I don't believe I can use big game meat in Alaska.Would it be legal to buy meat from a grocery store to use?

Yes

Thanks

Ask a butcher for scraps they will usually give it for free

Thanks.Thats a great idea

I find that moose and deer bones after trimming the edible meat from them are about as good as it gets for dedicated Gulo cubby bait. Moose bones especially, due to size, are easy to wire together and rig so they cannot be easily moved in the set. I like them sour smelling too….

Apparently you're coming up here? Can you bring a beaver carcass? You can use bones, hide, and viscera for bait.

In the beginning stages of planning the trip.Don't know if I can drive thru Canada with beaver in the back of my truck.Trying to decide on maybe doing a caribou hunt up on the Dalton highway then trying to shoot a wolverine over bait in Sept or trapping a wolverine in December.

Why would you want to harvest a wolverine in September???

You can likely buy a beaver carcass once you are here.

Personally I wouldn't spend time trying to harvest a wolverine over bait in any month of the year. Far more efficient to use a trap.
Also, I have seen Paul's Skunky Backbreaker cause a wolverine to change directions from over a hundred yards away and beeline straight to my set........which was just a moose bone that had the meat trimmed off. It didn't really have much smell that I could detect.

Agree with isnarewolves......it would be a real waste to take a wolverine in September........IMO

So that I can also go caribou hunting as well.

Still weighing the pros and cons

Probably best wait till they prime up. And I'm no expert on gulo, I grew up on an island with almost none of them, but I've since been pretty much everywhere our state has to offer, and I've never seen one outside of a trap

So even with the colder weather In September in Alaska wolverine are not primed up yet?

Not even close. Remember temperature has little or nothing to do with it.
If you want a nice wolverine I would try to trap one in February.

Like Timber Tramp above......I have seen only one on the ground that was not in a trap. Several from the air but that;s different than sitting over a bait hoping one will appear.

LOL.....sure looks like I won't get one on my caribou hunt but later trapping on a separate trip.

You might see a wolverine on your caribou hunt but I wouldn't count on it. I agree with everyone else I would not bother wasting my time baiting one and sitting there. Spend that time glassing the mountains and valleys instead and you just might find one and be able to put a stalk on it. Seen a couple while sheep hunting and more while hiking the mountains. Come to think of it the mountains are the only place I have seen them when not in a trap.

Every once in a while you hear about a fall hunter getting one, but not very often. Earliest I’ve caught one is first week of November and it was ok, but just ok.

Temps don't have a lot to do with fur priming up, that's determined by photo period (how much/little daylight we're getting)

I have seen many September wolverine come though my shop over the last thirty years. Not one was a decent hide ( from a trappers perspective/fur buyer ). People who are harvesting wolverine in spetember are not doing so, for the value of the hide, but for the trophy. Many of those hides i dressed were for life size mounts.

Exactly.I would want it to have mounted.Not to sell it.

Cost just as much to mount a nice one as it does a crappy one

I wish there was a like button

I have never been around wolverine.I do know for example that if you trap early in the season the fur is not as prime for example fisher,marten,red fox.The pelt all still looks nice even when not fully prime.I want to harvest a wolverine before my last breath is number 1 on my bucket list.

Thanks

You do you, I'm sure you're gonna have fun no matter what, which is the most important part. I'm just saying if I were in your shoes, I'd wait until December, but I also don't know if you're already planning 2 trips up here or if you're talking about a whole different trip just for a wolverine. It's easy for me to tell you to wait, because I'm not traveling thousands of miles, so I understand you wanting to make the most of your trip in September.

Thanks AK Timber Tramp.I thinking I will probably try for a couple weeks While on my caribou hunt.I know with my luck if I don't buy the wolverine license I will probably see one.I'm weighing the pros and cons.Pros being if I get a wolverine while caribou hunting I don't have to deal with much or very little snow and I can access where there are some with my truck and then hike in.On the other hand to trap a wolverine I can't picture those winter roads as being very safe to trap from with the snow,big trucks,snow plows,etc.I would have to either hire someone as a guide(thousands of dollars} or trap with someone and I don't know anyone up in Alaska to trap with.Besides that I don't want to step on anyones toes as well.I'm picturing a hard deal to find a place to trap in the winter time around there.

The roads are not dangerous in the winter but there are a lot of trappers trapping along them. Most of us use snowmachines but a few use snowshoes or skis. If you were willing to use snowshoes or skis you most likely wouldn't step on any toes. Problem is most wolverine pass through areas so seldom it could take weeks for one to come back through an area you are trapping. If you are serious about winter trapping wolverine and want a good chance at success I can point you in a direction but the trip wont be cheap.

