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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: gordydog on February 16, 2012, 08:21:00 AM

Title: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: gordydog on February 16, 2012, 08:21:00 AM
Any members ever get a wolverine on your trail cam?  Anyone ever lucky enough to see one?  Maybe it's about like getting a trail cam pic of bigfoot?  Feel free to include  those pictures too.
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: ron w on February 16, 2012, 08:24:00 AM
That would be really neat.....never saw one, I would like to!
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: twitchstick on February 16, 2012, 08:40:00 AM
No trail cam pic's but I did see one in Wyoming in the Windriver range when I was a kid.
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: YORNOC on February 16, 2012, 08:53:00 AM
Dave Windauer shot one, I'll see if I can find the pic.
A guy in our bear camp claims to have seen one in northern Alberta.
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: sticksnstones on February 16, 2012, 08:55:00 AM
I saw one in July of 2009. I took an old timer fly fishing up on the Montana side of the Idaho border. He was almost 80 and retired from being a forest ranger, this guy had spent a ton of time in the back country but his wife didn't want him going out on his own at his age.

As I was driving back towards town after a morning of fishing, this thing lurched out on the road just ahead of us and we were both dumbstruck by what we were seeing. It looked to be the size of a cub, but the hair was all wrong and it moved like a ferret. It took a few more lurches and it was gone down over the side. Whole thing was maybe 3 seconds but I'll never forget watching that thing move. My fishing partner said it was the first one he had ever seen too.

It'll be interesting to see how many more guys have seen them.
Thom
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: tenbrook on February 16, 2012, 08:57:00 AM
A member here shot one with his trad bow believe it or not!
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: YORNOC on February 16, 2012, 09:01:00 AM
Dave with his

 (http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab246/yornoc/Windauerwolverine.jpg)
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: Tim Fishell on February 16, 2012, 09:09:00 AM
John Harvard shot one a few years back in Alaska.  Looks like the picture has been removed but here is the thread.  

 http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=065333#000000
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: ron w on February 16, 2012, 09:19:00 AM
Not being in an area where the live...is there a season on them or are they considered a varmint. It seems they would be a tough critter to bowhunt!
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: Mudd on February 16, 2012, 09:24:00 AM
I've only seen the tanned hide of one a friend of mine had but from everything I've read and heard about them the grizzly would be on the same scale of what's considered dangerous.

God bless,Mudd
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: LITTLEBIGMAN on February 16, 2012, 09:30:00 AM
during my Alberta moose hunt last year up by lesser slave lake we saw wolverine tracks on the road. My guide has only seen two in his entire time guiding  ( 30 years)
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: sticksnstones on February 16, 2012, 09:39:00 AM
There is a documentary on Netflix and other places called Wolverine:Chasing the Phantom. Watching that will give you a healthy respect for how rare and tough they are. I can't imagine how you could hunt something that moves that fast without putting out a deer quarter as bait. I am in awe that trad gangers have taken them, that's beyond impressive!
Thom
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: Glunt on February 16, 2012, 09:53:00 AM
I shot one in the NWT on a caribou hunt in the mid 90's.  Left it with a taxidermist in Canada and he disappeared.  Been following a thread on another site of some guys in BC running trap lines and they get quite a few.
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: John Havard on February 16, 2012, 10:04:00 AM
An adult male has a territory that's 600 square miles if I remember my facts correctly.  After hunting extensively in Alaska every year since 1975 (except 2011) I have seen exactly four.  One of which I shot in September of 2008.  It was the first game animal that was taken with an ACS recurve.
  (http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt113/JCHavard/20small.jpg)
  (http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt113/JCHavard/Wolverinecloseup.jpg)
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: YORNOC on February 16, 2012, 10:09:00 AM
You sir, are THE man. Incredible!
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: KentuckyTJ on February 16, 2012, 10:21:00 AM
Incredible!    :scared:
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: Canadabowyer on February 16, 2012, 10:24:00 AM
We have them here in central BC in good numbers. I have seen them 10 or 12 times over the years including one right here in my yard. I had a deer ribcage nailed to a poplar tree for the birds to eat and the wolverine came running along, up the tree and ripped the ribcage off an ran off with it.Mostly we see them when boating on the big lakes around here in the fall.  Bob
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: Friend on February 16, 2012, 10:28:00 AM
Both incredible and wonderful creatures!
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: NormanDale33 on February 16, 2012, 10:40:00 AM
We saw one on an elk bowhunting trip in the San Juans of CO one year. There was some growling and rustling in a bush and it took off out of there as we went by on our horses. Our high school mascot was a wolverine and we have a stuffed one in our school entry and that is how I recognized it. My dad is a biologist as well, and was pretty certain on the identification. Never saw tracks or anything else of one though.
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: Izzy on February 16, 2012, 11:50:00 AM
We are overrun by fishers here and Im always amazed by how similar they are. Except for their size, tail and chevron they're very close in appearance.
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: team fudd on February 16, 2012, 11:55:00 AM
I got to watch one for about twenty minutes while black bear hunting last spring in alberta  My friend has the video of it.  I will see if he can upload it for me. The guide said he has seen one in the area only twice in the past and was very happy to see the video we took.
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: Covey on February 16, 2012, 12:01:00 PM
Use to read the story's about wolverines in the old outdoor life magazines. They made'em sound perty mean!

