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11-24-2016, 08:49 AM
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Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 6,283
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Marten & Fisher Trapping
Guys, how are your marten numbers looking so far this year. We are finding very low catch numbers for this time of year relative to previous years. We have lots of logging and oilfield work this year on line. Also theory is low snow and possibly marten able to catch lots of redback voles and mice, may not need to move much. Anyone else having slower year.
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11-24-2016, 08:57 AM
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Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Fort McMurray, AB
Posts: 2,515
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I am waiting till December before I start this year. There are healthy grouse, squirrel and mice/vole numbers this year. I imagine marten and fisher will do alright. The no snow is likely an issue.
When we did have 4" of snow earlier I went for a walk , weasel tracks and only a few marten tracks. Fox and coyotes seem to be on the rise on our line.
Don't despair , snow will help a bit if we get any .....
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Be sure of your target and what lies beyond.
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11-24-2016, 05:33 PM
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: In a house
Posts: 7,778
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Set my line the last couple days. Checked the first 15 boxes after a day and a half and had 3 weasels is all. I have yet to see a marten track. Tons of coyotes and a bunch of wolf tracks. The wolves will be in for a surprise in the next few weeks..... lol
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11-24-2016, 09:18 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 284
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We had 2 Martin, 1 Fisher, 1 weasel and 2 squarrels on 40 boxes the first 2 days, we are up to 60 boxes now and havent got anything for 2 weeks, no even squarrels, which is really strange for this time of the year for us
We also figure no snow they aren't traveling, and we caught the animals that were very clos, wee tested out a couple different lures to see if we could bring em in
We got some snow up there now so hopefully something is hanging tomorrow
Last edited by D4l3k; 11-24-2016 at 09:24 PM.
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11-25-2016, 09:09 AM
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Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 6,283
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We also have good lynx numbers this year on line with higher rabbit numbers. lynx possibly raising hell with marten and fisher.
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11-25-2016, 10:06 AM
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: In a house
Posts: 7,778
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Lynx will be good for a couple years. I suspect they are getting to the high of their cycle in the next year or 2. Rabbit and grouse numbers seem to be high so the lynx should do well for a few years.
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11-29-2016, 10:04 AM
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Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Peace River, AB
Posts: 45
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__________________
A clean beaver always gets more wood
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11-29-2016, 10:09 AM
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Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Peace River, AB
Posts: 45
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seeing a very healthy population on my line this year
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
__________________
A clean beaver always gets more wood
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12-01-2016, 12:38 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Fort McMurray, Alberta
Posts: 286
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Picked up another 9 last night. 61 for November....and still 2 months to go! Good luck to the rest out there!
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12-01-2016, 01:56 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 284
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Quote:
Originally Posted by uke hunter
Picked up another 9 last night. 61 for November....and still 2 months to go! Good luck to the rest out there!
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how many boxes/sets do you have out ?
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12-01-2016, 10:10 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Fort McMurray, Alberta
Posts: 286
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120
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12-02-2016, 12:07 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Fort McMurray, AB
Posts: 2,515
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Nice!
I'm a junior. Still learning a lot.
Setting my goal at 4 wolf, 6 Lynx, 6 fox , 6 fisher, 20 marten, 12 mink, 4 otter, 30 weasel , 12 beaver (mostly for bait as the furs haven't been worth much)
Let's see where we get.
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Be sure of your target and what lies beyond.
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12-03-2016, 10:48 AM
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Banned
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: northern AB
Posts: 2,241
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Quote:
Originally Posted by savage21
seeing a very healthy population on my line this year
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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I know it happens, it has happened to all of us...BUT... I really wish this type of pic was not put out for ALL to see.. WE are being watched and I'm not being paranoid in saying so
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12-03-2016, 11:39 AM
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Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 6,283
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Uke with your excellent marten numbers again this year you obviously did not over harvest last year. Do you have much lynx on your line, even if you are not targeting them. We are over run with lynx.
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12-05-2016, 08:57 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Fort McMurray, Alberta
Posts: 286
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf
Uke with your excellent marten numbers again this year you obviously did not over harvest last year. Do you have much lynx on your line, even if you are not targeting them. We are over run with lynx.
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Very few Lynx on my line. Get between 2 - 4 a year. Have only seen 1 track so far this year.
Picked up another 6 marten this weekend. Up to 67 now. Expect things to slow down with this cold weather for the next while.
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12-11-2016, 03:08 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Fort McMurray, AB
Posts: 2,515
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Quote:
Originally Posted by uke hunter
Very few Lynx on my line. Get between 2 - 4 a year. Have only seen 1 track so far this year.
Picked up another 6 marten this weekend. Up to 67 now. Expect things to slow down with this cold weather for the next while.
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Just wondering what your fisher numbers are like?
I've had two checks (9 days traps have been out)on 30 boxes and have 2 marten , 1 weasel and one weasel that became coyote food.
I did however see a few marten and fisher tracks in this new snow. Found a few pockets of rabbit so I will concentrate there for Lynx.
__________________
Be sure of your target and what lies beyond.
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12-03-2016, 01:59 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Rocky Mtn Hse
Posts: 3,006
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sourdough doug
I know it happens, it has happened to all of us...BUT... I really wish this type of pic was not put out for ALL to see.. WE are being watched and I'm not being paranoid in saying so
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I didn't even think that it was possible to catch a Martin like that.... He had to be move 100 MPH when he went into that trap...
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12-03-2016, 02:30 PM
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: In a house
Posts: 7,778
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Quote:
Originally Posted by diamonddave
I didn't even think that it was possible to catch a Martin like that.... He had to be move 100 MPH when he went into that trap...