Thanks for the information.Much appreciated

There's a lot of places only accessible in the winter time unless you have a plane (even then you have to be able to land/take off from somewhere) ice opens up whole new travel lanes. I'm currently trapping the far side of a creek it would have been impossible to cross a month ago. It can make parking at or accessing certain spots difficult depending upon the snow removal situation and wether or not there's a big berm in front of the road/pull off you wanted to use, but there's lots of space even on the maintained road system to not step on toes. When in doubt, if you see tracks you're probably on someone's toes, if not, most of us aren't just letting feet of snow pile up and keep us out of our area. If you're on someone's line you'll know, they'll have trail broke open, brush cut back, you might even start seeing sets from the trail once you're in a little ways (marten boxes are a tell tale)

Thanks.All good information to know.Much appreciated.

Trapping along the Haul rd. is your best bet. Having a decent rental camper or RV will work. Currently wolverine seem to be very plentiful up there. Also with a trapping license you would be able to trap all the fur bearers. Very good chance you get wolves and artic fox. Would be a great 7-10 day adventure.

I believe there are guided trapping businesses up here.

Thanks isnarewolves.All good information to know

Your correct martentrapper.I'm checking into those as well.

So theres places along the haul road a person could set up a camper?

Love this wolverine mount

Yes there are pullouts you can use to camp. Love this mount,

If you do end up coming up here to trap. I can help you out with most of your bait you may want. For free.

Wow one of a kind mount

Compare the hair on this animal to the one just above this. That's the main difference between a winter and a fall specimen

Another nice one

Nice mount white17.I just want to harvest a wolverine.One with a prime full winter pelt would be nice but a wolverine in the hand is better then 12 in the brush

I noticed that too, in his posted shot. That one looks very skimpy. . Like a summer fox compared to a primed one.

I have the shot of the gorgeous spotted mount , after the marten. And a couple others like this one. The man who trapped it sent me the pic when he first got it , holding it in his arms with a smile. There have been a lot of good advice from Alaskan trappers on this. Heeding their wisdom is another subject.

I get it.Got to decide my options.Right now I have never harvested a wolverine.I appreciate all the help.

Another alternative would be to get flown out somewhere with a wall tent, stove chain saw and a few 330's and snares. Chances of stepping on someones toes would be slim doing it that way. Give yourself a month and you might have a chance of catching one.....in decent habitat.

ADF&G has records of all wolverines caught, and in what game management unit. At least you could narrow it down a bit as to where you might want to set up

Thanks.If I end up trying to trap one I was planning on a month or 2.Good information.Really appreciate it.

If I do make the caribou hunt next year the plan now is do do alot of scouting for areas to trap wolverine.Going to hike back into a couple areas I have in mind if I can.

That would be your best bet. You might also want to lay eyes on your gut pile(s), on your way to scouting, trapping. A big "bait" like that will attract animas. However, birds will likely be on it, so avoid traps too close to it.

Thanks alaska viking.Another must for me will be stopping at Teds fur shed also.

Say hi to Ted for me. And if you can, get him to talk trapping with you, (shouldn't be hard). I'm sure he has stories you would enjoy.

Will do

At the MTA meeting today I bought 2 belisle 330's at $20 each

Thank you

That's a good buy, I'd have cleaned house if they'd let you

There was only 2

Dang. Still a good deal. Buy one get one for $5 basically

Learning alot watching youtube videos.For example seeing how to anchor the snares.Seeing habitat they are in,etc.

Mr.Simple catches quite a few gulo, goes by enigmaticgwitchin on here and YouTube. Nice guy, and a good trapper. I'm sure he could offer some wisdom

Audrey Magoun gave a talk on wolverines at the ATA meeting last Tuesday. She is a good source of knowledge on wolverine. Be aware of trapping seasons. Some close as early as Feb. 28. Western Alaska open till Apr. 15.
You're looking at a pretty expensive undertaking.
I'll repeat my previous suggestion. Guided trapping. Maybe Gwitchen would take you out??

Thanks.Weighing my options.

I could afford something like $4,000 in a couple years but the ones asking for over $10,000 I could not afford that.

Man I think your budget is way on the low side if you include the costs of getting here and home again AND flying costs once you arrive here.
As far as habitat goes I think most of us would agree that you can find them in most any type of habitat from sea level to the tops of the Alaska range........provided there is food.
I think I would concentrate on finding an area that historically exhibits an unusual density relative to average density.
As a population overall, wolverines are generally pretty sparsely distributed. Just off the top of my head I would say that you might expect home ranges from 50-250 square miles..........state wide. IMO !

I'm not including the costs to get there.I just can't afford those costs plus a over $10,000 guided trapping trip.I will also be driving not flying as well.

Oh that's right. You have a brother up here don't you ?

yep

One of my planned wolverine sets.Its actually my old fisher set that caught me so many fisher and marten before they forced us to use exclusion boxes.Very simple and effective.Only need trap,pliers,axe,cable,and bait, lure.I just set up a demo using a 330 belisle.It took me 5 minutes to complete the set.

