Christmas came a little late this year, but I don't mind one bit :)
So we woke up yesterday morning to -5 temps and figured it would be a beauty day out on the line with the family. Had to pack a little extra gear with the little man along (he just turned 2) but well worth the extra work getting to see his face take it all in out there
All packed up and ready to go
So for those of you who read my last wolf adventure you're well aware of how frustrating this year has been. With marten numbers down and my resident wolf pack seaming to have a six sense it just hasn't been my year. The last two checks have produced absolutely nothing on the east loop so although it was a gorgeous day to be out there my hopes just weren't that high. As we wound through the tight spruce forest trail the little guy pointed at trees and things only he could see. At the third marten box I had connected on a small weasel. I quickly collected him and we continued down the line. Just past the open meadows I pulled up to a blind trail set for Lynx and there stood a year old kitten. Somehow he had been caught by the back foot ??? Must have knocked the snare down and then stepped in it on his way back through, as there were tracks everywhere past the snare and back. A .22 short finished him off and we were on our way again.
Just a km down the trail we pulled onto the old lease road and it was apparent the wolves had been back through the area. In fact you couldn't step on my snowmobile trail without stepping on a wolf track, it was just pounded. Again the excitement of the last time began to build but I still had the misses in the back of my mind so I didn't want to get too pumped up. We followed the trail up past my bait station and nothing had even wondered in to look at the beaver laying there. Up the hill we went towards the first set and as we crested the hill I could see the area around the trap had been torn up. I looked left and right for the drag or wolf or something, but all was quiet. Just then to my right the old grey faced Alpha stood up and I could hear the sweet sound of chain jingling as he pulled it tight. Now I'll admit I was pretty pumped and the wife claims I did some sort of happy dance but I'll deny it until the day I die. He was caught by his back foot and I could see it only had him by a couple toes so I wasn't wasting anytime taking pictures until this big guy was dead. I would never live down losing a wolf I had caught while taking pictures lol. A quick shot between the eyes put him down and I had my first leg hold caught wolf ever.
One of the highlights of the day was when I shot the wolf. The boy was sitting on the sled with mom watching and at the shot when the wolf collapsed the boy said "woof gone" lol
So now I have my first wolf but with the amount of tracks that were traveling up and down this trail I start to wonder if I could have possibly connected on one more which would have just put me over the top. So we head for the second blind trail set and it's clear this is the direction the big male had come from but not nearly as many tracks are on the trail. The second set is a miss and we head back north towards the 3 remaining sets. We load the big guy up in the skimmer and continue on.
Down towards the valley across the creek and the trail is still littered with tracks. We begging climbing the hill on the other side of the valley and break out onto the line again when I catch a glimpse of grey go across the trail. Now with all the wolf sign in the area I start to think maybe it was just another wolf we scared and he's making is escape, and no rifle with me even if I had a shot at him. Again my mind goes into overload when the wolf pops out again on the trail and I realize he's caught in my next set. Not only did I catch my first wolf ever in a leg hold but now a double. This was a pee post set and it connected perfectly on his front foot. This trap was also anchored solid with a handy tree down right beside the trail.
So after dispatching this guy we head down the line to check my last two sets. At the T we go left and the wolves have not used this trail at all. They came from the right but I couldn't have cared less. A double in leg holds was just about all I could handle anyway. So we pass the first set undisturbed and continue on to check the last one about 4 km's away. As we cruise along you couldn't have beat the smile off my face with a bat. I almost forget about the last set when we come around the corner and bam. A black wolf is standing on the trail caught in the pee post set the sledders had sprung on me from the last story.
I couldn't freakin believe it, A triple on wolves in leg holds
From what I could tell this lone black wolf could hear the other wolves that where caught and came towards them to investigate. I have trail cam pictures of the big grey and smaller grey, and another pack of all grey wolves but I had never seen this black one in the area.
All packed up and ready for the trip out. Not much room left in the skimmer
Mrs. Tork was pretty excited about the triple as well
And to top it off we were just in time to catch the sun set on the way home
A big thanks to those that encouraged me to stick to it and not give up on these guys, and all those that came out and helped.
I doubt very much that a day like this will ever be matched or exceeded, it was by far my best day of trapping ever.
Last edited by Torkdiesel; 01-01-2015 at 05:22 PM.
WOW buddy!! I know the feeling that you had. It is amazing when you finally connect. Well done. That will keep you going for a while and hopefully you whack a few more. I noticed you pinched some toes on 2 of them. Makes me think I want to buy a big beefy trap with good spread like those. I was thinking of buying some 750's if I decide to do the leghold thing but I may change my mind
Great post! Thanks for sharing that with everyone on here. It is always good to hear of success stories that everyone works so hard to achieve. And to have the family with you makes it that much more special. Congratulations!
Wow that's awesome! I wish I could do the footholds on the line I'm junioring on because the wolf population is out of hand and I'm getting robbed lots...got some snares boiled up tho and hopefully get them set next time I'm out. Congrats again I was really hoping you would finally connect on a few
Wow, what a super day. After reading some of your previous posts it's great to see you finally connect. Hopefully it will only be the first of more. What a way to start the new year off.
You sure have a lot of snow where you are trapping.
Nice job, and a triple catch is a great day by any standard.
Those Bridger #9's had a good hold, the black's toe catch could be because a bit more snow blowed in or a bit of trap movement causing the wolf to pull its foot back a bit. 7-8 lbs pressure on my pans as I don't want coyotes or wolverines setting them off.
Nice job, and a triple catch is a great day by any standard.
Those Bridger #9's had a good hold, the black's toe catch could be because a bit more snow blowed in or a bit of trap movement causing the wolf to pull its foot back a bit. 7-8 lbs pressure on my pans as I don't want coyotes or wolverines setting them off.
Very cool your family was along.
Thanks Brian
A couple people have mentioned my pan tension being off and possibly causing the toe catches. Other then the trap moving and causing the wolf to pull his foot back do you think the lighter tension could have caused the trap to fire early ??? Before he had full weight on it I mean. I'm running about 6 1/2 pounds of pan tension, so only slightly lighter then what you run. Could this little bit make the difference ???
I don't think your pan tension caused the toe catches. Snow trapping can be a gamble sometimes. Perhaps a bit more snow on top of the pan drifted in or crusted up hard. When I sift snow on my trap and pan I barely cover it, you can still see a faint outline. I've had more than my share of snapped empty traps and a few toe catches especially with MB750's which I don't use anymore. i like the bridger #9's.
Christmas came a little late this year, but I don't mind one bit :)
Congrats on an outstanding day.
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