Hahaha that has happened to me more times then I can count with having the bait in the jaws and no critter You need to look around were those moose are rubbing, I will get a few pics tomorrow of a few that I have my eye on, seems like were they have rubs is were I find the antlers most of the time. Good on you for taking the youngster out Dad time is always the best Good looking marten! Hope the weather gets better for you!

The wind finally slowed down. Went out today and saw a good amount of fresh sign. Lynx, fox, mink, marten, and ermine all have been on the move.

Wolves also came through for the first time. By the looks of it, there is only two that came onto the line. I followed their track long enough to put a few snares in, but they pretty much just passed through except at one place they must have spooked a bedded moose and messed around with it for a couple minutes and then went on their way.



Lotsa action, but not what I was hoping for. Mink set was drifted in so he made his own hole through the snow to get to the fish head. Lynx stepped all over the trap at a hanging bait (the trap was 6 inches under with a thin crust over it) then he skirted a snare because the blocking around it had drifted in. Two other lynx exited the trail each about 100 yards before my set. Another came closer but was interested enough. I did end up with 4 squirrels and a rabbit. A marten came to one with a squirrel and took the bait and left the squirrel, while the second ate the bait and the squirrel. The rabbit was missing its head and a front leg. Trail camera picture revealed a happy owl (same exact thing happened at this set last year). Nice to know what is around anyway. I think everything was really moving because the wind took a break.

I made my way to a particular spot on the river today where I have crossed in the past. The last 150 feet are through thick bar willows and I wasn't sure what the bank looked like this year so I parked the machine and walked. On the edge of the willows was a nearly vertical drift 10 ft tall. It was literally a wall in the trail. In years past the highest I have seen it was maybe 4 ft. I climbed up the hard drift to see the river and was standing among the tops of the trees above all the moose breaks/chewing. I thought it was interesting, because there were either ruffed grouse or ptarmigan tracks going back and forth among the willow tops. They were able to sit in the snow and pick buds rather than perch on the tree tops. Well, I haven't ruled out that particular river crossing, but if I'm going to use it I am going to need a bigger shovel.

A grass lake near one of my lynx sets.

Well you know those kitties have 9 lives Sounds like they used a few Bites about the drifts, hope the weather holds for you and you connect!

Congrats on the new little boy and the fur

Congrats.A mink was my very first catch ever in a muskrat set.

You are the only other one I have heard of that has a mink as their first catch!

Was heading out the other day and before I even made it out of town I saw something standing on the side of the road at a four way split. Kinda an odd place to just be standing there, I thought as I slowed down to get a better look. It was a big brownish gray dog. As soon as I slowed it took off and right away I could tell by the way it acted and moved it was not somebodies' dog. The big wolf was now bounding through the snow back towards town. I followed its track for about 45 minutes through the thickest small spruce around until I gave up. Apparently, a couple wolves had been in the area as they had trails going this way and that through the thick stuff. Some excitement anyway.

Been real slow on the line as far as catches. I snapped all but a few of my marten sets and will try to focus a little more on lynx and wolves. The wolves came back but to a different portion of the line than last time. I set a few snares and plan to bring some footholds next time.

The lynx were uninterested in my sets and avoided the snares. I am seeing more rabbit sign than I had originally seen and guess the cats are not too hungry. They are around though so I will keep trying. There is also a fair amount of fox sign in places. I haven't tried for them much this season so may have to add that to the list as well.

That would be exciting Wish I had a population of wolves around my line.
I know that feeling, mid season trapper time blues, full moon, clear nights, or crappy weather, All part of what we love
Don't give up on the kitty's, a friend of mine, who has put up a zillion kitty's, suggested that when the cats start losing interest in your cubbies, snare pens, baits, it is time to switch over to pee post, They have one thing on their mind, finding a mate. He collects the urine from his catch's, yote urine will work as well. He says the sets you have out will still catch their eye they will investigate but wont commit, but if there is a pee post by it they will absolutely do their thing
As for the snares, safety in numbers They do have 9 lives and I feel that frustration, under, over, around, through, and when you do connect with one, there is that feeling of accomplishment
Hope the tide turns for you and you start connecting!!!

Things continue to be slow on the line, but the cats are still around and I made a new trail out to the river. It took me a while driving around to find the best way but I finally made it. Good amount of wolf sign on the sand bar. I put in a couple pee posts on drift logs and also added a few sets in other areas as well.

