Brrrrrr!

December 6-8, 2013: It was -21 Celsius when I left Edmonton and a balmy -25 when I arrived at the cabin. My plan was the same, get the center and north part of the trapline checked on Friday so I would have enough time on Saturday to run the south end and get as many lynx cubbies up as I could.

Another six inches of snow had fallen and in many places along Pipeline Trail my Ski-doo trail was completely drifted over, making it difficult to stay on track. I'm starting to get used to it now though and gun the Ski-doo hard whenever I fall off the trail. This saves me from having to dig out.

When I arrived at the bait station, I unloaded two bags; one containing a deer hide and legs, the other had part of a moose hide in it. I packed them in to the bait station and could clearly see four distinct trails leading to the site. Not wolves, they still haven't been back; coyotes were making the trails. After dropping off the hides, I made a mental note of the coyote trails and then left. We will set snares here soon, maybe next weekend.

By the time I reached the cabin it was -27 and getting colder. I had managed to catch three more ermine but no marten. We will start pulling several of our marten sets next weekend. The dispersal is most likely over and the longer your traps are up, the higher your chances are of catching an adult female, which you try to avoid for obvious reasons.

The windows are completely iced over.

I awoke the next morning to -38 Celsius. My first concern was the Ski-doo and whether or not it would it start? Would trying to start it even be good for it? I decided I would cover the Ski-doo with a tarp and put my lantern underneath it to at least bring the temperature up a few degrees before trying. An hour later than planned, I was on my way down south.

The lantern doing its best to warm up the Ski-doo.

You can see the light where the lantern is.

My luck on the south end of the trapline wasn't any better than it was in the north. I caught a couple more ermine but that was it, giving us 25 for the season. Even with the extreme temperatures from the night before, the snow was giving away the secrets of the night's activity. An owl had left his hunting imprint in the snow and the ermine had been busy as well. These little guys amaze me, and there are so many of them it is almost hard to believe.

I wonder if he got him?

A hole in the snow made by ermine.

More often than not, the ermine and the bait are in the trap together.

Once I was on Old Forest Trail, my progress started to slow, as I began setting up lynx cubbies. We have three along this trail and each of them was successful last season. Judging by the lynx tracks we see here, we hope to be just as lucky this year.

A lynx cubby on Old Forest Trail. If you look closely, you can see the scent stick and the snare.

From there I made my way to Muskeg Trail, out to Boulder Road and then down to Smiley Rock and Clear Trail, and then on to Gulo Trail. It was starting to get dark and somehow I missed the ribbon that marks the lynx cubby on Clear Trail. Unable to turn around, I was forced to bypass it. We caught two lynx from this spot last year, so it would have been nice to get it set. I did manage to get a new cubby built on Gulo trail though. I managed to get six cubbies built before dark. Three on Old Forest Trail, one on South Trail, one on Gulo Trail and another on Cabin Trail. Next weekend we'll try and double the number.

I took this photo, looking back down Gulo Trail, Sunday morning.

On my way down from the trapline, near Pig's Head Road, I hit some washboard and all the stuff in my console vibrated out. I tried to catch it and the next thing I knew, I was in the ditch. I actually plowed into the berm that the snowplow had made, about three feet high. The berm was centered directly on my truck and I was stuck! Not knowing when or even if a vehicle would be coming by, I got out my shovel and started the arduous task of digging out. Luckily for me, about ten minutes later, the junior partner of my neighbour trapper came by. He introduced himself to me as John, complained about having few marten this year and last, had caught two fisher and was getting lynx cubbies up just as I was. I had some chain in my truck and in no time I was out. Lesson learned, keep your eyes on the road, not the floor!

Until Next Time!