Maine Marten Fisher Line Experiences

I've been reflecting on the experiences from this year's trapline. Man, there are always some odd things that happen each year, or things that I never expected to happen. Here's a few interesting things that happened to me. What are some of the interesting things that others have seen or experienced?

- Caught one marten with a bobtail, another with a missing foot. Both were all healed up and otherwise healthy.
- Caught a bunny in a lynx exclusion box. I didn't realize snowshoe hares sometimes eat meat. Beaver was bait.
- Found a moose shed literally minutes after it fell off. Still had blood and hair on the pedicle. I thought it was a little early for one to drop off. Tracks showed that it slipped on the road just before losing it.

A couple years ago I was tending beaver traps through the night. I heard a helicopter but couldn't see it. All of a sudden it was hovering over me, totally blacked out. Then it shined a big spotlight on me for a few seconds, then turned it off, and flew away. That was different.

What are some odd things that you have experienced?

Andrew

That helecopter thing is weird.
Caught a marten in a beaver trap (330)set in the water once.

Don't worry, it's just big brother checking you for mask compliance

My guess is some outfit doing drills. Is there a military base nearby? Did you have a visible light on or did they spot you with thermal/night vision?

Had a helicopter do the same thing to me while duck hunting this year.Came right down low and kept doing that until I finaly left.

Border Patrol? They fly over this area all the time. I assume they have technology onboard that can pick up your heat signature.

Boco, a marten in a 330 sure is odd.

eb, I caught a coon in a lynx exclusion box too. A real ugly yellow one up in the NMW.

I can't really explain the helicopter thing. I think there is an old abandoned air field around there somewhere. Maybe they were using it for training. I don't know. I was in school at the time so I would get out of class and run traps all night long with a little headlamp. They were probably just as surprised to see me as I was to see them. There is a SERE school in the state too, but not near where I was.

Bruce, was it Border Patrol like Posco suggested? Could you see any markings on it? When it happened to me it was around 2am and I couldn't make out anything. Especially not with a million candlepower spotlight in my eyes lol.

Hey Andrew, I have a cabin in Portage and usually can be found between Portage & Saint Pamphile.

I've had them fly over me many times but I'm right on the border. They almost always fly during the day and rarely at night. A friend of mine is a BP agent and he's taken scenic flights down to Katahdin at taxpayers expense a few times. That's well removed from the border. A gargantuan waste of money.

eb, maybe we'll run into each other. I live in Sangerville but was trapping from the Telos area up to around Allagash Lake.

Monster otter in a 120 victor.

Stone dead, trap wasn't even off the support sticks.

Thought that was odd.

Now Thats Cool!

I''ve caught pheasants in the recessed coon cubbies, usually later in the season. I don't think they are attracted to the bait (usually cat food with fish oil) but see it as a place for cover, especially if its sort in a snow drift. I've never removed one whole, something else usually tears them up and eats a lot of the bird. Some predator gets to smile!

I am going back a ways but I was trapping in Northern Maine when Loring AFB in Limestone was still in operation. I was somewhere between Portage Lake and Perham and all was quite when out of nowhere a fighter jet went blasting right over me just above the treetops. Scared the bee he bees out of me as it happened so fast and it was so loud. Tom Cruise/ Top Gun requesting a fly by

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdHBsWXaHN8

Me and a girlfriend were walking a logging road in the Haynesville woods back in the late seventies and had the same thing happen. There must have been three separate groups flying toward Loring. The first two I heard, the third one I saw before I heard it. They were doing Mach plus something right on the deck. Startled the daylights out of us.

Pulled my last few boxes today. The last one I set had one.

Eb please tell me that is not a tick behind the eye.

Love The picture

Nope, just some darker fur.

Thanks, 330

I could post a few pics of that happening a bunch of times.A 120 -even a weak mink trap will pole axe otter almost instantly.Pinches off their carotids quickly.

Geeze Bruce! What kind of duck call were you using?

Was told by the millinocket airport it was from the air force base stationed in Bangor Maine

Lol

Caught this bobcat in a 280 on a beaver-otter cross over, trap was in about 4” water with some cattail leaves tied over the top.

Nice catch.