We went to southern Southeast Alaska to Sara’s sister’s for Christmas. Wicked winds kept us inside. We attended a dinner each night at a friend or family’s home. Lots of fun.

I was supposed to leave on Monday, but the high winds kept the planes grounded and the ferry, which did go, was 2 hours late on a normally 3 hour run, and the ferry barely was able to dock in Ketchikan, from stories I heard. Had they not been able to dock, they may have had to return in the nightmare they just came through. I can’t imagine. Doesn’t sound safe that they went in the first place, paricularly with 99 mph gusts in Clarence Strait.

So on Monday, I spent the afternoon at fur handling school. My brother in law and his brother and I skinned 10 or so marten from their winter catch of some 90 or so for the season. I studied first how they did it, then dove in. They cut around the paws and did not keep the claws. A cut to the anus from either side, the strip the tail, and down the body. They used a clothes pin to strip the tail. I showed how I liked to use pliers, which gives a lot better grip with the long handles.

Then, they put the hide in corn meal, which helped to dry out the inside side of the pelt, and also made pulling off any remaining skin or fat much easier. We dredged the skin in the cornmeal, then worked off any excess skin/fat by hand. Then the hide was tacked fur side in on the stretching boards. They let them dry for just a few hours before turning to fur side out and tacking again – another lesson, as I let my dry for days, and then turned the fur out and did not retack.

Once the pelt was fully dry, they would fluff the fur with a vacuum, and “snap” the hide to make it its most fluffy. A friend of my brother in law who was watching said he used to wash raw marten fur (before putting on the stretcher) in Dawn soapy water to remove any pitch and make the fur shine. He also said a roe-stripping “gut hook” knife worked well for splitting the tail.

Lots of good ideas and practice for my own fur handling. I think making the fur as close to perfect as you can is respectful of the animals harvested and makes the most of the resource. I pulled my trapline before we went to Craig since I would not be able to check it for too many days. I can’t wait to get it back in.

As I sit here typing this back in Juneau, my brother in law called from his boat to say he, his daughter and her boyfriend were out for the day. They caught crab in the crab pots, shrimp in the shrimp pots, harvested on deer, towed a pile of logs home, and caught a king salmon on the tow home. Not a bad day.

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Mark Stopha
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
www.GoodSalmon.com

2 more marten today, and another trap snapped. Sara was along for the ride and to keep the boat off the beach while I ran into the woods. The ones I got also had the bait eaten behind the trap, so looks like there’s still more to come. Shed a tear having to pull the traps for Christmas break. One whale in Stephens Passage but only saw one other boat plus a tug and barge heading north.

Mark Stopha
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
www.GoodSalmon.com

One marten and one mink. Again, another trap totally gone, and I did not find it this time. It was at a different spot than the earlier one. Lots of tracks on the beach with the new snow, so I know there’s fur around and exciting to see as I walked in to my sets. Saw two big deer between Pt. Young and Olivers on the beach. Could not put the sneak on. One looked nervous as I rode by. I pulled into the beach out of sight, and by the time I walked back to the spot they were gone. I tried calling up in the woods, but no luck. It was so crunchy I didn’t think I’d have much of a chance chasing them.
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Mark Stopha
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
www.GoodSalmon.com

I looked at the weather forecast, and saw today was going to be good, so got permission from my boss to take off mid-day to check traps and see if Matt could find a deer along the way on the beach.

It was a beautiful sunrise and partly cloudy day, and the temperature about freezing. My traps were on Admiralty, so we first cruised the backside of Douglas before crossing to Admiralty, but saw no deer.

The first trap had a nice male marten in it in the 120 conibear that was set on a moss covered log. I pulled out the marten, reset the trap, and blew on the deer call a few times to see if any deer were around. They were not. The snow was patchy, but fairly deep in places, and I lumbered through, post holing at some spots.

The next trap was sprung, and it looked like maybe the bait was so close to the trap the animal might have swiped at it and sprung the trap. I reset it, and continued down the beaches, looking for deer, checking trap after trap. As we approached the beach at the last one, we could see the newspaper tube on the ground, and thought we had another animal. When I got up to the tube, the trap was not there. I looked around in the woods for awhile, with no luck. A boat was anchored off shore, and a punt on the beach that brought the hunters to shore. On the off chance that they took the animal and trap, I eased down through the woods, came out at their punt, and was relieved to see no marten. I headed back to our skiff, this time on the beach. I continued looking along the tideline when there it was – a nice large male mink in the 120. Still not sure what could have happened, since it look like it instantly killed him at the neck. Maybe an eagle
tried to carry it away or something. In any case, the mink was not molested in anyway I could see.

It was flat calm running home. I expected to be gone 2 hours, and it turned out to be more like 5 and a half, so I’ll have to make up the work hours later this week. But it was well worth it, with the calm water, snow clad mountains, and a good day on the water.
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Mark Stopha
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
www.GoodSalmon.com

We beach hunted again today. Did not see one deer. A friend was also out and they saw just one small one. Rain and breeze might have kept the deer inside the woods. Ron and 3 of his friends were at a forest service cabin on Admiralty for 4 days. 4 grown men brought no propane for their cook stove, so we took them some propane. Ron had to wade and walk out about 100 yards to get to us as we arrived at low tide and there’s a big tide flat there. So, we did accomplish that for the day. They had 2 deer in camp from the day before, and Ron had heard 2 shots already that day.
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Mark Stopha
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
www.GoodSalmon.com

Bob Bang and I took the skiff around Douglas Island today beach hunting. We left one vehicle on north Douglas, launched the skiff on south Douglas. We headed down Gastineau Channel, across to Pt. Arden to Doty’s Cove, then hit the beach and headed north again. We were in the lee of the south wind along the beach, and it was glassy calm with a light rain and foggy.

The first deer we saw was spooky and headed to the woods before we could get to the beach, and we did not pursue it further. We then saw 2 deer – I thought does – on the beach near a creek mouth. There was an obstruction that we could get behind to shield us from the deer, so I got to that, and Bob go out to go up for a shot. Both deer went into the woods and Bob went in after them. Meanwhile, I tended the boat, which was almost grounded on the creek mouth delta. I got out, and pushed and pulled to get it to deeper water on the ebbing tide. Of course, here comes a buck chasing a doe down on the beach. I could not get to my gun in the boat, and I hollered to Bob that there were deer back on the beach. The doe went back up in the woods, with the buck on her tail. Bob said he saw them but could not get a shot. I had Bob hold the boat and I gave chase and blew the deer call, but no luck.

We boarded the boat and headed up the beach. Not far, on the other side of the creek mouth, was a nice buck feeding on the beach. I put Bob on the beach for a shot. I suggested he get a rest, as it was a pretty long shot, but he was kind of excited, and tried two off hand shots – both clean misses. I drew down as the deer went into the woods, but did not fire.

Turns out those were our chances. We didn’t see anymore deer, but what a great day hunting the Tongass in glassy water in the misty rain and fog.
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Mark Stopha
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
www.GoodSalmon.com