Guardian Yearlong blog post originally posted on 3/22/14

After our last visit to the support center, we decided to follow Kimball Creek from Pine River Rd to the actual pine river. Since the snow is very deep in the river valleys and there are a lot of Alders we stuck to the forested areas. Kimball creek is heading N before it turns to the E. So we walked NE, thinking that we’ll hit the creek soon. So we did on the third day, exactly at our old camp, where Pine River and Kimball Creek met. Funny…

From there we followed the Pine River downstream until we hit Jones Dam RD. At a meeting with Tamarack, Lety and Makwa we got news  that there is a lot of wolf activity in the SE. A long hike lay ahead of us. Equipped with snow shoes and toboggan we walked for more than a quarter moon and crossed several creeks and roads. The toboggan was very helpful after we managed the initial difficulties, because the food is very heavy.

We reached the Popple River near MacArthur Pine Rd and started scouting for wolf activity. Due to the deep snows deer yard up in the cedar and hemlock swamps, the wolf follow them. Then finally: The first clear tracks! Some paw prints are bigger than my hand palm. Since the canines don’t have lantern poles here in the wilderness they use the piled up snow along the roads as a preferred marking site. 

We soon discovered the first kill site and with it a bunch of pee spots and scat piles, which show traces of high protein consumption and also bone fragments. We circled around the site to pick up on incoming and outgoing trails and other tracks. In the center was the carcass: Spinal column attached to the head, leg bones, skin pieces, hair balls and the stomach contents of a deer. The surrounding snow was bloody. We also found plenty of raven sign. Close by we found a second kill site where a smaller female deer was eaten. The bones were spread out further and we saw a long drag mark.

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In general the deer are very vulnerable right now. Their fat reserves are used up and due to the deep it’s hard for them to move around and find sufficient food. The thaw has just started though and we enjoy the first warm spell, which shows us that Spring will come eventually. I wonder how long it will be until the snow is all gone…