That is anything from a #1 on up. The main indicator that a box may be in use is the presence of marten scats on the box lid. North River Trapping Supplies Quality Trapping Supplies › Home › About Us › Hours › My Account › Contact Us › Terms and Conditions › Links : Search: Home > Pelt Boards and Boxes: He earned his living the old way: trapping. Sign up now to get a five-article Predator Package Compilation from Trapper Yearbook — FREE, Home | Predator Hunting Magazine | Subscribe | Gift Subscription | Plastic Marten Box; Press and move to zoom. Large enough to accommodate a 5" jaw spread body grip trap. They are found from Southeast Alaska all the way up to the northern and western portions of the state where the last trees disappear and the true arctic tundra begins. I’m not sure I ever figured it out. Trappers use footholds, conibears, and sometimes even snares to capture marten, but nowadays the most popular marten traps are probably the 110 and 120 conibear. One end is cut square, and the other is cut at a 45-degree angle. Therefore, we have a rectangular box, closed on the six sides. A frozen marten can easily be removed from a foothold without damaging the fur. Cold days and hot lunches. One wire on the trigger is left straight and the other is bent into an L shape. When I first started trapping I was lucky to have a few older Cree trappers around for advice. I wanted to trap. Some have already been photographed returning to the boxes. Hinterland Outdoors. During this time, they will attempt to establish their own territories. Decaying deadfalls were still visible along the old trails that run through the area. Squirrels don’t chew the plastic boxes, and the set has proven very easy to maintain. Snow, Ice and rain won't melt these boxes. Today at 6:49 AM. Thanks to the interest shown, now is the time to add a finishing feature to those plans and make them available as well. Stands up well to sub-zero temperatures. The Ultra Lite Marten box saves you from storing mountains of boxes year round. This holds them firmly in place, yet makes removing them a breeze. Marten boxes mounted vertically with the opening facing down are another popular set. Because I trap in deep snow country, I prefer a pole about 10-12-feet long, six to eight inches in diameter. I make mine 14-16 inches deep with spring slots cut to within 6 inches of the back as I use pan trigger traps placed within 4 inches of the bait at the back of the box. You know, the one that will produce marten like the goose that laid the golden egg. Once the pole is cut and de-limbed I fasten the big end to another tree. Building a leaning pole set takes a bit of time, but I feel it’s worth the effort. Height: 12" From the ATA Archives: Selecting Marten Set Locations by David McHoes. He never had a driver’s license or an outside job. The Marten (Martes americana) is a carnivorous, furbearing relative of the mink. Magnum Marten. They are easy to catch, prolific, and usually bring good prices at the auction house. This grease based long distance call lure made by Scott Phillips of Northwest Predator and Wildlife Control was the lure I had the most success with early in my marten trapping career. var intYear = dteNow.getFullYear(); The trap was stapled to the tree and would stay there throughout the year. Boxes are usually elevated. Introducing a new innovation to trapping. Had a listener complain about too much marten and too much Alaska, and I got a kick out of it! The front piece is mounted with quick release on the trap to make it easy to remove even the largest and most numb marten out of the trap. also what length should I make them? Live traps would probably work well too, since they are their own cubby set. A box that has been mounted four feet off the ground early in the season might be too low by midwinter. Voles, bog lemmings, mice, and snowshoe hares are just a few. There are several ways that I have of choosing set locations. The fact that lynx, fox, and other similar sized furbearers could be taken at a marten set was a bonus. As a matter of fact, remnants of these old traps are still visible today. He traps in the Liard Basin in northwest Canada, an area famous for its rich trapping history. This meant George didn’t have to carry extra traps. Marten are substantially larger than most mink and other weasel-like relatives. 36(1):32-41) and found the set to be very good for taking marten in southeast Alaska. They have what is called “delayed implantation.” This means that fertilized eggs are not implanted in the uterus right away. Trapping Marten in Newspaper Boxes A few years ago a couple of trappers from Maine introduced me to a different way of catching marten. A few drops of lure, dropped into the fur every time they came by, kept the set fresh. Plastic Marten Boxes - Heavy duty plastic marten boxes. They are, however, still used by a lot of American marten trappers. Our innovate boxes are shipped flat and you build the boxes as you need them. American marten are sometimes confused with the European pine marten and the Russian sable, both of which are different species of martens. These dispersing juveniles are the target population of many marten trappers. I am still looking for that perfect location, though. But I’m going to have fun trying. Even luckier still was the fact that one of them, George Cryingman, decided to take me under his wing. Thanks in advance. Building a box to hold a conibear trap for mink accomplishes a few things. Deadfalls were popular among northern trappers well into the middle of the 20th century. Our innovate boxes are shipped flat and you build the boxes as you need them. The threatened Newfoundland Marten may be impacted by non-targeted mortality caused by legal trapping of furbearing species. |, Video: Marten Runs Onto Field During Swiss Soccer Game, Bites Player. I used this set a lot in the past and have found I get fewer refusals with it than any other. This should obviate the need for a licence and, done quietly and infrequently (maximum twice per year), should avoid disturbance that might lead a pine marten to desert the box. Snow, Ice and rain won't melt these boxes. document.write(intYear); Haha okay, I'm kidding! The Cree trappers I grew up around didn’t bait their marten sets the way modern trappers do now. Approximate dimensions: Opening: 6-3/4" X 7". They are built strong enough to be used on the most rugged conditions. Foothold Sets Like some other furbearers, marten populations will cycle. Phone: (712)822-5780 Fax: (712)822-5781 330 S. Main St. Po