Since my Alaskan compadres are in the story telling mood, I'll join in.
1979 and my first year trapping on my own. Lower Nowitna R. Built a tent frame in Oct. and spent the whole winter there with a few trips to Ruby. Nowitna is mostly marten country. Season opened Oct. 20 in those years. Hadn't had a good cold fall to freeze things up. Had a small dog team but no snow to speak of by Oct. 20 so trapping was on foot. Walked a couple short circles out from the tent, cutting trails in prep for when the snow came and could use the dogs. Soon became evident that there were alot, I mean ALOT of marten that year. Sets were cubbies set along sloughs and trails cut thru short sections of timber between lakes and fields. All footholds and sets checked every other day.
A few days after season opened and I had 2 good circles of about 4 or so miles each all set, I was checking one line and caught a marten along a slough. Dispatched and reset. Headed for the next set and about a quarter mile away I realize I left my axe at the last set. Headed back. Gone about 20 minutes from that set and as I come up to it...............another marten is caught. Like I said, ALOT of marten. I felt that the 2nd marten ad been watching me when I removed the previous marten and was curious about the spot. Made some pretty good money for 1979-80 that year!
MT

Cool story. I have had some quick turn around encounters with Muskrat which i think is a little bit more common. some day I will get somewhere i can trap some marten.

Cool story MT. I had a friend that always had a loud cassette tape player with him on the marten line. He was convinced (and I didn't doubt him) that talking, music, and other noise piqued the interest of marten and they would follow him to his sets (Pied Marten Piper?).

Jack

That is interesting Gulo. I'm sure marten are quite curious critters. However, in all the time I have spent in wilderness camps in good marten country, I think I have only had a marten in camp once. However, if your not in camp, and have tempting smells (comm. dog food for one) marten will LIVE at your camp!!
mt

We had a marten living in our elk camp in WY. He would stay in the cache and try to steal bits of elk meat from the game bags. He did not seem to be afraid of people.