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I got one the other day that was worse than that but it did not struggle much by the look of the set. I use pans as well and it was set perfect off the notches in the box and everything. All the rest of mine were absolutely perfect. I changed a few things up from when I first started and it is working real good.
I'd be curious as to how fast mine was moving as well. It was a big long box so he must have dove right in airborne style lol
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12-03-2016, 02:38 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: 100 Mile House BC
Posts: 358
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Quote:
Originally Posted by diamonddave
I didn't even think that it was possible to catch a Martin like that.... He had to be move 100 MPH when he went into that trap...
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There are generally two reasons that happens:
1. The trap is set to far away from the bait, or;
2. The trap springs are set against the back of the spring slots.
When using a horizontal or inclined trap box be it with standard wire or pan trigger, if it is set too far away from the bait the animal sometimes moves through the wire trigger or jumps over the pan and fires the trap with it’s body or hind feet, resulting in a hip catch. With a 120 trap set within 4-6 inches of the bait, you will get a neck or neck and thorax quick kill zone strike virtually every time. This occurs because the animal is stable at the bait, not moving through, and centered towards the trap when it is triggered.
While working the bait in a 14” plus long box with log spring slots the animal will be correctly oriented to the trap, stable, not moving through the trap and most likely mink and marten will be standing with front feet on a pan trigger or moving its head within the trigger wires while working the bait. The fisher will usually trigger either a pan or wire trigger 120 trap with its head movements while working the bait.
When using a horizontal or inclined trap box be it with standard wire or pan trigger, if it is set too far away from the bait the animal sometimes moves through the wire trigger or jumps over the pan and fires the trap with it’s body or hind feet, resulting in a hip catch. With a 120 trap set within 4-6 inches of the bait, you will get a neck or neck and thorax quick kill zone strike virtually every time. This occurs because the animal is stable at the bait, not moving through, and centered towards the trap when it is triggered.
While working the bait in a 14” plus long box with log spring slots the animal will be correctly oriented to the trap, stable, not moving through the trap and most likely mink and marten will be standing with front feet on a pan trigger or moving its head within the trigger wires while working the bait. The fisher will usually trigger either a pan or wire trigger 120 trap with its head movements while working the bait.
Last edited by tomcat; 12-03-2016 at 02:48 PM.
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12-03-2016, 02:53 PM
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: In a house
Posts: 7,778
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I have placed my bait closer. In fact I had a trap sprung with nothing but bait the other day lol Got the bait a little too close and the critter got away It works like Tomcat said
Also watch how close those springs are to the end of the slot. That was my main problem before.
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12-04-2016, 10:44 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 477
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Couple marten today
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12-04-2016, 11:33 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 584
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Nice mitts . Did you make them ?
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12-05-2016, 08:11 AM
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Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 284
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we are not having a good year for martin on our line this year compared to past years
we have almost 80 boxes up and have still only gotten 1 fisher, 3 martin since Nov 1st
previous years we had seen 25+ martin 3+ fishers by this time already
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12-05-2016, 08:41 AM
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: In a house
Posts: 7,778
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Quote:
Originally Posted by D4l3k
we are not having a good year for martin on our line this year compared to past years
we have almost 80 boxes up and have still only gotten 1 fisher, 3 martin since Nov 1st
previous years we had seen 25+ martin 3+ fishers by this time already
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What area are u in? Maybe time to shut it down for a year or 2?
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12-05-2016, 11:36 AM
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Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 284
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nube
What area are u in? Maybe time to shut it down for a year or 2?
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we are in wmu 510
the area we are in this year for martin/fisher has never been trapped for at least 10+ years so we figured our numbers should be decent
alpac is heavily cutting and hauling in our normal northern martin area so we pushed 20-25 km south of where they are working into a area that we can only get into after freeze up (we havent invested in a argo yet)
we also wanted to let that norhtern area sit for a number of years because we do not want to over harvest
The only difference we see in the environment between the north and south is very little birch in the south, but still mature pine/popular mixed forest with very healthy squirrel population
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12-24-2016, 02:28 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Fort McMurray, AB
Posts: 2,515
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Mature female marten ratio
Quote:
Originally Posted by nube
What area are u in? Maybe time to shut it down for a year or 2?
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I see some talk of potentially overharvesting and we all want to avoid that.
What are the guys with good to great Marten areas catching as far as male to female and mature to juvenile marten?
I've caught 6 marten. 1 mature female, 1 mature male, 2 juvenile female and 2 juvenile male.
What are you guys seeing on high producing lines? My line is not a great marten line , if I catch a couple more mature females I will likely shut it down.
What is an acceptable ratio?
__________________
Be sure of your target and what lies beyond.
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01-02-2017, 03:42 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Fort McMurray, Alberta
Posts: 286
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Up to 81 marten so far now. Picked up another 11 over christmas. Very few Lynx on my line. Got 1 so far this year. The most Lynx I have ever caught is 4 in a year.
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01-03-2017, 09:19 PM
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: In a house
Posts: 7,778
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I got another 7 todays check on 60 boxes. I have found that as soon as December hits your catch drops a ton. I always catch good numbers in November but this year was so warm I didn't get going till the end of November. Tons of cats around and they are hitting the sets good.
Canines are moving real well also. Picked off another Black wolf today and got a small pack hitting a dead moose I had found last trip out and didn't have time to set on.
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12-05-2016, 09:50 AM
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Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 477
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Quote:
Originally Posted by expedition
Nice mitts . Did you make them ?
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No. had those made from coyotes I caught about 25 years ago. They are warm but to small for me so the kid wears them. I did make the hat though. Warm but long coyote hair is always in your eyes when riding a quad/ski doo.
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