Box 70 Lidderdale IA 51452 Swing poles designed to lift the marten off the ground, helped end this problem. Trappers quickly realized that they could target certain species with the new traps. Tapered ends allow boxes to fit in each other and make transporting easy. I trapped them for years with 110's and can't recall a single problem due to a 110 being less powerful. One wire on the trigger is left straight and the other is bent into an L shape. Today at 5:50 PM. They are sturdy and durable for use in the ever changing conditions. Since the box is horizontal there is no need to wire in the bait. The tough piece of hide attracted marten, and lasted a long time. Selecting locations for marten sets is one of the most important aspects of marten trapping. Using a box on your trapline offers a great way to trap mink later in the season when things start to freeze up. Mouse over image to zoom. Baiting is easier as well. It also gives “set-location,” a new meaning. A few years in now, and I feel the investment has been worth it. Marten have delicate fur that is easily damaged. Since he ran his trapline on snowshoes, weight was a big factor in this decision. During this time, they are dependent on the mother. The pole is then leaned up against a tree. Media 360, LLC All rights reserved. Plastic Marten Box. Marten prey on a variety of species. Another popular marten trap is the #1 longspring, a foothold trap. This ensures the young are born at a time with the best chance of survival in March and April. Click to enlarge. Common sets like pocket sets or cubby sets which use foothold traps near the water work great for trapping North American mink, but they will freeze up after a cold night which makes the set ineffective when ice starts to form. The box is usually hung from a nail or small branch about three feet off the ground. Kits stay in the den for up to six weeks. Lightweight & they nest inside of eachother for easy transport. The drawback is baiting. For years I had been using 120 Conibears in plastic flower pots nailed upside down on the trunk of a tree (see: American Trapper, Jan.-Feb. 1996, Vol. I liked them so well I began switching all my marten sets over to this style. My two daughters were the lucky owners. Fisher Bag Limit: See Regulations for Specific Species for new bag limit. November Furbearer Playmate of the Month Marten. Studies have shown that this set produces a high percentage of good trap strikes. See Tagging Requirements for more information. To further increase the incidence of light on the bait in the trap box it has opening in the box made as a 15mm wide slot. The most common method is to secure them to trees, stumps, or leaning poles. He preferred Victor 1-1/2 long-spring traps for marten. Extremely durable, lasts for years in harsh winter weather. No it wasn’t mine. Bodygrip Sets Lots of marten trappers in Maine and other states use these boxes at their sets. Once the boxes are installed, carting around a bunch of bulky boxes is no longer necessary. Deep snow can create problems as well. Excellent way to make a Body Grip cubbie set for Marten, Mink, Fisher, & Raccoon. The animals are not tagged or collared. Article Index | For body grip traps, the double spring 120 sized traps are usually recommended. Tested in Northern Alberta Traplines they definitely stand up to the wear and tear. Footholds were eliminated under the Agreement on International Humane Trapping Standards for Canadian trappers. Habitat is the most critical factor influencing wildlife populations, and furbearers like marten are no exception. Cubbies were another set favored by early trappers. ‎From here on out I've decided to devote the podcast to marten trapping and Alaska each and every week. //--> I try to keep the high end about five feet off the ground. New marten boxes for the upcoming season. 2020-2021 Trapping Season George was famous in the small northern British Columbia community where I grew up. There did seem to be a concentrated population of both snowshoe hares and lemmings near the set.Marten prey on both species so it stands to reason they would seek these areas out. Large well hidden bait compartment. This practice has convinced me they are opportunistic hunters that will cache food. The trap sits on the 45-degree cut with the bait tacked just above it. Because the box is upside down the bait must be wired inside the box. The most efficient way to use bodygrips for marten is in a box. Instead they will be monitored via tracking and camera traps. In random locations throughout the range of marten species in the world, folks are installing nesting boxes in the forest to replace lost habitat and hopefully increase marten numbers. Some trappers prefer to secure their boxes permanently to a tree in a horizontal position. Shortly after its invention, the bodygrip, became the trap of choice for most marten trappers. It has taken a lot of work and a sizable investment to switch my marten line over to the leaning pole set. Thank's to Randel & Dale for their help ..! In this episode we go over some great listener feedback from the seaso… Juveniles disperse in late fall or early winter. Permanent horizontal boxes have some distinct advantages over other sets. Live traps with boxes to keep the marten warm were specifically constructed for the trapping effort. I have seen #0 traps recommended in the past, but they just seem too weak to me. I usually dissect a few marten carcasses each season. I swear, that set was like the goose that laid the golden egg. These are humane bodygripper traps that usually result in a quick, humane kill. #2 02-07-2014, 12:20 PM tomcat : Join Date: Jul … Advertise | About Us | Customer Service, Deer & Deer Hunting | Turkey & Turkey Hunting |, Copyright © var dteNow = new Date(); Built in spring slots for body grip trap springs. Plastic boxes are expensive, and the set takes time to build. No screws, nails, or wire to remove. Back to top. Stomach contents have included berries, mice, rabbit’s, voles and even eggshells. Their preferred bait was a small piece of green moose hide. Makin a few marten boxes & havin a bit of fun. with this situation the marten is stationary with feet on the pan while feeding on the bait. If you are creating a trapline in a new area, this could seem like an impossible task to narrow down the possibilities. Once steel traps became available, marten trapping changed forever. They are sturdy and durable for use in the ever changing conditions. While there are advantages to the permanent box set, there are disadvantages too.