End of the line shot from This weekend. I memorized my door code and carried both keys plus 5 guns this time around. Haha. Makes for a good story anyways. Seen an increase in wolf and wolverine activity. One monster wolverine flipped a 330 box over and walked right up to a 220 box so I figure he’s the one that snapped the spruce bough cubby 330 last week. Lots of pups in the bigger pack. Small pack looks like 3 adults to me. Still seeing lots of marten sign and having bait eaten after making catches so hopefully the luck continues.

Little better angle.

Working in the house while I’m home alone. Should’ve had some wolves to wash in the bathtub while nobody is home to stop me. Lol

Nice!

My family has been out of town for over a week visiting. Sure feeling lonely today. Missing my little partner. I cooked some fat ribs today from this caribou he shot in September. Sure feels good to eat something my boy harvested. I called him to thank him after supper.

Almost time to check the line again. Planning a long day trip this week to have Sunday to sleep in and get few things done around the house.

Thanks for posting Ryan .Enjoy every minute possible with your son . Blessings to you and yours

I have to remember to take pictures. Pulled off a marathon trapline day and a half or so. Picked up fur, opened more trail, set more marten wolf and wolverine traps. Left yesterday morning around 11am and got home today at 130pm. Little tired but feels good knowing the line is maintained and new gear is sitting. I set a blind wolf trap on a fairly well used trail that I have high hopes for. Set a pee post about 40 feet from the blind trap. Opened trail into an area loaded with marten tracks. We couldn’t make it there last year with the lack of snow we had. No wolverine activity but everything else is looking good. Waiting on pizza and onion rings now from a new take out place here in town

The start of a long day


Hours of this. And hours of walking ahead to find trail through the thick places. We are short on time this week so we went and did what we could in less than ideal conditions while we had time even if that meant we had to work through the night. Got into some prime marten country. I stole a couple pictures from the trapping partner. 23 hours straight fueled by caribou meat, dry smoked whitefish and lots of tea and Gatorade Quite a push but that's what you need to do. Put in the work to get the rewards. I've always been drawn to stuff like this. Sucker for punishment I suppose. I have 51 more marten boxes to set. One more day of setting the next chance the schedule allows and then the wolves will get a lot more attention and gear out for them.

Keep after it! Wished we had the conditions to get out. Good luck! Be safe.

You found time to come to Aklavik also? Was that you going down the bank by your Grampa's yesterday when i was going for wood? Tired just reading your post and looking at all them willows and hanging snow.

Haven’t made it over yet 411. That was my dad opening trails around the camps.

OK cool. He was just going down the hill.

23 hours is a long stretch! Did a couple 12 hour stretched on the sled breaking the trail open last season and they plumb wore me out. I need to bring more food and drinks for days like that.

Went and did some fishing last night. Ended up pulling this grey Burbot and another grey one later on. This one here had a very unhealthy liver so that might have something to do with the Color. I can’t recall ever seeing one this color but I’ve seen nearly black ones and some very bright green almost yellow ones

Discoloured and shrivelled up

That's a sick looking burbot, I think I would put that one in the bait pile.

Colored like a catfish. Interesting that you caught two. I second not eating it.

Marten.

Little man trying to claim the 1100 as soon as he seen it. I told him he needs a left handed one when he’s older.

I thought about shooting a fat doe alright but there was just too much traffic at the time. Two mule deer does and a yearling Just north of Whitehorse last weekend. I was just leaving with the new dodge and had lots of room for a deer. Hard to say what id do if I seen a decent buck. I had to get my truck last Saturday so I left after work and drove all night. Shopped for about 40 minutes the next day right before Walmart closed. I would’ve had a lot more time to shop but my two hour nap turned into a 10 hour deep sleep. Crazy. Still got it done and made it back to Inuvik the next evening. My trapping partner picked up some fur travelling solo and it’s my turn later this morning to check 100+ traps with 5 days on them and with decent warm weather the whole time. I’m looking forward To a good trip and have my fingers crossed for a sled load of fur. Should be fun with all the fresh snow we’ve had this week. I’ve been trying to sleep but still can’t so I’m watching the latest from 330 Maniac.

Awesome thread Ryan! How does one get one of those NWT trappers calendars? Can’t find it, no NTW association?

Those gray burbot are interesting, never caught one or seen pictures of any that color.

We lost another beautiful soul yesterday. Fionas grandmother Louisa passed away at home surrounded by family.
This picture was taken in 2011 out at the camp when she came and spent a couple weeks with us. She was just on her way outside to bank the cabin with snow. She was the kind of person that would never let you leave her home with an empty belly. She was always first in line to volunteer for community events and spent a lot of years as a camp cook for the oil companies and a wide variety of other organizations.
She could match wits with the best of them and didn’t take no back talk either. I have a lot of fond memories of her but some of my favourites were from when me and Fiona first got together. I wasn’t trapping full time back then but I was putting on a lot of miles tracking wolves every chance I got. Many mornings i would wake up early to the smell of coffee in her house and that alone would get me out of bed. Once the door to the room was open the smell of bacon was next to hit. After serving me a huge breakfast she’d say “I made you sandwiches too. They’re in the fridge” one morning I woke up early to check traps and over breakfast she asked how much do I charge for a wolverine. I told her i couldn’t take anything from her and that if I was to catch one that day that it was hers. Well wouldn’t you know? I did catch one that day and gladly gave it to her. She will be missed.