I've looked at a couple of the new #9s that you make, including one you donated to the F4WM auction at the Wolfer Summit last year (Thanks for your support!) but don't recall if the ones you are making are center swiveled or not? I've got three older ones that were made before you owned it and one has been modified center-swiveled while the other two have the chain off the end of the crosspiece opposite the dog. Those are actually nicer to bed, but I had a moose in one of them a couple weeks back and it bent that crosspiece so that I had to straighten it (Not a big deal, since I wasn't resetting it, might have been a bit more difficult on the line but I'm sure I could have managed).

I love to see tines poking out of the snow like that as I'm cruising along.

Smalltime.... I will be the receiving agent for all the furs and antlers for the ATA auction

Bearcat2.... All my #9's are center swiveled. It can be a pain to bed with the swivel right in the center but seemed to have the best results if they get tangled up. Just have to dig your beds a little deeper. The old connection is pretty hard on feet with a solid anchor and harder on the frames with a moose.

Victor#0... I have quite a few coyotes out there. Pretty cagy critters and really hard on the sheep population. Pretty blessed to have good fur on almost all my critters and they sell very well at our ATA auction. $40-$75 raw and $100 tanned. They stay high in sheep country when the wolves are around the valley but I catch them on the cameras around the cabins and baits pretty often.

white17... That is my Catch-all set. Just a open root under a big spruce tree at the base of a ridge on the creek. The past couple years I just put a Kill-Squeak (battery operated squeaker) in the root, no lure or bait. Seems to work.

So you must have hung that gulo up just for the picture........... ?

How long does the battery in that squeeker last in the cold? I've seen adds for those and always wondered how they would work, pretty neat.

Mad_Mike also has used them.

White17.... He hung himself. Climbed the tree and jumped over a limb




Victor#0... They seem to last most of the season but they freeze when it's colder than 25 below. Then they thaw out and work again when it warms up. Kinda like my trail cams. I did have the squirrels pack one off but I found it 15 yards away still squeaking. The coyote has looked in the cubby but hasn't approached within the danger zone a few times.

Dean loaned me one of his squeakers. I put it too close to a kill and it didn't work for me. That was many moons ago and I learned how to deal with a kill since!

Nice size and colored wolverine JR!

Very cool. Did the squeaker survive the catch out of curiosity?

Greetings Trappers from a balmy Fairbanks AK. Our little cold snap broke and she is plum hot out now. In my defense, 30 above is 80 degrees hotter than the minus 50 we had last week. Came back from the mountains yesterday with a little fur. Guess I'll back up. Last week I picked up this 101# male in a pee post a couple miles from my cabin.

He looked good in the sled but looks great on the board.
The caribou numbers are up in the flats and the wolves left a path of destruction.
Would love to leave some blind trail sets but the caribou fill up the trail.

Picked up a few antlers while breaking trail into the higher country.


Heavy overflow this year and imagine I will be chopping traps out next week.
Ended up catching a bull moose calf in a #9 held fast. Momma was creating quite a problem so I went to town to re-tool.
The next day with the right tool, the release when pretty well with all parties involved leaving mostly unharmed.

I try my best not to put gear where the moose and caribou travel and these stump and rock pee posts work great. The problem is, if they are on a bend or a curve, the moose and caribou may cut the corner and get caught. These stump or log posts that I have been using for years are now starting to sprout and grow. The moose like those succulent new shoots growing up. Still learning....
After the release, I was pretty beat and believe a good stiff drink was in order at the cabin. Got a fire going and decided to run up and get water for the cabin. Being half way to Pee Post Pass, I decided to run up there and check.

Wolf #2 was waiting for me. Missed on the other 2 posts. One post they seemed nervous by and the other they came in from the top.
98# male.
Put a Skidoo trunk on my Expedition this year. Built a rack for the top. This is a big box and you can put a bunch of gear in it. Makes it a lot harder to pick it back up on to it's track when tipped over.
Putting the 2nd wolf and a lynx on the board today. Hope everyone is having a productive and safe season. The ATA 's 50th Anniversary is this year and the annual Fling is coming up fast. Hope to see some of you there. Should be a good one.

You were of course right about the wuffs , and you got two nice ones. Your concern over the caribou and moose, well founded.

30 above is warm , compared to any low , this time of year. I am always fascinated with the colours in overflows....though I still would be very wary.

I like the trunk and your rack is perfect for it. Well done, Iron Man.

Good deal on the release of the moose! Always hate messing with them when they get hung up, glad momma was still there to! Nice looking wolves! Hope you get a few more!

Nice wolves Howler.

Funny, I had to release one this year, and I was very glad momma WASN'T still there. Those 9's will really hold anything they grab, you need to be careful where you set them. I got a couple strictly as deep snow traps, with the intention of only setting them in the deep snow where the game has moved down, but of course this year we have had less snow than we have for over twenty years and I got antsy and set one blind in a trail where I hadn't seen any game sign for a couple weeks.

Nice wolves and nice catches. I know what you are saying about big boxes, I've had to unload mine before to be able to flip the snowmachine back on its track by myself.

That was a decent trap check with a couple good sized wolves. Glad to hear you were able to free that moose and you survived the incident unscathed. Hate doing the moose rodeo! Darn caribou sure like to mess up great ideas on wolf sets.

Good stuff JR. Glad the moose rodeo went alright. I hate those. Had one pop out of a snare this year while I was contemplating my release plans. Thanks for posting.

Beautiful wolves JR. Great country too !!

Good evening Trappers. At home building 9's and loading up to haul some freight this next week. Crazy weather has put a lot of gear out of commission. Ended up pulling a lot of gear this last week.

Had a lot of gear melted out and hope I didn't educate too many wolves. Even my white traps melted out in the mid and high 40's above zero especially with 30- 40 mph winds.


Lots of chopping gear out of the overflow this trip. Some I retrieved, others Just tripped and pulled up and will pick up later this spring after they melt out. I used to just cut the chains and take the trap.




Got some mineral rich overflow and the caribou seem to love this stuff.



Ol Dave MIller comes over quite regularly to play cribbage and keep me in line so I took the opportunity to make my already big wolves look huge....
Fur Rondy is going on in Anchorage and our ATA Fur Auction and Fling is coming up quick. I don't have much fur this year but lots of antlers. Temps are suppose to be dropping this next week so hopefully I can get some gear working again. Good luck and be safe out there and remember if you are not a member of your local and or National Trapping Association, join today. I need some ice cream ....

This is the first time I've seen that melted froze over snow look everywhere . A frozen ice base for new snow to coat. The colours on the overflows always have me fascinated, especially that red one. Seeing your rig resting on them catches my breath . Stay safe, Iron Man.

That's the beauty of the land. In all its moods.

Enjoy that ice cream. You've earned it.

Good looking wolf's JR, I always like your pictures.
Thanks for sharing.