A fisher in a mink box!

Friday, January 11 to Monday, January 14:

Good friend Ken Colwill joined Dakota and I on this trip. The plan was to run the entire line on Saturday, freeing up Sunday to add more lynx cubbies and get a bait station set up. Ken has a Ski-doo and was looking forward to following us around the trapline.

It was -15 Celsius when we left the cabin Saturday morning. We'd had a big breakfast of bacon and eggs and with full belly's we left shortly after light. We had checked a few sets without luck and were traveling down Grizzly Road on our way to Pipeline Trail. Before Pipeline Trail, we have a mink and a ermine set on the creek at the bottom of the first pipeline. This isn't part of Pipeline Trail; rather, an extension of it. The trail down to the creek is a little steep but not too bad. At the bottom, we were shocked to find that a fisher had found our mink box and had decided to put its head inside. The 120 Conibear struck the fisher perfectly. However, the mink box was gone! I kicked through the snow and looked for a hump that might reveal it, but nothing! Next time through I'll have to look a little harder but for now, the missing mink box is a mystery.

Fisher are another amazing member of the weasel family. The Alberta Trappers' Training Manual states that, "as fast as a marten can catch a squirrel in a tree, a fisher can catch a marten in a tree." They have an incredibly long tail and can weigh up to 14 pounds.

The little trail down to the creek just off Grizzly Road where we caught the fisher.

Dakota and Ken with the big fisher.

Elated but shocked in the manner we'd caught the fisher, we were soon traveling up Pipeline Trail on our way to re-setting the #3 Softcatch for our coyote catch stealer. Dakota is bound and determined to catch this guy who likes to eat what we catch there.

On Pipeline Trail we discovered the wolf pack from the north end of the trapline were back. Six tracks could be plainly seen on our trails. Wolves are fascinating to study when looking at their tracks. While the pack ran down the center of our trail, every twenty yards or so a wolf would take off from the pack into the forest and then come back out a short distance later. Whether or not they were hunting hares is open for debate, but what else would they be doing?

The north end of the trapline only produced the one catch; albeit. a nice fisher. South Trail wasn't looking much better and Broken Bridge Trail was also non-productive. We'd encountered about four traps sprung by bait thieves but surprisingly had yet to catch a ermine.

On Old Forest Trail, in the same lynx cubby where we'd had a lynx give us the cold shoulder with a knocked down snare, we had a lynx! Number three on the season. Riding the Ski-doo and being in front allows me to see what's been walking on or along our trail. I'd been following this lynx' tracks for quite some time and was hoping he'd stay on the trail... and he did.

Notice the entrance to the cubby to the left of the cat. Above the cat is a CD for attraction.

Dakota and Ken pose with the lynx.

A short distance down Old Forest Trail from where the lynx cubby above is, we have a trail snare set just off the edge of an old reclaimed well site. I never took a photo of this set, but it is very similar to the one pictured below. When we came off the well site and the trail snare set came into view, I knew immediately something had happened there, but to heck if I could see what. Then I noticed the lynx laying buried in the snow under part of the set. We now had our second lynx of the day and our fourth of the season.

A similar trail snare set to the one that caught the lynx below.

Lynx number four on the season.

I figured we'd have to build at least thirty lynx cubbies to catch our quota of five lynx, now I was concerned that I had too many up with 14, as well as trail snares. The trail snares were now being taken down as we came to them.

Sunday was going to be a work day. It was time to get a bait station set up and we had lots of time now. Building lynx cubbies was out of the question with only one remaining to fill our quota.

Getting ready to hit the trail.

Our first order of business was to hit Pipeline Trail and check Dakota's leghold. I also wanted to check out a possible bait station site on the low side of the second pipeline but the wolves were on our minds. I decided we had enough time to run the entire Pipeline Trail and check for possible locations to put a bait station where the wolves had traveled on our trail.

