Winter Holidays

[treefrog]

Been away from the forum for a few days, out to the hunt camp for some quality alone time. I promised myself to get out there for a good part of this
winter to get a proper amount of firewood stashed away, and with any time left over I'd like to get at least part of my trapline set up. Here's some
video I took; it's not very concise and to the point but I'm working on that...



https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=_lxDgIDLTLs

[BJ]

Really interesting video, thanks for sharing, I will look forward to some more of this.
T^
BJ

[AL...]

Fantastic Vid TF please keep them commin mate .
Its a beautiful wee camp ye have there.

Cheers
AL

[treefrog]

Thanks, guys. I wouldn't let you off that easy...there's lots more of listening to me talk:

Right after I shot this we got a big snowfall, more vid later. The last 4 short clips contain wolves howling;
around suppertime Wednesday they were real close, although they seem miles away on the audio.
Some of you guys with better computers and speakers may be able to hear it well.(?)



https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=jKVJdav3z3Y

[BJ]

You can feel the isolation coming through from the video, great stuff.
BJ

[AL...]

Pure magic !!
I could just hear the Wolves with the earphones on.

Cheers
AL

[JonnyP]

Thanks TF.. I enjoyed them vids. Nice play ground you have there. I just heard the howls with the speakers up. It must be eerie hearing it in real life when alone in the woods.

[Chubbs]

Great vids Treefrog, keep them coming.

[Tony1948]

Great vids T-F.Have a good Xmass Bud and you be careful out there.

[treefrog]

Merry Christmas guys and thanks for all the nice comments. I'm back home relaxing for a couple days over Christmas; heading back to camp later in the week I hope.
After I shot the first 2 clips we got a fairly big snowfall, so I got to test out the snowshoes. I have just a few more minutes of video to torture you with if you
have the patience...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=OwpODTLZp_8

[JonnyP]

I bet Martin could help you sort out that GPS.
I guess because I was not brought up in a Country with wolves n bears, I would feel uncomfortable or apprehensive being alone in deep forest with lots of wolf tracks around me.. I know when you know their habits and ways you can use it to your advantage n all that but its not something I know too much about, so its good for me to see what you are up to out there.
When I go out in the woods, I am totally comfortable, and I love that feeling, but if I was in the Canadian woods, I would not be too comfortable (with my current knowledge) out there.
I am thinking you look comfortable, so I can learn from you, so keep up the vids please :0)

I hope that all made sense.. A few wines here too. Happy Christmas eh :0)

[JonnyP]

I bet Martin could help you sort out that GPS.
I guess because I was not brought up in a Country with wolves n bears, I would feel uncomfortable or apprehensive being alone in deep forest with lots of wolf tracks around me.. I know when you know their habits and ways you can use it to your advantage n all that but its not something I know too much about, so its good for me to see what you are up to out there.
When I go out in the woods, I am totally comfortable, and I love that feeling, but if I was in the Canadian woods, I would not be too comfortable (with my current knowledge) out there.
I am thinking you look comfortable, so I can learn from you, so keep up the vids please :0)

I hope that all made sense.. A few wines here too. Happy Christmas eh :0)

Forgot.. I was out away from the cabin on my own in North Sweden Wilderness a few years ago in September, when I saw this... (I went straight back to the cabin, pronto). Its not fresh, but it made me think..

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s188/jonpickett/Bearpoo.jpg

[treefrog]

Hey Jonny, thank you for liking the vids...the gps is a Garmin Dakota and sure, if anyone has some shortcuts to help me use the darn thing, I'm listening.
As for the wolves, no danger there; the problem is getting a glimpse of one; they're shy and wary. Now wine sounds like a great idea, in fact I think I'll pour me a brandy.
Merry C.

Jack

P.S, nice bear rubbish photo.....

[JonnyP]

Hey Jonny, thank you for liking the vids...the gps is a Garmin Dakota and sure, if anyone has some shortcuts to help me use the darn thing, I'm listening.
As for the wolves, no danger there; the problem is getting a glimpse of one; they're shy and wary. Now wine sounds like a great idea, in fact I think I'll pour me a brandy.
Merry C.

