2016 line

[musher]

So did a check on the 31 box line, which is now a 50 box line and got ..... 2 marten. That was worth a couple of fugs. But at least gas money was covered. It is not a little over 50 boxes long (53/54?) and it probably won't get any longer.

I am also now set for 4 different wolf packs. Two packs have each given me one, and one of those was howling near my sets this morning. They might not cooperate as they now know that game.

I had a couple of interesting things happen. In one location I had a fisher caught. I also had a hare caught in a fox snare but it was partially eaten. Logically, I though that the fisher had munched on the hare. As I was finished changing the snare, a huge bird (owl?) took off from just above me. That got the old heart beating. It was most likely my hare snacker. I left the hare there and it is all gone now.

Another snare story: I had just finished checking 6 blind set snares, As I got back to the truck a hare starts making a racket. I went back to my snares to find it caught. It was a feisty one and I had a challenge letting it go without hurting it or getting scratched up. It went totally Bruce Lee on me running around, kicking, and hopping. It was a long snare on an open road so it had room for the ninja moves.

Cottagers are seen often enough. I know a few by sight and I always stop and chat them up. you get info and I like to think that it's tougher to rob someone you have met. So I meet them! So I'm coming out from a road near one of my camps and I see a van coming up. On the van is a decal/painting of a guy with a harvested moose. The same thing is on the side of the van. I bet it is identical on the passenger side of the van, too. I'm talking about something about 2 feet by 2 feet on the side and maybe a square foot on the door. Same "picture." And guess who's driving? Buddy in the "artwork." So I chat him up, find out that he and the wife are grouse hunting and that they have a cottage on a neighbouring line. All is good. But I did ask him if he was a moose hunter, also. I couldn't help myself. He is ...

I have photos that I will post later. Scenery shots, a few fisher together so you can see the colours (for bblwi)and Wifey feeding whiskey jacks timbits.

12 C. today. Wifey and I actually sat on a beach for a half hour, sunning like grouse, after running lynx sets and patching a roof on a camp. Odd weather for mid November.

Thanks for looking.

[trappnman]

we finally had some cold. as of thursday- we had roses, marigolds, morning glorys, a day lilly petunias- still blooming.

we missed the snow- but down to 20 last night

odd year for sure!

[RdFx]

Same here Steve as yr findings.... got a 6 pt buck down first day of deer hunting so back to trapping.... close to home till deer season over. After a week of hanging will process and can alot of the legs, neck ect parts.

[musher]

[redsnow]

Neat! We had a little dusting of snow like above this morning. 2 or 3 inches in the mountains, and windy as heck. We got up to 40* today, but that wind will eat a feller.

[bblwi]

Opening of deer gun season here brought 20 degrees, 1/4 inch of ice followed by 1/2 to 1 inch of snow with 25-40 mph winds so our opener where I was at NC WI was not productive. Sunday AM was much better but down to 17 degrees with 4-6 mph winds until about 10 AM. No deer, but a couple days away from several items.

Those female fishers still seem to be quite a bit more silver colored then our strain.
I see the birch and aspen on the lower level of the hill. Is that birch and aspen sprinkled in among the evergreens up the hill further as well?

Bryce

[musher]

Nov 20, 2016 21:34:12 GMT -6 bblwi said:

Is that birch and aspen sprinkled in among the evergreens up the hill further as well?

Bryce

Yep. But we call it birch and poplar. The bush on this section of that line is quite different from the other lines. The furbearers also tend to be bigger. It is higher up and slightly further north so that might be the reason.

[bblwi]

I know it as popple as well but used the more scientific name. What are the deciduous species that come after the early growth of popple and birch? Or do you just cycle popple and birch as around here those are 30-60 year old early succession trees with ash, beech, oak, red or sugar maple coming later depending on soil type, moisture and if you are in northern WI versus southern WI.

I would assume that the popple and birch support a good habitat for grouse and snowshoes and that should help your medium sized predators like marten and fisher, fox etc. The deer like those as well and thus the coyotes and wolves. What are your major bear food items in the wilderness areas where you are at?
Bryce

[trappincoyotes39]

Musher your best guess what do those marten bring?

[musher]

The confers come after the birch and popple.But that is only if nature is left alone. A lot of replanting takes place. Balsam fir and black spruce would be he next thing to grow. We have no oak and black ash is found only where it is very wet.We do have red maple.

The grouse are found in the mixed stuff. Habitat, such as in the photos, isn't the best. The road photo is a jack pine area. It is replanted stuff. Not a heck of a lot of fur there.

The bears eat moose calves, popple leaves and berries. They start with moose calves and poplar leaves and end up on berries. We have lots of choke cherries and blue berries.

I'm stressing the moose calves because every moose hunter thinks that bears just slay the calves. I don't really have a clue if that is true or not. I think that moose hunters kill way more calves than bears do.

