Post by: Carp Commander on September 28, 2013, 08:37:04 PM
Any suggestions on habitat and bait?
Post by: Bigshooter on September 28, 2013, 09:06:41 PM
Post by: Carp Commander on September 28, 2013, 09:14:12 PM
Can't help you with the ermine. But have you ever caught any marten in the cascades? Me and a buddy have been thinking about giving it a try this year.
No I haven't this is my maiden trip. I have reached out to WDFW biologist, researched old trapping harvest reports, read everything I could find on Martin habitat and and called every trapper I know that use to trap them. I will either be a hero or a zero but I am going to enjoy every minute of it.
I prepped twenty new 7x7x24 single doors today. Put burlap covers on them and tuned all the pans. I will be sure to keep everyone posted on the trip. Everything I have read suggests that catching them is not difficult as they will regularly enter cage traps. Finding them however can be very difficult.
Post by: Bigshooter on September 28, 2013, 10:12:44 PM
Can't help you with the ermine. But have you ever caught any marten in the cascades? Me and a buddy have been thinking about giving it a try this year.
No I haven't this is my maiden trip. I have reached out to WDFW biologist, researched old trapping harvest reports, read everything I could find on Martin habitat and and called every trapper I know that use to trap them. I will either be a hero or a zero but I am going to enjoy every minute of it.
I prepped twenty new 7x7x24 single doors today. Put burlap covers on them and tuned all the pans. I will be sure to keep everyone posted on the trip. Everything I have read suggests that catching them is not difficult as they will regularly enter cage traps. Finding them however can be very difficult.
From what I have been told and have seen they go into cages pretty easy. Please let us know how you do. I am very interested.
Post by: UrbanTrapper on September 28, 2013, 10:34:41 PM
Post by: Heredoggydoggy on September 28, 2013, 10:37:29 PM
Ermine get white in winter. Weasels don't change color. two different animals. :tup:
Post by: Bigshooter on September 28, 2013, 11:24:44 PM
The only place I've seen Ermine is in Oregon when I was shooting Ground Squirrels. Looked like he was having a hard time stalking Ground Squirrels when he was white and the fields and critters were brown...
Ermine get white in winter. Weasels don't change color. two different animals. :tup:
Wrong.
After a weasel turns white it is know as an ermine. An expamle would be the shorttailed weasels.
Post by: Humptulips on September 29, 2013, 06:24:51 PM
Post by: KFhunter on September 29, 2013, 06:28:17 PM
I know where some are already.
Are they pretty thick or sparse? trap heavy in a small area or lightly in a big area?
Post by: Carp Commander on September 29, 2013, 07:36:59 PM
The ones I have caught in Northeast Washington were scattered far and wide. I trapped just off the road along ditches, the more under brush the better. I never caught more than one or two in an area. From my very limited experience last year I concluded that a longer line was the key to consistent catches. This could also be because of the lack of a large population in that area.
Post by: 3nails on September 29, 2013, 07:41:26 PM
Post by: Carp Commander on September 29, 2013, 07:44:54 PM
"The ermine is largely solitary. The ermine is territorial and intolerant of others in its range, especially others of the same sex. Within its range, it typically uses several dens, often taken from prey species. It usually travels alone, except when it is mating or is a mother with older offspring."
"The size of the territory and the ranging behaviour of its occupants varies seasonally, depending on the abundance of food and mates. During the breeding season, the ranges of females remain unchanged, while males either become roamers, strayers or transients. Dominant older males have territories 50 times larger than those of younger, socially inferior males. Both sexes mark their territories with urine, faeces and two types of scent marks; anal drags are meant to convey territorial occupancy, and body rubbing is associated with agonistic encounters"
Post by: Carp Commander on September 29, 2013, 07:48:00 PM
A "longer line". :chuckle: Man I wish that were possible for me for all species. I keep trying to shorten my lines due to fuel costs. If gas were $1 per gallon I'm pretty sure I'd trap myself into an early grave! :chuckle:
I wish it was possible over here it seems like everything is 60 miles away! The alternative is to not trap and for me that is unacceptable!
