Here we go on to the second one just over 2000 post o the last one keep the good info flowing everyone

I am going to be buying a bunch of #1 LS for next year and looked at some Sleepy Creeks in town and the pans seemed very small, but overall a heavy well built trap. What do people prefer for new #1 LS traps for marten? I will also be getting a few dozen more 110 or 120, does anyone think it is worth getting anything but whatever is cheapest for marten?

SE- WOW, thats all I can say. Loved the pictures, and the humor. Even laughed out loud at the Clinton inclusion.

Very impressive, great work!!

SEW,
Wow, that is impressive. How many boat miles is your line??

AKsigns, nice wolverine.

Well, Friday we had a day off, so 3 of us tried to get some caribou to fill the freezer. We put on a hundred miles and didn't even find a track. It wasn't a wasted effort as I found a honey hole for otter. There were tracks EVERYWHERE and we found a toilet to boot. It's only about 5 miles from my fox line so I'll have to get online and find some 330's and 220's.

I pulled the lynx line on Saturday and didn't have any more luck. I was very happy to just get one so I wasn't dissappointed. I tried to catch an ermine in a #0 with the loose jaw up and must have had him for a second cause I found a little fur in my snapped trap.

SE -

I would love to do that sometime. Maybe next year I can. Only so many days off with this job and the wife would rather come down and visit in the summer when the flying is nicer and the fish are running. I like it better when the deer are rutting and the ducks are flying.

Yeah, the Wrangell Boys used to always boat their sleds up to the river and go bombing around up there and to the tubs. I have seen pictures of guys riding up the open river on their sleds with the big paddle tracks, but I would never try and cross Dry Straights on a sled. That is just plain dumb and a waste of a good machine if it gets stuck into the mud with the tide coming in.

-TJ

Kusko-The line is probably 40 miles as the crow flies, but I'm trapping four different islands so the total would probably be about 100 miles of beach, if that makes any sense.

Top Jimmy-Yeah I thought it was pretty ridiculous myself. You know how every town has those, what do you call em, the future Darwin Award winners? This was those guys.

I just got a call from someone reporting they saw someone two days ago packing a wolf out of one of my sets so I'm going to have to find out what that's all about tomorrow. Before I get too upset I'm going to check out the scene, but I'm already starting to simmer. They've had more than enough time to bring it to me if that was the plan. We'll see...

SEwaterboy, you mentioned being impressed with the Sleepy creek 4 1/2. Did you have to tinker with them much, or are they pretty decent from the factory? In your experience, what is their life expectancy with wolves, how many catches before you start having problems? I know every situation is different, but I'm talking ballpark figures.

Hope you get the guy that stole your wolf.

stt-This is my first season with the SC's and everything is my initial personal opinion. I just added some chain(about 9 feet) and welded up the swivels(comes with two crunch proofs). I think I've caught seven in SC's so far. All but one was ready to go immediately. That one the dog was bent a touch. Fixed it in ten seconds with some channel locks. They are a stout little trap. Fast and strong. I guess I call them little because the springs are designed to fold inside the jaws which is kind of cool when packing a bunch in a tote. Time will only tell, but I have high hopes as to longevity. To me it seems to be an incredible value. I would pay way more for this trap. I have heard that the jaw rivets are weak, but of course haven't had them long enough to see myself. I would recommend trying a couple out. If you don't like em. I'll buy em from you.

Oh yeah. I made a special trip out this evening to check out the wolf theft report. There was some tracks a few hundred yards from my set(which is odd considering the remote location) but the set was untouched. So who knows what this was based on. Good thing I didn't let myself get too worked up. Only got a small headache thinking about it. Got a little excercise too on my day off.

Bearbait: If I was buying footholds for marten it would be the # zero LS. # 1's are too big in my opinion. As for body grips, I'd buy 120's after my limited experience with 110's.

Has anybody tried the sleepy creek #5 double long springs with teeth. I see that they have 9 inch jaw spread, but cant tell how well the trap is built.

Picked up a few otters this weekend. One I have a bit of a question on.

Here is the first. It is on a beaver hut in the middle of a field with the closest tree a quarter of a mile away. I have no idea how the beavers ever made this hut, but it has been long abandoned. This is the second otter in as many weeks at the same set.


Here is tracks of two otters coming from one old hut, to our set. I love how they step, slide, step, slide down the trails.


