Winter Caretaker Report’22/23 – Vol. 6
Winter caretaker Ryan Yaskiw, has delivered to us his final winter caretaker report of the 2022/2023 season before winter caretaker Chris Sowden took over for the remainder of the winter season. This report features unique wildlife sightings, fascinating temperatures at -30, and some remarkable aurora sightings.
“Hi all! It’s March 3rd as I type this. Currently I’m beginning to pack and tie up loose ends for my flight out next week, so a final update is from seems to be the right thing to do.
The last three weeks have been a mix of beautiful and mild days combined with some of the bitter cold the north is known for. I’ve been fishing, hunting, or hiking on the nice days, and hunkering down in the cabin to read on the extremely cold/windy ones. Going outside in -30 itself isn’t unmanageable, add 15 to 25mph winds to that though and it becomes unbearable. The winds have seemed to be accompanying the cold regularly now. You can now however start to feel the shift towards spring. Days are much longer and gaining daylight rapidly, and the average temperature is climbing. I can now almost shut the heat right off on the sunny days as the sun has enough power to warm the cabin.
My luck with the Aurora hasn’t been great. There’s been two major events the last three weeks, and it’s been cloudy here for both. I’m a little choked to be honest, one of the big reasons I come up here in the winter is to see/photograph the aurora. I got some decent photo’s this year though, so I’m not going away empty handed.
Fishing has been, well what the north is known for. My quest for a trophy burbot (fresh water cod) continued with a couple nice fish to hand, and a couple others getting released into hot grease. I’ll get out one more time this weekend to fish and pull my gear that’s on the lake. Caribou have been sparse as the majority of the herd is elsewhere, but I spotted a small herd out on the lake last week and did a sneak. One of my tags was still valid, and the goal was to try and fill it with a caribou taken with a muzzle-loader. I was able to sneak within range (100 yards), but the herd spooked as I was setting up for a stable shot. The season ended two days later without any more sightings. Oh well, tag soup is always a nice consolation prize.
Other wildlife that has been present are the goofy spruce grouse that seem to love wintering around the lodge. Sprucies (as we call them up here) are a special kind of simple, with little to no fear of anything. They’re always nice to watch though and do make great photographic models. There’s also been an uptick in wolf sign. A pack came right through the camp one night. I haven’t had any sightings however, and my scouting cameras are showing why. The wolves are only moving at night. They’re smarter than your average bear.
I’d like to close this update thanking Ken, Chris and all the staff at Gangler’s for their support and the opportunity to live out the dream of wintering in a truly wild location. Fingers crossed I’ll be able to do this again next winter. I’m also looking forward to seeing some of you at the Stevens/Nicklin outpost this coming summer. Take care everyone!”
-Ryan Yaskiw