The marten is a small predatory animal, forming its own family of the same name. In Europe, its most common forest and stone species. Among its “relatives” there are such furry representatives as sable, ermine, mink, badger, wolverine, etc.
general information
The marten is a tireless hunter. In search of prey, she is able to walk up to ten kilometers a night, catching literally everything that moves on her way: from mice and squirrels to birds, frogs and insects. Sometimes this animal even manages to grab a bunny, which is several times larger than herself.
The marten fur is very beautiful and durable. And this is the reason that people hunted for it at all times. Hats and fur coats are sewn from her skins, and collars are made.
The pine marten prefers cluttered dark coniferous and mixed stands. Although this animal perfectly climbs trees, jumping like a squirrel from branch to branch, he often prefers to move along the ground or in the snow.
Hunting
Despite the fact that he is an energetic predatory animal, he nevertheless loves to feast on berries and is not averse to treat himself to the larvae of wild bees and the “product” of their life. Apparently, therefore, catching marten with traps for honey is very prey.
In general, this animal belongs to one of the complex objects for hunting. In those days when uncontrolled fishing was carried out, the population in the European part of our country was reduced to almost zero. And this despite the fact that hunting for this animal requires the highest endurance, training and professionalism. However, today such a "deplorable" situation has changed dramatically, the pine marten has become an ordinary inhabitant of Russian forests, it has already been removed from the list of fur animals, the capture of which is subject to licensing.
The timing
The specific time for the marten hunting is set before each season by the relevant territorial departments. For example, in the Murmansk region it is allowed from mid-October and lasts until the end of March. In Kaliningrad - from the fifteenth of November until the last winter day. In the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic trapping of marten by traps (2013 data) lasts three months - from the end of autumn until the last winter month.
Hunting with a dog
This animal is mainly nocturnal. The most common are for capturing marten and tracing with a husky in light snow. When a hunter appears in the forest at dawn, most of the prey is already hiding in his shelters.
If the marten went to its nest just before this, then it will not be difficult for the dogs to take its trail and bring the person to the place of her day. However, the animal could also heal late at night, then it is very difficult for a husky to reach him. By chance, dogs have very few chances to find a day.
Sometimes the marten eats early in the morning or afternoon. In this case, it is much easier for dogs to detect prey. In a fresh trace of huskies, they drive the animal under the deadwood, on a tree or in a hollow. Dogs themselves are recklessly trying to get to the prey. Therefore, if she took refuge on the ground, they sometimes manage to strangle her or pull her out of the shelter alive. However, most often, the marten fishing in this way ends with the person having to get it from shelter with the help of an ax or a strong stick.
Tracking
In winter, when the forest is swept by snow, many prefer to hunt without a dog. At this time, the marten is incapable of long walk "riding" through the trees and therefore is forced to descend to the ground. Tracking in this case is best done on fresh powder. Finding traces, the hunter, walking along them, reaches the animal’s day. Such a marten fishing is easy. It is known that mining, as a rule, does not confuse its tracks.
Shit
Toward the end of winter, this representative of the Kunyi family prefers to arrange shelters in the snow: these can be places under the deadwood, under the roots of trees or stumps. At this time, it was common to catch martens with a trap or with a lash - a thin but strong net with a cell measuring about three centimeters in size. Durable rebounds are located along the lower and upper edges of such gear.
The hunters enclose the ground shelters of the martens with a dressing, hanging it on stakes located obliquely and with a peak inclined to the outside. In this case, the lower edges of the network are trampled in the snow. The canvas needs to be suspended freely. Therefore, the prey that fell into such a network appears to be in a bag.
Catching a Marten
This species is considered the most common, especially in the eastern regions of our country. Catching the marten with traps can be done in several ways. However, they all involve the use of edible odorous lures. Most often, catching a marten is trapped on fermented meat - a carcass of a squirrel, bird or some other rodent. The bait needs to be slightly salted so that it does not freeze very much. Not bad this animal is caught on pieces of bee honeycombs, and on rags that are well saturated with honey.
To determine the place of future hunting, you need to examine the territory in advance. It’s good to do this even before the opening of the season, after preliminary bait. If the location has already been determined, and those who are used to finding food there have become frequent guests there, then you can deal directly with the placement of prepared traps.
If the hunter first enters the territory already in the snow, then the ability to “read” the traces of his prey will be useful to him.
