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!