The Pine Marten
Categories:
STEEL TRAPS AND THE ART OF TRAPPING.
This animal belongs to the tribe of weasels, and is closely allied
to the celebrated sable, which it greatly resembles. The pine marten
is so called because it inhabits the northern climates where pine
forests abound, and spends much of its life in the trees in search
of its prey. Its general appearance is truly represented in our
illustration, its fur being of a rich brown color, with a lighter
or white patch on the t
roat. Its total length, including the tail,
is about twenty-eight or thirty inches, of which the tail represents
ten inches. It is mostly confined to the forests in the far north,
and is comparatively rare further south than the latitude of Maine
and the lakes. The fur of the pine marten is of considerable value,
particularly if the animal be killed in the winter. A really fine
skin is but little inferior to the celebrated sable, and is hardly
distinguishable from it. The hair is long and glossy, and the under
fur is beautifully soft and very thick. The dark colored skins are
the most valuable. Although so nearly like the sable, the same
comparison does not exist in regard to their proportionate market
values, the marten fur bringing a much lower price.
The marten is a shy and wary animal, withdrawing itself as far
as possible from the sight of man, and building its habitation in
the tops of trees, often seizing on the ready nest of some squirrel
or bird, and adapting it to its purposes.
It is a night prowler, and in the dark hours it traverses the trunks
and branches of the trees in search of its prey. It moves with
wonderful stealth and activity, and is enabled by its rapid and
silent approach to steal unnoticed on many an unfortunate bird
or squirrel, seizing it in its deadly grip before the startled
creature can think to escape. Coming across a bird's nest, it makes
sad havoc with the eggs or young, often adding the parent bird
to his list of victims. Rabbits, partridges, and mice also fall
into the marten's bill of fare, and the list is often further
increased by a visit to a poultry yard, when the animal murders
and eats all it can and kills the rest for sport. In pouncing upon
its prey, the marten invariably seizes its victim by the throat,
often dispatching the luckless creature with a single bite.
The martens generally are said to be very susceptible to human
influence when taken young, and are very lively in a state of
domestication. They are among the most graceful of animals, and
in place of the disagreeable scent which renders many of their
tribe offensive, this creature possesses an odor which is quite
agreeable, and for this reason is often called the sweet marten
in contradistinction to the foul marten or pole cat of Britain,
which is like unto our skunk in the disgusting stench which it
exhales.
The dead-fall and Garrote traps are very successful in trapping
the martin. They should be set several rods apart, in the forest
or on the banks of streams, and a trail established by dragging
a dead or roasted crow, entrails of a bird, or fresh meat from
one trap to another, as described in relation to the mink, page
190. The twitch-up may also be used, and possesses the additional
advantage of acting as a spring pole, thus holding the captured
victim out of reach of larger animals, to which it might otherwise
become a prey. Any of the varieties described under the title of
twitch-up will answer the purpose, and a little experimenting
will soon prove which one will be the most successful for this
particular animal. The bait may consist of a bird's or fowl's head,
fish, liver, or any fresh meat or entrails.
The common box trap, page 103, or the box snare, page 56, may also
be used to good purpose, but the former will need to be carefully
watched lest the enclosed prisoner gnaw his way out and thus escape.
When the steel trap is employed, it should be of the size of Newhouse,
No. 2-1/2, set on the ground beneath some rock,
and covered with leaves, rotten wood, or earth, and the bait fastened
or suspended about eighteen inches above it, in such a position
that the animal will be obliged to step upon the trap in order to
reach it. An enclosure may be constructed of stones piled together,
the trap being set and covered in the opening and the bait secured
at the back. A staked pen, such as is described on page 143, with
the trap and bait arranged as there directed, also works well.
Wherever or however the trap is set, the bait should be so placed
that the animal cannot possibly climb on any neighboring object to
reach it. The hollow of a tree trunk forms an excellent situation
for the trap, and the same hollow may also be baited at the back
and a dead-fall constructed across its opening. The box or barrel
pit-fall, described on page 127, is said to be very successful in
trapping the marten, always baiting it with the platform secure
for a few days before setting for capture. The same methods directed
for the capture of the mink are also useful in trapping the marten.
The animal should be skinned as described for the fox.