After checking Dakota's leghold without success, we continued further on up the trail. Some ravens ahead on the ground peaked my interest and I headed towards them instead of staying right like we normally would. Soon we came upon a cow moose killed by our north wolf pack. Unfortunately for us, we'd discovered the carcass too late to catch the wolves, as they had already moved on. Only coyote tracks were still present. We added some more bait to the carcass and I set up five snares on the obvious trails coming into the kill. I also put up a #3 Softcatch in a snow hole set. With a little luck, the coyotes will come back.

Further up Pipeline Trail, on the crossover trail between the two pipelines, we set up a bait station where the wolves had been traveling. I set 10 snares up around the perimeter of the bait station and hung a rag soaked in wolf urine in a tree at the site. It would now be up to the wolves to come back.

The cow moose wolf kill on Pipeline Trail.

That night I skinned out the fisher. It didn't thaw out until about 8:30 PM and I knew I would be waking up at some ridiculous hour in the morning to turn it back fur out, after it dried enough leather out. Sure enough, at 3:00 AM there I was turning the fisher.

Monday morning saw us have enough time to quickly run Pipeline Trail and check our legholds and the snares set on the moose kill. Neither leghold held a coyote and our snares were without a catch as well. Nothing had come back that night. Perhaps our presence the day before was reason enough for the kill site to be left alone for a day or two. We'll find out when we get back. We took down both legholds.

Lynx number three and four and our first fisher of the season.

By the time we were done running Pipeline Trail and had our stuff packed for the trip out, snow was still falling on us like crazy, a wet heavy snow. It had been snowing since we awoke that morning. We were starting to get concerned about Boulder Hill and getting out. The top of Boulder Road and Boulder Hill haven't been plowed since before Christmas and it's a mess, with big snowdrifts building up with the wind.

Getting to Boulder Hill was easy, we hardly spun a tire in the heavy snow. Getting up Boulder Hill proved to be another story, however. I made one try and couldn't make it up even the better part of the hill. Backing down was an adventure because I could hardly see with the snow falling. It was time to put on the chains for the first time of the season.

Getting the chains on is a relatively easy task.

On good and snug. You can see Ken's truck behind us. He too was putting on the chains.

Even with the chains on, the top side of Boulder Road wasn't easy to navigate. Big snowdrifts would bog the truck down each time we encountered them, which was often. By the time we reached the unmanned gas plant the road was better and the chains came off. If they don't plow the road soon, it will be a five-mile Ski-doo trek to the cabin next time in.

Boulder Hill to the right. Straight ahead ends a short distance at a well site. Snowing like mad!

Until next time!

Ready for auction

  Just a quick update photo of the fur going to auction. I'm hoping the mink we caught this weekend will be dry enough to come off the board tomorrow, if not, it will be next auction. To this auction: 2 lynx, 8 marten, 2 mink, 13 ermine, 2 beaver, and 6 squirrels.

Off to auction tomorrow.

Until next time!

Finally, a mink under the bridge!

Friday, January 4 - Sunday, January 6:

  Quick trip to the trapline to run the entire line. The weather hasn't been cooperating; without new snow and warm weather the animals appear to be settled in. We never encountered a single new lynx track over our 40 mile run. Moose tracks are suddenly double what they were and that was a lot. A lone wolf traveled Grizzly Road, marking the entrance to Unnamed Trail. The roads in still haven't been plowed but we never experienced any troubles.

  We picked up a ermine early on Unnamed Trail. I'm still disappointed in this trail, as its production has been minimal regardless of its potential. We'll keep at her though and see what happens.

  On South Trail we had another flying squirrel in a trap. These are remarkable creatures that can glide, apparently if conditions are right, up to 100 metres. Their tail is cupped and they have extra skin flaps that run from front leg to back leg enabling them to "fly" great distances. They are carnivorous and nocturnal with very large eyes. Their main predator is the owl that hunts them at night. Their hide is more to the brownish-grey side than that of the red squirrel, which can be sold at auction.

The flying squirrel has no market value.

Notice the tail, it is actually cupped to help in flight direction.

Here you can see the skin flap that runs from front leg to back leg.

  On Old Forest Trail we connected on another marten, our eighth of the year. This one we picked up at a location where we'd discovered fresh tracks the previous weekend and had set a trap. It usually pays off setting on sign.

