Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

December 26, 2013 to January 2, 2014: We arrived at the trapline to +5 Celsius. All the snow had melted down a considerable amount, so our trails would be in perfect condition. Little did we know, it would start snowing the next morning and not stop until the day we left, five full days later.

Friday morning we left bright and early, checking our sets along the way to South Trail and picking up just a single ermine. At our second check on South Trail, we caught another ermine, only this one was still alive! When he tried to get the bait out of the box, he got one leg caught in the trap with one side against the bait. We examined him as closely as we could in the trap. He had some blood loss and what looked like a broken leg, but he seemed feisty enough. We decided we would take him out of the trap and let him go. After getting the trap off, he tried to dig into the snow and disappear, but the snow was crusty and making it difficult for him. Dakota lifted him up in the shovel and let him go near a fallen tree. We watched him as he disappeared under the tree, hoping for the best.

Dakota releasing the ermine.

We continued on our way to Broken Bridge Trail and then Old Forest Trail, shutting down marten boxes as we went. We left up only those boxes that were near water that had the potential for mink or fisher. All of our lynx cubbies were empty, so we refreshed them as we went. On Muskeg Trail, we checked the only box we have, only to discover the bait had been stolen. I decided we would leave this box up, so I replenished the bait and added new lure. Not sooner than 10 seconds later, Dakota hollared out, "A weasel!" The next thing I knew, the little bait thief was up the tree and into the box, passing right through the trigger wires as he went. In a split second, he was back out of the box and running away with the bait in his mouth. How the trap didn't fire I'll never know, but there he was, stealing bait right in front of our eyes and not more than three feet away from me. Suddenly he was back again and into the box once more. This time, when he tried to get out of the box, the piece of bait hit the trigger wire and the side of the trap at the same time. Lucky for the ermine, the hardest part hit was the spring of the trap and not the trigger. The bait dropped out of his mouth and away he went, running around the area beside us. I quickly pulled the trap out of the box so he wouldn't get caught if he tried to go into it again. Meanwhile, Dakota had retrieved my camera and I managed to get a decent photo of the little thief. We decided then to shut the box down, we had caught enough ermine this year, so this guy would be safe.

The bravest bait thief on the trapline - he'll steal your bait right in front of you!

Gulo Trail was our last stop for the day. We had checked it the previous night, as we always do when we first arrive at the trapline because it's right off Cabin Trail Road. This time, we would be able to refresh the two sets we have there - a lynx cubby and the Gulo Pen, which is set for fisher. The first cubby was empty again, but when we arrived at the Gulo Pen, there was a lynx standing there. Right away I knew what had happened because the lynx wasn't trying to go anywhere. He had reached into the entrance of the Gulo Pen with his paw, trying to get the bait out. The trap went off and caught him by the foot, holding him there until we arrived. I had forgot the .22 at the cabin, so we had to go back and then return to dispatch the lynx. Our trip had started out quite well.

The Gulo Pen lynx.

The next day, we awoke to a lot of new snow and it was still snowing hard. We headed to the bait station with more bait and a plan to snare up the coyote trails. However, I was concerned with all the new snow hiding the trails. Sure enough, a trail couldn't be distinguished. I hung up two snares on the two trails that I knew had existed. From there we hit the high side of the Pipeline Trail and picked up a marten, number 10 on the year. We shut the box down and carried on. The rest of the day we spent shutting down traps and putting up cubbies on Unnamed Trail and Clear Trail. We caught two more ermine, giving us 33 on the season.

Marten number 10.

I woke up at 5:00 am the next morning to stoke the woodstove. A quick look out the window confirmed it was still snowing and really coming down hard. By 8:00 am, several inches of snow had already fallen. By that afternoon, we figured we had at least a foot with no signs of it stopping. We came across a well site guy near the compressor station who was stuck on Boulder Road. Thirty minutes later, we had him out. We weren't the only ones cursing the never-ending snow and hoping it would quit soon.

The snow doesn't want to stop.

December 30 saw temperatures around -10 Celsius when we awoke. Another three inches of snow had fallen overnight and once again, it was still snowing. We spent the day digging out our traps and fixing up cubbies that had been covered in snow. We weren't seeing any animal signs except for our friends the ermine. A lot of this is because of the constant snow, but something seems different somehow; it's almost like the animals have shut down. The snow is getting so deep, driving down Gulo Trail is like driving in a trench.

No chance getting sucked off Gulo Trail. If it was downhill, a bobsled would be perfect!

The sleigh is probably riding on two-feet of packed down snow.

New Year's Eve day saw our temperatures start to drop; it was -20 Celsius that morning. The snow was still coming down hard and I was now concerned about getting home. If the roads after the compressor station weren't plowed, we would be in big trouble. If Wade, the well site guy we helped get unstuck was right, they should be plowing it today. But what if they don't? Our gas situation was also getting dicey. The Ski-doo had been working extra hard pushing snow wherever we went and we'd consumed way more fuel than I had anticipated. I wanted to run South Trail again but after looking down it, I decided it would have to wait for another day. It stunk of being stuck and looked like it did when it had shut us down a few weeks earlier. Our gas situation also screamed no!

We spent the day digging out our traps, which we've been doing every day since the snow started, and we managed to get a new cubby built on Cabin Trail. I took a trip to the top of Boulder Hill with just the Ski-doo, hoping a trail would help us get the sleigh to the top of it the next day when we were leaving. When I was at the top, I couldn't believe how big the snow drifts were. Thoughts of the road not being plowed once again entered my mind.

And it's still snowing!

I had to shovel away an opening so we could see out the window.

 Our trip to the compressor station was an eventful one navigating the snowdrifts. The trail I'd made the previous day was still visible and we made it to the top of Boulder Hill without issue, although that is where my trail ended. My gas guage was now reading empty and we were making new trail. I was worried that whatever gas we had left in the tank would be consumed before we got to the truck. We were having to drive over and through the snow drifts but for the most part, it wasn't too bad and we did make it to the truck safely. However, it too was drifted in on one side and we got stuck for nearly an hour before we managed to get out.

This is after two major snow meltdowns.

I have talked to several other trappers who are experiencing many of the issues we've faced this year when it comes to snow. For us, we have lost a full three weeks of the trapping season because of the snow and the problems it has caused. But a good trapper never gives up, so we will be back right away to get South Trail opened up once again.

Our catch from the trapline so far this year:
4   Beaver
10 Marten
33 Ermine
2   Squirrels
1   Mink
1   Fisher
2   Lynx 

Until next time!