Written by Jeremiah Wood
AN ODE TO MARTEN “In short, marten habitat represents the places that attract me most to the outdoors.” When asked to name their favorite animal to trap, a short list of species get the nod from most trappers. Usually it’s the coyote or otter, sometimes the wolf or bobcat. Why? Well, a critter usually rises to the top of the list because it presents a challenge. It’s difficult to catch, cunning, crafty, and perhaps a little unpredictable. That’s not the case for my favorite species. The marten isn’t difficult to catch. In fact, the real challenge is usually just finding marten. Once you’re into them, marten are easy to catch. They’re not trap shy, they are readily attracted to a variety of baits and lures, and their habits are quite reliable and predictable. The marten is my favorite animal to trap not due to its individual merits, but because of what the marten represents. Marten live in wild places. They require old growth, diverse, healthy forests with minimum human impact. They live in cold climates that get plenty of snow – harsh places that man rarely inhabits. In short, marten habitat represents the places that attract me most to the outdoors. The first animal I caught while trapping was a marten. I set a bodygrip trap at an entrance to a den-like cavity at the base of a partly uprooted cedar tree after tossing a chunk of meat inside. I set ten or twelve others like it in likely places, but this one was special. The next day I found a marten there, having quickly expired in the trap while entering the night before.
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