Jack

P.S, nice bear rubbish photo.....

Guess I have read Jack London too much.
Brandy.. Nice. I am about to toast a very generous member of this forum with some very nice single malt Scotch Whisky he kindly sent me.. Cheers David slainte mhath :0)

[treefrog]

Snow is now ruling my life. Just got back from some trail-making and cutting a bit of firewood. The scenery sure is pretty now with all the snow...

http://i390.photobucket.com/albums/oo345/barefoot_01/trapping008_zps72ee6374.jpg


http://i390.photobucket.com/albums/oo345/barefoot_01/trapping009_zps953f3d88.jpg


http://i390.photobucket.com/albums/oo345/barefoot_01/trapping012_zps143834d5.jpg




A few more minutes of vid; there's a few seconds of sound missing near the end, but it's just me talking as usual with very little to say..
(And Happy New Year, everyone!)...





https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=G4ow6W4EPnc

[CanadianMike]

Looks like a lot of that man made global warming I had to use the snowblower on in the past week. What was it, about 70cm we got over the course of a week?

[treefrog]

Looks like a lot of that man made global warming I had to use the snowblower on in the past week. What was it, about 70cm we got over the course of a week?

Yup, and light snow on top of wet snow...made it particularly ignorant to shovel, eh?

[JonnyP]

I agree about keeping the handle rough. I have very dry builders hands and had an axe slip out of my grip once, so I have roughed up the handles on some of my axes with a rasp.
Happy new year chap.. May you not break stuff next year eh..

[AL...]

Lovin the vids TF yer livin my dream there mate . :D

Have a happy ney Year

Cheers
AL

[CanadianMike]

Yup, and light snow on top of wet snow...made it particularly ignorant to shovel, eh?

Wasn't so bad with the snowblower, end of the driveway was a pain at times though.

[treefrog]

Lovin the vids TF yer livin my dream there mate . :D

Have a happy ney Year

Cheers
AL

Thanks, Al, and Happy New Year to you too. Let's hope we can make another trip around the sun without this planet falling apart, eh.

[treefrog]

Wasn't so bad with the snowblower, end of the driveway was a pain at times though.


A squire such as yourself should have staff to handle those chores...

[AL...]

With ye there mate :)

Cheers
AL

[CanadianMike]

A squire such as yourself should have staff to handle those chores...

I am staff, I did it for my girlfriend, is her house. Hehe, but it IS a powertool, so therefore...... grunt grunt grunt! ;)

[CanadianMike]

Finally finished the video Jack, enjoyed it. Always get a kick out of your laid back style and ease of talking, reminds me of the day you picked up your wife's Scout knife and the chats we had. Hehe, how's that doing anyways?

[treefrog]

Mike, I managed to pocket the scout knife before the summer camp gear went away; so as soon as I get around to eliminating some beaver I'll post
a video of the knife in action. My big problem now is I can't get out onto the ponds ...2 feet of snow and 2 inches of ice. Maybe I'll try setting at a
couple ponds that have shore houses. Staying home yesterday and today; Sharon's got a big new year meal going for tonight. Maybe I'll sneak away
tomorrow if this chest cold behaves itself.

[Tigger004]

Great Videos TF, From my perspective it's great to see stuff other than what I'm familiar with, I spent some time camping in northern Idaho with some local relatives,
I'm sure I was wide eyed a lot due to the unfamiliar surroundings, animals and noises. You say your vids are unstructured, I find them absorbing and dream of being there, keep 'em coming
A chest cold doesn't sound fun when work is tuff, take care out there. jeff

[treefrog]

Thanks for the positive feedback, Jeff. Idaho is a place I'd love to visit. Watch this space, I'll be back in a few days!
Jack

[treefrog]

This weather has been all over the place...been mostly on firewood detail, but managed to snag a couple beavers in my spare time.

