Shutting Down 1804

Last Part of January 2016: Well folks, I have to admit, this trapping season was the poorest I've experienced since I've owned this trapline. Industrial activity, from logging to a pipeline to well sites, has completely upset the animal balance that existed here. The only thing that didn't change was the number of weasels running around. Other than weasels, every other species I trap has changed their patterns, either by leaving the area completely (wolves, marten and fisher for example), or by simply not acting the way they usually do.

Too warm of weather and a lack of snow has also played a big part, especially where lynx are concerned. During a normal snowfall, lynx tend to use my snowmobile trails, as it is much easier for them to get around to hunt. Of course, just off my trails or directly on them is where my sets are located. However, with little snow, lynx can travel and hunt through the bush with ease, so it wasn't too often they would travel my trails for any distance. Often, I would come across a set of tracks heading down one of my trails and heading towards a cubby or trail set only to watch in disappointment when the tracks would suddenly veer off into the bush. Sometimes only a few yards before my set.

During the last three day trip I was on the trapline, the weather was 14 Celsius each day, completely decimating the little snow I had. If you've been following this blog, you know how much snow I usually have here, which is a lot!

Here you can see how little snow there is at the cabin.

I never once had to shovel snow away from the cabin window this year.

On a normal year, I would have to shovel the snow away from the cabin window at least four or five times. This year, I never had to shovel once. On the last day I was there, I was even surprised by the number of birds around. Usually, there are few birds that hang around the cabin during winter. This year, there were numerous chickadees, both black-capped and boreal, as well as a tremendous amount of grey jays and several birds I couldn't identify that would show up just before dark. Sitting in my rocking chair with a cold beer in 14 Celsius weather and watching the birds made for a pleasant afternoon the last day I was there.

Having said that, in the distance I could hear the Feller-Bunchers working away. Normally, all you hear at the cabin is the forest and animal life. Not this year. They are logging to the north of me on my neighbour's trapline, to the south on mine, and where they're putting in the pipeline, which is very close, the Feller-Bunchers are also taking down a fair amount of trees. My snowmobile has taken a beating this year because what used to be my trail is now a logging road that I have to travel for several kilometres, and the roads that I use to access most of my trails are gravel now; in fact, when you drive down them in the truck, there's a dust cloud behind you.

Behind me is where I'm coming from and what used to be my trail.

That's where I'm headed. Not fun for the Ski-doo.

No matter what though, I can't really complain too much, even though I still do. I had a great time trapping this year regardless of the hardships and as always, feel a twinge of disappointment pulling down the last trap.

To catch you up on my trapping activities over the last couple of trips, I did manage to catch a few more weasels and some squirrels but only one more lynx. The trail set I had up on Old Forest Trail where the lynx walked under my snare paid off this time. A young female lynx stuck her head right in as they're supposed to do.

This was the trail set where the lynx walked under the snare.

The same set, only this time it worked.

On the crossover route from one pipeline to the next on Pipeline Trail, a couple of coyotes were traveling it regularly, each time knocking down the backside of a lynx cubby I had up there and stealing my bait. On the last two trips I was there, I decided I would try to catch them. However, the only chance I really had was by putting in a couple of dirt hole sets along my trail. The problem is though that foothold traps have to be checked every 48 hours on a registered trapline, and every 24 hours on a resident trapline. This is the law. So, I would put in my dirt hole sets as soon as I arrived at the trapline, and would take them down the morning before I left, giving them only two days to sit. Unfortunately, my timing was completely off with the coyote's. While I was there, they wouldn't be. When I was gone, they would be.

The idea behind a dirt hole set is to create a curiosity situation for the coyote. What you do is find a spot they travel regularly and then dig a small hole about a foot deep and on about a 45-degree angle just off the trail. In the bottom of the hole, you put a big chunk of stinky bait, and then put a small grass plug in the hole in front of the stinky bait. You bed your trap about 10 inches in front of the hole and then make the site look like something had dug there. When the coyote comes along, he figures he's found something. In his attempt to find out what it is, you catch him.

Here I've just finished digging the hole just off the trail the coyotes were traveling.

Here is a photo of the stinky bait. Yes, it does stink!!

The trap is bedded about 10 inches in front of the hole. Looks exactly like something was digging there.

As I said earlier, I spent my last afternoon at the trapline taking in the scenery while enjoying a cold beer in my rocking chair on the cabin deck. With everything packed up for next season, my thoughts were good ones. Spending time on the trapline is a soothing experience and one that puts all of your problems into the back of your mind. I can't think of anything else better to be doing.

Keep checking back, as I'm hoping to spend the last month of the trapping season chasing coyotes closer to home. By April, the ice should be coming off local beaver and muskrat ponds so spring trapping isn't too far away either. Hopefully, I can add to what has been a poor catch count so far.

Until next time!

Catch Count:
Beaver - 2
Weasel - 28
Squirrel - 12
Marten - 5
Lynx - 3