The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1920-08-06
WARDEN K BUSY.

official paper of the State Game and
Fish Commission has the following
story of. the activities of Game
Warden Oscar Heikkila. The story
also gives an insight into the sagacity
of the wolf. The story runs:
"Game Warden Oscar A. Heikkila
devoted practically all of February
and March to patrol work and check
ing up trappers in the Superior game
refuge. His reports of his ex-
periences are very interesting.
Starting from Winton he snowshoed
through Gun lake, Eastwood lake.
Cedar lake and Fall lake districts,
then reoutfitting at Ely he entered
the Kawishiwi district, covering the
country around Farm lake, North
Kawishiwi river, Twin lakes, Lake
Insular and Frazer lake.
"The trips called for considerable
stamina and endurance. Mr.. Helix
kila reported that on account of the
deep snow, snowshoeing was extreme
ly arduous and progress slow. On
the Kawishiwi trip he fell through
the ice into thirty feet of ice water.
He said that he struggled hard to
get out but was so hampered by his
snowshoes that he almost gave up
hope. He finally managed to kick
off one shoe and then eXtricated him
self. After building a fire and dry
ing his clothes he set out to find a
certain cabin on Twin lakes. Fail
ing to find the cabin he was forced
to camp on an island. 1t was bitter
cold and Mr.. Heikkila says that he
thinks he cut and burned all of
Is cords of wood that night trying
to keep warm.
"On his February trip Warden
Heikkila saw 80 deer and 13 moose.
Conditions in the north woods early
this winter were very unfavorable
for deer. A thaw occurred after the
first snowfall and freezing weather
Immediately afterwards formed a
thick coating of ice over the ground.
Signs showed that deer e~ndeavored
to paw through this coating in vain.
Mr.. Heikkila attributes the preserva-
ton of the deer to numbering opera
tions. The trees felled furnished
nourishment for thousands of deer
who congregated in the vicinity of
the camps and subsisted entirely on
the moss and twigs thus rendered
accessible. In some places the snow
was tramped down as though by
fiocks of sheep. AS usual, consider
able evidence of the timber. VOLTS
activity was noted and quite a few
partially eaten carcasses of deer were
found. One otter was noted on a
slide near North Arm lake and trap
pers reported this valuable fur bear
er as being more numerous than
usual.
early in March Warden Heikkila
started from Ely in company with
John Elk, a trapper who had been
laid up in Ely for a month with
influenza and who was anxious to
get back to his trap line in the vi
cinity of Frazer lake. The going |
was hard and Elk played out, fore
ing the warden to carry both the |
packs as well as assist Mr.. Elk.
Upon arrival, several days later, at
Ek's cabin they rested and then went |
out over the trap line which had not |
been visited for over a month. The |
first trap visited, between Frazer and
Thomas lakes, they found sprung
with jaws twisted and the springs
bent. A wolf had evidently been
caught at least a month before and
had been in the trap until two or
three days previous to their arrival.
This incident testifes to the remark
able strength of the timber wolf.
The trap was a No. 81 Newhouse and
the wolf had dragged it and the clog
until it became wedged against a
balsam z inches in diameter and a
nearby windfall. The frenzied
brute had chewed the balsam down.
to a thickness of 2 inches for a dist
ance of a fit. from the ground. A
most astonishing example of the abil-
ity of wild animals to irtelligently
with unforeseen circumstances
was demonstrated by this wolf and
the members of his pack. Deer
hair was very plentiful in the close
vicinity of the balsam tree and in
dicated that the trapped animal SUBJ
sisted On deer meat while in durance
vile. Fon a time the warden and the
trapper were puzzled as to how the
wolf obtained possession of the
venison Noting well defined trails
leading away from the scene they
followed and about a mile away dis
covered a deer that had been killed
by four wovles. The four wolves
had carried the vension to their
comrade in distress thus keeping him
alive until he could force the jaws
OF the trap and escape. This is in
a remarkable example of brute intel
ligence."