I’ve done well with sweet lure in years of a big blueberry crop and otherwise most any lure works. Only bait I use is b’ver. They really have a good nose and will usually find it.

Thanks 3 Fingers! There’s a bunch of blueberries in the area I trap. Great intel!

Peanut butter in the box, skunks outside. Good change up Marten love peanut butter.

This is what works for me in Northern Maine. Every box gets the same treatment. #1 Jeremiah's LDC over the box & the lure stick from applying the skunk goes on the front of the box. #2. a chunk of beaver for bait. I start with fresh and end up with stinky. Not by choice but fresh gets stinky laying around my shed. #3. TWO lures in the box. I don't really care what the lures are. Within a week at least 50% of the skunk sticks on the box will be gone. Who knows where they went???

[quote=T36MDTrapper] Hard to believe a fisher will drive it’s head through a 4” hole.[quote] This box had a 3 inch hole:

A fox can go thru a 2 1/2 inch hole.
Like a lot of other predators,they are limited only by the distance between the zygomatic arches of their skulls.
Lots of inexperienced snaremen make their loops too big.

I used to use Hellfire but ran out and have been using Gusto. For whatever reason I think hellfire worked better for me but it’s extremely unlikely I can actually isolate the factors and attribute that to the lure. Rich Mellon of Trapping Inc has a podcast where he details exactly how makes his marten lure. I ordered the ingredient s and am just waiting to trap a skunk to give it a try.

How does the state keep fox and coyote trappers from catching lynx?

Lots of good information in this thread.
J. Wood wrote:



I have had this philosophy for over 40 years but this is the first time I have heard anyone else say or write this. Good observation Jeremiah Wood.

Mac

Most guys put their lure high, mainly because they dont want to brush up against it and bring it back on their jackets,

As for someone who has trained dogs.... the best lure placement is low to the ground.
Think for a minute, can a dog find a grouse in a tree= no
but one on the ground= yes
because scent travels around the ground and is picked up by hunters

Moist conditions of your season are sure hard to work with, vs the dry prairies we have

I've gone skunky free for several years and my wife loves it, ever thought in giving that a try ?

The low lure makes sense. I used a dip stick to freshen up the bait and usually stuck it in the snow close by.
Nothing I’ve tried worked, but if they’re not in the area there’s nothing to trap. I think the patchy logging last winter pushed them deeper in. There was a fisher hanging around gut piles but it disappeared during the general deer season.
We brought an old friend out to the shack for the weekend. Somehow my bud managed to get wolf pee in one boot and skunky marten lure in the other on the last day. They guys gotta learn how to shower anyway…lol

Marten magic by Barnes lures is excellent used above the set and inside the box is beaver meat.It has a white pertol jelly base so it stands up well in rain,sleet,snow or whatever

half and half castor and otter gland, a little glycerine to antifreeze it a bit, add fresh skunk quill when your ready to put the line out. i put a dab on top the 120 box

This is correct for lure placement.
About a foot off the ground,right at the tree where the set is made.
And a trailing scent from the base of the tree to the box when placing and refreshing bait.

You guys clearly don’t sit in treestands and hunt deer.

I like my lure placed 3-4 ft above the ground in a weather protected location near the set. For tree/leaning pole marten/fisher sets I also rub the bait on the base of the tree or pole.

That’s wild! Thanks for sharing bctomcat. Thank you all for your recommendations and input. I appreciate it.

Box making day for me. Working on a few variations and experimenting with cost reductions. Looking at about $23 a box right now.

My boxes were on poles to keep the snow from burying them. So the lure was up in the air a bit by placing it ontop the box. Had hailscreen closing off the back so marten coming down the tree and pole had to still cross the trap to get the bait

Skunk junk or (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) fire