JakeLands 2015/16 Marten line. ( updated again!!!! )

[Cultusman]

Nice   

[UrbanTrapper]

This is great thread! Thanks for sharing your knowledge on this. 

What do you think the primary prey of the marten in Western WA is?

[JakeLand]

Voles and mice 

[Machias]

Red squirrels

[JakeLand]

Yes squirrel too ! I've opened them up before and it seemed like most the contents were mice or voles and it's like they kill them and swallow them whole or halves maybe it's a winter time thing

[wags]

I believe marten feed on squirrels in some regions, but my experience in Washington doesn't lead me to think squirrels make up very much of their diet here. Of all the marten tracks I've intentionally followed in the snow I have never seen one instance where they've taken to the trees. They mainly hunt under the snow. They love exposed root wads and blown over trees that allow them access under the snow where they feed on mice/voles.

[UrbanTrapper]

Based on what I'm learning here, I went scouting today. Is this Silver Fir?  The underside of the needles seems to have "white stomatal bands..." 

[wags]

That is most likely silver fir, grand fir looks similar though but is found at low elevations. What elevation were you?

[JakeLand]

Found another area with quite a few different marten tracks going through going to get the cages set this next week!

[Kit Carson]

Excited to see what you get! 

[JakeLand]

I wear heavy duty welding gloves to grab them and get them out of the cage alive then I can see if they are worth keeping or letting go ! If they are worth keeping then I humanly dispatch them . So that big male had a mouthful of my finger it's surprising how much pressure in their bite they have and he didn't want to let go for awhile

[UrbanTrapper]

That is most likely silver fir, grand fir looks similar though but is found at low elevations. What elevation were you?

 I was at 3200 feet.

[wags]

^^^^^
3200 feet is about where you usually start to find them. It's hard to tell from your picture, but it sort of looks like an area of second growth/young timber, not too good for marten, actually terrible if there's not some old growth nearby. What was the surrounding area like?

[Trapper John]

Nice looking critters. 
JC   

[JakeLand]

 Got these 4 (3 males 1 female ) put up tonight!


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