Trappers 2014/15 - Page 6

357xp · #**151** 12-24-2014, 10:14 PM

I got my first coyote catch in a snare that had the dispatch spring on it. It looks like it never went off. Either I set it wrong, or it simply didn't get enough force to pull the trigger.
Wouldn't mind seeing a picture of a properly set snare of one of anyone has one.

Merry Christmas all.

nube · #**152** 12-24-2014, 10:42 PM

Great pic Bragadoe!! Thaks for sharing and glad you got your trapping partner back workin

PCP_ECOM · #**153** 12-25-2014, 08:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nube

Great pic Bragadoe!! Thaks for sharing and glad you got your trapping partner back workin

yes sure looks like your having A great season Paul

Torkdiesel · #**154** 12-28-2014, 08:15 AM

It's almost 9 a.m. when I unload the sleds and we make our way down the tight winding trail past my cabin. As we go by 8 or 9 empty marten boxes my heart sinks a little at this reoccurring theme but today is not about marten and we press on. It's a brisk -25 and the fresh snow falls off the overhanging branches covering the sled with a thin dusting. As we break out of the thick spruce onto the old lease road there they are. In the fresh 4 inches of powder the tracks of my arch nemesis Canis Lupus heading north straight down the centre of my trail. The old grey faced male in the lead and the slightly smaller female following behind.
The anticipation goes into overload as we crest the first hill and the tracks can be seen plain as day lined out on my trail headed for the Bridger brawns lying in wait. As I approach the first trap the trail has been disturbed and the adrenalin soars but it was a miss. The wolf had smelled something and somehow dug up the jaw on the free side of the trap and pulled the wax paper off the trigger without setting off the trap. My heart sinks as I proccess the scene and reset the trap. Down the line we continue, the wolves seem unbothered by the strange piece of steel he had found buried in the snow. On they go headed for my next set just a km away.......

jawa · #**155** 12-28-2014, 09:06 AM

jawa · #**156** 12-28-2014, 09:20 AM

jawa · #**157** 12-28-2014, 09:23 AM

H380 · #**158** 12-28-2014, 09:45 AM

Nice catches jawa , you certainly are starting em out young ..

357xp · #**159** 12-28-2014, 11:22 AM

Well let's hear the rest, tork!
Hoping to head out tomorrow or the day after for a week on the line with the family.

Been wanting to do this for 2 years already and seems there's always some issue that pops up. This year it's the flu, almost everybody's had it now. Just one more to go....

mark-edmonton · #**160** 12-28-2014, 11:47 AM

My sr partner and I cleared the trails last week! I have the next 3 days to get some sets out! Cold up here! -31 today but I would still go out! Have a super active wolf **** post at a big crossroad of open seizmic trail!

I left a straw bale there last year and not the area is beat down and it's possess all over! I have 4 wolf footholds! And snares!

Looking for ideas on how to set it to hopefully get multiple!

Can't wait to get started!

waterninja · #**161** 12-28-2014, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 357xp

Well let's hear the rest, tork!
Hoping to head out tomorrow or the day after for a week on the line with the family.

Been wanting to do this for 2 years already and seems there's always some issue that pops up. This year it's the flu, almost everybody's had it now. Just one more to go....

x2 waiting to hear end of story tork.

nube · #**162** 12-28-2014, 12:10 PM

I'm off tonight for a mad dash to check traps. Going to go out after dark once I get there which I swore I wouldn't do again lol Hope to be back by 6pm tomorrrow night. Got high hopes for a lynx or 2 and an otter.
Tork you had me real excited for a min. I know those wolves have had you ticked at them for quite a while now with no luck.
Jawa, you look too young to have grandkids. Glad your posting pics now. Looks like your getting a good number of lynx. congrats

sureshot · #**163** 12-28-2014, 02:29 PM

Went and checked snares today and got another fox.

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crazyfish · #**164** 12-28-2014, 08:10 PM

Congrats SS , looks like your getting the hang of it ! Still been a Little quiet around my place , set another 20 snares on travel trails and corridors ! The snowshoes my family got me for Xmas have been perfect ! Pretty good excersize , covered almost 3 miles in the fresh snow !

Torkdiesel · #**165** 12-28-2014, 08:33 PM

So on we go headed north following these monster wolf tracks in the fresh snow. As I crest the next hill I can see something black on the side of the trail about 400 yards past my next trap. I coast to a stop and the adrenalin is out of control. It took me about 5 minutes before I could bring myself to move again. So I creep down the trail towards the set that I can't quite see yet (Blind trail set on a drag) and something just doesn't seem right. As I pull up the set is untouched, the wolf made a circle on the trail and stepped 2 inches off each side of the pan. Not once but circled on the trail and did it again, just missing twice. I could have lost it completely but the black mass on the trail still has me confused. So I remake the set and continue down the trail and pull up to a dug up moose hide on the side of the trail. I thought for sure the wolf was caught and laid down beside the trail waiting for me but no dice. On we go following the trail and wolves.....