Post by: KFhunter on September 29, 2013, 11:13:13 PM
If it's a good snow year, might have to trailer the sled for a mile or two if not.
Post by: Heredoggydoggy on September 30, 2013, 09:17:52 AM
Post by: Jonathan_S on September 30, 2013, 10:20:29 AM
Areas to consider are edges of forests near clearcuts. I have a deer stand that requires me to walk through an 8-10 year old burn area with lots of young tamarack and fallen logs. Tons of mice and weasels. I've got a cool picture of one that ran up a tree and barked at me.
Also, I wouldn't be afraid to try and trap them around the Tri-Cities. They are a very adaptable critter. I trapped them in the grass draws between wheat fields and around ponds out in scabrock country. Look for their track in the snow. They look like four dime-sized prints in a rough v-shape.
Do you have any boxes with rat traps? Don't be worried about getting blood on them, it'll clean right off in cold water. Just be careful about extracting a dead weasel (or marten) from a trap because they can freeze to them.
Post by: sirmissalot on September 30, 2013, 10:29:04 AM
Post by: fast60eddie on September 30, 2013, 09:15:44 PM
OK, so there are 3 kinds of weasels: Long-tailed, Short-tailed, and Two-legged. :chuckle:
Post by: Carp Commander on October 01, 2013, 12:08:11 AM
To the OP, habitat ranges a lot. However, all you have to do is locate an area and then you can continue to trap that for a good long time. Similar to mink, they don't congregate and live together but they do live in areas together.
Areas to consider are edges of forests near clearcuts. I have a deer stand that requires me to walk through an 8-10 year old burn area with lots of young tamarack and fallen logs. Tons of mice and weasels. I've got a cool picture of one that ran up a tree and barked at me.
Also, I wouldn't be afraid to try and trap them around the Tri-Cities. They are a very adaptable critter. I trapped them in the grass draws between wheat fields and around ponds out in scabrock country. Look for their track in the snow. They look like four dime-sized prints in a rough v-shape.
Do you have any boxes with rat traps? Don't be worried about getting blood on them, it'll clean right off in cold water. Just be careful about extracting a dead weasel (or marten) from a trap because they can freeze to them.
Thanks for the info and yeah I have two dozen weasel boxes. Last year I caught them using chicken livers. Any suggestions on bait and/or lures.
I have seen them plenty of times around here but always in the summer when they are brown. I am not sure they turn white here.
Post by: UrbanTrapper on October 02, 2013, 10:32:02 PM
No ermine here. They stay brown all winter. I did have a number of pictures of them working my cat sets and I use beaver for bait. They don't eat much so I don't really care. Used to catch them occasionally in civet sets but apparently their too light to set off a cage trap.
They get white in Central and Eastern WA.
Post by: CementFinisher on October 07, 2013, 11:01:30 PM
Post by: Carp Commander on October 08, 2013, 02:46:30 PM
"The white fur also is known as "ermine," and even in regions where the animal is known as a "stoat," the animal with this winter coat may be referred to as ermine, or as being "in ermine."
Not much money in them but a fun species to trap.
Post by: Carp Commander on October 11, 2013, 07:21:27 PM
Also, I wouldn't be afraid to try and trap them around the Tri-Cities. They are a very adaptable critter. I trapped them in the grass draws between wheat fields and around ponds out in scabrock country. Look for their track in the snow. They look like four dime-sized prints in a rough v-shape.
We definitely have plenty of wheat fields around here. I would never have thought to find Weasels in the sage brush. Maybe I'll try catching some in the brush around the rivers here in the Tri-Cities. I am assuming the thick brush that holds rabbits would also hold Weasel.
Has anyone tried wiring or tacking the rat trap to a tree. I thought about trying to find a set that would work to avoid the shrew and mouse catches and avoid having to pack weasel boxes.
Doug