Bush Camp Mouse Traps

This was sent to us by one of our loyal Followers... 
We used to get Mazola cooking oil in cans and the handles were crosswise on the top.  Dad took one and cut the top off.  He cut about a two inch strip, lengthwise out of the top which included the handle.  He cut one end of the strip a little shorter than the other.  He soldered the top of the handle upside down on one end of the can so the tin strip could pivot on the handle with the short end out over the open can.  He would bait this end but we found we didn't need even to do that.  He would set the can on the floor or counter up against something the mice could climb up to get onto the tin strip. 
When they walked out on the tin strip, it would over balance and they would drop into the can. Even though the can was only about a foot high, they couldn't jump out of it.  
Now thinking about it, you could use one of those camp fuel can handles the same way.  Just screw another strip of tin or a stick onto it crosswise.  You can put bait either on the stick or in the can.  I imagine that a deer mouse could jump out of it though.  Or you could use a piece of stovepipe or two cans fastened together, end to end to make it deeper.  The tin or stick though, should be balanced just enough to swing back up into the horizontal position, so the mouse couldn't be able to jump and grab a hold of it and it is ready for the next mouse.
You have to work the handle enough, so that the tin pivots easily and will come back to the horizontal.  Mice are very curious and will run out onto the tin with or without bait.  Bait in the can will make them even more curious to see if they can get it.
(Now Bryan would laugh at the next sentence but Vikki left it out.  She likes her Cat and it already has lots of fun.... thank you)
I also used to go to the rail yard and sweep grain out of boxcars for chicken feed.  I had an old ten gallon barrel with one end cut out of it.  It was in a shed and there was a little grain left in the bottom.  I found mice trapped in there too.  They again, couldn't jump out.  "Build a Better Mousetrap"   Ha Ha.
From us.   Thanks for the contribution.  We also use a big white 5 gallon bucket.  Lay a thin stick or branch with a opened tin can threaded thru the stick.  Put some peanut butter on the tin can.  Put the white bucket up near something that they travel on.  They walk out on the stick and jump on the tin can which rolls, tipping them into the bucket.   Bought Mice Traps are only good for one catch and have to be emptied.  They are no good for a cabin left for months and months at a time.  
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Easy Pizza in Bush Camp.... wonderful!!!

Now everyone loves Pizza and it is easy to do.  I always make up to large cookie sheets full.
One is always Ham and Pineapple.  The other is Deluxe Supreme....  These slices can be wrapped separately and Bryan can heat them up in the Line Cabins or on the trail.

EASY PIZZA DOUGH (This recipe is for one.... I double it.)
1 cup warm water
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp yeast
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp olive oil (you can use veg)
Mix above with whisk.  Add 1 1/2 cup flour and stir until smooth.  Add another 1 1/4 cup flour to make a stiff dough.  Let stand covered for 45 min in warm spot.  Spread on oiled pans. If you are in a real hurry you don't even need to let it stand for the 45 min.  Just spread on the toppings and bake in 375 F or 190 C for 18 to 20 min.

PIZZA SAUCE
5 1/2 oz ( 156 ml) can of Tomato Paste
1 tsp (5 ml) dried sweet basil
1/2 tsp (2 ml) " oregano
1 garlic cut and minced or 1/2 tsp (2 ml) garlic powder
Salt and Pepper

HAM AND PINEAPPLE PIZZA
Open one can of Ham and slice thinly
Open a can of Pineapple and drain.  Save the juice for something else.  
Divide Pizza Sauce in half and spread on dough that has been pushed flat by your fingers onto the large cookie sheet.  Top with ham and then the pineapple.  put a light sprinkle of Mozzarella or Cheddar cheese.   Bake at 375 F or 190 C for 18 to 20 min.

DELUXE SUPREME PIZZA
Cut up Garlic Sausage, ( You can also use cooked ground Moose instead of Sausage.) Open a can of sliced Mushrooms, cut up some onions, open a can of sliced Black Olives, add Red Peppers and Tomatoes if you have them.
Spread Pizza Sauce on top of finger flatten pizza dough on a large cookie sheet.  Top with the above.  Sprinkle some cheese on top and Bake at 375 F or 190 C for 18 to 20 min.

