing even at night. So I made then placed snares off a dry spruce pole that I stuck into the mud on the bottom and a cross pole wired above the ice. This way if it doesn't freeze the beaver can't come up onto the ice. Anyway, I wired the willow or cottonwood bait to the pole and finally caught another. I have three houses out and plan to check tomorrow.

Great season bfisch... That is a good looking pile of fur. Take care of it. Bill Wivoda is looking for lynx with feet on and wolves. With the fur market the way it is, I send my fur to Moyle's to get tanned and sell it later or out of the house. Keep it up on the beaver. Bear baiters pay good money for the carcasses.

Bill Wivoda isn't looking for lynx with feet anymore, just wovles and wolverine....................

Decided to keep it all for now. It is on its way to the tannery. I will be eating the beaver meat. I may take some later on when the water opens for bear bait.

First time this year the whole family was able to join me to check sets! Nice day and fun to share the experience. We had a picnic of fresh beaver meat, fresh caribou ribs, and smores. We found a moose freshly killed by wolves. The 50 or so ravens were hard to miss. Put some wolf snares on the trails around it. Checked the three beaver houses I have set and pulled one adult male out of the water.

Was out yesterday with the neighbor boy. I told him that if he worked hauling wood with me we would go set some beaver snares (I didn't tell him I had wolf gear out too). So we took off and came to the first beaver house. I had broke trail the day before and checked ice safeness knowing he would be joining me. When we pulled up I warned him to only walk on the snow machine trail or where I walked. I checked ice with the ice pick and found a spot where there was no ice at the feed bed. The spot had too many stick and was really shallow. We moved about three feet away and got to work. The ice was much thicker and the water deeper. Going to the second house we hit some over flow, but being out the day before making trail I knew where it was and drove accordingly. Arriving at the second house I warned him again about walking only where I did and staying a few steps behind me. This house had very deep snow around it and many places with little to no ice. It was pretty sketchy as one place would have a good 5-6 inches of ice and 6 inches away nothing. It was like this with very little rhyme or reason.

After the work we started the fun! Heading out to where I had set up the wolf kill, I could see fresh tracks in the snow from the night before. They were spending extra time on the trail so I guessed something was up. Before I knew it there was a trench going down my trail about 8 inches wide and 4 inches deep with wolf tracks everywhere. At first I was confused and then I figured it out with surprise. The only explanation was that I had caught a wolf in the one trap I had set at the kill (blind trail set) and that wolf was dragging the 5 1/2 foot birch log that is 6 inches in diameter down the trail. I was impressed as this was a 1/2 mile from where I had left the trap. We were both excited, but continued onto check the snares at the kill site before going after the one in the trap. I was anticipating a catch as the snares (I thought) were in great locations. Sure enough they came back to the kill, but apparently the snow had a good enough crust their tracks were on top and they didn't even use their trails. Oh well, still needed to track down the other one. We headed back to where the wolf had left my main trail and took off down a secondary trail that I hadn't been down in over a month. It goes about a mile and ending in a spruce ridge. The sides of the opening are small spruce and willow. As we followed the trench, we could see that the wolf didn't like being caught in the open, but every time it left the snow machine trail it would face deep snow and snagging willows. The wolf learned fast that the packed trail was the best even when hauling a green birch log weighing 50 lbs. After about a mile from the catch site he had finally exited as the secondary trail wasn't that great that far down. He barely even made it to the tree line. Pulling up to about 50 feet way I parked and told my partner to stay on the snow machine. As I walked over to dispatch the big male gave a bark and a growl that made the skin on the back of my neck feel tight as the hair raised. I quickly ended the discussion. My neighbor boy was thrilled as he had never seen a live wolf and I was thrilled that the wolf was still in the MB 750 after a mile dragging that birch and only caught by two toes on the front foot.

Wolf #10 104 lb Male



We then went onto check the beaver snares. First two houses the bait was untouched. The last house the bait was also untouched and pulling up the pole I could tell the snare was stuck on a stick. "We caught a stick," I said. The stick didn't give so I rolled up my sleeves and started fishing. I soon realized we had a stick and a beaver! We finally managed to get it untangled and pulled the snares not resetting as this was the second beaver at this house.



It was a good day and before I dropped the boy off at his house, he asked me, "Are you going out again tomorrow?"

That is awesome! Congrats on the wolf and for getting a youngster out there!

Good looking wolf. That’s sounded like a great time. Thanks for sharing

What a great day and way to keep youngsters involved and excited about getting out more!

Hard to tell in the pic. Does he have FD?
mt

It was a fun day for sure!



He does, but not as bad as some I've caught.

That makes me Howl at the Moon! Thanks for sharing your stories!

