Trapping Marten

[Bigjon]

Quick question if I can pick some brains.  Im a first year trapper and I wanted to go to packwood and try to trap some cats since its so slow down in my neck of the woods right now.  While im up there i wanted to try trapping marten.  Can anyone let me know two things 1 - how is the cat population in Packwood, and do you want to trap in the snow or non snow.  Secondly How do you trap marten, what do you use for bait, what kind of traps work best, and what kind of habitat are marten in?  Any help would be great, Thank you.

Big Jon

[TeacherMan]

Quick question if I can pick some brains.  Im a first year trapper and I wanted to go to packwood and try to trap some cats since its so slow down in my neck of the woods right now.  While im up there i wanted to try trapping marten.  Can anyone let me know two things 1 - how is the cat population in Packwood, and do you want to trap in the snow or non snow.  Secondly How do you trap marten, what do you use for bait, what kind of traps work best, and what kind of habitat are marten in?  Any help would be great, Thank you.

Big Jon

Box trapping marten for me is a new thing and I have to say I miss my 120s. With that said you want to be high in areas with good squirrel populations or rabbit with heavy timber close. I've always put a marten set with every cat set I make (mostly talking about trapping experience in AK). I use the same bait with a LD lure as well. Magnum Marten is my favorite. If you dont make marten climb, ie build a cubby set you will tend to get more females. You should be trapping your cats in the snow. I trap right up to the top of the pass. The only thing I really try and avoid in the higher elevation areas are spots that are hit by heavy winds. Nothing wants to be in that.

[Bigjon]

Thank you very much for your advice Teacherman gonna try some this week see if I get lucky

[Norman89]

Pretty good population of both from eatonville up the hill Scott Turner road has cats so does cat creek copper Creek and skate creek over to pack wood and lots of good territory up the 25 road out of randle see marten and cat tracks all the time in the snow up there few coyotes around as well but beware of the big long tail Kitty's that will mess with your traps as well

[Humptulips]

What kind of traps you using? Homemade, size, purchased, brand and size?

[Bigjon]

not using any certain trap yet I need to find what traps are a specific marten trap, any ideas?

[Humptulips]

not using any certain trap yet I need to find what traps are a specific marten trap, any ideas?

That is addressed to everyone else. Help the guy out and tell him what traps are working for you marten trappers out there.

[JakeLand]

I use a 6"X6"X22" cage with conibear trigger

Beaver is the "only bait " I will use and fresh is important and I use LDC marten lure with using a duck wing hanging from a limb as eye attraction
For area it's different all over BUT what I look for are mature stands with mixed old growth of hemloch above 3,000 ft elevation and this is just me

I will make a big leaning pole set or what I've found that works well is find a blow down with root ball exposed and set under that I believe marten hunt on the ground and under snow more then in the trees
and set your cage on top of a bunch of cut bows because marten piss a lot in a cage that way it goes down through the limbs and they're not soaked in it
And very important is WEATHER proof your set !!!
If I think of more I'll post more tomorrow!
Jake

[wags]

In the Packwood area you will need to be above 3000 feet in elevation, generally higher on south facing slopes.
If you are still in primarily Douglas fir timber you are too low (I do know of a couple exceptions to this rule-of-thumb). You should be mostly in true fir (noble, silver, sub alpine), alaska yellow cedar, and hemlock.
When you start going up logging roads there will be a pretty distinct transition from doug fir and hemlock mix to the hemlock and true fir mix. You won't find hardly any marten in second growth timber either.
The edges of high elevation sub-alpine meadows are a sure fire place for marten too.

You will find a lot of snow right now in marten habitat. Do you have a snow machine?

[Trapper John]

Wags,
You use to trap marten up at Snoqualmie Pass years ago if I remember, are there any up there?
JC 

[wags]

^^^^^^^
I trapped a couple up there just last year. All the passes through the Cascades are within marten habitat. Just a look at what it looks like when driving over the passes gives you a good idea what marten habitat looks like.

[Trapper John]

I have got to put marten on my bucket list before I get out of this trapping business
JC 

[Bigjon]

Thank you for all of the help I appreicate it.

Jon