Looking for some recommendations on Marten lure to be paired with beaver meat in a box set. In Maine we are required to use a lynx exclusion device which is essentially an over engineered box set with a maximum 4”x4” entrance. This year was my first season trapping marten in Maine. I used Cavens Tree Climber for the first half of the season and O’Gormans Mountain Marten for the second half. The second half of my season was more productive however I honestly believe that was due to colder weather not necessarily the lure. I’d prefer to find a commercially produced lure that I use on a consistent basis next year as I plan to make a run for my Maine marten limit. Also, if it matters, I’m game for catching fisher in the same sets should they pass through. Maine allows 25 Marten and 25 Fisher per season but marten appear to be more prevalent in the area I trap. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

Caven's gusto works here in the west

I wouldn't put too much emphasis on lure for marten. Most good formulations will be more than adequate if they are protected from weather. Other formulations are designed to be resistant to the extreme weather we get. But generally I think most would agree that marten are easy to lure to a set and catch.
This coming from a guy who traps marten and fisher in Maine and sells lure.
Covering a lot of ground with plenty of sets in good habitat will have the greatest impact in getting you toward your 25......just my opinion.
I'm sure a lot of others will respond, marten threads seem to get a lot of good input.
Jeremiah

Awesome! Bought an ounce of it last season but didn’t use it. I’ll give it a shot. Thanks for the suggestion Jingles

Marten magic

Thanks for the reply Jeremiah. I’m a big fan of the trapping today podcast as well as your YouTube channel. Thank you for putting in the effort to produce that content. I know it’s not an easy task. I’m trapping in Northern Washington county which is closer to the south eastern boundary of traditional marten country but I was surprised with the amount of sign and success I had last season. I know you’re a lure maker and based on getting to know you through your YouTube channel and podcast I also know you’re too humble to encourage me to buy one of your own lures but I did intend to buy a trapping today lure for next season. Which would you recommend for strictly marten and fisher trapping?

Thanks Keystonekiller!

Haha thanks T36! Didn't want to plug my own lures on here but I sent you a PM.

Thanks Jeremiah

Gusto works very well if you protect it from the weather. It doesn't handle moisture well. I didn't realize that was who jwood was, but I have used a homebrewed marten lure that is essentially his formula, with slight variations on different batches, and been very happy with it. If I was buying marten lure I would go with gusto or jwoods marten lure. The grease base (I've used vaseline with equally good results) will hold up to a lot more precipitation than Gusto. Also if Gusto is opened one year and held over to the next it loses a lot of its loud skunkiness, actually becomes a decent canine lure then, and will still work on marten and fisher but doesn't have the reach that it does new. Not hard to add a bit of skunk essence to "refresh" it, though.

Thanks Bearcat2! I’ll give that gusto a try too. It’ll be a year old by then but it is what it is. You mentioned protecting the lure from the weather. This year I put my lure inside the box to keep it out of the rain. I typically find a stick and swab a cranberry size scoop with it. I’ve considered smearing the lure in a tree above the box as high as possible to get the scent to travel further but I haven’t yet.

Also something to consider.....I think a loud skunky lure inside the box can actually deter a marten/fisher, as it is can be overpowering. I always try to place a skunky lure above the set, outside of the box. The purpose of the call lure is to get the animal to the vicinity of your set, and then the bait (or a milder lure near the bait) can do its job. I think a skunky lure can work well right on the bait if it's super cold, but not in most conditions.

Ah great point. I’ve wondered about this before. Thanks for bringing that to my attention.

I use a skunky lure OUTSIDE the box. Inside I have had great luck with a variety of different things such as Backbreaker, Caven's Shellfish oil and even just soaking my Beaver bait in Anise oil.

Thanks 160user! Outside the box for sure next season!

I have used both a sweet, raspberry based, and skunky lure for both marten and fisher in cold climate conditions. Based on my experience it's my opinion the sweet lure is more effective, for both species, than the skunky lure except maybe in extreme cold conditions.
If you’re on location within suitable habitat, for the target species, there is no need for a strong lure as long as the lure is placed outside the box in a protected location.

A Good Homemade Marten/Fisher Lure:
Raspberry jam, beaver castor, anise seed oil and alcohol or glycerol for anti-freeze.

Here’s an idea of the box required by Maine law. Hard to believe a fisher will drive it’s head through a 4” hole, wiggle down 19” of 6x6 box then push its head through a Belisle trigger for a chunk of beaver meat but they do from time to time. Hungry I suppose.

Thanks bctomcat! I’ll give that a try as well. I’ve wanted to try a sweet lure in the early season.

If youre trapping early season(late fall,early winter) its hard to beat sardines.
You can eat a few too when luchtime rolls around.

Thanks Boco! The season runs November 1st to December 31st here. The weather has been off the past couple of years with warm weather in November. It gets below freezing plenty in November but lately we’ve seen frequent weather in the 50s and 60s.