And here is one of them caught on a second old hut in the area. As you can see, I forgot to release one of the safety's on the 330 and still managed to suitcase him and he died right in front of the hole.


Here is the hole after the remake:


And here is an otter toilet we found and set:


My question to you guys that have gotten quite a few otters, have you ever had one eaten on by another otter? I wonder if his buddy decided to have a snack on him after he got caught, or it was a mink. If you look closely at that second otter, you can see where he was chewed on right behind the front left shoulder. It went into and through the ribs and into the body cavity. The other thing that gets me is this one was a very fresh kill. Not frozen at all, where the other one was frozen rock hard. I wouldn't think a mink could have done that much damage that fast, and that it would be that brazen in the first place. What do you guys think?

-TJ

Tj
I had two that looked the exact same way last weekend. I looked like otters that ate them to me

We have a kennel of 40+ Alaskan Husky sled dogs....we also run an extensive trapline(via dog team), run remote/wilderness dog tour adventures and alittle long distance dog sled racing.
We are currently searching for the RIGHT person or couple to work with us in this unique life-style.
Your position would be tittled.."dog handler"....which means working with Alaskan Huskies...including scooping dog poop...and lots of it. Also training and excercisng dogs and other various jobs that the lifestyle demands.
You will be provided with your own private cabin....Small log cabin insulated with moss and a sod roof...no running water(but the creek is only a 100 feet away)..no electricity...no roads, wood burning stove(cutting firewood) You will have your own dog team to run for transportation for the winter months. Possible 6 week period of tottal isolation...no way in or out for maybe 3 weeks or more. You HAVE to be responsible and at least THINK your are self-sufficient. Other details upon request. Monthly stipend.
Need to be here by July 1st to help in a salmon fishing operation that helps feed the dogs and processing salmon for our own consumption. Part of your job is to particpate through the King and chum salmon run.
Possibly you could work into a dog tour assistant guide position and assist on the trapline which includes 5 or 6 day trapline runs into country accessable only by dog team.
You must be VERY physically fit...... and a big plus if you are good with dogs...because if you can't handle dogs then this job is not for you. I will probably request a referance. no alcoholics.
If you are interested e-mail me at bushalaska@starband.net
And hey guys...I am still VERY VERY busy....serious inquiries only...I do not have time right now to write long pen-pal letters. I mean i haven't even been on trapperman for weeks!!!! Guess I am now though.
Wayne and Scarlett Hall...Eagle, Alaska

Top Jimmy,
I don't catch many but I had one chewed on this winter also, sounds like a similar situation, right through the ribs into the gut, it wasn't frozen either. I think it was a shrew on mine because the hole was only an inch in diameter in the hide but man did it eat into the otter inside.

I caught two otter at this one spot where a family of otter were coming out of the bank a lot, and one was eaten (tail and belly). Judging by the sign, it was evident that another otter ate it.

moosecaller-I have one #5 SC in the field. He hasn't done any business yet. But it's a pretty wicked looking trap. Makes a 4 1/2 Newhouse look small. Built tough. Not sure if the added size is worth the extra $60 over a 4.5 SC, but nice looking iron.

See, that is very strange on the otter. I have caught alot of otter, and have many, many times had others visit the spot afterwards; but I have NEVER had anything chew on an otter on my current line. Once in unit 14 I had one chewed on by rodents, but that was because it took me a long time to get as the ice had gone out on me.

Tracks don't lie though. I do not know why I have never had any problems with it, but I haven't and I am thankful for it.

I wonder if it is just the time of the year here, and food is getting a bit hard to come by. Tough to tell on that one, as there are Mink and Otter tracks all over the place to the hole, and the trails leading to that hole are really packed, so you couldn't tell what all had come up. The one thing that got me, was the size of the hole. It was pretty big.

I guess I am going to have to learn to sew now. I have to find that picture of the Lynx that got sewn up.

-TJ

I have had fox eat otter and have caught plenty with beaver bites on them my last two looked like thay ahd done battle with beavers. I have had voles or shrews eat on them after skinned and they make a good fox bait around ehre. I have never had otter eat otter but if the dead otter is plugging the hole they can do some damage in apparent attempts to unplug the hole so they can use it

Hey guys I just popped on the AK forum and saw that Jim's wife passed away thought you all should know