I have seen deer there but it isn't a deer area. winter and wolves make it tough. Just to give you an idea: on average 60 moose are killed in that area each fall. There is no deer season. The further south my lines are the more deer I see. The most deer I see are around the house. 15 years ago seeing a deer was an unusual thing. I see them weekly now. But there is no hunting season. We have some huge racked deer around.

[musher]

Nov 21, 2016 18:29:13 GMT -6 trappincoyotes39 said:

Musher your best guess what do those marten bring?

Tough question in this market. I don't have a clue. I am expecting them to sell - so that is the good news. If I don't get at least 30 bucks average, in my pocket, I'm going to be disappointed.

Not so long ago, a 30 dollar average would have been a disaster.

[fishertrapper]

nice run musher ,a lot of fisher and marten in quebec this year,,,

[musher]

Nov 21, 2016 19:13:09 GMT -6 fishertrapper said:

nice run musher ,a lot of fisher and marten in quebec this year,,,

Merci, Seb!

A few scenery shots for you. It snowed again. On this line it's just a dusting. Very pretty and no problem to work in. On another line it is a wet snow and everything is bent over. chainsaw time again.





Caught this female cross fox. Unlucky fox as I was picking up my footholds in that section.





Thanks for looking.

[bblwi]

We had a neighbor that was from Ontario and a guide and he married one of his clients that he guided and then moved to WI. He passed away from cancer about 4 years ago. He ran a registered trap line while he lived in Canada.
Musher can you explain to me a few of the basics of trapping, managing and operating a registered line if you have the time and willingness.
1. Size or are they very variable,
2 Species limits or quotas if applicable
3. Road responsibilities who does that?
4 Improvements such as line shacks or cabins etc.
5. Can you cut firewood in the line area or does that need to come from other areas
6. Waiting lists if any? Passing on the line etc.
You can add any and all other pertinent thoughts you may wish

Bryce

[musher]

Nov 23, 2016 19:25:46 GMT -6 bblwi said:

We had a neighbor that was from Ontario and a guide and he married one of his clients that he guided and then moved to WI. He passed away from cancer about 4 years ago. He ran a registered trap line while he lived in Canada.
Musher can you explain to me a few of the basics of trapping, managing and operating a registered line if you have the time and willingness.
1. Size or are they very variable,
2 Species limits or quotas if applicable
3. Road responsibilities who does that?
4 Improvements such as line shacks or cabins etc.
5. Can you cut firewood in the line area or does that need to come from other areas
6. Waiting lists if any? Passing on the line etc.
You can add any and all other pertinent thoughts you may wish

Bryce

Lines vary greatly. Some are 20 sq. km. and others are over 100 sq. km. The ones I work are between 60 and 90. The closer you are to "town" the smaller the line.

You are allowed to have a cabin but the rules are strict with regards to size. We just got authorization to have an indoor toilet this year! The are really trapline camps and not cottages. You must also be aware that you are leasing the land from the government. They can yank it anytime. Roads and trails are not the responsibility of the gov't.

The short of it is that you aren't going to get one unless you are a citizen of that province. HOWEVER, a non-resident can trap on an outfitters exclusive territory. It would cost you but you could have a nice, exclusive line with a cozy camp. But you aren't going to make a nickel. Outfitters want to make money.

[musher]

Long day on the line. The 31 box line, which was now a 50 box line only coughed up one marten and the first lynx of the year. It is now back down to about 40 boxes.

The problem was the snow laden branches. There isn't much snow but the trees took a beating with the October snowfall. We cut like heck to set. The last little snow bent more. We had 6 km. of alders and birch to bust through and cut in one section. Caught ZIP until the last box. It was a weasel! Had a laugh over that. That is twice the saws and shears come out for that section. It's going to close up again with the next snow (tomorrow or Saturday) so those traps are now back home.

Picking up time is started. Goals are almost reached and the catch is dropping dramatically and the weather/rees are not helping.

Pics to follow.

[musher]

Spot the trail.


One of the few nice sections.



It didn't move a muscle.


Pretty nice belly and colour.

[bblwi]

Thank you Musher for the information. Much more diversity and or variance than I would have assumed but that probably makes for more participation as there is more size and scope to the registered lines. I can see the government type regulations and changes making planning etc. more of a challenge.


Bryce

[trappnman]

do you change to a another line with snare, etc? or when you pull the boxes you are done?

[musher]

Nov 25, 2016 8:06:45 GMT -6 trappnman said:

do you change to a another line with snare, etc? or when you pull the boxes you are done?

done. the money is in marten. you do not catch enough of the other stuff to make ends meet without the marten.

had to turn around 15 k in today. the roads are too closed and the mrning had been spent getting to traps on another road. lots of picking up. with more snow on the way everything will just close up moe. will have to go back with a bike, which might might nit bust through, or hope that the cottagers call up machinery.