How do you attach the screen to the back.

Brian,
Great minds think a like! I knocked out 3 dozen of these. about $80 in plywood. I just need to drill a hanging hole at the top back and staple in a 3/4"x3/4 ledger board for the trap to set on. I ran out of staples of all things. I'll do some 160s tomorrow night.

I think there is a direct correlation between small mammal reproduction like voles and mice to marten reproduction. No voles, no young the following year. Expect the marten to bounce back next year lots of mice and voles this year. Had next to none last year.

Those look good Rich and I have a bunch that look just like those. These ones are lighter because of the corplast and if I had to I could leave one side loose until in the field. This would allow me to stack them if I had to move a bunch






Boco I don't use screen. I have in the past and have some boxes with screen but I'm not looking to have whiskey jacks working the box. I know the idea is the birds bring in marten but more often you end up killing a bird as well. On these boxes I cut a 8" x 8" plywood square and drilled a 1" hole in the top side. I screwed them onto my bottom cedar bases. As mentioned I can stack the bottoms and just tack the corplast boxes on in the fireld if i want. I use 1.5" roofing nails to hold the corplast to the base.




Jim - for sure…no voles no marten. Interestingly voles are more common in old growth forest while deer mice are more common in clearcuts. Martens prefer voles but I notice marten frequent the clearcut edges so must be after rodents along the edge

Do marten ever move back into patches of timber in a burn area?

They certainly like the edge of a burn but it depends on how hot the fire got.

Some of the best most consistent marten country are old burns....

Jim.....I used to believe that low voles numbers were responsible for marten declines.....I dont anymore.....we have had tons of voles the last few years and few marten.....I think rabbits might be the key in some areas....anywhere I find rabbits I find marten.....where rabbit numbers are low so are marten numbers.....at least in the areas I trap. I am beginning to think that a mixed habitat is conducive to stable populations of marten......most of the biologists I have talked to feel that the best marten habitat is old growth timber.......yet in Yukon old burns or high elevations produce more marten than old growth areas.....yet even these areas seem to have real cycles.....mixed forest country in northern BC doesnt seem to have such drastic cycles......

I set until i start getting 3 females to 1 male, then i start to pull. I have so much untrapped country surrounding me that large numbers of young of the year filter into my line by the next year. Some years i can go for 3 months before i see that ratio.

I started cutting a new trail this fall along an old burn from 2009 with old growth on one side and burn on the other along a ridge, plenty of rabbits and voles but so far not a single marten..........

Here again I think different areas are different.

My area has consistently produced about 10 marten per lineal mile of trail over the last 30 years or so. The last few years are an obvious exception. Anyway, during those 30 some seasons I doubt that I could have snared & shot 6 bunnies a year. I did have good vole pops during that time with probably 'normal' fluctuations.

From what I've heard from guys trapping around here, things aren't going to be much, if any, better than they were last year.

I agree Yukon most real old growth is pretty barren actually. I've trapped marten from the NWT sub artic along the McKenzie River and muskeg meadow flats ( marten heaven) to here in Alberta the boreal - foothills - mountains. I have country that should be full of marten, yet is not. Fellow trappers are taking them in aspen poplar uplands, with very few conifers. But from what I've seen good marten country shares some common traits.

Lots of small creeks and tributaries with grassy sections

Lots of aboreal cover. Marten do not like to be in the open where a hawk or owl can scoop them up. I've seen the chases outlined in the snow. If I'm on a pipeline and I see a tree fallen half way across that's a good place to put a set as marten cross there

Course woody debris - lots of snags and fallen logs sticking out of the snow. Makes for easy access to under the snow and food.

Multiple food sources - rodents - birds - hares - and carcasses. My trail cams at carcasses have revealed how frequently different marten hit the carcass. It can make a significant difference in survival I'm betting.

Well trapped and managed trapline. By removing surplus predators like lynx, wolves, fisher, coyotes, fox, etc. every year you leave more prey bio mass and reduce marten mortality by predator.

That is alot better then our area in Alberta. We are no where near 10 per mile, but population is lower now then it has been in past years. Most of the marten area in an area of mixed old growth bordering a burn of approx 10 yr old.

I agree. Have voles running across the snowmachine trail there are so many and yet, the marten #'s have continually stayed low. I'm in areas of old burn, new burn, old forest, etc. A real good mix of stuff and pretty much in the the 20 year old burn is where there are the most.

Brian, you brought up a good point I have been wondering about, when you mentioned removing surplus predators........I am thinking about the trapline I got a few years ago.....this line used to produce well over 200 marten every year....then it went dormant ( nobody trapped it) the wolf population exploded and now marten numbers are way down......Ive been thinking about that all summer and wonder if there is a correlation.......Would love to hear more of your thoughts on that....

Howdy all, Newbie here......curious about the correct positioning and orientation of the trigger on 110's. Probably a dumb question but I've seen some different configurations....thanks

Marten are pretty bold, so I don't think a "special" trigger configuration is needed. Out of habit, I usually leave one wire straight, and the other bent slightly to the side and then about halfway down that wire, put a hockey stick bend. Note: These are for flower pot sets. Boxes get pedals.

Thanks Viking....while waiting for my Bridger 110's to arrive I had a duke to to use as pattern so I could pre build some boxes. Well the Bridgers came and rather than the trigger being towards the front of the box as it was with the duke, the trigger is now towards the rear of the box. The trigger is just mounted differently on the Bridgers. A friend said it should be toward the front....I could just cut another notch so it would be toward the front but as I'm working outside and it's 5 degrees out it I Thot I'd just give it a try the way it is. I will try what u recommended regarding the bending of the trigger also. Envy u bein in AK...I worked out of fairbanks for 2 summers flying fires, loved it

I prefer the trigger inside when using body grips. Curious as to why you chose the 110's ?

You'll just get more of a suitcase catch. There bothe gonna work. 120's would be a better choice. But 110's will still kill them. Good luck

Howdy White thanks for the reply....I suppose I chose the 110's on recommendation from a friend here....I did read a lot of posts some sayin 110's and others sayin 120's so will see how the 110's do....I'll give the 120's a try. how's things in mc grath, spent a lil time there a few summers ago. U know any baumgartners there?