Things same a little slow in the forum since 4Tatter successfully made it to Home. So my questions are. 1 should i stretch female marten on a female board (there are no lots for females at the auction houses)? 2. should i sell marten locally or to the auction houses?

I decided to send to fha instead of going with Wivoda this year. Will find out Wednesday if that was a good idea.
Haven’t sent marten to auction since the year nafa went under.

Up until the '23 season, I always sent to the auctions through whoever was the receiving agent at the time, (I had to relocate from that season forward). I quit NAFA several years before they went bust, after I found out they were using the 11% commission they were biting trappers for, and lending it to the mink ranchers so they could flood the market while it was hot. They ultimately lined their pockets, broke most of the ranchers and trashed the market. Many of on here saw it coming and posted our collective fear that it was coming. At least some of us didn't get burned.
I know some trappers in Southeast that are very happy selling to Bob, and I wouldn't hesitate selling to him if you want what would probably be a fair price, no commission, and fast payment.
As for female marten, I had 3 sized boards and simply used what fit best for each skin.

I have two sized marten boards, and put them on whichever they fit, regardless of the sex. That being said, 90+% of them fit the one size board, so the smaller boards get used very little. I've only got two smaller boards and I could frankly get by with one. Without knowing your local buyers, I couldn't give a recommendation, other than see what they will offer you before the auction deadline and then make a decision. I sent most furs to NAFA for a lot of years and did really good at it, but I would occasionally take them by some local buyers and see what they offered me, before sending them in, and other than a few taxidermy skins and beaver a couple years (a local buyer was giving me as good or better than I could get from NAFA for them frozen or fresh in the round, because he wanted the carcasses to sell and the castor) I almost always did better there. But I wasn't one of the smart ones like Viking, and I got burned. That being said, I've tried the same with FHA, and have not gotten the same results. I have done better on the state auction each year I have tried furs at both, but I don't think I ever sent marten to FHA.

To add to the off season discussion. I went by a wolf and coyote pee post today. One I trapped a couple years ago and caught a wolf up the trail a couple hundred yards at another pee post and a coyote on the one pictured. Anybody else notice how trees that canines use regularly as a pee post grow green on them where they urinate? Another wolf trapper told me about this a few years ago, and since then I have paid attention and trees I see them use regularly will get this green film of moss on them. So that I can sometimes spot them even when I can't see tracks.

One size board- I had Top Lot Stretchers custom make boards to my dimensions. About 70-75% of my marten stretch 2XL with many exceeding 27” nose to base of tail. I had the boards made in 2014 and haven’t used one of my old boards since. This may work only with interior marten. I have never trapped south east or western Alaska marten so not sure on those.

How about a pic, Guk? Old board and new board.
75% of your marten grade 2XL regardless of gender?

It'll be interesting to see if I get the same $248 average as the March sale. That would be something !!