Lots of optimism this evening...

Well, today was a fun day and a sad day both...It was the birthday of one of Port Alsworth's loved ones we lost in the tragic airplane crash recently, and so there was that memory.  At church this morning I decided to join up with the McGees and set the burbot longline out in the lake.  We met up this afternoon and got the beast set in short order.  We didn't use the full length, but we can always lengthen it depending on how the first few days (or maybe week) goes.  Going to bring the video camera so that we can record the proceedings, as it was kind of fun to have the old rig back.  We used the same longline setup we used in Russian Mission (see past posts), this time with only 15 hooks soaking, but of course we didn't have to deal with the current here in the lake, so things were even easier.  Can't wait to check tomorrow...  Also, I saw tracks in the snow, and got word that another fox was back last night by the rabbit hutch of the neighbors.  Needless to say, I put in another set out in front of the house, and so there is much excitement in the air for morning to come so we can check on all things 'set'.  Looking forward to the coming day with gratitude and anticipation - but trying to shut out any expectation, as that is usually not wise or as fruitful.  I will say, though that there was blood involved today when setting the longline, and for those of you that have followed along, we all know what that implies...we shall see.  ;)

He did it!!

Well, that student I mentioned in the last post about the crazy fox day - has done it!!  His first fox is now a thing of the past.  I will not write his name here, as he is still one of my students, but may he trap throughout a long and happy life.  :)


We started by heading out to an area where he had some sets and snares out, and the fox sign was plentiful for sure - he was already in the right place.  It didn't take long and I spotted a nice cluster of spruce where we could employ one of my favorite snow sets I created while in Pilot Station - the "step-up Snowhole".  It uses an upslope to the trapper's advantage, just as a step-down-set employed by trappers everywhere, uses a down slope to get canines to commit.  Below is the finished set from a couple different angles, with some explanation:

We used an 'edge' where there was an open corridor of snow that separated a stand of spruce and some head high brush.  The fox were using this corridor as a through-way, the tracks in the snow told us.  :)  We 'roughed it up' (think 'catch circle') and made the set on a bank, using some dead spruce placed in a V as our backing.  These spruce chunks can come in handy, as the branches sticking out at all angles really help keep the canines from coming in the back or from angles you don't want them coming in from.  Just make sure to bust off anything that hinders their approach from the trap side.


Chip in a nice level bed for the trap and bed it solid, center of pan five inches out.  The trick is to place the trap and the shelf it sits on, the right distance from the hole so that the fox cannot investigate from below it (downslope) without committing, and cannot investigate without stepping up onto the pan in order to satisfy his curiosity. 


After just a few words of advice and some quick demos, I turned everything over to my student and he made the set himself.  He did it right, as two days later, he took his first fox out of this set.  :)




Congrats. Man!!! Hope to catch a lot more with you in the future!!!