Forum Index > Trip Reports > It Was A Pipe Dream, But I Tried 7-17-2019
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Bootpathguy
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PostWed Jul 17, 2019 9:54 pm 
It wasn't a half-assed attempt, but, it was, a amateur one. I did do a bit of research on how to capture a image of a wolverine on a camera trap. I scoured the internet on documented wolverine tracks & sightings in the north, middle and south Cascades. Read up on how fur trappers do it. How wolverine researchers do it. I wasn't going south, and north wasn't a option either. So, I decided on the Central Cascades. I read some reports and saw some images of wolverine tracks and most of those reports gave a approximate location. 3 months ago I drove up a partially melted out forest service road as far as I could. Got out, gathered my gear and strapped on my snowshoes. I trudged about 4 miles when I happened upon a lone set of tracks coming off a very steep slope headed in a north westerly direction into lower and timbered terrain. The tracks were several days melted out and it was impossible ( for me ) to determine what animal this was. Snow was still very deep, and terrain was steep and not hospitable, so I'm sure not a deer or elk. Too large to be a bobcat. Mountain goat, mountain lion, wolverine??? Other??? Snow Leopard! Who knows Anyway, this is the approximate location where I decided to travel into a wooded area to set up my camera. I found and ordered a commercially made scent lure that fur trappers use. A special mix. Don't get on your hands or clothes. hurl.gif I dabbed it around the area of my camera placing it on tree trunks and tree limbs. Packed up and left. Today, 4 months later, I went and retrieved my camera. I knew it would be a longshot, and as I anticipated, no wolverine images. crybaby.gif crybaby.gif crybaby.gif But.... Something almost as rare and elusive
Investigating the camera
Sure wish that I had set it to video mode. Bummer Camera also captured a image of a Pine Marten a day before the Fisher. Here is a good representation of size difference
Another visitor
I didn't think about how much the vegetation was going to grow during the 3 months the camera was there. Limbs, branches and bushes grew into the field of view. The slightest breeze that moved branches and bushes would create a false trigger. I had to scroll through 5,500+ images. Good experience and I'll know next time Absolutely thrilled to have captured a image of a Fisher! ( Note - I didn't / forgot to adjust the date / year on the camera from 2018 to 2019 )

Experience is what'cha get, when you get what'cha don't want
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Brushbuffalo
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PostWed Jul 17, 2019 10:29 pm 
So wonderful!! rocker.gif rocker.gif I checked the dealer's site for the camera you recommended from your Teanaway post, and I betcha their sales have increased thanks to you. You should get a commission! I'm ordering one tomorrow, if only to capture the animals that frequent my woods in the country fringe outside of Bellingham... . I know we've had bear, cougar, and 87 million deer, but it would be cool to show at least the first two in images.

Passing rocks and trees like they were standing still
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IanB
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PostThu Jul 18, 2019 6:48 am 
That's really cool! It's kind of like you started a thread on a tree and everybody that came along then posted their $.02! The way the coyote is licking its chops makes me think that the lure couldn't smell nearly as bad as you described. wink.gif

"Forget gaining a little knowledge about a lot and strive to learn a lot about a little." - Harvey Manning
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Gabep
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PostThu Jul 18, 2019 7:58 am 
Wow really cool stuff BPG!

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Brushwork
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PostThu Jul 18, 2019 11:08 am 
Awesome!!!!!! So fun to see!!!!

When I grow up I wanna play.
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hbb
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PostThu Jul 18, 2019 11:57 am 
Very cool, thanks for posting!

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Downhill
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PostThu Jul 18, 2019 2:25 pm 
More very cool pics BPG! I'm curious, how far away was this site from the nearest source of water (creek, lake, etc)?

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Bootpathguy
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PostThu Jul 18, 2019 5:44 pm 
Downhill wrote:
More very cool pics BPG! I'm curious, how far away was this site from the nearest source of water (creek, lake, etc)?
100 yards from a lake in the early stage of thaw. Lots of snowmelt streams in the area

Experience is what'cha get, when you get what'cha don't want
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Anne Elk
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PostThu Jul 18, 2019 7:25 pm 
Great stuff, BPG! Considering how many cams/miles it took to catch one instance of a wolverine at Mt. Adams, you shouldn't feel like a failure - a marten, fisher and coyote are a pretty good consolation prize. Do you know about Conservation NW's citizen wildlife monitoring project? You'd be a natural!

