Hi All
I havent posted for a while now but thought I would at least make a feeble attempt to post something this season.
My trapping partner and I had an average year I would say. We focused on Coyotes again this year mainly because gas and coyotes are about the only things that havent dropped in price. Had some wolf action but didnt try very hard to target them. We had a few sets out, missed a couple times, Clem caught one female. Maybe 90-100 lbs. We had a wolverine come through the one bait site, or close to it but didnt make a set for him. Caught a couple mink with the kids on a creek by home. A few beaver through the ice. One fox, a couple Marten. Thats about it. With the NAFA troubles I am sure hoping FHA will treat us well this spring. Times are sure a changin' out there in the world.

We had spot along the North Saskatchewan River that is really beautiful. It burnt a couple years ago, but is still really nice, and the game and fur critters follow that big valley like a highway.






Started the year a bit rough. Dropped my phone in the river off an old log haul bridge while moose hunting. Yes that water was cold. Couldnt quite get it back, but likely would have been wrecked anyway by the time I got to it.



About a month later cutting some swamp killed spruce for firewood I dropped a nice big 80 ft spruce on my truck. I was parked about 60 feet away. I felt like such a dumb so and so. But the wife and kids were along so I was more grateful that nobody was hurt and that they were paying attention when I yelled, everyone was out of the road when it decided to roll and turn the wrong direction. Lessons learned.




Saw some beautiful sunrises and sunsets from fall to now. (more sunsets to be honest, I'm not a real early morning guy)




Two things of interest this season. I am 90% sure we had a Cougar through the one area, right through between some coyote/wolf sets. It took me a while to figure it out. When I saw it I thought of lynx right away, until I got closer and saw how far it sunk in the snow and that this was no Lynx. I dont think its a wolf track. But I could be wrong. I wouldnt say Cougars are uncommon, I've just never had one come that close to a trap or snare before. There are a couple caught every year on traplines in Saskatchewan. I dont think we can target them, but they end up in someones wolf snare or track set once in a blue moon.




Second thing was my partner saw some hair lying around while he was checking out an area. Some kind of wolly fluffy hair and lots of wolf tracks. He did a bit of investigation and it almost looked like the wolves pulled a bear out of the den and had lunch with him...... Literally. Has anyone seen this? Just curious. Nature sure is interesting and I learn so much every year. It seems the more I am out there the more I learn.

We attended our Winter Festival King Trapper events this past weekend. I had a couple buddies that were entered that did really well. Looks like alot of fun especially if the weather is decent like it was for us this year. Last year was -30 and I dont think I would have enjoyed sitting there all day being a spectator.




Sorry for the long winded post, but that was our year in a nutshell. Hope everyone has a good, safe and happy rest of the season!!

Awesome pictures and thanks for sharing.

Thanks for sharing with us the nice pictures ! Next time try not to cut through the holding wood / hinge standing dead timber can be challenging to fall at times I'm glad it worked out .

When mtn lions are in the area the deer elk and antelope vanish even the coyotes will to for a week to 10 days I've noticed down here it's the same with wolves after they were reintroduced down here.

I have never seen evidence of wolves taking a bear out of a den personally, but I have heard of it happening. Predators crave fat in the winter and what is more fat than a hibernating bear that is sluggish.

I wonder if the Bear could have died in the den, then the Wolves smelled it? They gotta die sometime.lol

Don't fret to much on the pickup. I have the same exact truck and they are just painted over Budweiser cans. Glad no one was hurt.

I have never seen wolves take bears out of dens,myself but I know it has been documented.There are several old mine shafts on my line and when wolves come through,they always check them out.They seem to pace and get excited around these shafts.Bears in this country sometimes den in old shafts.One of the members here,talked about using bear fat for bait.

Seeing bear hair in wolf scat some years is not uncommon here.Never seen it in winter,when wolves are on the moose,only summer and early fall when wolves are mainly on the beaver.Great pics Moose.

Good to have ya back. Looks like some nice fur. Thanks for sharing

I have heard of a couple guys who have saw the signs of wolves digging black bears out of the dens. I remember when Jim Masek saw a black bear laying on a cut bank along the river one winter. When he walked up to it, it was just the head, after following the tracks, the wolves had dug it out from it den and totally consumed it and carried the head down the trail playing with it. People always talk about how tough the wolverine and the grizzly bear is. In my opinion there is nothing that will survive a hungry wolf pack unless you have thumbs, traps and gunpowder.

Keep it up and be safe.

Some good looking country and good looking fur! Good thing that tree dropped on the bed and not the cab! Still bites no matter how you look at it but could have been worse!

I cat hunt with hounds I have never seen deer and elk leave the area where lions are like I have for wolves, and coyotes will actually follow them around occasionally. A lion kill that is left is easy meals for a coyote. And yes that is a lion track. As far as the truck goes. . . flatbed it; problem solved

Thanks for the feedback guys. Glad to hear some other experiences. So it could very well have been the wolves pulled a small bear out and killed him. And that is probably a cougar track. The truck box is fixed now, so I wont deck the truck just yet. Next time it happens I might build a flat deck, after someone takes my chainsaw away from me please! LOL.