SLDMTN 2017-2018 Alaska Trapping Season and Predator Hunting

SLDMTN

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Well here goes, I've never run my own line before but I've always wanted to give it a shot. As of right now, I'll be running two lines, one close to my house and one further out where I bait bears in the spring. Near my house the primary target will be lynx and coyote with some martin sets mixed in that I can check twice a week. The line further out I'll check once a week and I'd really like to get into wolves and wolverine. This will be a learning experience for sure and I may decide it isn't for me after a season but I plan on making an honest effort to get it done. I'll also throw up any predator hunting that I get into this winter as well.

This past weekend, I loaded the kids up and went out to Grandma's place to do some line scouting. Also, I wanted to nail at least one of the coyotes that has been killing all the rabbits hanging out around her place. After the kids got their fill riding the snowmachines, I left the house on foot and walked a short ways up towards the hills. Finding a large spruce tree, I hunkered down below the bottom branches and began calling. Using a mouth call, I would call for about a minute and break for five. On my third round of calling, I was beginning to lose drive and was about to head home when I noticed two ears poking up just above a small rise. Dusk was beginning to set in and it was hard to see the coyote very well. It stepped out of the willows, into plain sight and gave me a great broadside look. I brought my gun up and just as the crosshairs settled, it started moving. I rushed a shot and honestly thought I had missed because the dog disappeared. I stood up to look for a follow up shot and to my surprise, it lay there dead as nails. One round from my .270 through the dome and it was all over.

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SLDMTN

SLDMTN

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Baptism by fire is how I'd summarize my trapping experience up to now. Learning a ton from the "Alaska Trappers Manual", what a great book for a new like me.

In a recent trip to Cabela's I bought some traps and snares to get me off the ground. Since it was my lunch break, I was in too big of a hurry and bought a mix of 110's and 120 conibears, grrrr. Not noticing they had put both traps on the same hook, I arm swept the whole inventory into my basket without checking each one. I prefer the 120's so for ease of use because they're dual spring and easier to balance inside of the box style I'm using.

Being new traps it was time to boil the cosmoline off. It's too cold to use a psi washer and the car wash doesn't open early enough so I had to make due with what I had available. Fire...

[video=youtube_share;86pnkPYfbl0]https://youtu.be/86pnkPYfbl0[/video]
 
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SLDMTN

SLDMTN

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[video=youtube_share;Uoqlm06-MxA]https://youtu.be/Uoqlm06-MxA[/video]
 
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SLDMTN

SLDMTN

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Thanksgiving Day Predator Hunt:

The day before Thanksgiving, my sister was out running and came across a freshly killed moose. It had it's hind legs chewed on and some marks elsewhere but very little otherwise to indicate how it had been killed. Immediately my gears were turning about an early hike to get on the carcass. We talked about routes and agreed on which ridge would be the best access to avoid eyes and noses.

Thursday morning, I got up before 6:00, grabbed my pack, and headed out the door. Hiking by headlamp, I broke out of the trees and followed the ridge staying just below skyline. As I came closer to where my sister had seen the moose kill, I could hear the birds going nuts. My blood started pumping hard knowing the only reason they were making that much racket was that something was keeping them off of the kill. I dropped my pack, threw on my warmer gear, loaded my gun and pushed further.

I could not have timed it more perfectly cresting a ridge 75-80 yards from the kill. I stayed low as movement caught my eye, coyotes was actually my first thought. Almost as fast as that crossed my mind, I knew it wasn't right, these were way too big to be coyotes. Knowing I was that close to wolves and they had no clue I was there made my adrenaline skyrocket. I really wanted to film the shot but the uneven hill and some brush made it tough to get the tripod steady. I quickly scrapped that idea and just focused on making a clean shot. Eyeing each animal, one was clearly the biggest. He was neck deep buried in the moose and keeping the others 10-15 yards off the kill.

The shot wasn't very far but I was half kneeling and half standing to clear the scrub brush I was hidden in. As my .270 popped, the other 4-5 wolves scattered. I stood up fully, ran the bolt, found another in my scope and took a chip shot which I missed. The wolf I had shot took one bound and died right there.

I took a few pictures and videos with my phone which got cold and died, grabbed my good camera and got two shots off before it died, and finally my GoPro got a short video before it gave up the ghost. It was a bit nippy up there with the wind whipping. I was running a Kifaru Rambler so I put the wolf whole in the meat shelf and headed back towards the truck. That was not a very fun pack out, it was 3-4 miles back out and the awkwardness of the wolf made it cumbersome. I chose not to skin it in the field because I didn't want to rush from the cold.

My brother was pretty pumped to get the call so he hiked up and we were able to get a few action shots of the pack out.

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I was supposed to pick up milk on my way home. "So about getting milk for you to finish the sides for Thanksgiving dinner, yeah I'm running a little late. Sorry honey!" :D

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Back on my trapline, here's one of the marten sets I put out recently. Not as exciting as a wolf but it's fun to have an excuse to get out and hike.

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ddiwd33

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i basically hunt bears but not wolves or coyote, i dont hunt whatever that can turn the tide and start hunting me, some really good work here. Thumbs up ladies.
 
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SLDMTN

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Hanging to thaw in my messy shop. Quick size comparison before skinning them both.

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Very nice man! And what a lucky morning that was, pop up over the hill and a pack of wolves on the moose kill, incredible! Congrats, he looks great!
 
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SLDMTN

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Very nice man! And what a lucky morning that was, pop up over the hill and a pack of wolves on the moose kill, incredible! Congrats, he looks great!

Thanks man! It was definitely one of those days where things just fell into place better than I could have planned myself.
 
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SLDMTN

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Just left the taxidermist which I’m sad to say, they’re leaving the state. Great father and son team, honest hard workers. They gave me a foot skinning tutorial since I haven’t done any myself. I’m planning on rugging my wolf and bleaching the skull. When we cut the head off a huge chunk of moose meat fell out of the throat haha! Not what we were expecting, kinda took both of us by surprise.

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SLDMTN

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Well the trap works haha! I’m pulling my line close to the house since this squirrel is the only thing I’ve caught. Instead of running two lines, I’ll run one large line. It’s further away but there is definitely more sign out there.
 
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SLDMTN

SLDMTN

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Caught this neat little guy over the weekend. I’ve been battling snow for weeks now. Just the time I get my line cleared and reset, it snows another 4-5 inches. It’s supposed to clear up for awhile, I can only hope.

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