This is the view out on the river


I made a new to me set this last time out. The wolves use this trail to check out my bait pile and put in a trench trail set. It was described by Oh Snap on another thread and I also used the technique described by white17 in that same thread.


You are welcome to critique it as this is the first time I have tried it. Some may not like my drag, but that's ok. This is the set before I drove over it blending it further.



I have a marten pole that has had regular activity since the beginning of the season, but has yet to connect. I put a trail camera on it to see what was happening. Here our a couple shots from the video produced.
Here the marten is straddling the trap and soon after it hops over the trap the rest of the way.


The marten then took the bait and hopped off. I have since moved the bait so it is located more directly below the trap.


He then came back and sniffed around for some more. Not finding anything he proceeded to straddle the trap again, but this time in the reverse direction. He then rubbed the pole (seen in the picture below) and set off the trap with his stomach. He was temporarily spooked by the snap and ran a few feet down the pole. He quickly did a 180 to come and investigate the snap and sniff around some more before leaving.


I assume that the marten is marking the area when they are or at least appear to do the rubbing action. I have caught this same behavior on camera in early fall as well. Are they urinating or rubbing scent glands or both?

Cool to see that with the marten. That trench set looks good! Hopefully one will hit it! I might give that a test run if the weather gets right.

That trench set looks just like I envisioned it. Cant wait to put my own in tomorrow. Those marten pics sure are fun to see, makes me wonder if I have had similar things happen at my sets in the past. I have no idea why its straddling the pole like that, but I am very curious.

I think that trench set will totally work if they come through and spend some time. I've seen quite a few youtube videos of guys doing that. The bigger the pack, the better, and then it's more a matter of time and chance and keeping the trap working. Where I come from in Minnesota, I really wanted to do this. We have a lot of wolves there. They follow the logging roads, of which there are many. HUGE networks of them. Usually at the trail intersections, they will spend a lot of time peeing and scratching - then head on off down the trail for a bit before fanning out. When I would grouse hunt the trails, I would see the wolf trans in the same exact spots time after time, and dream of putting a trap there. But alas, Minnesota only had it's wolf trapping season for one year, before the anti's got it taken away. Trump gave power back to the states recently - but you can guess what's going to happen with that. Doesn't matter so much for me anymore because a non-resident can't trap in MN, but I have pals who would sure love to. Hope you get that wolf! Cool Marten pics. I enjoy following all the journals including yours.

I do not envy the weather reports you give for your area. The wind has been my nemesis this year, but at least I haven't had any dramatic temperature swings.

Be sure to get some pictures when you make a catch in the set.

Packs around here usually are less than 10. My parents are in MN and my dad can share a few stories of running into wolves. Once the family dog got chased until the pair came right close to my dad and he waved his hatchet and yelled at them. They just trotted off nonchalantly. Hope they get their season back sometime soon, but I'm not holding my breath.

I snagged a fox my first fox of the season. Usually I am about done with fox around this time, but things are a little whacky this season. I started about a month late after being in town with the family waiting for our boy to be born and then with the transition back to home it was slow getting gear out and breaking open trails. That's alright family takes precedence over trapping.



Not much moving on the line. The wolves are playing leap frog with me. They go through, I lay down gear, they go through somewhere else, I put out more gear, and so on. Either I will run out of traps and snares or start nabbing them here and there or maybe they got me figured out and will just move somewhere else. Still fun getting out and occasionally I haul some wood home.

Good looking fox! With our wacky weather here I know it won't be long before they get those rub spots from laying in the snow and ice pulling the guard hairs out. Yep family first Keep after those wolves, like chess they will eventually make the wrong move Hope the weather turns good for you and you connect with some more critters!

Good stuff. Hope you connect with a wolf.

Might as well keep trying.

It has been really warm with skiffs of snow each day. Today we hit 20 above so my oldest daughter joined me to go check sets and grab a load a wood.

This lynx had followed my trail for several hundred yards. On my two previous trips through the foxes were all over the trail. So I made a trench set the width of my ax head in my trail with fox in mind. I set a bridger 1.65 offset and nabbed him by three toes. He made it about 30 feet on the birch drag. My girl was excited! I guess it is the first live lynx she has seen.



Had a 220 over a hole in the snow by a beaver house and it was ready when this guy came back through.



We also brought home a load of wood. I made a fire for my daughter to warm up by while I cut wood. Then we loaded it together and rode home. Good day!