CHICKEN PIZZA
Open canning jar of Chicken Thighs,  can of sliced Mushrooms, onions, Red pepper (if you have it).  Chicken and Rib's Sauce.    Sprinkle cheese and bake as above.

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Study where the animals cross....

You have to become very observant and remember or mark it.  Even though it is not the same Lynx, Wolverine, Fox, Marten, Fisher or Wolf,  they use the same routes.  
Over time that is why some trappers are so much better than new trappers.  
Over our 6 years here, we know that that ridge is were the Fishers cross and so we do not put a Marten set near there.  We do not intentionally go after Fishers.  We sometimes get one a year down near the River but there are lots down there.  
Lynx also are always found in certain areas.  You have to find the large Rabbit populated areas.
The Wolves know all their travel routes.  When they separate they all know the meeting spots.  They know they are heading up off that lake. down that pass, then over to that River and up it and so and so and so.  When you see the packs tracks over on Walkers Valley you know they are heading thru the pass down towards the lower Taku River.  They do the same thing once or twice a winter.  They always check out that certain Beaver pond.  Down near the Rivers you can see the Wolves always check out the active side bank Beavers...
Marten like to pass on the narrows where there are lots of trees on both sides.  You very seldom see their tracks why out in an open spot.  The hawks and Owls are waiting.   On rivers there are area of 100 ft to 150 ft where the Marten cross.  Then miles where no Marten tracks are seen.  
If you see Marten tracks  put your box there.   There are areas where we only see female Marten tracks and so no boxes are placed any where near that crossing. 
Wolverine always travel on one side of the lake here.  Down near Windy Pond there is a Wolverine crossing and so it goes on and on.  You have to be observant.  We use different flagging tape to remind us if it is a hard spot to remember. 
 PLEASE KEEP VOTING FOR BRYAN'S GRANDDAUGHER LEA'S CANADA POST STAMP DESIGN...    VOTE MANY TIMES A DAY.  PUSH THE RED HEART AND IT WILL SAY THANK YOU. 

Moose Burgers.... Great with those White Buns

Remember Vikki made White Buns two days ago.  Well, it means we can have Burgers.
MOOSE HAMBURGERS
1 lb ground Moose
First mix 1 egg, 1 cup rolled oats, salt and pepper, 3 dashs Tabasco Sauce or Red Chilli Sauce, 1  Tbsp Worchestershire Sauce, 1 Tbsp Mustard.   Let this sit for 5 minutes to soften Oaks.  
Finely cut up 1/2 cup onion.  add Parsley flakes.  
Mix all the above.  
Add 1 Tbsp Olive Oil or Veg Oil to frying pan.  
Cook burgers for 7 min. on one side.  Flip over.  Cook for another 5 min.  Add grated cheese on top and cover for 1 min.    
During that time you can get out the Mustard, Onions, Lettuce, Mayo, and Dill Pickle.
Fabulous.  Bryan can eat three.

PLEASE KEEP VOTING FOR LEA'S CANADA POST STAMP DESIGN...  PUSH THE RED HEART ON THE RIGHT AND IT WILL SAY THANK YOU.

Quad Tub Trailer

This tough quad trailer is so handy.  We had to take it apart to get in the DeHavilland Beaver but it is easy to put together again.  Bryan also takes it apart and has made up plugs to go into the drilled holes so he can use it to thaw out frozen Wolves. He drags the Tub into his skinning shed and fills it part way with cool water, then lowers the Wolf into it.  He has a pulley system to raise the wolf so that it can drain.  Then uses a bucket to take out the water.  
We use this for Firewood, gravel, garden dirt, getting rid of the cut down tall grass that has to be kept cut so the electric fence works.   It is a real tough work horse.
Tom says they are available at Costco right now for 389.00  Canadian Made...  Get one, you'll be happy.   
Lea moved up into 2nd place last night.  Now move her into First.   Push the red heart on the right and it will say Thank You. 