Preliminary reconnaissance
You must first determine the approximate area where animals can be. Most often this is coniferous or mixed forest. The hunter should also check for the presence of old trees with hollows on the site. This is very important, because martens love to relax in them. In their absence, the animal settles in the plexus of fallen trees.
When the hunter determines the territory, he can only figure out what to lure the prey to. They are well suited as baits and insides of animals that need to be kept warm for several days so that they smell stronger. Feathers of birds can either be added to the bait, or scattered nearby.
Which trap to set
If the traditional hunting, carried out with a gun, requires the obligatory presence of a person, then the use of this device can be attributed to the passive method of obtaining the coveted trophy. But catching the marten with traps requires special skills, knowledge of the terrain of the area, the habits of the animal, the places of its feeding and overnight.
These devices are most often used for hunting small prey. Therefore, the capture of marten traps is carried out with the second or third number. Although experienced hunters know: if a trap needs to be suspended, then zero or first will do.
Recently, marten has been caught in traps KP 120. These are walk-through traps that weigh slightly more than half a kilogram. Install them as follows: the springs are rotated so that they are outside the frames, then they are compressed and fixed with a safety hook.
Principle of operation
Catching the marten with traps occurs as follows: these iron devices, which, due to the operation of the spring, are closed, press the body of the prey caught in them.
As a rule, two types of traps are used for this small animal: frame or plate. Sometimes hunters use numerous variants of unauthorized traps - moths, which can be installed on a tree and on the ground.
The principle of operation of this design is the capture of prey. When the marten sticks its head into its frame to pull the bait from the gatehouse, the frame on the neck of the animal slams. Kulema is usually placed in a box so that the bait is not taken away by birds and other small forest inhabitants. This trap is not covered by snow, in addition, it works in any weather, while ordinary traps in the frost that occurred after the thaw may not shut.
Where is better to set traps
Today, it is very common among hunters to catch martens with traps. Many hunters upload photos of their trophies on the Internet, boasting of captured trophies. But if you do not know the right places to set traps, it is unlikely to be able to catch prey.
You can set traps almost anywhere, the main thing is that the animal often appears there. The best places among experienced hunters are the tops of ravines, crossroads of forest paths, sloping slopes and sections between old trees.
Lures
Marten just never comes to the traps. Hunters must put bait. As a rule, catching martens with traps on bait is the most catchy. As a bait, fish or rotten meat, emitting a pungent odor, is used. You can take the carcasses of small rodent animals, for example, squirrels, muskrats or small birds.
The marten bait must be tied in such a way that it hangs and at the same time flying birds would not notice it. And under the priva, at a distance of up to thirty centimeters, you need to “charge” the trap.
The marten is literally “driven” by the smells of essential oils. Therefore, many hunters spray this odorous liquid at a distance of five to six meters from the traps. But you need to be careful and not overdo it, otherwise the production may be frightened off by a pungent smell.
Experienced hunters, for whom trapping of the marten - trapping - have long become a familiar thing, use aniseed oil, as well as tincture of valerian or iodoform.
How to set a trap
A trap must be attached to some solid and immovable object or structure, otherwise, waiting for the prey, it may suffer a sad fate: some large bird can easily grab a trap and drag it with itself.
There are cases when, instead of the cherished marten, other animals resort to the smell of bait. That is why it is better to set the traps at the height of human growth, and the bait - about thirty centimeters from it. Many hunters on their "charged" traps construct a canopy of fir branches.
Catching the marten is carried out near the trees. You can install them in the hollow of a fallen trunk. The bait is placed deep, and the trap is at the entrance. If there is no hollow in the tree, then hunters often cut it with an ax.
Fishing features
Traps should not emit the smell of metal, it scares away the beast. It is better to boil them and grate the needles of some tree.
Often, inexperienced hunters, leaving traps on the ground, make a mistake. The fact is that the martens that fall into the trap run away with it, taking out their paws from there. In addition, traps located on the ground cause other
forest animals to spoil the skin of their prey. As a rule, rodents do this.
Catching martens today is very common among professional hunters. And this is not surprising: after all, at a time they can catch two or three “skins” at once, especially if the place is prepared in advance and the production is fed.
In the cold winter months, traps too often do not need to be checked: it is enough to go around them once a week. While in the thaw, this should be done more often so that decomposition does not spoil the skin.