Didn't Mean to do That. . .

. . .but it was pretty cool!

Caught a wolverine in a fox snare.


I am really glad that it made a good catch, because I don't think the cable could take much more.


The set was on my trail going into a marten set. I had caught a fox there in a snare last week. I moved the snare about 10 feet away but on the same trail and was sure surprised to walk up on this. First for me although I don't think I will set fox snares intentionally for these guys.

Wow! Sweet luck, good set, it all worked.

That’s awesome.

That is awesome! Looks like it has some good color!

Every once in a while we get lucky
I caught one in a #1 on a marten pole set once. It was dead when I got there.
Dumb luck and just glad !

Nice catch! Better to be lucky than not. That poor snare took a beating.

I caught one in a fox snare once too. It was on skinny drag around two inch diameter green willow. It didnt run away at all, just spun in place until it had the snare down to one strand and choked out. The snare looked beat up about like yours, It was a Thompson 1X 60"

I had them break much thicker snares since.

Caught one in a walk through set for lynx, 1/16 snare. Didn't look like it fought much, perfect set around the neck. Congrats on the wolverine.

It worked.

If you took a snare in both hands and tried to twist it up, you couldn't tangle it that badly!

Luckily he ran out of hero-juice before breaking it off. This illustrates why multiple swivels on wolverine snares are a good thing!

Clearly it was an awesome "Merry Christmas" from the Gods of the Trapline to you. Likely won't happen again anytime soon.

Pete

Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. The cold temps may have helped you dispatch the ol devil bear. Glad you got him. Looks like a bait and fur thief. I have caught a couple like that and lost a couple like that as well. Happy Holidays and be safe.

I lucked out one time had two Lynx snares at a beaver house. Got a Lynx in the front snare had no replacement so I went to the back one to use it. Had a wolverine in that one.

I was sure not thinking wolverine when I was walking in. I saw the dark and thought I maybe had a silver fox until I got closer. Certainly blessed that he didn't break the snare. I have heard of them breaking wolf snares. To catch and hold one in a #1 sounds pretty impressive.

The wolverine has been thawing at room temperature since last evening and this morning I noticed saw dripping. Seemed normal until I saw that the color was orange. I thought maybe it was a cut somewhere or maybe even urine, but upon closer inspection it seems to be coming out of the skin. It is coming out at random locations through pores in the skin. I washed real good afterward. The animal otherwise looks to be in fine shape but still mostly frozen. Any ideas what this may be or what is causing it?

Ya know...we make fox or coyote sets down here and "luck" into opossums or skunks. You guys make them up there and accidentally catch wolverines. That ain't right...nice catch though. I'd sure be happy with that kind of luck.

They take a couple days to thaw in a 60ish degree room. As to the liquid, unless it smells bad, I wouldn't worry about it.

I wonder if it could be ice packed in the underfur that is melting and dripping off as dirty water ? Or, could it be condensation forming on super-cold skin while thawing in a heated space with some humidity ? Either way, the color is from dirt I suspect. Or it could be urine frozen into his fur from when he/she expired

Coulter- I have never even seen a live possum in person. Actually kind of want to though.

ak viking & White17- it is coming from pores in the skin or at least that is what it looks like. It could be ice or condensation. The orange is just throwing me off. Doesn't seem to smell at all. Liquid in picture came from his armpit.

There is no telling what that animal rolled in, played in, or dug through prior to encountering your set. I wouldn't "sweat" it.

Wow, awesome catch, better than a fox! Glad you held it.

Possibly a Lymphatic drain from an infected porcupine quill. Lymph is usually clear but I had a Fisher once that oozed a yellow liquid from under an armpit (that where some of the bigger lymph glands are) that turned out to be a quill. Use latex gloves when you skin it.

I'd be interested to see what you find when you skin it!!

A quill is certainly a possibility with wolverine. Sort of unusual to find one that DOESN'T have a couple

All skinned and fleshed. The hide doesn't show anything unusually. One scar like mark on his back and made for shorter fur in that quarter sized area. Weird liquid that came from where his legs met his body. Could be from being really cold and then thawing (condensation as was mentioned) Otherwise, seemed harmless (wore gloves anyway). Thanks!

That’s awesome. Such a cool animal. Glad the cable held.

Wow! I feel I'm lucky if I have a mink stumble into one of my rat sets and here you are catching a wolverine in a fox snare. Congrats on the pretty fur!

Had another interesting one the other day. I had a pee post set out in the open along my snow machine trail. Small willows a little ways off the trail but nothing solid to chain off to so I had a 7 foot long 4 inch diameter green birch for a drag. The set connected and the wolf stayed on the trail for about a half mile before exiting and getting tangled up. He left the trail and went straight to a lynx cubbie and caught his other front foot in there.

That's a first for me.

Nice catch! Boy that had to slow that wolf down! Couldn’t imagine having both front feet held up like that.

Wow! Can honestly say I have never had a critter do that! Congrats on the catch and hope there are a few more for you! You makin it to the fling this year?

Cool! He must have been in a bad state of mind to hit a cat set.

Thanks! He was coming to a dead end as far as the trail goes and that way I guess.

Most likely no fling or auction for me this year. I have to many other commitments around the same time. Hope you all have a blast!

The wolverine I caught last year had something similar, when i skinned it i found a giant cyst/rotting(?) spot it clearly had been living with for quite a while. Id say atleast a quart of the worst smelling green stuff oozed out of it as well. Looked like it had had a wolf snare around its waist that slowly work its way off. The wolverine also had a cuff mark im guessing from a wolf trap on its wrist, which is interesting as no one trapped near me (15+ miles away).

I caught a wolverine a few years ago that had two terrible wounds. One fresh, in it's cheek. The other in it's forehead. The forehead wound was badly infected, and smelled like it.
He must have been an ornery animal, as his face was covered in scars.

Wolverine remind me of bears. Always finding them with scars and a lot of them have skull damage of one sort or another. Both are tough animals!

I have had some torn open, normally later season caught. I figured it to be due to a rough dispersal. Wonder if the moms kick their butts to get them to leave their company.
Quills from porcupine are very common. One wolverine stands out in memory. It literally had hundreds of quills in its sides and back. He had clearly rolled on a quill pig.
Pockets of foul smelling puss appear in various areas on a few as they are skinned. They scrape out with no hair slip that I have seen.
Gross stuff. Gulo live rough lives.

No pic of the wolf, bfisch?
I caught a small female wolverine in a conifer box, years ago. Had her hanging upside down as I was skinning her. Came to a really tight spot as I was trying to get the hide over the shoulders. Wouldn't budge and ended up ripping the hide. Once I finally got the hide over the shoulders it was apparent the animal had been caught in a snare in the past. The cable was gone, but that seemed the likely explanation for the tight area of the skin. The flesh under the hide was also scarred. Tough critters.

It was an ugly folicular displasia one.