MAY SPECIAL THINGS HAPPEN

look hard and you will see it....in the bottom left portion... you see its head and a little shoulder just below the bigger alder.

Sitting watching 300 small finch like birds eating the alder seed down on the Inklin River...... when all a sudden a little short tailed weasel popped up 3' from Bryan's skidoo.  It peered ..... jumped.....slid into the snow.... took another look at us....dived under the snow.... again couldn't believe it's eyes..... a real tourist...    It was within 8 ' of us still and looked at us on it's journey past ... up into the bush.  We were discussing this special event..... when here it was again.  It really couldn't believe it's eyes.
OUR WISH FOR YOU ALL..... THIS COMING YEAR.....MAY SPECIAL THINGS HAPPEN

I Can Hear the Plane Coming!!!!!

11 am Christmas Morning....the plane is in the centre  above the hills...your heart starts to bound.

A good landing

Guy and Elsie Anttila from Atlin in their new Super Cub    Guy Anttila's Big Game Hunts 

 Lots of Fresh veggies... and Guy and Elsie gave us a bottle of red wine and a doz and a half of beer plus an apple pie and a mince meat pie.  We are really living high on the hog tonight.  Had a fresh salad and smoked salmon for Christmas Dinner.  then a few beer and some wine.  A wonderful Day!!!!

Kaylee's First Christmas Santa picture

Seed Cataloques and a New BC Trapper Magazine

Henri's Cold Smoked Salmon

going over the photo's .... over and over again. 

Talking to Kim and Theresa by Sykpe

A Merry Christmas Wish for you all

Ken, Art, Steve, Brian, Evan, Cathie, Michael, Gregg, Matt & Kara, Nick, Gary, Mark, Ron, and all those we have not mentioned.....    WE GIVE YOU A BIG WAVE.......HAVE A GREAT CHRISTMAS SEASON.

Biggest Moon til 2020

Sure look like it to us. 

Tobagans/Skimmers

Have never seen the 10' Artic Mule Snowmobile Skimmer (MacKenzie freighter) made of fiberglass but looking at it on the net it wouldn't work for us here.  That skimmer would be fine on relatively flat ground doing long hauls but our trails are windy and steep hills.  The long 10' would have a hard time cornering between the big trees here.  Even our 800 Skandic couldn't pull that fiberglass one here for any distance without getting into lots of trouble.  Also to have to unhook the skimmer and turn it around would be hard with that heavy one.   Right now we have a light Trail Boggan 93" x 26" x 12" deep. We try to keep it lightly loaded with the heaviest stuff loaded right in the middle.  We also had trouble with snow and slush coming into the skimmer from the back of the skidoo.  How we fixed it was by putting a 3/8" sheet of plywood over the tongue and tracing the pattern 1" larger.  Then drill 5 or 6 holes in the plywood and wire it to the tongue (tried Nyties first but they don't last).  This turns into a great bench for loading the springs on conibears  etc. I put large loads of firewood it this skimmer and the sides bulge out..... but the next day all is back to normal.  I worry that the fiberglass might not be so forgiving in the cold.   If you find your skimmer still tippy lower the mounting of the tongue bars on the skimmer.  I had to do that with the smaller ....2 or 3 time the weight..... covered green Trapper skimmer).

Bottom side of tongue.

I'm surprised that no one has thought of a shock between the tongue and the front of the sled to stop the violent teeter tottering that happens out on the bumpy trail....  the front slams down and the back flips up.

Fan Cooler 2 Stroke vs the 600 OH/ACE 4 stroke Skidoos

.... here's more info for you to digest.
FAN COOLED 550 TUNDRA 2 STROKE
ADVANTAGES 

Cheaper
Lighter by 20 lbs plus 2 gals water  (the weight of 2 large chainsaws)
Will run and start up with stone dead battery because of pull start.
Will start in -30 or -40 cel
More power
Definitely a better hill climbing skidoo
Far less moving parts in the motor
Only have to add oil - never change it in the engine
DISADVANTAGES
Noisier
600 OH/ACE 4 STROKE TUNDRA
ADVANTAGES
Quieter
DISADVANTAGES
Is there a pull start??????
Far more complicated
Special tools to change oil
Also needs fairly expensive oil filter
May not start in below -30 (a real consideration if you're out overnight & it drops below -30 & won't start)
20 dry weight difference plus another 20 lbs of water
Can't leave idling...in milder weather they'll overheat if it sits and idles
Ask .... is it fan & radiator? or is it snow spray cooled somehow or both.  On packed trails no loose snow.
                    We have a 2009 Skandic 800 SWT 4 stroke & are totally happy with it, but there are a lot of
days when we will not take it out because of the snow conditions & temperature.
                     All I can say is that no body makes a perfect machine for all conditions.  This is why we have 3 different configurations.  The same reason you would have a 1 ton pick up, a suburban and a small car.

