The bigger lines can produce 300 marten,likely a lot more if more than one trapper is working.These lines start just north of my Northern line and are around 1200 to 1800 sq km.These are mostly native lines and the natives who trap them trap mostly marten.For lines that are not trapped up there you can get authorization from the MNR to go trap them for management purposes if you are young and ambitious.Many of these lines are undeveloped so tough trapping.When fur prices were higher,lots of the northern lines were trapped by guys with aircraft.Paul Millette trapped with an aircraft for years when he put up his record breaking catches of beaver,marten and otter,trapping the northern lines under MNR authorization.There are still a few guys in the councils who trap with aircraft.
My Northern line is around 300sq km and I have taken 165 marten off that line on occasion when juvenile recruitment is good.The safe number for that line is 80.When I was younger I trapped 4 lines.There are some guys that trap 3,4 or more lines and pile up fur.One guy a few weeks ago set up a line just west of here and after a 14 day soak pulled over 70 marten on his first check.
At one time the lines were a lot bigger around here,but they came with large mandatory beaver quotas of 300 or more,and as trappers got older,and less people made their living off fur,the lines were broken up smaller.
The line my son bought last year is a part of a line that was broken into 4 smaller lines,quite a few years ago.
There is unlimited opportunity to trap here for anyone who wants to trap,trouble is everyone wants easy acess.
I could be trapping right now on at least 5 traplines that guys have offered me a licence on.I'm too old for that now,I only trap 2 right now,maybe 3 next year.