How A Bowhunter Found His Trapping Niche

The following appears in the April issue of Alaska Sporting Journal:

BY BRIAN WATKINS

Winter in Alaska can be a long, arduous endeavor. Long nights and overcast days wear down the strongest of people. To circumvent depression, picking up winter hobbies is a must. Since moving to Alaska in 2010, I have played hockey, ridden snowmachines, skied and engaged in a plethora of other activities. For me, it’s a long break from hunting between November deer and spring bear. The lack of chase withers my spirit.

In 2020, a close friend of mine, Jon, picked up trapping. He lives in Chitina, about 250 road miles east of Anchorage, where there seems to be more predators to find. I watched him flourish into a successful trapper of lynx, wolverine, marten and ermine. I have always had a desire to trap, but the winter blues kept me from pursuing the task.

Jon was coming to Anchorage to “hit town” one weekend back in 2022. He knew I was interested in trapping, as I had asked him hundreds of questions, so he brought a box of snares over and said, “Figure it out.” That’s all it took for me to finally start a line of my own.

GIVING TRAPPING A SHOT

I put snares out without success. A line of pass-through sets and minimal tracks made for a tough first year. Where I decided to go, the lynx numbers were at a low and finding success was nearly impossible. But the trap was set for me to take it further.

In 2023, I built marten boxes, learned about marten habitat and set back out to continue my learning curve. I’m a YouTube learner and found successful trappers to follow. I built 10 marten boxes and headed out to try again.

Meanwhile, lynx numbers still haven’t recovered in the area, but they’re on the rise and I successfully trapped one last winter for the first time.

LEARNING TO READ TRACKS

I’ve always been told that trappers make great bowhunters. There is truth to that. You must have patience and focus to be a good trapper. It’s imperative to identify each track and figure out the travel route. Most of the animals I’ve tried trapping aren’t seen frequently. They hunt at night (marten) and are reclusive (lynx).

Identifying the tracks is a bit of a challenge where I’m at on the Kenai, as frequent snowfalls and mixed conditions often blend tracks into an indentation instead of a visible distinction. Still, I’ve learned about each animal and how their tracks lay out. Squirrels leave four imprints almost in a square formation. Weasels (marten and ermine) leave tracks in twos – front right and back left; front left and back right. Lynx walk staggered like bears. Cats don’t have nails in their tracks. Wolverines plow the snow a bit and have tracks that are staggered.

A CURE FOR CABIN FEVER

All of this has been a learning experience that whisks away the winter blues. I have a snowshoe line. I’ve opted for this over the snowmachine to get my workouts in and sweat out that pressing winter depression.

As I learn more, I grow eager to lengthen the line and explore new areas. I hit a new spot this year by looking at the forest canopy and finding marten habitat on the onX app. Once I found what looked good, I set out and found instant success.

If interested, you can also check out YouTube videos on how to set marten boxes. I put my boxes vertically on trees with a 120 Conibear at the entrance. I leave the back of the box open with chicken wire covering it. This way a marten can see through the box and is more likely to go into it.

I hang a piece of bait on the chicken wire. Being in the vertical position, it makes the marten lunge into the box for the bait, making for an easier catch. This is the same setup for ermine.

Every once in a while, I’ll make a set without a box and brush the back side of the bait in with twigs. This is a harder tactic; it’s susceptible to the weather and if not set up right, the target animals can get to the bait easier.

TRUSTED TACTICS

Personally, I only use snares and Conibears when trapping. I don’t have anything against footholds, but I am not able to check traps often enough to want an animal in a foothold.

In many states, there are laws for frequency of checking. In Pennsylvania, for example, it is every 36 hours. The traps I set are meant to kill an animal as quickly as possible.

NEXT GOALS

I have yet to trap a wolverine, but I have many sets out for them. I use a milk crate with a 330 Conibear across the front. I have caught marten in this set. My trapping area has very sporadic wolverine sign. About once a winter one will come through. Next year, I plan to try another part of the state with more wolverines. I hope this cure for winter blues brings more success. ASJ