Snowmobile Performance..... 300 Rev Tundra vs new 550 Peg LegTundra

First of all I would like to point out that there is no overall snow machine.  They are like cars.  You have to fiqure out exactly what you expect from a machine before you buy it.  We have a 800 Skandic Super Wide track.  It's our 1 ton pick-up.  It will haul anything or tow anything but it's hard to handle.  In certain conditions it won't climb very good and when you're stuck..... you're really stuck.  It weights 800 lbs dry.
Then we have a Skidoo 550 Tundra super long track on Rev Platform.  It's a great machine and will go anywhere but again hard to handle, not relaxing ride, hard on fuel, weighs 460 lbs dry (making it manageable).  It's the best of our trail breakers.
Then we have the 2 300 Tundras on Rev platform with Macpherson strut suspension (dry weight 350 lbs).  These are not old machines.  We have a 2006 and then when we found out Bombardier was discontinuing this line in 2010,  we asked Satnam, the owner of Yukon Honda in Whitehorse to try to find a new 2009 for us.  With great difficulty and a lot of phone calls, he located own down south and freighted it up for us.  Also our good friend Ray, down south found and shipped up to us.... a great find....the engine, with total wiring harness including handlebars with all the goodies complete with glutch and shive  from a 300Tundra that the owner put a 550 into.  Now if something goes on either of the 300 Tundras we have parts which is really important out here because these machines all have to be flown out here in either the Beaver or Helicopter.
The single biggest factor with snowmoble performance is weight.  The two little Skidoo Tundra 300's are a pleasure to drive, they go anywhere , are quite capable of pulling a tobagon with 2 moose quarters in it but they have their limitations.  They will break trail in 2 ' of powder.... after that you will have trouble.  They are no good for doubling.  They won't keep up with the average groups of skidooers (especially in Alberta).  They are geared for 40 km but can top out at 80 km but you'll kill the engine if you keep it there.  But they use 1/3 of the fuel of the 550, making them not only economical but also almost impossible to burn a full tank of gas in a day.....for that matter even burning half a tank is hard). 
The new (really an old idea from the late 70's) 550 peg leg Tundra is cheaper to manufacture (probably why they went back).  Can you imagine this confirmation on a race car.  Also the right hand side is very hard to grease.  You have to remove the cowling (and on my 800, the muffler also) to get at the grease nibble on the right hand side.  The single advantage to the peg legs is they are far more durable encase you hit stumps or big rocks.  This is not a factor for us because we have removed those from our trapline trails also we very seldom go faster than 20 km on our twister, windy step trails which is when the Macpherson struts really shine.  If you buy a Bombardier get the mechanic to show you all the grease nipples.  Bearing failure on the track drive shaft opposite the chain case is common because the grease nipple is hidden.
In my opinion the 550 Tundra with peg legs is closest to the most all round machine of the new bunch out there.  It's very easy to ride but not great for really windy trails like ours.

A Visual Treat. The Northern Lights Nov 2007

These were taken the fall we first came here,  at about 11pm.  The show lastest for 2 hours.  They are not that common here.  Usually more north east of us.  We did not have a computer the first year here, so these were from the photo's printed out in town the following spring.

It's The Lifestyle

It's not about the amount of fur a trapper takes..... for most it is all about the lifestyle.  The being out in the bush each day, the solitude, the quietness, the piece of mind.  Hearing a woodpecker tapping or the Boreol owl.... you stop what you're doing and listen.  Each day brings something different. 
There is little waste out here.
You use your food sparingly.
You fix what breaks down.
Warm/Dry clothes are what counts and not how fancy they are.
You darn your socks and mend that shirt.  And make it into rags when all else fails.
You use water with the respect it deserves.
We're lucky because we worked hard for along time and now can do what we really want to do.  Trapping is a good way of life for a lot of Canadians and Americans. The money from selling furs to other countries is NEW money into Canada and not the same old recycled tax payers dollars.  The money from selling furs adds to our Gross National Product.  We are proud to tell people we are trappers.  It is a lot more honest an occupation than most can say.     
 Hello to Ron..... thanks for your big wave.

Vertical Marten Boxes

Many trappers use vertical Marten boxes.  With all of the trappers I know of, the trap is placed in the bottom of the box suspended by 4   1 1/2 to 2" nails, forcing the Marten or Weasel to approach by climbing up the tree or circling the box  (a feat that only nuthatches and woodpeckers can accomplish...ha,ha).  The bait and trap are hidden inside the box.  The whiskey jacks wings would probably hit the sides of the box before it reached the trap 4" inside.   In a recent trapping mag I saw someone has decided to put the trap on top of the box with the bait underneath.  This method could definitely catch non-targeted species.  We have never caught a bird using vertical sets.  We do catch the odd squirrel or fox.  Another plus of these boxes is that the trap is wired to a branch away from the tree and so when the trap goes off it falls away from the tree and is suspended away from other Marten, mice, voles, and weasels.

