Warm weatherdown here has all but melted our snow and kept the critters holed up for now. Still nothing on my bait piles but not giving up hope. Jim, hope you and the boys have a good time up there again this year. Looking forward to seeing lots of catch pictures.

Here’s a few pictures and a very hot crossing fox bobcat otter and a marten

Rick, your killing me.....

No cats on your cat location from last year yet,1 coyote so far that lone wolf has'nt showed up there like last year.Guessing one of those cats will be there sooner or later with the ravens making noise.

Well the sleds are loaded, tomorrow loading traps and bait then hitting the road early Friday after doughnuts with dad at the elementary school

Love the look of that sled K9man! Hope we get some fresh snow. Good luck, and post pics.
Jim

Looks good safe travels really looking forward to the adventure pictures to come,here's to orange throat patches,those silver tipped hairs and those spots.3 days to trap setting,good luck to all the trapper's and all the smile's of the younger kids and the adults.

This was purchased from a builder as a partially assembled kit and then shipped to us, we finished the assembly.

https://northerntoboggan.com/products/the-box-freight-sled

Well an exciting and fun trip is almost a guarantee, I’m not liking the weather forecast for us as far as expecting great marten/fisher movement.

Good thing is I know nothing about bobcats and have no idea what to expect with the weather forecast and their movement

John's shop is 4 miles from my place,John and his kids are great people and have been making great products since the 90's.

Well, the young men and their father made it up and set up camp today.
Another year is about to begin. We will be looking at the baits and hanging a few more if we find more sign. As the years go by it is rewarding to see them wanting to try some new things, some of which I have tried with little success but I try to bite my tongue and let them experiment. Some of their ideas are something that I never thought of and I get to now learn from them.
I hope everyone that is traveling tomorrow has save travels, and enjoyable trapping.
Jim

Good luck to everyone safe travels mine will be very short 4 miles to the bobcat location 3 miles to the marten location and 2.5 miles to the other bobcat location if they start coming to the location.Hoping to break in one of the Jake's on a bobcat or two.

I am hoping to see how the alphas perform. I really enjoy setting them.

Those Alpha's should be a good cat trap,I have 3 marten boxes loaded 155's and bait and a couple of Jake's with 10' chain and Sabertooth drags.Lure,waxed dirt,leaves wax paper etc.all ready for my long line this year.As of today only one bait out of three has a cat on it,I'll keep bait at the other one and see if a cat shows,about 3.5 miles to the cat bait being hit and 3 marten locations are 3 miles and 4 miles the long line this year lol.Hope to break in the Jake's on a cat this season,I have 2 set for coyotes as we speak nothing for the first two checks there at the one and only coyote bait I have out,birds found the new bait that I put out two days ago so with thi colder temps the coyotes should be back by this weekend I'm guessing.Should be able to check the long line in 1 hour or less the coyote bait is the other direction and about 3.5 miles north.Good luck to everyone,hope you guys see spots and orange throat patches and those silver tipped guard hairs.

We actually made good time today and got to the cabin early enough to get one otter set out and Jacob got one weasel box out.

Breakfast sure is going to taste good tomorrow, I love opening day!

It must be a sickness, but still after 40 years, I have a heck of a time getting to sleep the night before Opener!

A sickness for sure 43 years here,but it's a good sickness pass it on!

Checked my baits stations today and found coyote tacks by one but it looks like they where chasing deerand showed no interest in the carcasses. Will set up the ol' Olson mind field around it tomorrow in hopes that if the cat doesn't come by then maybe a yote or two will. Fishers have been a real pain in my butt this season having released 6 so far this fall. Bet if I put out a few boxes for them I'll still catch them in a coyote set. Hope to put all that information Rick taught me last year to good use and see if I can score a cat this year!

Good morning trapper's it's time for breakfast then go play in the winter wonder land,good luck to all the trapper's take a kid if you can and pass it on.Tim thinking you'll find those southern spots this year.

Well, caught my first legal fisher for the season this morning in a coyote set. As thick as they have been this year I am convinced that if I want to catch a fisher I need to make a set for any critter other than fisher, guaranteed to catch one then! We got about an inch of new snow last night but the only tracks I found where deer, turkey and squirrel. I set up the Olson mine field for cat's and coyotes today using an Alpha in a cubby and 8 snares by one of my bait stations. I had originally planned to put out 4 fisher boxes but decided to only put out two since I have already met half my quota for the season. I'm like you Rick in only putting out a short line this year mostly for cats and coyotes.