Did you find my old trail on the ridge?

Hoping to head that way soon, we went towards Tom Cod on this trip. Thought the trails would be better.

Was a busy week again here, flew out to Savoonga for a tournament and had time to quickly check traps after getting home. Picked up our first marten and had to others steal the bait from our leaning poles, so ill be moving the bait on the pole back a little. This is also my first time running leaning poles as I had always trapped marten with boxes before this, would changing the angle of the pole help? They were clearly climbing up them but if its too flat or too steep im wondering if they were just able to avoid the trap easily? Im also thinking to add some branches to funnel around the side of the trap.




When I first started trapping someone told me a back leg catch is lucky, and with where we had the bait positioned to the trap I have to agree on this one.

When you lean the pole against another tree you give the marten the choice of going up the larger tree to the bait. Thus it avoids the trap. The pole should lean against the stump you left after cutting the pole.
The other alternative is conibears in boxes of some sort.
Also, your trapping activity will certainly attract a wolverine or 2 eventually. Best to be ready BEFORE it shows up. See bfisch thread on conibears and plastic buckets.

What Martentrapper said. You can either put your trap at the end of the pole near the bait or on the pole in front of the tree that way the marten only has one option, up the tree and onto the pole with bait. You also don't need a large pole, I've caught them on poles where the end was about as big as my thumb.

This is another style of leaning pole that we use. I cut the tree a little over waist high at a slight angle and then nail the leaning pole to the top of the stump. I like to cut a flat spot where the trap sits and also a notch where I wire the trap chain to the pole. I use a small chainsaw for this and it's pretty quick and will last for many years.

Thanks a ton guys, that makes way more sense! All my previous experience catching marten was using boxes and conibears set on tree trunks in South East, decided to change to leaning poles here due to snow. Good news for me is it will be easy to fix haha.

Good luck, nice to see someone else out there with some youngsters

After practice yesterday went out with my trapping partner and changed some of the poles and rebaited them all, hoping for a good check later this week. Also were hoping to double the amount of sets we have in this weekend. Were figuring this could hopefully be a good week night run and then have a much longer weekend run to the north.

We havent seen any wolverine activity out but have two sets out for them, but we have seen a lot more lynx sign since this last snow fall so were going to start putting out more cubbys too. Its been a lot of fun to be starting a new line again!

If your two mentioned wolverine sets are in places that you have either caught them at, or seen their sign previously they tend to use those places season to season. I hope you connect!

Had a big cold snap come through, not a ton of movement with even less production. Was a good time to make some more sets on this shorter line. Had some change of plans and am now going to get our longer line running end of December.

Hope everyone else is doing great.

Had a decent check today before our trip to lower 48 for Christmas. Havent been to Christmas with the family in 14 or so years and with the kids old enough to remember it now seemed like a worth while trip.

Picked up two nice marten and cut a little more trail for what we are calling our short line. Oddly enough still back leg catches. My trapping buddy is hoping to get a few more sets out there while I’m gone. Can’t wait to get back and start going up river to make our linger line.

Hope everyone has a great Christmas. My kids holidays have already been made as they got a hamburger in Nome today haha.

Congrats on the marten, interesting you are getting so many rear foot catches. Have a great Christmas down south!

Finally got back to town after what was supposed to be a 7 day trip turned into a 14 day trip due to a mechanical issue and then weather left us in Anchorage for an extra week.
Went out today and reopened our short marten line and had dreams of setting a few more sets but found myself super stuck, thankfully years ago I heeded some advice and always bring a come along with me. Took longer then I planned to get out so hope to get out again tomorrow after work and finish that line then head up river to get a longer life e started.
The dig out, thankfully a buddy came by and made it a little easier

I like the chain winch and rope because it packs so small

UGH! I hate getting stuck! At least you were prepared enough you didnt have to do the walk of shame! Hope you get more gear out and that you connect!

It was my first time ever being that stuck, not something id like to try again haha.

Thurman

Pictures sometimes are deceiving. Where you were stuck doesn't look that bad. What happened and what snow machine are you running?

I agree with the idea that the picture is deceiving, but it also wasnt a crazy stuck situation just took longer then I wanted to get going again.
I was going along the side of a hill that had been drifting over all year and broke through the hard crust into about 4.5 feet of sugar fine powder. I would dig out then immediately break through again, doing that for about 200 ft. I run a skidoo with the 900 ACE which isn't light if I had just pulled the winch out sooner and used that to pop it onto firm snow or been with someone initially it wouldn't of been that long.

Thanks for the additional explanation. Glad you made it home safely!

Stuff happens and are worse when ALONE. Many miles and many years alone. Much more productive and safe with a partner, especially with good ones!

A good trapping/antlering partner is a blessing. I've got a good one, we were helping each other get unstuck today a few times, deep snow, warm temperatures. Got a moose, retrieved a broken down snowmachine, found 5 antlers, gave a lift to another feller who broke down that we bumped into. Do you know Michael Forss, the Pastor of Lighthouse Baptist Church, in Unalakleet?