Cool pics!

 Jason
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: RUSTY1 on February 16, 2012, 02:36:00 PM
Quote
Originally posted by sticksnstones:
There is a documentary on Netflix and other places called Wolverine:Chasing the Phantom. Watching that will give you a healthy respect for how rare and tough they are. I can't imagine how you could hunt something that moves that fast without putting out a deer quarter as bait. I am in awe that trad gangers have taken them, that's beyond impressive!
Thom
I've seen that one! Pretty cool show!
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: ron w on February 16, 2012, 03:28:00 PM
Cool animal.....always read about them in hunting stories when I was a kid. Heck of a lot tougher and meaner than a fisher.
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: RM81 on February 16, 2012, 03:59:00 PM
Not knocking anyone who has, but I'm not sure I could shoot one.  They're pretty rare.  There was a Nature episode on PBS just a few weeks ago about them.  One of the toughest animals out there in the wild.
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: TxAg on February 16, 2012, 04:09:00 PM
Quote
Originally posted by NormanDale33:
We saw one on an elk bowhunting trip in the San Juans of CO one year. There was some growling and rustling in a bush and it took off out of there as we went by on our horses. Our high school mascot was a wolverine and we have a stuffed one in our school entry and that is how I recognized it. My dad is a biologist as well, and was pretty certain on the identification. Never saw tracks or anything else of one though.
Do they range that far south?
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: maxwell on February 16, 2012, 04:30:00 PM
Great pic, those teeth look inviting, just not to me.
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: Manitoba Stickflinger on February 16, 2012, 04:43:00 PM
My cousin has trail cam pics. He's actually been hired by the govt. to get pics of nocturnal and rare species of animals. I'll get him on here...Ryan
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: Manitoba Stickflinger on February 16, 2012, 04:51:00 PM
Yep...just verified it with him...really good pix too! He's even a stickbow guy!
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: maineac on February 16, 2012, 05:58:00 PM
I saw the Nature show as well.  It was interesting.  They were using trail cams to try to document and id wolverines.
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: Chromebuck on February 16, 2012, 06:29:00 PM
My manager had this one and it's mate steal all but a front quarter of a caribou last fall.  They took the picture and thought it was only fair to let them live as they were only doing what they do.  They had hidden the bou above tree line in the snow covered with large rocks.  Wolverines can and do dispatch large game animals that are sick or on their way out.
  (http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu47/chromebuck/fox-river-caribou-wolverine.jpg) ~CB
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: lpcjon2 on February 16, 2012, 06:33:00 PM
They look like deviant little buggers!
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: ishoot4thrills on February 16, 2012, 06:37:00 PM
Wolverines are the largest member of the weasel family, so, like skunks and minks, they have scent glands but do not spray like a skunk. They are always on the go, traveling many miles a day. And they are extremely aggressive, at least to other animals. They have been documented as chasing a grizzly from the bear's own kill! They are a trapper's worst nightmare. When a wolverine locates a trapper's trapline, it will steal the trapper's catch at every set, every night, on the entire line, causing the trapper to locate a new area in which to trap. They are very intelligent and are very difficult to hold in a leg-hold trap. They can chew through large bones like they were toothpicks. They are my favorite of all mammals.
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: Izzy on February 16, 2012, 07:16:00 PM
I remember there was another TGer from Alaska who arrowed one and thought he missed only to find it later on. Cant remember his name but he did live up there.
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: Knawbone on February 16, 2012, 07:19:00 PM
All members of the weasel family are the toughest animals pound for pound that walk the earth.The only animal tougher than a wolverine is the fisher his smaller cousin. I think I would be nervous to hit one with an arrow if I did have the chance.  viscous viscous critter!   :scared:    :scared:
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: JamesKerr on February 16, 2012, 07:22:00 PM
They sure look like mean little buggers.
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: Ulysseys on February 16, 2012, 07:27:00 PM
One of those animals I might enjoy watching more than killing but praise to those that have done it
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: Rustic on February 16, 2012, 08:21:00 PM
Saw two at the zoo. They were very active, noisy and aggresive. Constantly growling and snarling at each other. I watched them for several minutes. They are remarkable animals.
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: Izzy on February 17, 2012, 05:29:00 AM
Rustic, that sounds alot like my two sons!
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: ishoot4thrills on February 17, 2012, 05:57:00 AM
Quote
Originally posted by Izzy:
Rustic, that sounds alot like my two sons!
:clapper:    :biglaugh:    :laughing:

