Sneaking Up on an Active Bear Den to Set a Trail Cam: Winter Trap Prep in Northern BC
A strange January thaw hit north-central BC, with rain overnight and plus 5 or 6 during the day. I used it to sneak a trail cam in next to an active bear den.
When it warms up like this, my driveway gets too steep to drive, so we use the Argo or a snowmobile and park a vehicle at the bottom. The bank along that driveway is neat. A university geology class comes up every second year to dig it out, and they've pulled wood out of there that's about 40,000 years old. You can see the layers: overburden, then gravel, then a thin band of sand. A lot of time went by in that bank.
First job was rescuing the snowmobile. My daughter took it for a spin and, instead of checking the gas, ran it dry out in the bush and walked home. It wouldn't prime, so I pulled the plug, added a little fuel and got the pump going. I have zero problem with that. Having my kids outdoors doing stuff is way more satisfying than having them inside.
Then the den. It's the black bear den I'd stumbled on the week before. I brought bear spray and a knife for a little extra security and went in slow and quiet. It's dug into a bank and clearly active, but there were no bear tracks out in the snow. I set the camera about 10 feet from the den, then got out quietly. If the camera holds up and the bears don't wreck it, we should get footage this spring of whoever comes out, whether that's one bear or a sow with cubs.
There's no reason to disturb them in there and get them anxious or scared. With all the water running, a flooded den can sometimes push a bear out, but I don't expect trouble here.
Back at the skinning shack it was time to face my traps. I had a pile of tangled 330s and 120s, boxes and cubbies to repair, and a tub of bait brewing. Some of the legendary trappers I know would want to punch me in the face for letting my traps get in that shape. That ends this year. If the warm spell holds I might do some early beaver, but a cold snap of minus 7 to minus 10 is supposed to come back in a couple of days.
This isn't about being a straight full-time trapper. It's the whole package of living my life outdoors: trapping in the winter, then fishing, hunting and exploring the rest of the year.
Lessons from the thaw
Don't disturb a den. Go in quiet, set the camera and get out. Carry bear spray even when the bear should be asleep.
About 10 feet is close enough. That's near enough for good spring footage without crowding the den.
Use thaws for trap work. Sorting, boiling and repairing traps is easier when it's plus 5 than minus 20.
Check the gas. Every sled ride starts there.
Chapters
0:00 Intro: weird warm January thaw and driveway challenges
0:45 Melting snow and the geology bank (40,000-year-old wood)
3:59 Stranded snowmobile retrieval and fuel system fix
6:45 Sneaking to the bear den to set a game cam
11:41 Back to the skinning shack for trap prep (330s, 120s, cubby repairs)
15:00 Bait check and beaver trapping plans for the cold snap
17:30 Closing: adapting to the seasons and family in the bush
Want the story from the trapline every week? The Trapline Report is one email a week from the bush this season.
Comments