That would be fun; done it twice, but in the 80s.

Boaz Edward
7lbs 3oz
19" long

That's a good strong name for the young man !

Great name, lots of character.

Nice thread.

Made it home with the family yesterday after three weeks in Fairbanks. It was good to be in town to have my parents and my wife's parents come to see their newest grandson, but we are all glad to be home. Changed out the battery on my Skandic today and the week before I went to Fairbanks both headlights on my Polaris went out. I think it is the voltage regulator. From what I hear from other guys who have had the same issue is I have a 50/50 chance of solving the problem if I install a new regulator. Temperature has been dropping today from -4 to -30 right now. When it warms up a little I plan to go out and break some trail.

In the mean time I am going to enjoy some moose dry meat with bear fat!



This is some of the fat from the bear I got this past September.



I cut it into 1/2 inch cubes and put it into a pan on low heat.



It is important to not let it get too hot and burn.



As the fat renders I pour the accumulated grease through a strainer into glass jars. I return it to the stove and let it continue to render. I continue this process until the pieces of fat turn to cracklings about 1/4 of their original cut size.



Once complete I keep the full jars in the freezer. The one I am currently working on is usually kept in the fridge where it will easily last a month before going bad (it is always eaten long before). Sometimes I will keep it in the freezer for a different consistency.

I am going to have to give that a try. Thanks for showing how you make it!

Bear lard is supposed to be very good for making bread.

Always heard bear lard was great for baking bread products have to give it a try now that I see how rendering is accomplished. Thanks!

Any recipes for the bread? I would guess it replaces the shortening.
I know other people put the fat in a crockpot on low and ladle it out, but I haven't tried that way yet.

Geese lard makes good pie crust and bread too.

Ya back in the day been rendered out the bear fat - the original Crisco. WTG to keep up back in the day stuff.

Finally made it out on the line yesterday. It was good going and only one spot with a little overflow. I only made it about half way around the line and came back. Set up marten poles, lynx cubbies, and a mink/otter set. No wolf sign, but I suspect once they find my trail they will make use of it. Wanted to go out again today, but the wind is brutal and is supposed to be again tomorrow.

Waiting for the mink that went by the night before.



Lynx cubby. Had a trail camera on this set last year and missed a wolverine that didn't commit.



All the fur I sent to out to be tanned last spring came back. I think the wife will be stocked up on fur for sewing for a while.

Good deal! Hope you connect! What do you have in the cubby for the kitties?

^^^^^
Regarding the post about rendering bear fat:
Do you know if bear fat will render-out as easily as seal fat by putting it in hot water and skimming off the top. Or does bear fat require more heat?

It is a duck head that stinks just a little. Never tried it before, but I have heard that some who collar lynx place a duck in the back of the cage to catch them. I also have a cd hanging above the set.



Never been around seal fat rendering process. Bear fat at room temperature is basically liquid, fridge temps more solid, and when frozen it is barely soft enough to scrape/spoon some out. The only seal oil I have seen was in liquid form. I don't know at what temperature it solidifies. Not sure but I would guess it has to be even colder than bear fat to hit a solid state.

I have also never heard of anyone rendering bear fat with hot water. It would seem it would be difficult to not get some water in the jars unless you left a portion of the fat in the pot with the water. If water got in the jar it would sink to the bottom and be trapped there.
Maybe someone with seal oil experience will give some input.

After setting up the line the wind really picked up along with some fresh snow. I don't remember the drifts being this hard everywhere in years past. It is downright rough going. The first check yielded snares and cubbies drifted in. It has been hard to see what is moving with the constant wind and fresh snow. That said, it seems that the marten population is down. I haven't see much for tracks in the timber lines like I normally do. If this appears to be the case the next few checks I may just snap my pole sets and give them a chance to rebound.

Second check was much more productive.

I caught an old gnarly fox at this location last year after an extended cold stretch. Unfortunately, a lynx found him before I did and had supper leaving me with a head and scraps of fur. I set it up again this year with fox in mind. Couldn't see the snare or any disturbance when I rolled up. I figured the wind knocked it over and it drifted in. I was pleasantly surprised when I uncovered some gray fur! Kicked myself for not having a shovel to dig him out. Oh well, it didn't take to long. First lynx of the season!



The next catch was at a location that picked out last year thinking it was a good spot for marten and lynx. I only caught a lone weasel there and only saw a single set of lynx tracks go through the area. I drove by it again this year and thought to myself, "It looks like such a great location." I went another 20 yards before turning around. I just had to set it up it just looked too good. I made a nice lynx cubby at the same tree as last year, wired part of a duck carcass to the tree at lynx eye level, hung some bright red chicken feathers in a nearby tree, dabbed some gusto on a limb above the set, and set the #4 duke coil neatly covered with snow. Everything came together this year as lynx number two was waiting for me. When I took out the camera the batteries were dead. So the picture had to wait until I made it home.



I planned on breaking trail into the rest of the line that day, but it was getting dark and I don't really care to go somewhere in the dark that I haven't been to recently. What really made up my mind was getting stuck in a big drift. I didn't take it head on and glance off to the left leaving my right ski up on the drift and the left ski 2 1/2 feet lower. Yep I was sideways! I tried the reverse, go forward, and repeat trick, but that was only creating more of a problem. Time to kick myself again for not having a shovel. The drift was solid all the way down. I took my ax and started carving out chunks in front of the machine and on the right side. Before long I had my hat and coat off. At the end I was sore not so much from digging the snow machine out, but from kicking myself. With the lost time I headed towards home. The rest of the line will have to wait for another day.

Sweet deal on the kitties! I run a bunch of those Dukes for them as well Feel your pain in getting stuck! Pack a shovel Hope you connect with a bunch more! Thanks for sharing!

Nice cats.
Snowshoes and shovel always in the sleigh.

Made it out again yesterday. Still really windy. My second oldest asked to ride along. I had her dress up pretty warm because of the wind. We had a good ride and I brought my shovel along, but didn't need it to dig myself out this time. First set is a mink/otter set I threw a fish head in a hole and placed a 220 in front. Looks like a mink came by and grabbed the fish head which then got caught while the mink skedaddled.

Some friends found a moose shed the other day and so I had it on my mind. I know where a couple bulls have been hanging out and was going to search the area a bit. Ran into the group of bulls and it looks like they are keeping their headgear. . . for now.



Last trap of the day held the only critter of the day. My girl was sure excited!



On the way home we spooked a fox who was sleeping on the downwind side of a beaver house. I don't think he could hear us because the wind was whipping into our faces. Nice seeing wildlife even when they are not in traps.