"There are yahoos out there. It’s why we can’t have nice things." - Tom Mahood
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Bootpathguy
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PostThu Jul 18, 2019 9:09 pm 
Anne Elk wrote:
Do you know about Conservation NW's citizen wildlife monitoring project?
Yes I am. Did my due diligence. Too structured for my personality

Experience is what'cha get, when you get what'cha don't want
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John_B
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PostFri Jul 19, 2019 7:01 am 
BPG even if Conservation NW is a bit much for you I'm sure they'd really appreciate the location details on your fisher photos. I'm sure you are aware but fisher were extripated in the North Cascades and the feds are currently in the midst of a reintroduction effort. About 70 have been released in the Mount Rainier area and only 6 released in the North Cascades. From the information I've been able to quickly find( https://www.nps.gov/articles/washington-fisher-restoration.html ) it appears that all of the North Cascades releases had radio collars. Perhaps this means that your fisher moved up from MRNP? Very cool photo series. You can console yourself that these guys https://cascadeswolverineproject.org/ have been working pretty hard to get photos of wolverine as well and seem to only get one or so a year with a lot more camera traps out and some stinky roadkill bait! Nice work, now I want to try this.

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Anne Elk
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PostFri Jul 19, 2019 3:34 pm 
Check out Nancy Ann's recent TR from Mt. Adams. She mentions seeing something at a far distance following the tracks of a recently passed goat herd. (No pics except for the goats.) She surmised it might have been a bear, but Brushbuffalo thought otherwise! That's an intriguing speculation. winksmile.gif

"There are yahoos out there. It’s why we can’t have nice things." - Tom Mahood
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Brushbuffalo
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PostFri Jul 19, 2019 4:02 pm 
Anne Elk wrote:
She [Nancyann] surmised it might have been a bear, but Brushbuffalo thought otherwise! That's an intriguing speculation. winksmile.gif
This was my wild speculation: "I wonder if the critter you [ Nancy] saw following the goats was a wolverine. It is a real longshot, but those wily ones are not unprecedented on Adams." Nancy also had the wild thought that it might be a wolverine.

Passing rocks and trees like they were standing still
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Bootpathguy
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PostFri Jul 19, 2019 4:11 pm 
John_B wrote:
BPG even if Conservation NW is a bit much for you I'm sure they'd really appreciate the location details on your fisher photos. I'm sure you are aware but fisher were extripated in the North Cascades and the feds are currently in the midst of a reintroduction effort. About 70 have been released in the Mount Rainier area and only 6 released in the North Cascades. From the information I've been able to quickly find( https://www.nps.gov/articles/washington-fisher-restoration.html ) it appears that all of the North Cascades releases had radio collars. Perhaps this means that your fisher moved up from MRNP? Very cool photo series. You can console yourself that these guys https://cascadeswolverineproject.org/ have been working pretty hard to get photos of wolverine as well and seem to only get one or so a year with a lot more camera traps out and some stinky roadkill bait! Nice work, now I want to try this.
Thanks John. Jeff Lewis @ WDFW, ( he's the Fisher specialist ) Laurel Baum @ Conservation Northwest & David Moskowitz @ Cascade Wolverine Project all have the images and GPS coordinates. Yes, been following the reintroductions of the Fisher. Enjoy watching the progress Thanks again

Experience is what'cha get, when you get what'cha don't want
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Bootpathguy
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PostFri Jul 19, 2019 4:15 pm 
Brushbuffalo wrote:
Anne Elk wrote:
She [Nancyann] surmised it might have been a bear, but Brushbuffalo thought otherwise! That's an intriguing speculation. winksmile.gif
This was my wild speculation: "I wonder if the critter you saw following the goats was a wolverine. It is a real longshot, but those wily ones are not unprecedented on Adams."
A typical food for a wolverine is mountain goat. Seen this...?

Experience is what'cha get, when you get what'cha don't want
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