MB1 · #**166** 12-28-2014, 09:40 PM

Picked up my fourth fox the other day. Caught in a snare in the exact same location as the last one. Really surprised by the number of foxes around.

sureshot · #**167** 12-28-2014, 10:06 PM

Great pics guys

Torkdiesel · #**168** 12-29-2014, 12:05 AM

So on we go for a km or so of the same trail down mine and start into the valley that winds down into a small dry creek. About 800 yards ahead is a bait station the wolves have hit twice now and the willows surrounding it are laced with 3/32" snares. Once again the wolves thorght my efforts and walk off the beaten path for now apparent reason just 400 yards before the bait. The bait hasn't been hit and we continue on. As I cross the creek my trail has been torn apart and what was once a single track is now 5 wide in spots. I've fallen victim to mountain sleds and sledders that can't read my active Trapline signs or they just don't care. The next two leg holds have been ran over and packed in so they wouldn't fire anyway so after remaking them we continue on. After about 5 km's the wolves are back on my trail and the sleders seem to be playing in the powder off to the side away from my upcoming set. The wolves walk right to my pee post and marked his spot but Murphy once again showed me who was boss. Upon closer inspection one of the sleds had come back down to my trail and was just off to the side of the trail enough to hit the Bridger with a 2" paddle and set it off. The wolf bumped the fired trap with his foot and continued on.
The level of frustration is difficult to put into words

But the sets have been remade and now with a light dusting of snow that fell today hopes are high for their return journey across the line.

To be continued after the next check

bill9044 · #**169** 12-29-2014, 01:38 PM

Great story Tork. I can feel the frustration.

ALBTUFF · #**170** 12-29-2014, 08:28 PM

Thanx for posting all. I really enjoy the stories and pics. Keep them coming!

nube · #**171** 12-30-2014, 08:05 AM

Well I am back from the line last night. Had the most awesome check ever for excitement. Finally connected on my first Fisher. I think it is a big male but didn't check. This was one of my most wanted this year and I finally got him. I posted a picture in my journal last week of some scat next to a set that a marten was eaten at and I thought was a fisher. I got the fisher at that box so I am thinking it wasn't a fox but a fisher.

Then I also got a huge surprise as well when I checked my otter trap and I have a decent sized otter. i am so pumped on that one!!

Then I checked my lynx cubbies and trail sets. I found that all my locks were frozen solid and I missed on 4 cats because of it. BUT.... I caught 2 lynx that must have got caught when the snares were functioning. One large tom and a smaller kitten. I also had another lynx caught in a pen set with 3 snares and another lynx came and ate the whole thing. I was ticked on that one especially when I gang set my locations to avoid this issue. Will post pics in a day or 2. I had some more lynx sets that I couldn't check and my junior partner buddies are checking them for me and they have the camera with all the pics on it.

marten were slow on my line this time around. Got 2 marten and 3 weasel

shakeyleg02 · #**172** 12-30-2014, 08:09 AM

Congrats on your catch nube that is exciting stuff like a kid in a candy store

crazyfish · #**173** 12-30-2014, 08:11 AM

Congrats Nube , nice to see some goals achieved ! That's a busy area with oil and gas , as well as forestry etc and I'm glad to see that your work is paying off and there are still decent numbers for you ! Keep us posted !

nube · #**174** 12-30-2014, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shakeyleg02

Congrats on your catch nube that is exciting stuff like a kid in a candy store

The fun stuff was I was going to head out the door and jokingly I said to the kids, Who wants to go to the trapline? Both my girls piped up and wanted to go lol
I only could take one so i took my 10 year old daughter. She was so good to have out there. She was so excited to catch the fisher and otter. She even hauled the cats back to the sled while I reset some snares. It was time well spent with her

bill9044 · #**175** 12-30-2014, 08:55 AM

Good to hear you are taking the kids out nube. I can't wait to see the fisher and lynx pics.

H380 · #**176** 12-30-2014, 10:45 AM

Congrats on the fisher and otter nube , fun to have the kids with you isn't it ? Had my first "fur theft " last week . Some sledders helped themselves to a coyote in a snare near my bait pile . Thought it was a chewout to start with but on closer inspection the cable was cut too cleanly . First eagles, now lowlifes !!

I prefer the eagles .

nube · #**177** 12-30-2014, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by H380

Congrats on the fisher and otter nube , fun to have the kids with you isn't it ? Had my first "fur theft " last week . Some sledders helped themselves to a coyote in a snare near my bait pile . Thought it was a chewout to start with but on closer inspection the cable was cut too cleanly . First eagles, now lowlifes !!

I prefer the eagles .

Had my first eaten coyote by other coyotes. I caught one in my snare next to my cabin on my line and it got torn to shreds by the rest of the pack. I couldn't believe it. I must have just caught him as well as he was still warm. Ticked me off as it was a nice coyote with real thick fur

scottymac · #**178** 12-30-2014, 03:49 PM

The cold weather is back with a vengance and things are still pretty slow. Pulling sets every time I go out now until only fox, lynx, wolverine, and wolf remain. Did get a first though last week, my first marten with white feet. My daughter's line has strugled all year but she was very excited to see this fox in one of her mink sets.

nube · #**179** 12-30-2014, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottymac

The cold weather is back with a vengance and things are still pretty slow. Pulling sets every time I go out now until only fox, lynx, wolverine, and wolf remain. Did get a first though last week, my first marten with white feet. My daughter's line has strugled all year but she was very excited to see this fox in one of her mink sets.

Scottymac, I noticed my Marten catch was way down this last check. I am chalking it up to weather I think. The lynx were moving though. I think If it gets real cold here I may go out one or 2 more times and then just set Lynx pens and road trap for a bit and call it a season. I got lots of ideas for next year and can't wait till then.

jim summit · #**180** 12-30-2014, 06:05 PM

Some pics from the line, picked up one lynx and 3 marten. A very slow year and not much snow, looks like a year to hang traps early and cut some trail for next year. i always enjoy the sunsets and the beauty of nature when i'm out on the trail.
Stayed at the log cabin at the far end of the line and explored some old trails and lines. Looks like 6 km of trail cutting to complete a nice loop.