Time to catch up!

November 14-28, 2015: I've been busier than my big rooster taking care of his hens (must be good to be a rooster!) and because of that, I haven't had a chance to update this blog with any frequency. Hopefully, that changes soon. For now, I'll catch you up with what I've been doing.

Trapping has been really slow for some reason. I chalk it up to all the activity that's suddenly taking place on the trapline. They are drilling two wells right now, one near the middle of the trapline and one on the northeast end. As well, they are logging like crazy on the south end, taking more than 1000 acres of old growth forest. It breaks my heart to see what's going on down there, as they are taking out my best marten area. Having said that, I've been hitting it hard down there hoping to catch the transient marten but so far my luck has been poor. I'm not sure what's going on but I'm seeing little marten sign, nothing in the way of fisher, and no wolf tracks. I'm not sure where the wolves have gone, but they certainly aren't spending anytime on my trapline. I'm still seeing good lynx sign and lots of rabbits and grouse, so when I start setting for lynx in a couple of weeks, my luck should change, or at least I hope so.

Here you can see the feller buncher hard at work.

The logging crew is supposed to cut me a bunch of firewood for both at home and for the trapping cabin. Not sure if they're just blowing smoke up my ass or what, but for nearly a month now, I'm not seeing it being cut. I called up the head forester there and asked him where my wood was and he said he'd make sure it was cut for me this past weekend. However, I went through there on Sunday looking for it, and still nothing. I did come across some logs piled beside the road, which may be for me but I'm not sure. Another call is in order I think. I hate logging companies.

Are these waiting to be cut up for me? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

The amount of logging waste is incredible.

One of the unique landmarks on the trapline is a big rock that somebody, years ago, painted a smiley face on. I say years ago because it was there when I bought the trapline five years ago and the guy I bought it off said it had been there forever. Because of the smiling rock, I dubbed the old worn out, deep rutted road Smiley Rock Road. Even on a poor day, passing the smiling rock always made you feel good.

Smiley Rock, the landmark that has been on the trapline for years and years.

Well, some assholes from Tangle Creek Energy, the company putting the two wells in on the trapline, decided they needed a marker to let their trucks know they were on the correct road. They spray painted Smiley Rock! I'm not sure what gives them the right to do that but I'm not happy. Why deface what has been a longtime landmark? Once they're gone and off the trapline, I'll be doing a little spray painting of my own, putting Smiley Rock back, although it will never be the same.

The defaced face of Smiley Rock.

But that's enough with industry on the trapline; in short order, they'll be gone and things should be back to just me and the trees.

Over the last couple of weeks, I managed to get my marten line in, as well as a few mink sets. I'll be honest though, my season has started off slow. I'm not sure what the reason is, but I'm hoping things pick up soon. However, one bright spot was the sudden discovery of otter sign on the trapline. I assume they were moving down from up the headwaters and most likely just passing through, but I've never seen their sign here before so that's just a guess. Every where I went, from Broken Bridge Trail to No Name Trail to Cabin Trail, their tracks were visible. In fact, they were even by the parking spot at the head of Cabin Trail Road. They aren't around anymore though, so my opportunity to harvest them is gone, but at least now I know they visit this area.

The first otter tracks I've seen on the trapline. This one is near where we park the truck.

Once again, there is no shortage of weasels on the trapline and the little buggers are up to their old tricks and robbing my marten boxes. One of them was robbing a set I put up on Cabin Trail with regularity and no matter what I did, I couldn't catch him. Finally, after feeding him for two weeks, with the use of sticks placed around the openings of the trap, I managed to catch him. Following are a few photos of some of the seven weasels I've caught in the last two weeks.

This little guy was robbing me blind for two weeks.

Weasel number 4.

Weasel number 5.

Weasel number 6.

Weasel number 7.

After setting up the southern Extension Route where they're logging, and having little success catching marten, I decided to put my trail back in down the trail that leads to Muskeg Trail and my way out from down south. This trail is a good lynx trail so I figured with lynx season fast approaching, I better get a snowmobile trail in. I never set this trail last year but needing a trail out that isn't a gravel road because of the logging truck activity that will wear out the skis of my snowmobile (and already are), I figured I might as well get the trail in. I do have four marten sets on this trail but have never caught a marten there. However, I figured I might as well set them anyway hoping that the logging has pushed some marten into this area. After doing quite a bit of chainsaw work, I managed to push my way out.

The first big tree down across the trail. I couldn't move the single piece by myself, so I had to cut it in two.

After trying to move the first tree in the above photo, I went ahead and cut this one into smaller pieces.

One of the unique things you get to see when you're trapping is the interactions of predator and prey. Snow loves to tell a story and when I'm traveling around the trapline, I spend most of my time on one knee on the snowmobile looking for sign. In this case, it looks as though a small owl, most likely a boreal owl, took aim at what was most likely a squirrel.

Notice the wing marks from the small owl in the snow.

Later, when I was setting up Pipeline Trail, I came across two of my wooden marten boxes that had been trashed by bears. For this reason and because of porcupines and squirrels feasting on several of the others, I've slowly been switching out to plastic boxes, which are quite expensive but last much longer. However, something must have decided to chew on one of my plastic boxes. Based on the evidence on the tree, I'm assuming it was a bear that chewed on the plastic box but I can't be sure, as the chewed spot doesn't look like something a bear would do. One thing is for sure, it was definitely a grizzly bear that left its mark on the tree.

Notice the chewed spot on the right of the box where the trap sits.

My first check of Pipeline Trail resulted in my second marten of the year. The first one came from Clear Trail but this one came in a box that has produced well for me over the last few years, giving up at least two marten every year. Judging by its early production this year, things won't change. Because of this, I set another box (plastic) in the same vicinity. On my second check of Pipeline Trail, the new plastic box set held another marten, my third of the season.

This box is one of my better producers, giving me at least two marten every year.

A good return on a freshly set box.

In the cabin, I'll skin any marten, mink or weasels that I catch. Bigger critters like fisher and lynx, I do at home. The ones I skin at the cabin, their carcasses I simply bag and throw out on the woodpile to be later dispersed around the trapline to help feed other animals later in the winter when things get tough for them. One night, I was awakened by a rustling sound outside the front door of the cabin. With my flashlight in hand, I went outside to investigate. In my flashlight beam, I could make out a weasel having his way with one of the bagged carcasses. I scared him off and went back to bed. That morning, while I was whipping up some bacon and eggs before packing up to head home, the rustling sound started again. This time, instead of a flashlight in hand, I grabbed my camera.

This little guy woke me up rusting through the plastic bag holding a squirrel carcass.

Here he is checking me out, wondering if I'm a threat or not.

Back to feasting on the squirrel carcass.

I'll be back on the trapline again later this week. I have to run the entire line, which is about 80 kilometres long. However, about 15 kilometres of that is roads where I don't have sets but need the roads for access to my different trails. I'm going to hold off on setting for lynx for at least a couple of more weeks, as the auction houses are asking for better grades of furs to be shipped this year based on the Russian economy. Russia is one of the better fur buyers in the world but their economic situation is currently in dire straits. By waiting, I should get a better clarity grade on my lynx skins, adding to their value as they would be more prime. I'll be updating this blog again soon.

Stay tuned!