Same here!
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: RM81 on February 17, 2012, 08:46:00 AM
Quote
Originally posted by Izzy:
Rustic, that sounds alot like my two sons!
:laughing:  no doubt, anyone with kids can attest.
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: JDinPA on February 17, 2012, 08:49:00 AM
That sure is one cool looking animal.
What are the hunting regulations for wolverine in Canada and Alaska?
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: JimB on February 17, 2012, 09:06:00 AM
I've never got one on a trail camera but did run across a track once.I'm not right in the heart of wolverine country but not far from it.Montana is the only state in the lower 48 where it is still legal to take them and they limit it to 5 statewide.

In this country they are found almost exclusively above 7,500 feet in elevation and only in the mountainous western part of the state.I have talked to several people who have encountered them while bowhunting elk.Wolverine season isn't in,at that time.

They are quite an incredible animal,always hungry,always on the move.They seem to be able to find something dead from a long distance.They have been known to dig 8' down through avalanche snow to get at dead sheep or goats.

It is a puzzle to me how they make a living here,in winter,at elevations of 7,500' to 10,000',but they do it.
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: Herdbull on February 17, 2012, 10:55:00 AM
Saw one up close in Alaska. I got him on film at 20 yards. I reached for my video camera instead of the bow. It took a bit to get the camera out of pack and turned on. The footage is not good. Funny thing, I did not realize I could have taken him with my bow and used my caribou tag. I was hunting moose at the time and I did not see any caribou in the area anyway. Ha! I guess I thought I needed a fur bearers lisence. Once the wolverine realized I was on to him, it took off across swamp bouncing off the hummock like a ball in a pinball game. Mike
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: Canadabowyer on February 17, 2012, 11:22:00 AM
JDinPA,as a non-resident you would need to have a registered guide here in BC area 6.The wolverine tag is $40 in addition to the general hunting licence. The season runs from Sept.15- Jan. 15.I don't know any guides that offer hunts specifically for wolverine. I think most wolverines taken are just a lucky meeting with one when hunting other species. Bob
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: Elksong on February 17, 2012, 04:54:00 PM
I am friends with a wildlife biologist on facebook. He has several trail cam photo's of a wolverine in Oregon.
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: jeanpaul3006 on February 17, 2012, 09:49:00 PM
I saw one in northern manitoba while caribou hunting.It has a very distinctive running style. It was the highlight of my  trip
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: Walt Francis on February 18, 2012, 09:41:00 AM
I have seen two, one the Bridger mountains & one in the Gallatin mountains.  We watched the one in the Bridgers feeding on a deer carcass fortwenty minutes before resuming our hunt.
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: Jedimaster on February 18, 2012, 10:36:00 AM
I'd love to see one in the wild but since they aren't native to the southeast and I don't travel much, it ain't likely. It would be the highlight of any hunt though. I have always thought they were a fascinating critter. Would love to take pictures but have zero interest in killing one. I doubt they taste good and doesn't sound like there is a need for population control.
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: Predator 1 on February 18, 2012, 11:16:00 AM
I was lucky enough to get some Wolverine trail cam pics when I was up in the arctic a few years back...one of my most rewarding "camera-trapping" experiences!

 (http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o242/Predator1_bucket/WolverineFULL5.jpg)

 (http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o242/Predator1_bucket/WolverineFULL3.jpg)

 (http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o242/Predator1_bucket/WolverineFULL2.jpg)

 (http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o242/Predator1_bucket/WolverineFULL4.jpg)

 (http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o242/Predator1_bucket/wolverine1.jpg)

 (http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o242/Predator1_bucket/wolverine2a.jpg)
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: Warchild on February 18, 2012, 11:57:00 AM
John, That must have been a rush. I am from the "Wolverine State" and would love to hear the story behind this picture. Thanks.
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: lpcjon2 on February 18, 2012, 11:58:00 AM
John, That is to cool!
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: wingnut on February 18, 2012, 12:03:00 PM
I've only seen one in the wild and that was in NWT on a caribou hunt.  He was about 400 yds from camp feeding on a gut pile from a kill the previous week.  Pretty cool through the binos.

Mike
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: JimB on February 18, 2012, 12:16:00 PM
Man,that is great stuff Predator 1.Those are excellent pictures and that one is really pretty.Not many have a diamond that light.