A wide run on Old Forest Trail.

Marten Number 8.

  Last year when I first came to this trapline with the previous owner, we passed over a bridge on Grizzly Road, just before Cabin Trail Road. Mink tracks could plainly be seen in the snow and I had made a mental note of it. When Dad came up and we first started setting the line, we put a mink box under that bridge hoping to catch that mink. On this quick trip, I dropped Dakota off at the bridge while I ran a short distance up the road to check a snare I had set the previous weekend. I was walking back out to the road after checking the snare when I saw Dakota suddenly appear above the bridge with a big grin on his face. We had the mink!

This mink has the typical white markings most mink do.

  We have another mink set near the cabin that has continuously been robbed of its bait by mice and the odd ermine, but mice seem to be the real culprit. Dakota got fed up with the set and decided to move it to another location on the creek, but still near the cabin. On his first check, he watched a mouse run out of the box. When he checked the box this weekend, all that was left of his bait was the skeleton of a fish part. Fearing another episode of bait-stealing mice, Dakota decided he was going to put up a mouse trap beside the box, baiting it with peanut butter. If he was going to feed the mice, it wasn't going to be for very long. Sure enough, the next morning he had his bait thief.

Dakota poses with his bait thief.

Will this be the only bait thief at this location? Time will tell.

That night I skinned out our catch. I wanted it to be ready for Monday's delivery to the Alberta Trappers' Association fur depot and the North American Fur Auction. The next morning we took a photo of them against the cabin door.

A marten, mink and ermine.

Not a bad catch for a quick trip.

Until next time!

Ready for auction

Finished putting up both lynx this morning and they are now drying on their boards, along with most of the other fur we've caught. This fur will be going to the North American Fur Auction in Toronto. Monday is the last receiving date for fur at the Alberta Trappers' Association fur depot in Westlock. I'd like to save it all up for the entire season and get a great photo at the cabin but I think it's important to be in on the February auction, which is generally the largest of the year. Not a lot of fur, but fur nonetheless.

Until next time!

First lynx of the year!

Thursday, December 27 to Tuesday, January 1:

  We arrived Thursday night to a frigid -22 Celsius, falling to -27 by bedtime. Boulder Road hasn't been plowed since before the last big snowfall and it's starting to get real rough, or at least rougher than normal. Hopefully they plow it before too long. Boulder Hill is still in good condition though, so I consider that a blessing as putting on chains is a pain in the butt.

  Driving in on Cabin Trail didn't reveal many encouraging signs. No new tracks could be seen and the two traps we pass by were both empty.

Boulder Road is getting to be rougher than normal, which is rough!

  Friday morning we decided to divide the trapline into two runs. The plan was to allow for more time to make additional sets for lynx, which when cubbies are being built can take some time. We'd run the north end of the trapline first.

  On Pipeline Trail, we discovered another sprung trap and evidence something had been eaten from our trap. This had happened previously at this same spot when only the head of a red squirrel remained in the trap. I was suspicious of other trap failures here since Dad and I first caught a marten in this same spot earlier in the season. Since then, bait has been stolen, traps sprung, things eaten and no signs left to show what was happening. I figured ermine were the probable cause for some of the sprung traps and stolen bait, but no way could a ermine eat a squirrel from a suspended trap. Today, coyote tracks gave away the catch eater. We made a snow-hole set with a #3 soft-catch trap, hoping our coyote would come back again looking for a free meal and perhaps stepping into our trap. On Pipeline Trail we picked up another bait thief.

Ermine are plentiful on the trapline.

  A set I like to make is called the Trail Snare Set. What I like to do is find a place along the trail where a tree is growing close (very close) to your trail, or perhaps a tree that is still alive but is leaning across your trail. You can then build a slight funnel leading toward your snare that is set directly on your trail, a favourite travel route of lynx. The only problem is when you have to pass that way again, you have to move your set and then replace it. A small price to pay though for a quick, effective set.

A Trail Snare Set on the Gulo Trail.

Another Trail Snare Set, this one on Unnamed Trail.