Another windy day. It was very gray with the clouds and wind blowing snow everywhere. The moose kill is pretty much cleaned up by the ravens, but the wolves came around the area just not back to the kill. They are able to walk on the crust and avoided the snares. I did put another trap out on my trail. With the moose pretty much picked clean the ravens moved back to my carcass pile. (I guess ravens prefer fresh moose meat to a frozen wolf carcass if they have a choice.) I think the ravens, their commotion, and probably even their smell really helps to bring in the wolves. It peaks their curiosity and gets their attention in their search for food.
After each snare catch I have been replace the snare on the trail about 10-20 feet from where the other one was. It worked out for me for connecting with another about 20 ft from where I caught #7.

Wolf #11 90 lb Female



Checked my beaver houses and only had one bait taken. At the last house, as I was walking up, I could see some fur that looked to be a small beaver, but was an otter. I wouldn't mind catching otters in my beaver sets if they didn't always make such a mess of things. After I got it all chopped out I didn't have more bait handy as I thought I had left some there. Between the lack of handy bait and the mess the otter made I decided to wait to remake it.

Good sized otter




On the way home, I was making trail behind a beaver house that I haven't set yet and switched the machine from eco to sport mode, dropped my sled, and took off. Well I was standing while driving and didn't even see the rock solid drift that went 3 feet straight up. Ouch! A little whip lash and my nose came down on the top edge of my windshield. Glad nothing broke! I plan to set the house up when it isn't so windy.

Good to hear nothing broke on you or the sled Congrats on the fur!

You should make a dvd of your trapping adventures. You got it goin on young man. I look forward to your stories and pics. Glad to hear you are o,k,

Dumb question. If you did get seriously hurt out on the Trapline, how to you get help to come to you?

-Randy-

Yeah, I'm not sure what fix would have been more expensive!



A DVD probably not. I have taken some very short videos of each catch this year and at some point want to compile them for a 5 to 15 minute video, but I haven't edited footage before and don't have a you tube channel.

My trapline is about 25 miles round trip from home. If I go further than that from the village I often have another person with their own machine with me. For safety I always let someone know where I am going and approximate time of return (99% of the time it is my wife) and my wife tracks me on my InReach. The InReach also has an SOS button that I hope I never have to use.

Funny story. . . The day I set up the area where the wolves killed the moose. I called a buddy to come and pick me up as my machine wouldn't start. When I got to the basic location of the kill I took my snares out of my bag and hung them on my handle bars. This way I don't have to go back and forth between the machine and my sled and therefore spend less time on location leaving scent. At one spot I grabbed two snares and had to untangle thing from some of the wiring on the machine. No big deal. I set it up and came back to my machine. Lifted the kill switch and pressed the power button on my 3 year old Skandic widetrack 600 ACE. The dash lights came on but that was it. I tried again and same thing. I flipped the kill switch off and on again and tried again. Still just dash lights. I then lifted the back seat to make sure the battery was as it should be. It looked fine, but i retightened everything anyway. Same results. At this point I messaged my wife and a buddy and told them the situation. My friend answered almost immediately that he was on his way. I was glad because I didn't feel like walking. In the mean time I considered that maybe the starter went out and that if I tapped it while hitting the start switch maybe it would turn over the machine. So never seeing it actually done I tried this many different ways. Same results. By now I was spending way too long (IMO) in the location of the just set wolf snares, but not much I could do. After a bit I walked back to the main trail. Before I got there I could already see my ride. He picked me up and we went to the snow machine to check it out again. He looked at the battery. He looked and tapped on the starter. We were closing up the side panels when he says, "Oh, here!" I looked up as he was putting the key (I think it has a chip in it or something) back in place. I probably haven't touched that key but once in the three years owning the machine, so it never crossed my mind. The machine started right up! Boy, I felt dumb! I also felt relieved to not have to walk back or spend money for a fix.

I then followed him to check some of his wolf snares and sure enough, he had snagged a good sized male. Sure is good to have friends and a wife who cares. My wife also was going to send help, but it was unnecessary as it was already on its way. Moral of the story- When hanging snares on your handle bars make sure they don't pull your key out so you don't have to spend a lot of time in a prime wolf snaring location. The wolves haven't been back on that trail since.

It's the simple things that often foul you up. I remember a friend once whose fourwheeler died while trying to load it on the trailer where he parked his truck. He had been trying to start it for about an hour and did everything he could think of, including changing the spark plug. No fire. Hefinally got ahold of me on the cb. I showed up and in the process of helping him load it on the trailer by hand to take home and work on there I happened to notice that he had somehow managed to hit the kill switch while driving and switch it to the off position!