Wiebe Trapline Adventures Todd Wilebski S1E8 (1 of 2)
Wiebe Trapline Adventures (@WiebeTraplineAdventures) are the trapline adventures of professional trapper, Mark Steck and friends. Mark started his trapping career at the age of 14... ironically his first ever catch, like so many trappers, was a muskrat.
In this episode, Mark joins good friend, Todd Wilebski. Todd is a professional trapper who is known country wide for his water trapping skills. Today, in part two of 2 episodes, Todd traps an area he's trapped for years, by setting off roadways and on some private land he's acquired. Todd is actually now sought out by local land owners to help them control the waterways of their land and surrounding areas, including public land.
The best description as to why we started Wiebe Trapline Adventures are words directly from Mark:
I am 63 years old and still love the “chase.” Actually I need the chase. I need the challenge. Tom Petty said “never slow down, never grow old.” While that is not literal, at the core, there’s plenty of truth to it.
My intent is three-fold… First, show trapping in a positive light. There are many aspects here, including wildlife management, using fur as a sustainable resource, and protecting the livelihood of ranchers and farmers. Second, instill in viewers that trapping is a useful and humane way to manage and use our God given natural resources. And third, there is nothing more heartwarming that to take a kid into the outdoors. Whether, trapping, hunting, fishing, hiking, kayaking or camping, the outdoors breathes life into all that participate... and create lifetime memories for everyone involved. Lastly, and most importantly, I want the viewer to have fun watching the show. I can assure you that I’ve had fun making it.
Mark grew up along the Minnesota River in a town called North Mankato. The area offered up excellent hunting fishing and trapping. Mark spent lots of time at the river. He started his trapping career at the age of 14. His first muskrat was caught in pond at the city dump with his friend “Herm”. This started a passion that has led Mark down many roads.
Mark didn’t have a full time job until the age of 28. He worked seasonal jobs for the National Park Service, and Forest Service. He always kept his fall and winter open for fur trapping. This was where the bulk of his income came from.
Mark was a nontraditional student, earning a bachelor’s degree from Minnesota State University and a Masters degree from the University of South Dakota. He married his wife of 34 years when he was 28. He proposed to her in an off-grid cabin nestled deep in the woods of the Black Hills of South Dakota. Mark and Sandy raised two boys along with many dogs.
The bulk of Mark’s professional career was spent with South Dakota Game Fish and Parks. He left this career at the age of 53 to grow the Wiebe Knife Company, and Dakotaline Snares.
Along his winding path, Mark has always trapped. Many years he longlined, racking up significant catches. He has mentored up to 50 young men and women, teaching them what he knows about trapping. Some of these students have gone on to work at Dakotaline and Wiebe.
Mark is an author (Hey, Crap in his chimney), and has been making trapping videos since 2005. He’s known for his off-center sense of humor which follows him wherever he goes. Mark, once a free spirit, has made his home in Eastern South Dakota.
And we cannot forget the "legend", Bob the dog... Bob the Dog came to live with Mark and Sandy in 2014. They don’t know much about his past or even how old he is. Bob goes pretty much everywhere with Mark. They’ve traveled the east coast, the west coast, Texas-Arizona, Canada, and even the Arctic circle.
Sometimes Mark calls Bob “Orphan boy”. Sometimes Bob pees on Mark’s pillow. But that's just guys being guys, right? Mark says him and Bob were made for each other.
Thanks for watching and be sure to check out our web sites,
www.WiebeKnives.com
www.DakotalineSnares.com
www.WiebeTraplineAdventures.com
We'll see you all on "down the line"! Be sure to tell your friends about us.