Yukon Trapline & Hunt 2010 News

April 15, 2010

  Hi all - Joel and I have just finished our wolf management / caribou enhancement program for this winter (see the photo album). We were able to get assistant trapping licences on a couple of new lines so were able to cover most of the Coal and Hyland River system. The great news is that we took in excess of 30 wolves. On Ruth's new line in the extreme north we took 4 wolves, leaving just one. This caribou herd needed help and this will do it. The calf survival should be up in the 30-40% range which is what we are looking for. A survival rate of 20-25% means that the herd is stable or slowly declining.

  We were able to trap the Taffie Creek (Hyland River) area as well. We almost exterminated 2 wolf packs, leaving one animal in each. This will help the Ceaser Lake caribou herd as well as the Taffie Creek moose. We saw tracks where the caribou were already coming in. I'm not sure if this was because there was very little snow this year or if they heard somehow that the wolves were gone.

  On my line where I've been working the wolves for years and have probably the best moose populations in the Yukon, I caught 7 wolves. The normal is 3 or 4 but a big pack moved in from an adjacent area and we hammered them. We have some excellent wolf pelts for sale now - please call if you're interested in wolf, wolverine or lynx pelts.

  Spring Bear - the first hunt starts around May 6th, just when the ice is leaving the river. This hunt is by jet boat on the Coal, Hyland and Rock Rivers. The bears are right on the rivers' edge as this is the greenest place so we just take the boat upstream and then float back home. This is an easy hunt and doesn't require one to be in good shape. On the late next hunt we use the boat plus Argo and cover the high country. The bears are in the mating process plus they are hunting caribou calves so they are more in the open where we can glass for them. One should be in good shape for this hunt as when they are spotted we often have to really move to catch them. Dates are late May and early June. These are 14-day hunts and cost $6,000 with a harvest fee of another $6,000 when the grizz is taken.

  I have one sheep hunt August 13th to 24th still open. On this hunt you will be flown into Dendale Lake and go by four-wheeler (it will carry all the gear) to the sheep camp which is about an 8-hour trip. We usually split this up. The day you fly in we pack right up, go about 4 hours and then set up camp. Next day we have another 4-hour hike to Shed camp where we start hunting. The area has very close to 100% success. Hunt cost is $16,000 for the sheep. There are also moose, caribou and bear to hunt if one wishes. These are on a harvest fee basis of $5,000, $4,000 and $6,000 respectively.

  I do have one goat hunt open August 24th to September 4th. This is a horseback hunt in very good goat and caribou country. Cost is $9,000 for the billy or caribou, with harvest fees on other animals the same as above.

  Now for moose hunts. We have had an easy winter with less than half the normal amount of snow plus we have removed a lot of wolves so the moose will have had an easy winter. This means they will have the energy to grow good antlers. I fully expect some really big racks this year.

  The first two openings (September 15th to 21st) will have you being the first to hunt the area for at least one year and in some cases for 3 or 4 years. This hunt produced our largest moose in '09, two of which were over 60 inches. A great hunt in prime moose country at the beginning of the rut.

  The early October hunt (1st to 7th) is one I recommend for bow hunters, as the bulls are easiest to call in. This hunt often produces our biggest bulls.

  The last opening is October 7th to 17th. Another great moose hunt plus the best chance for a grizzly. You will start hunting by boat, checking all the gut piles from the earlier hunts. If the weather turns cold you will switch to an Argo or ATV and hunt the mountains where Joel last year saw 20 moose in 2 days. This hunt is 3 days longer than the earlier hunts so gives you more options.

  The moose hunts all cost $13,500 with harvest fees of $6,000 for grizzly bears and $1,200 for wolves, wolverine and black bear.