Caught our tame rabbit

I'd set a couple of snares on a trail about 100' behind our cabin to try to catch a fox that  is just coming too close to our new kitten.  With the new snow yesterday ...... I caught our rabbit that was seen around the yard here all fall.  I put a bag over it's head and held his feet between my knees and got the snare off.  It was screaming at me.  I put it into the outside chicken pen with some carrot scraps.... The next day we opened the door to the great outside and when we returned from the trapline you could see it's tracks going under this place and then that.  It even went back into the chicken house to see if there were more carrot scrapes.  I took the two snare sets down.

His Shadow is Back

It's to be a short day.... it's 1pm and we'll be back by dark.

 We always hug the shore.  This lake is know for overflow on the ice ever time it snows..... when you're stuck in the overflow for half a day trying to get out you learn to play it safe.

The Narrows back behind us

Upright marten boxes  (keeps whisky jacks out of traps)

3 1/4" common nail

Use another nail as measurement, then nail it in.

 Upright marten box has predrilled holes that fit over the two nails.  Takes less than a minute to put one up.

The Marten feet make great stinky bobs.  They can be used over and over again.

Bryan is checking the ice with his chainsaw.  lake is 15'deep here .... it is 6 to 7" ... so it's a go

Lots of warm springs flow into the lake all winter

Only 6" of snow....Bryan had to run my skidoo up the bank

Lots of dry grass (which we collect in the fall) makes great camouflage

Wentnorthcreations.... I'm going to order a pair but I'm still making up my mind. Have fun looking

www.etsy.com/shop/wentnorthcreations

Luxcurious Lynx with black rabbit cuff   275.00

Beaver with rabbit cuff and Moose hide

Canvas Mukluks

I think this is Beaver with either Lynx or rabbit cuff????

These Otter mittens are sold but Kara will take orders

There's a young women "Kara" up in Faro, Yukon who follows our Blog and she has great mittens, canvas mukluks....also both in childrens sizes.... that she has made in her home while raising two mischievous boys, Hunter and Cavan.    You'll be happy that you checked out the above site.  Most of her mittens are half the price others are asking for.  I believe  90.00 to 150 US for mittens. The Lynx mittens being an exception because of it's expense.... Kara is asking 275.00 US for those.  Also Kara will make up exactly what you want....

Marten Bags it's Lunch

By candlelight the days happenings are told.... hopefully soon it will be the both of us out there again.

 You would think the Marten would eat it were it killed the rabbit..... but No..... it dragged it along the river for 300ft , then up a steep bank onto the sand bar and then 1/2 km down our trail.  Sometimes dragging it on the left side, sometimes on the right side.  He'd eaten some then continued to drag it .  The last I saw of the tracks were under a brush pile where the Marten had had lunch.  Then off he dragged the rest into the bush.  No way was he leaving it stashed.

TREATS

When you're back of beyond you have to treat alot of  "TAKEN FOR GRANTED STUFF"  like:
                 Gas, Batteries, Toilet Paper, Apples, Butter, Pepsi, Coffee, Canned Ham
                                   AS TREATS!!!!  Use a little and you'll still have some in May.
                                   Because when you're OUT..... YOU"RE REALLY OUT!!!

                  Now you might say...."Bring in More..... but it's the storing of all that stuff.

  You learn to only use the generator when absolutely needed.   The coffee is just 1/4 cup in a large coffee pot.  The canned ham is divided into 3 parts and two are frozen.  The apples get sorted every 3 weeks.  The toilet paper.....use half what you think you need each time.  The pepsi.... 12 cans last over the whole time.
Keep the butter just for bread, potatoes and veggies.  Use Crisco for everything else calling for butter/marg.

Saturday night treat.  Right one is canned ham and Pineapple.  Left is canned chicken with Barbecue Sauce

 Treats like Pizza, Chinese food, Hamburger Buns, Wine, Beer..... you have to learn to make yourself.
 

                                                                 

Checking the Lake Ice

Bryan is on the far shore hugging the bank.

 Today Bryan headed out to check how the ice was forming on the lake.  What he does is skidoo a bit and then walk ahead on  the ice along the shore and checks the depth of the ice with his chainsaw then continues on skidooing.  It was 4" for along way but then he had to stop because even the Wolverine tracks showed that it was unsafe.  The weather this year has been no snow and only got cold a few times.  Today is -21 Cel and it is suppose to be -1 tomorrow. 

-21 on a skidoo makes your beard go really white

A Beautiful blond Marten with black tail