I need to set the resolution higher on the camera; the indoor videos are nasty quality. This is a waterproof camera, so nothing can be done about the poor sound...




https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=tnbcGvkQ1NU





http://i390.photobucket.com/albums/oo345/barefoot_01/trapping009_zps12baecd1.jpg

[AL...]

Great vid as always :D
This may be a dumb question Jack . But dont you eat the bever meat? ....... (No snigering at the back there)


Cheers
AL

[treefrog]

Great vid as always :D
This may be a dumb question Jack . But dont you eat the bever meat? ....... (No snigering at the back there)


Cheers
AL

You're right, Al. Beaver meat is quite good (needs to be slow cooked). The larger beaver I got was destined for the pot, but the hind end was scarred and brutalised
with wounds from a previous tangle with wolves or another predator, so I decided to give the coyotes a treat. During mink season, beaver meat also makes good bait.
Jack

[CanadianMike]

I've been told beaver actually tastes like beef..........

[treefrog]

I've been told beaver actually tastes like beef..........

Yup, and looks like beef too.

[AL...]

Cool . bet the Yote's were well happy with a free supper :)
keep the vids commin jack they are fantastic.

Cheers
AL

[JonnyP]

Fascinating..! I didn't realise that beavers were so big. I take it you cannot use your hand to prise the skin away from the body, like you can with a rabbit..?
Do you eat any of the beaver at all..?
I will be interested to see how you scrape the skin.. I have done some skins before (not beaver) and its a job I do not want to do again, but I was probably using the wrong tools.
Thats a very neat job you did there. I can see how the stretching board works. Are the legs (skin) still attached, or do you cut them off..?
Sorry, loads of questions..

I sharpen one of my moras on ceramic rods like what you got. It strengthens the edge having the secondary bevel and *should* still be ok for skinning.

Ignore that about eating.. I wrote this earlier n forgot to post

[Tony1948]

Ha Jonny you want watch this guy his trapping is brillant,he trapes allsorts and skins them out,his YT name is The WildNorth https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEpTuyBArWM

[treefrog]

Cool . bet the Yote's were well happy with a free supper :)
keep the vids commin jack they are fantastic.

Cheers
AL

Yeah Al, I always feel a bit sorry for the poor devils, must be a tough life in the winter; nice to treat them once in a while.

[treefrog]

Johnny, there is another way of skinning a beaver called rough-skinning. It's basically just pulling the hide off real quick...leaves a whole lot of rubbish
attached and a major scraping job you must do afterward. My preference is the clean-skinned method with minimal scraping. I'll try to post a vid of the tacking out and scraping part of it next time.
As for the ceramic rods, maybe I'll take your advice and try the mora on them. Truth be told, it's the knife that I carry on my hip and use for everything
and it is most often quite dull because I never have time for sharpening. I bought it last spring to replace my old one which I just retired to kitchen duty,
and I gotta say I think the steel in the new one is inferior to the old one... rusts and goes dull quicker.

[treefrog]

Ha Jonny you want watch this guy his trapping is brillant,he trapes allsorts and skins them out,his YT name is The WildNorth https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEpTuyBArWM

Thanks for posting that one, Tony. Maybe I can learn something from this guy. I have a problem at one of the ponds...it's too deep and I can't find the entrances to the house so they
keep evading my traps. I can't bear to give up and let them win; maybe a snare pole is my next trick.

[GlenM]

Just read this for the first time.....great thread Jack....:)

Glen

[treefrog]

Just read this for the first time.....great thread Jack....:)

Glen

Thanks, Glen. I'm home for the next couple days, then back out there on the weekend; hopefully this thaw we're having is gonna deplete the snow by a foot or more.

[treefrog]

So we've had epic snow, then 3 days of major thaw, now into the deep freeze. No snowshoes needed since the thaw, so I got out for a good
couple days of exploration...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=GhVm4bWKoNQ




https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=FL3g8KL7fIA

[AL...]