Hantavirus HPS

Quoted from a NHA News Release.   "Hantavirus is a serious, but very rare, respiratory disease that is mainly spread when mouse droppings, urine or nesting materials are moved in confined and unventilated spaces, sending virus particles into the air where they can be breathed in. "
"It is important to note that North American hantavirus is not spread from person to person.  The disease is also considered to be very rare.  Only about 600 cases have ever been reported in all of Canada and the US.  The BC Centre for Disease Control has reported zero to three cases in BC."
"The best way to prevent infection from hantavirus is to avoid contact with rodents and their droppings by controlling rodents in and around the home.  

Lea dropped back into 3rd again.  It's a tight race.  Please keep voting many times a day.

Ishi Hitches a Ride

Ishi still on the hard packed Air Strip right behind the Tobaggan

Woops.... Where is she????

The 13" of new snow is hard to keep up in.  Bryan said "Get in the back of my Skidoo"  Off they went.

 

 

 

Lea moved up into 2nd place.  Please keep her there and going forward.  www.deliverhope.ca/gallery/view/38

Hantavirus is very scary stuff. Bryan going prepared

 Packing up supplies for Bryan's 3 night trip to check the Walker's Valley Line, Vikki found a small spray bottle for dish soap and water.  Bryan can spray any mouse dropping and mice before cleaning up.  He also skill sawed a bunch of wood strips to seal the thin gaps that the mice are squeezing thru.  There are also 12 flattened metal sheeting strips 12 x 22" that he will line the cable ends with.  He made these by using a can opener on the empty Coleman fuel containers. 

Please vote for Lea in the Canada Post Stamp contest.  She has now moved into 2nd place.

www.deliverhope.ca/gallery/view/38 

Huge Bear Surprises Crew on Photo shoot in BC

They were near Manning Park, BC
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eryxAcsTcOA 

Lea is only less than 200 points from moving into 2nd Place.  Please keep Voting.
Push the red heart over to the right and it will say Thank You.  Like it on Facebook etc up on the right
hand corner....   

Pine Marten Messes up Cabin

We had this happen to the cabin down on the Inklin River.  It looked like an army had invaded.
Everything was torn up, taken off the shelves, torn up and destroyed. 
www.youtube.com/watch?v=727e83wVqqM

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Most Northern Case of Hantavirus Mouse Death

We knew this Man.  The town of Atlin is in shock.   Everyone be careful.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/story/2013/01/28/north-hantavirus-yukon-bc.html 

Please keep voting for Bryan's Granddaughter Lea's Canada Stamp Design

Camp Coffee

 You can buy these 10 cup enamel Coffee Pots at Canadian Tire and any outdoor store.  
Fill with water up to top of spout.  Add 1/4 cup of Coffee grounds.  
Heat on Outside campfire or on propane stove til water boils for 20 seconds.  You can add a 1/2 cold water and it will make the grounds settle rapidly.  This type of Boiled Camp Coffee doesn't have the acid of other types of ways of doing it.  Also your Coffee supply will last the winter.  

Trick to getting Fox off Drying Board

Byran nails in a small nail and cuts off it's head.  He then drills a small hole opposite for the nail to slide into.
The Fox or whatever is slipped over the end of the drying board and a piece of metal something is wedged in so it opens it 3/8th of an inch.  This is through the mouth opening.  (Bryan uses a snare swivel because it can be unscrewed out if it is too tight.)
After the fur has dried overnight Bryan takes out this swivel and the two boards move together releasing the stretched fur.  

Please Vote .... every vote will keep Lea up there in 3rd place or better.  Like it on the Facebook sign up on the right hand corner also.  

Fox Trapping, and handling Fur

 Fox's are caught in almost any set.  We have caught them in horizontal Marten sets,  and Wolverine sets.  They are a scavenger and are not a weary as a Wolf.  
This one was caught in a 1100 Savage in a Wolverine box set.
The pulley system raises the Fox up after it is caught to keep damage to the fur down.  If you look up Wolverine in Labels it might show the set.  If not definitely will be on the old blog.