Was there bait in the hole? I'd love to get some trail camera pictures of them.
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: ron w on February 18, 2012, 05:35:00 PM
Really neat.........very special photos!   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: Keenan on February 18, 2012, 11:17:00 PM
Elksong, thank you. Two years ago I was elk hunting and saw one here in Oregon "Southern Cascades". At first I was doubting what I was seeing but I was close enough to see it real good and it was definitly a wolverine.
 I talked with a friend who is a game cop later that day and he said they had a couple reports of sightings, but said that they had been believed to be extinct for many years in this area.
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: Thumper Dunker on February 19, 2012, 03:21:00 AM
Realy cool pictures. Theres non around here.
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: Roger Norris on February 19, 2012, 07:53:00 AM
Excellent thread!!
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: gordydog on February 19, 2012, 08:20:00 AM
Thanks for the great response on this thread.  On that PBS wolverine special, the lady who has been studying them for over 30 years has seen only like 3. Wow.  In the lower 48 they estimate the population at only 500 and are one of the least studied animals in North America?? or was it the least studied animal in the world??  Anyway, great to see all the pictures and hear of the sightings.
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: gordydog on February 19, 2012, 08:22:00 AM
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: Manitoba Stickflinger on February 19, 2012, 10:06:00 AM
Thanks for posting those pics Jeremi!

Told you guys he had some good pix! He's a sneaky guy that can catch just about anything on camera. ...Ryan
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: 1Longbow on February 19, 2012, 10:40:00 AM
Great post. I've never seen one but growing up  there was a Disney movie about a family in the north that centered around a wolverine,and the problems they had on their trap line with it. Hard to believe it was a Disney movie now
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: Jerry Jeffer on February 19, 2012, 07:00:00 PM
The only one I have ever seen, museum of natural history NYC.

  (http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f196/jjeffer/Wildlife/wolverine.jpg)
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: Matty on February 19, 2012, 09:50:00 PM
Wow cool pictures for sure
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: doctari on February 20, 2012, 08:34:00 AM
A couple years ago there was one caught on camera in the thumb area of Michigan. They assumed it hitched a ride over from Canada on a garbage truck, sometime later it was found dead and turned over to the DNR. I do not remember how it died, it was a good news story with plenty of sightings reported.
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: Wiley Coyote on February 20, 2012, 09:19:00 AM
Great thread!! I have never seen one but I have heard they are fearless and a trapper's worst nightmare!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: Geezer on February 20, 2012, 10:44:00 AM
The last confirmed sighting of a wolverine in Colorado was in 1919.  In 2009 though, researchers from Yellowstone tracked a wolverine from Grand Teton National Park south to Rocky Mountain National Park, NW of Denver.  This was the first known appearance in 90 years.  Colorado DOW tracked him for a year or so but I'm not sure if he's  still in Colorado or not.  Cool animals.
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: Steve H. on February 22, 2012, 06:41:00 AM
I've seen one, over by Dillingham.  There are good numbers in Alaska.  My dentist saw two from the highway about a half mile from my house about a month back.

I've found tracks a few times in PWS and the K-Pen.

I recall JR that was on here a bunch about 6-7 years ago shot one here on the K-Peninsula.
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: onewhohasfun on February 22, 2012, 08:01:00 AM
They must be plentiful in Alaska. I have been following a trapping thread on another site. They have snared-trapped  at least 20 since Jan 1st.
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: centaur on February 22, 2012, 09:46:00 AM
I have never seen one in the wild, but 2 summers ago, my next door neighbor came over all excited, after seeing 'some strange animal' right in front of our house (in a town of 5000). After she described it, I thought "it couldn't be a wolverine", but we checked out some pictures of wolverines, and she confirmed that was what she saw. Another neighbor saw it, too, and confirmed that it was a wolverine. What that critter was doing in town is beyond me.
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: NormanDale33 on February 22, 2012, 10:30:00 AM
Quote
Originally posted by TxAg:
 
Quote
Originally posted by NormanDale33:
We saw one on an elk bowhunting trip in the San Juans of CO one year. There was some growling and rustling in a bush and it took off out of there as we went by on our horses. Our high school mascot was a wolverine and we have a stuffed one in our school entry and that is how I recognized it. My dad is a biologist as well, and was pretty certain on the identification. Never saw tracks or anything else of one though.
Do they range that far south? [/b]
We had never heard of them being that far south, and weren't prepared to see one that is for sure. I think the last confirmed sighting was in the 20's or so. There is one that had been tracked into northern colorado using a chip or collar, not sure if he is still around. We were in the San Juans at about 10,000 ft and they are known to travel great distances.
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: jhg on February 23, 2012, 12:13:00 PM
Neat animals. One of my favorites along with the pine martin.

Joshua
Title: Re: trail cam wolverines?
Post by: CRS on February 23, 2012, 02:28:00 PM
Neat,
I saw one floating a river in Alaska in 2002.  While sitting in camp, it walked along the opposite shoreline.  It could have absolutely cared less about me or the camp.