Wonderful stuff Jack I realy do love theese vids keep them commin :)
Ive done the same thing with my rifle too. man its anoying

Cheers
AL

[BJ]

Beautiful clear sky over the trees. These videos are addictive I've watched them several times and even have a better insight into trapping (all new to me) thanks for sharing.
BJ

[treefrog]

Thanks lads, hope to get another vid or 2 before I have to call it quits for the season.

Jack

[JonnyP]

Loving the vids TF :0)

[treefrog]

A week of -20 has put several good inches of ice on the ponds...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=rzYPv_MXayc

[AL...]

Fantastic stuff jack :)
Bit strange on the Ice dropping like that though! Never thought that would happen


Cheers
AL

[treefrog]

Fantastic stuff jack :)
Bit strange on the Ice dropping like that though! Never thought that would happen


Cheers
AL
Yeah, can't figure it out..
There's some outflow at the dam that must be enough to change the water levels. Usually the beavers are quite sensitive to winter water levels
because it could theoretically freeze them out if the access runways into the house get too low. Maybe this is a colony of beavers who just aren't
too bright...

[JonnyP]

T^

[treefrog]

It's been very strange winter weather this year; have to change the game plan every few days...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Zkg69TQnBCE





I have one last clip to upload, but no time to do it right now... back soon.

[AL...]

Amazing stuff Jack and its the first time Ive seen a .22 used to whittle a stick haha.
Keep them commin mate they are fantastic . Stay safe out there mate.

Cheers
AL

[treefrog]

Amazing stuff Jack and its the first time Ive seen a .22 used to whittle a stick haha.
Keep them commin mate they are fantastic . Stay safe out there mate.

Cheers
AL

Thanks, Al. A bit of construction work starting to trickle in so the traps may get pulled sooner than I hoped.
Meanwhile, here's the tail end of the video....




https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=RVLfE_3tJuk

[Tigger004]

Fasinating stuff, it's great you find the time and make the effort to keep us updated. keep 'em coming

[treefrog]

Thanks, Tigger. I hope to get out to the northwest corner of the trapline this coming week and post some pics of that...

[treefrog]

Just when you thought I couldn't possibly find anything more to say...;)



https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=gbnsAM0N5Mk

[AL...]

Once again jack a great vid . And thanks for the Shout mate
great job on the sheath . Thats my kinda work :D

Cheers
AL

[Tony1948]

Brilliant vidio's Jack(treefrog No1) keep em coming.T^

[JonnyP]

If you are having trouble sharpening Jack, I highly recommend the Spyderco Sharp maker. It would get a superb edge back on your knives, its really easy to use. It does cost a bit though. Here is a vid of a guy doing a demo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48UZT7uskqg
I think your new knife is rusting because its new and has not got a patina on it yet. Have a look at this http://www.naturalbushcraft.co.uk/kit/reviews/forcing-a-patina-on-bushcraft-knives.html

Do you get many musk rats over there..?

[treefrog]

Thanks for the links, Jonny. I agree that spyderco thingy looks like something that would fit nicely in the skinning shack...:D.
And I will try doing a vinegar soak with that knife blade, too.

As for the muskrats, the first fur auction of the year here in Ontario was on Jan 9th. There were 46,000 muskrat pelts sold; 3 more auctions to go this winter.
So yeah, no shortage of them for sure...

BTW, thanks Al & Tony for the support; now that I've seen the auction prices for beaver(down) and muskrat(up), I may do a little muskrat trapping vid...
meanwhile we have a snowstorm coming so I'm gonna be a wimp and let it blow through before I hit the line again.

[Tigger004]

as ever very enjoyable and watched with envy

[treefrog]

A couple final videos.....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Glpi3r8YzGc




http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=oAPkYpwTA9M

[JonnyP]

Thanks for doing all them vids this Winter. Really interesting stuff, and I like your very laid back style.
Nice tribute to Al :0)

[rawfish111]

Very nice too! I've not seen Beaver traps before so very interesting.

Excellent videos!