 This fox is not like the Red Fox back east.  The Silver's and the Red's mate and crosses occur.  
After the pelt has dried inside out for the night you need to run a little snow on your hands and turn the pelt fur side out.

After brushing, give several taps to make the fur get loaf.. 

Please keep voting for Lea's Canada
Post Stamp Design  
www.deliverhope.ca/gallery/view/38

From Bryan's Camera Down on the Sutlahine

 These sets swing up in the air after the trap has caught the animal.  It says the fur from being eaten by shrews, mice and other predators.

The Inklin Cliffs    

-25 Will do that to you.... Even look at Ishi's face.

Easy Moose with Cabbage with Rice

Vikki likes to cook something that Bryan can take with him up to the Line Cabins.  This is easy and real good.
Easy Moose With Cabbage and Rice

l pound ground Moose fried with 2 cups onions. Add salt and pepper.
1 Cabbage cut and boiled.
Add Bacon drippings plus 1 Can Tomato Soup to boiled cabbage. 
 

 Put Cooked Undrained Cabbage in Roasting Pan
Add Meat and Onions
1 cup rice.
Add saurkraut
top with Can of cut up tomatoes.
Cover and cook on wood stove for 2 to 3 hours.

White Buns Plus Fabulous Cinnamon Buns

 Bryan's due back and so it's Baking Day.  This recipe is easy, great and makes Buns and Desert for a week.  The Cinnamon Buns freeze well.
WHITE BUNS
5 cups lukewarm water
6 Tbsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Salt... you can reduce to 2 tsp.
1/2 cup veg oil
2 eggs room temp
13 cups  flour
2 Tbsp instant Yeast.
Mix water, sugar , salt , oil , eggs, 5 Cups Flour and yeast.
Whisk.  add rest of flour slowly.  Mixing until you have to use 
your hands to turn the dough.  Remember to keep folding the 
dough down on itself to force air into it.  I use a timer 9 min.
Shape dough into a ball and place in greased bowl and turn it
to get grease on all of ball.  Cover and place in warm spot on 
Wood stove for 1 hour.

 Punch dough a few times.  Cut it in half.
One half for White Buns, the other for Cinnamon Buns.
CINNAMON BUNS
Roll out to 12 x 24. Use raisin water to cover dough.  Cover with plenty of Brown sugar, Cinnamon, and raisins. (I warm my raisins up in a cup of water on the stove to make them softer)
Roll and cut into 1" pieces, place on well greased cookie sheet and let rise (covered) for 1 hour.

 WHITE BUNS
Cut the 1 half into 2 pieces.  put one aside.
Cut this first part into 4 and then cut each of the 4 into 3 so that you have 12.  Place on greased pan, cover and let rise for 1 hour in warm spot.  Do the same with the rest. Just before putting in oven I put a egg white/water wash on buns with a sprinkling of sesame seeds.

Bake for 20 minutes at 350 F.  180C

With the Cinnamon Buns I drizzle a bit of (mixed 1/2 cup icing sugar with 1 tsp milk)
Wait til Buns are cool.

Please keep Voting for Lea's Canada Post Stamp Design...  she's in 3 rd place now.

MOOSE ROMPING.... For the sheer joy of it all

This happened last Feb, 2012 but I want to share it with you again.  It was the most amazing thing to witness.  The sheer job of their running together.  Back and forth just like horses on a spring day.   KEEP VOTING FOR THE CANADA POST STAMP DESIGN... EACH VOTE COUNTS... YOU CAN VOTE MANY TIMES A DAY.

Only 4 Apples, 3 Oranges, 7 Tangerines, one head lettuce Left

These apples and oranges were bought in Sept and they have been used up sparingly.  A box of tangerines came in at Christmas and will be gone soon.  One head of Lettuce and two Peppers and a bit of celery.  Still lots of Potatoes, Carrots, Turnips, Onions, Garlic and Cabbages.  Now that the sun can reach the kitchen window I will try some baby lettuce in soil.  The sprouts are always great even when there is no sun. 

PLEASE KEEP VOTING... PUSH LEA INTO 3RD SPOT.