The standard "set" for marten in the Cascades consists of an opening 8 to 10 inches wide, 4 inches high and 6 inches deep chopped into the side of a dead stub. The hole is cut as high as the trapper can reach. A trap is set in the opening and bait is placed in the back of the hole. A sapling 1 to 3 inches in diameter inclined at an angle of 45° from the ground to the hole completes the set. As the snow deepens, new holes are chopped higher up on the stub. Such sets seen in the summer may consist of six or seven holes spaced a foot apart. The chips from the holes are left lying on the snow and are said to attract the animals. Bait commonly consists of flying squirrel, red squirrel or deer mouse.
Fig. 53. Distribution of the western marten in Washington. A. Martes caurina caurina. B. Martes caurina origenes.
The value of the marten's pelt fluctuates from year to year. In recent years average pelts have sold at from ten to twenty dollars each. The number of individuals taken by a trapper varies with the trapper's skill and energy and the location of the trap line. The largest catch made by one trapper in a single winter, of which I know, was 300 animals, taken near Mt. Adams.
Martes caurina caurina ([Merriam])
Mustela caurina [Merriam], N. Amer. Fauna, 4:27, October 8, 1890.
Martes caurina caurina [Miller], U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull., 79:93, December 31, 1912.
Type.—Obtained near Grays Harbor, Grays Harbor County, Washington, by L. C. Toey on February 4, 1886; type in United States National Museum.