I was living in Rainbow Lake, Alberta and studying wolverine ecology for my PhD at the University of Alberta when I got a call from a local trapper.
By Matt Scrafford
I was living in Rainbow Lake, Alberta and studying wolverine ecology for my PhD at the University of Alberta when I got a call from a local trapper. He told me that he had something to show me and that I needed to get out to his cabin quickly. I finished breakfast, gathered my gear and drove the snowmobile out to his trapper cabin, which was situated in a large open area where two old logging roads crossed. He was outside when I arrived, readying his gear for checking his traps that day. He smiled and motioned for me to look inside the shed next to his cabin. I walked up to the shed and peered in but I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. He said I should look a bit closer. I walked in further and heard a rustle behind an old barbecue. I then heard the deep guttural grumble of a wolverine.
The local critters like the trapper’s cabin because there is always something stinky around – whether it be beaver carcasses, moose bones or lure. This wolverine followed his nose into the shed. We went into his cabin to discuss the situation over a cup of coffee – this is how we did some of our best thinking in the field. We could tag the wolverine for our research project, but we had no idea how long it had been in the shed and didn’t want to extend its confinement. So we instead finished our coffee and made a path for the wolverine to get out of the shed. We left the cabin to check his traps and by the time we got back the wolverine was gone.
It’s not every day that you find a wolverine hanging around your shed. Wolverines are a naturally rare species that exists at densities of 4-8 individuals/1000 km2. Wolverines populations appear to be healthy in the core of their range in places like Rainbow Lake, Alberta. But as you move away from that core to the southern boreal forests and mountains, wolverines are struggling to persist in the face of ever expanding human activity. Wolverines have been put forward for listing in the contiguous U.S. under the Endangered Species Act. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, meanwhile, considers wolverines to be a Species of Special Concern because their naturally low densities are threatened by climate change, industrial development, and trapping. Wolverines in Ontario are listed as Threatened under the Ontario Species at Risk Act because of their low numbers in the province.
Trappers and wildlife biologists are not the most likely partners in wolverine conservation efforts. Trappers kill wildlife for their fur whereas wildlife biologists study them. Trappers value bush skills and physical work whereas wildlife biologists place value on reading, writing and analytical skills. However, it is my experience that trappers and wildlife biologists have much in common. Both share a passion for wildlife and the outdoors, both value wildlife diversity, and both are concerned about changes they are seeing in wildlife populations as a result of human activities.
Trappers and wildlife biologists bring different skills to wolverine research. Trappers have fine-tuned local knowledge from years (often decades) of traveling around their trap line. They are considered by many to be the “eyes and ears of the bush”. Wildlife biologists often do not have this local knowledge, but they do have a broad understanding of wildlife ecology and ecosystem function across wider areas. Moreover, they know how to design studies to evaluate changes identified by trappers so that problems can be pinpointed and conservation solutions developed.
Trappers and wolverines have a complicated relationship. Wolverines are scavengers that will often raid a trapper’s set and steal bait or the animal that was caught in the trap. Many trappers tell me tales of wolverines destroying long lines of marten boxes they put in trees because the wolverine is trying to get the scraps of beaver meat in the box.
Despite this, trappers like having wolverines around and are invested in their conservation. Trappers value the attributes of wolverines - they are a self-reliant wilderness species that makes a living in a landscape that few others are able to survive in. Reminds you of trappers, eh? Trappers have helped my wolverine research efforts in four main ways: finding wolverines, moving around on the landscape, collecting data, and connecting with the local community. The rest of this blog will expand on these ideas.
Finding wolverines
I will often bring a set of maps to a meeting with the trapper. The maps provide a backdrop for the many stories that trappers have to tell – whether about getting a snowmobile stuck in the slush, shooting a bull moose, or seeing a caribou. I like when the trappers mark different trails and spots on the map. I then take notes so I can understand later what all the points mean. The trapper’s stories provide hours of entertainment, but the stories I like best are about wolverines.
Trappers will point to a map and tell you where they trapped a wolverine or where they consistently see fresh tracks. This information is generally confined to their trap line, but if you talk to enough trappers you acquire a good understanding of wolverine distribution across large areas. This is critical information to have when starting a research study. Wolverines are not always spread evenly across the landscape. Acquiring local knowledge on wolverine “hotspots” can make our research much more successful.