  With daylight running out we hit Clear Trail. Clear Trail saw us catch our first squirrel and our first marten of the season. Along its route, we have three marten sets, three squirrel pole sets (all taken down now), a trail snare set and two lynx cubbies. One of the cubbies could be considered nothing more than sticks sticking out of the snow with a duck carcass suspended from a tree branch hanging down in the center of the cubby, some lure on a stick also in the center of the cubby, and a suspended CD in front of the set. Two entrances are provided for entrance and each is guarded with a snare. I remember saying to Dakota we'd never catch anything in that sordid-looking thing. Lo and behold, Clear Trail and this cubby gave us another first - our first lynx.

Our first lynx of the year on Clear Trail.

This lynx refused to enter the front of the cubby, but couldn't resist the back entrance.

  The next morning we awoke to warm weather, -5 Celsius. I hate to complain about warm weather but anything above -10 Celsius when you're trapping isn't any fun. Trapping is a lot of work and you can get sweated up in a hurry if you're overdressed.

  South Trail, Broken Bridge Trail, Old Forest Trail, Muskeg Trail, and Boulder Road essentially make up the south end of the trapline. We spent our day covering this area, adding a few more lynx sets and snaring a few trails. We managed to catch two more ermine and had a lynx walk right up to the back entrance of a cubby, only to knock down the snare without getting caught. It must have scared him off though because our bait remained untouched.

Too bad they didn't command a high price.

  When you travel over the same trails consistently with a snowmobile, you eventually pack down your trail very hard. Unfortunately, on each side of your trail is all that untouched snow that has been building up as you've been packing down your trail. On occasion, your snowmobile can get caught in that soft snow and you can get sucked off your trail. When this happens, the work begins.

The snow is soft and deep on both sides of the trail.

  Sunday we were back running the north end of the trapline, once again adding another cubby and trail set, along with a couple of snared trails. On Pipeline Trail our snow-hole set hadn't produced our coyote and a lynx had walked right by the only cubby we have set on this trail. He didn't even give it a glance. Our day was starting to look pretty bleak when we hit Clear Trail, the last trail before Cabin Trail and a warm stove and a cold beer. Our first sets produced nothing and all that was left was a marten box and the same cubby we'd caught the lynx in previously... surely we wouldn't catch another lynx there again would we? We couldn't believe our eyes when another lynx lay at the back entrance (again) to the stick cubby.

Notice the "stick" cubby behind the cat. Bent over spruce boughs make the back entrance.

Our second lynx taken in the same cubby on Clear Trail.

  Monday, New Year's Eve would be our last night (and first New Year's Eve spent on the trapline). That day, however, the south end of the trapline needed its turn for checking. Early on we were greeted to a cow and calf moose where South Trail begins. It's nice to see the South Trail wolf pack haven't discovered these two yet, considering they weren't very wary of us. They allowed me enough time to get off my Ski-doo, open the sled, pull my camera out of its case, discover the battery was dead, get out another battery, replace the two, scrape the now forming frost off the front of the lens because the camera wouldn't focus through it, and still have enough time for several silhouette shots.

The cow and calf that didn't give a damn.

  Our first marten box produced another bait thief (#13). This box has been continually robbed since it was first baited. I discovered that changing the trigger wire configuration will catch them on occasion but next year all my 120's will be fastened with pans. This should allow our ermine catch to at least double.

And another ermine.

  On Old Forest Trail we picked up our seventh marten of the year, a nice male. With the last receiving date for the North American Fur Auction looming, our first shipment will consist of 13 ermine, 7 marten, 2 beavers, 1 mink and about a dozen squirrels. The lynx won't be ready in time as they have to be skinned and dried yet, as well as registered at a Fish and Wildlife office because they are a quota species.

A nice male marten on Old Forest Trail.

  As always, trapline trips go by faster than imaginable. Dakota and I spent six days enjoying the beautiful, breathtaking outdoors while taking in the wonders of Mother Nature... and it can't get any better than that!

A great trip. Two lynx, 1 marten (center photo) and 4 ermine.

Until next time!