Bruce my experience is some of them will go right up to a set like that and put their head right in. Others will just go around to the side and tear it open to get the bait.
This one tore through the side of a spruce pole cubby box to get the bait rather than go in the entrance (behind the tree and not visible) Personally I like my cubbies as solid as possible . Good to see you are putting a lot of thought into this and doing your homework.

I agree some will go right in and some won't.What I really like is you don't have to pack a bunch of stuff with you to make a set and I would think that is a huge plus way back in the brush with as little weight as possible regardless if a person got flown in,used a snow sled,or snowshoed.

I would set a snare and a couple footholds where the wolverine did that.

[/quote]
I would set a snare and a couple footholds where the wolverine did that.[/quote]
I rarely use footholds only because the skulls/teeth are so valuable and a 330 catch preserves that. You’re right about traveling light and such. Probably why bucket set is so popular. Myself I’ve had 100% refusal rate at buckets

That's a good idea making a more solid/permanent cubby. I had a cubby set robbed the other day, it was just spruce limbs though so not too hard to blow a hole in the side with proper motivation.

Of course I'm guessing with a wolverine but I also freeze some beaver livers or take a chunk of beaver and rub it all up and down on the tree between the ground and conibear and those fisher rammed up thru that conibear

My favorite wolverine bait is a black tail deer head that I hit with a propane torch for a few minutes after I secure it in the cubby. I also use two milk crates wired together to make my boxes longer. Keeps the bait further from the trap and you won’t get miss fires from marten.

I had that same experience until I finally cleaned out all the old timers with foot hold traps.

I wouldn't get too fancy with bait. Any wild animal bones, scrap meat, bird carcasses...Gulo will find it. It's your trap placement and making him/her comfortable committing that needs to be spot-on. And being as certain as possible that your trap placement offers the way to the bait that that wolverine wants to go. Otherwise, you will likely have your set destroyed, and/or trap fired, bait gone, and a smarter wolverine.


Bruce, the mention of Okie's trip with Ken jolted me to the archives. I had forgotten what a great thread that is.

Can't wait.Should be a great adventure.Will take alot of planning,etc.

Most likely the best option for me.Might take a couple years of saving.

The Haul rd. is a great DYI trapping adventure. Also very affordable.

Thanks.Thats going to be option #2 if I can't afford the flyin.

Traps around a gut pile

Learning alot watching you tube videos.Looking like what I thought heavy evergreen cover on lake and river edges.Beaver ponds,houses,dam crossings.I'm going to guess and say along stream edges and ravines going up into the mountains,rock formations,saddles,etc. would also be good areas.

If I had to go by just topography and drainages......I would concentrate on beaver houses. Also confluences of two drainages.

However. IMO the single best place to set for wolverine is where you see tracks or have seen tracks in the past. In my experience........... generations of wolverines will use the same route through the neighborhood as their parents and grandparents did before them.

I have a few spots on my line where I have taken wolverines year after year. You may not notice it but oftentimes wolverine will drag across a low bush or small tree as they are traveling. In so doing they are scent marking that trail. I am convinced that those deposits can be smelled and re-marked by subsequent generations of wolverines.

So even if the tracks you find are "old".........make a set there anyway.

EDIT: Porcupine dens are a close second to beaver houses as attractants .......IMO so if you know where a couple of those might be..........that might be worth setting.

Thanks white17

Bruce T, do you already have a spot picked out to come up and get after it?

No just a few vague ideas

I haven't gone through this entire thread, so I may have missed it. Do you plan to snare, connibear or foothold?

You can use non-edible parts of game animals. Leg bones off caribou and moose are always good.

I have only trapped 10 or so, so not an expert by any means but I have noticed:

They aren't hard to trap, once you actually find one. They're just hard to hold.
I have not had any luck down in the timber. I trap for them up on ridgelines, but that is also generally where wind drifts the heck out of things. There's a reason wolverines are difficult and even really good trappers only get a handful each season.
I have caught 2/3 to 3/4 of my 10 wolverine in February. That may (or may not) be a coincidence. I am unsure if it is their breeding season so they're moving around more or if the longer daylight has something to do with it, etc.
Wolverine seem to be totally random, other than they like the high country. I have never had luck setting on a specific track like you can do for cats and White17 above says, expecting them to come back along a specific spot. I just set a bunch of traps out in good looking country, keeping prevailing wind in mind for scent flow.


Good luck! If you use a foothold and want to snare pole it, you're in for an adventure! I just whack them with a .22 LR and don't worry about the extra hole in the hide.

Going to use snares,connibears,and footholds.Thanks for all the information.Much appreciated.