Just sold my second batch of marten yesterday and waiting for my 6th otter to dry on the board to take them in to get sealed. Had a great season, especially with marten, and accomplished a few goals. Conditions didn’t start out so great with early big dumps of snow before the lakes froze up safe which created terrible overflow. Then temps dropped in the minus 30s which created dangerous trail conditions of getting stuck badly and freezing in. I chose to wait it out and miss the opener, making up more wings, boiling snares and stinking up some bait..

One of my big goals was attempting to walk our new tractor into the cabin. We left Eagle River at -22, started the tractor and let it idle while on the trailer for the ride up. Got to the lake right at daylight at -36. Cold ride in but super happy to get it there. Had some tight spots on the trail..

Felt great to get out setting traps. Always a lot of work at the beginning, breaking trail, cutting new down fall, crossing dry creeks for the first time and all the while hoping the solar bear fence once again did it’s job keeping the bears out of the trapper cabin. Once my trail was in, exhausted, I waited for a week for it to settle and see what animals might start using it. I couldn’t believe the marten tracks, they were thru out the entire line. Never seen that before also quite a few ermine tracks as well. Cat sign, lots of fox, a few wolverine and a pack of four wolves to start out..




First check was both a high and a low. Had 3 marten caught thru out my 30 miles, but the fox were hungry and running my trails looking like a dog team of tracks. They ate all three marten..

After taking out 6 beautiful red fox, I started to collect my marten..

Like it when a plan works like it’s supposed too. Except I didn’t catch a wolverine at this set..


But I did at this one. 34# male..



Hope you enjoyed, and also had a fun season. I don’t take enough pics while out but always it’s fun going thru the season when I do. The wolves made very few appearances but now with the main line shut down, time to work on the trail, trapper cabin and make some trail and pee sets for the last three weeks of wolf season..

Some good looking fox right there! Congrats on the wolverine and marten!

Wow really nice pictures Trailblazersteve

Do you get many Red Fox in Body Grip trap. I have gotten a lot greys but never a red in a body grip.

Great pics and catches.
That wolverine is a beaut.

Great pics Steve. A tractor at the property, man wouldn't that be handy... Those fox must have been pretty hungry to be eating the marten. Beautiful wolverine too.

So how many marten did you catch? I'm gonna say the wolverine pole was on the small side. When I trapped around Nome I would put 2 poles together. Try a snare on the pole too!
Awesome season, congrats. Who/where you sell the marten? Average?
Cat tracks but no cats? No time out west? Even for moose?
Where's that female helper you used to post pics of? You must be grandpa by now, new trapline helpers in the future?
Looking forward to next seasons postings!

John- I catch them often in my wolverine buckets. What surprises me is that almost always, they are large males. I’m in starving country. Very little grouse and zero rabbits the further I go out. I believe diets of most fur barriers in my area include voles, squirrels, blue berries and themselves..

JR- Thanks. But again, starving county. I couldn’t fill a tea spoon with fat off a fox carcass. Very very common for the fox to rob and eat my marten. Although the otter they ate the belly out of was a first. Even the ravens don’t touch otter carcasses. I assume the otter had a belly full of muskrat or fish for the fox to get at..

Mike- I used to trap a hard 60 miles of trail. No river running, hard 60 miles. I now have cut out the dead zones and dangerous areas and have a nice efficient 30 miles. I catch a very nice mixed bag of critters. I don’t catch high numbers, but I catch high quality and good verity of species. I doubled my yearly average of marten this year with 22. I was disappointed slightly with my $44 average but it was cash, no waiting and no commission taken.

As far as the diameter of the wolverine pole, it is much bigger than the pic shows. I caught a wolverine on it 2 years ago and have seen no evidence of a refusal.

Cat tracks. You probably remember my hay day catches in the late 90s and early 2000s. I’m still waiting for those numbers to come back. I have had a few spikes off and on since then but the rabbits just aren’t rebounding for some reason. I have lots of cubbys that have rusty #3s hanging and waiting. I won’t set for them until numbers go up..a lot. I cut two sets of big tom tracks this year, might even been the same cat, along with one set of female with 2 kits.

Sold our family hunting cabin in the village. Getting more and more expensive to travel and maintain a place. I still return and hunt and fill the freezer.



My little trapping buddy is married to a Navy guy and just graduated from college in San Diego. Waiting on news soon on where they transfer next. Either going to stay in San Diego or Virginia. My oldest is traveling quite a bit with the 2 year old grandson and husband back and forth from AK to different parts of the lower 48 due to his job. We just got back from their wedding in Idaho that took place up in the mountains and got to see my first pair of white tails that happen to come down the mountain during the ceremony. They now live in Hawaii for a job that’s supposed to be complete next fall. Crazy how fast they have grown. I’m a couple of years from retiring, can’t wait to experience the next step in life. Good talking with you..

Nice to see your season, got some nice looking critters. Sounds like you have a nice slice of territory. Does your line base from your lake house? Just curious, seems like 30 miles wouldn't be too bad of a run without needing a cabin. But nice to have a place in case of emergency. What do you have for a trapping cabin? Cat numbers are down around here too. This is the first year since I started trapping to not catch one. Hares are in slow recovery, so probably be a few years until cats have any sort of numbers again.

Wow Steve hard to believe the girls are all grown up glad you had a good season mine wasn’t too bad finishing up this week and will probably post something when done or after I get back from visiting grandkids on the lower Yukon mid month

Great to see you again Steve! What a great year it looks like. I could only dream of a tractor or equipment at my cabin. Lucky.

-TJ

You would more than likely drown moving a tractor to your cabin....!

Pete

So true. But still good to dream sometimes.

-TJ

Top Jimmy just charter a helicopter and drop it in 😁

Good to see you had a good year of it Steve! How often do the wolves come through your area each season? I bet your line is a lot nicer to run now that its half the length and more hospitable.

Congratulations

Thanks Rob, you sit this year out? I have a pack of 4 that comes thru usually only two times a year and never at the same time year to year so I try to keep things working but last few years it’s been hard with the extra snow and winds. Unless they kill, they just run right thru and might not see sign again for a few months. Airplane hunters get them pretty good just north of me..