[treefrog]

Thanks guys, soon I'll be bundling up all the hides and shipping them off to the auction in North Bay. I'll try to remember to take some pics of the
finished pelts.
Jack

[BJ]

Well Jack, having followed your winter holiday serials, I have enjoyed every one very much and I hope you do really well at the auctions. It's been a huge pleasure .
http://yoursmiles.org/tsmile/say/t2923.gif (http://yoursmiles.org/t-say.php).

I will look forwards to the next instalments

[CanadianMike]

Hehe, Jack, i picked up the same sled at Canadian Tire a few weeks ago while on sale, handy to keep my camping gear in strapped down and it fits in the back of my 4Runner easy. Be a good one to haul my gear up the hills at Lake Clear on the island, figure year round use might be handy, even if it get scuffed up.

[treefrog]

Well Jack, having followed your winter holiday serials, I have enjoyed every one very much and I hope you do really well at the auctions. It's been a huge pleasure .
http://yoursmiles.org/tsmile/say/t2923.gif (http://yoursmiles.org/t-say.php).

I will look forwards to the next instalments

Thanks a lot, BJ. I'd rather be staying on the line right through till spring, but not being independently wealthy, I must get back to work...:mad:
Glad you enjoyed my little Blair Witch Project ...will do my best to produce some more outdoor adventure videos.

Jack

[treefrog]

Hehe, Jack, i picked up the same sled at Canadian Tire a few weeks ago while on sale, handy to keep my camping gear in strapped down and it fits in the back of my 4Runner easy. Be a good one to haul my gear up the hills at Lake Clear on the island, figure year round use might be handy, even if it get scuffed up.

Yup, dual purpose for me too; bungees right nicely onto the rack on the quad bike for use as a chainsaw box...

[Tony1948]

Hi Jack just seen the last vid,nice one,had a drink on AL ,he wont be forgotton on ere(RIP)and a mention of my blades thanks.Hay bud I'm not trying to teech you how to suck eggs have a look at the guy on the wildnorth on youtube he use's them 3-30 traps above ground to trap lynx and wolverine and the smaller ones for martin and mink he puts them in boxes,mite be abale to earn a bit more next seasan.Hay bud it sounds like I now wot I'm talking about liveing here in south east england where an inch of snow brings the place to a stand still.Have a good one Jack Atb ..........TONY.

[treefrog]

Hi Jack just seen the last vid,nice one,had a drink on AL ,he wont be forgotton on ere(RIP)and a mention of my blades thanks.Hay bud I'm not trying to teech you how to suck eggs have a look at the guy on the wildnorth on youtube he use's them 3-30 traps above ground to trap lynx and wolverine and the smaller ones for martin and mink he puts them in boxes,mite be abale to earn a bit more next seasan.Hay bud it sounds like I now wot I'm talking about liveing here in south east england where an inch of snow brings the place to a stand still.Have a good one Jack Atb ..........TONY.

Hey Tony, if only I had a cabin in NWT!! Down here we haven't got too many wolverines & lynx like he does; I think my licence has a zero quota on those two animals.
I like beaver and muskrat trapping because: a)there's millions of them around here and b) they're a lot easier to trap than predators.
We do have a hell of a big population of coyotes and wolves, but our wolves don't fetch near the money that the arctic wolves get, unfortunately. Besides that, I would
have to be dying and waxing the traps and snares and using lures and scents, and I don't really have the patience for that. Lots of trappers in this area get big numbers
of predators, but I think they're more motivated than I am!
I usually do go for mink in the fall (November), but got a late start this year due to too much work.
I subscribed to Andrew's channel and I think he does a hell of a job with a big trapline like that..he must get up early and go to bed late...
Keep up the good work on those knives, buddy, and thanks for tuning in...
Jack.

[CanadianMike]

Andrew (and Charlie) are too much fun to watch. Don't care too much for the trapping videos, but the fishing and general bumming around doing stuff vids are great, especially his cursing Charlie out for being an ******* for being too hyper to grab the fish he just caught, or whatever. Lol, good stuff, love his accent too, typical Canadian!