Martens may neither be killed nor hunted by laypeople. Since driving them away is often quite difficult, catching the marten is usually the best option. Find out here how and with what you can catch your marten and the best way to trap the marten.
How do I catch a marten effectively and safely?
To catch a marten, use a live trap with good bait such as dried meat, fish, egg or cat food. After removing human scent, place the trap on the marten route and check it regularly. After capture, release the marten at least 25 km away.
Which bait for the marten trap?
Martens love to eat eggs, which is why they are particularly feared by chicken owners
Martens are omnivores, but of course they have preferences. If there is something in the trap that they particularly like to eat, the likelihood that they will go in is significantly higher. Special treats that have proven themselves as bait are:
- Eggs
- Dried Fish
- Dried fruit
- Dried meat
- Cat food
Since martens have different tastes, it is advisable to serve them different things. In addition or as a bait replacement, you can use maggot attractants available from specialist retailers. This is sometimes included when purchasing a marten trap.
Fit marten trap with bait
When fitting the marten trap, make sure that you do not leave any human smell behind. Wear odorless gloves when placing the bait!Place the bait(s) on the trigger or in front of AND behind it so that the marten definitely steps on the trigger.
Tip
If the marten is not yet in the trap after two weeks, replace the food and/or try other marten bait.
Buy a marten trap or build it yourself?
Marten traps from specialist retailers are usually made of wire and metal
A solid marten trap can cost over €50. There is a great temptation to build them yourself. But is that really advisable? If you enjoy craft activities and/or have useful materials at home, you are welcome to try building your own marten trap. Otherwise, you should refrain from doing so because:
- Homemade marten traps are not necessarily cheaper than purchased ones.
- Getting the locking mechanism to work is not easy.
- If the opening does not close reliably or the trap is not secured firmly enough, the marten could manage to escape from the trap.
- The homemade trap must be cleaned particularly thoroughly to remove the human smell.
Buy marten trap
There are countless marten traps from different providers available online and in specialist stores. The prices vary from just under €20 to over €60. When buying a marten trap, you should pay particular attention to one thing: the trap must be expressly approved for martens and should have a sufficient length of at least 80, preferably 100cm. The material is not important for the marten trap. Both models made of wood and models made of wire and metal are available in specialist retailers.
Background
How does a marten trap work?
Live traps are designed in such a way that the marten crawls through an opening into the cage and triggers a mechanism that closes the opening tightly. The mechanism is usually a tread plate that presses down when the marten steps on it. The flap closes. A latch ensures that the marten cannot open the opening again.
Build your own marten trap
Building a marten trap yourself requires a lot of creativity and technical talent. The crucial thing about the marten trap is the locking mechanism. It's best to watch a few videos explaining this (as above) so that you understand the function well.
The right material for the marten trap
Even though commercial marten traps are usually made of wire, you should make your own marten trap out of hard wood or MDF boards. On the one hand because this material is easier to process, on the other hand because it is more complicated for the marten to move or break through hard and heavy material.
This is what you need to pay attention to during construction
- You should definitely avoid any varnish, paint or any other coating that the marten can – and will – smell.
- For the same reason, you should under no circumstances glue the trap, but screw it or nail it thoroughly.
- The marten trap should be at least one meter long.
- The trigger should be in the middle so that the marten's tail is not caught when the opening closes.
- After closing the doors, they should be automatically locked from the outside so that the marten cannot escape.
- The marten trap should have an opening on both sides so that the marten goes through it as if it were a kind of tunnel.
Set up the marten trap correctly
Before you set up your marten trap, you should “de-stink” it, i.e. remove any human smell. This is best done with water without additives, and best of all with rainwater. Simply place your marten trap in the rain for a few days to wash away any human smell. If you want to wash the marten trap manually, you should definitely wear odorless gloves and do not add any additives to the water.
Tip
Line the floor with natural material such as moss, stones, leaves, straw or similar so that it feels natural. Martens hate walking over wires.
Where to put the marten trap?
You should ideally set up the marten trap where the marten comes anyway. If there is a hole in the fence or wall, you should use it. If you are not sure where the marten is going in your attic, you can spread ashes or sand so that the marten leaves tracks and you can trace its path.
Martens and many other uninvited guests always take the same paths. If you identify these and set the trap exactly there, the marten may even fall into the trap without any bait.
When you are not allowed to set up the marten trap
Martens are not allowed to be caught during the closed season
Martens cannot be caught all year round. Strictly speaking, fishing is only permitted for a few months. Martens have a closed season most of the year. In most federal states, both stone martens and pine martens can be caught from mid-October to the end of February. An exception are Berlin, Brandenburg, Thuringia and Hamburg, where the pine marten is generally not allowed to be hunted. However, the shy pine marten, which avoids people, rarely causes damage. Martens on or in the house are almost always stone martens.
Excursus
Pen alties for violation
Anyone who sets up a trap during the closed season can expect severe fines of up to €5,000 or even prison sentences of up to 5 years. The reason for this is that martens raise their young during the closed season. If the female marten is caught during the almost six months in which her young are completely dependent on her, they will starve to death.
What could be the reason if the marten doesn't go into the trap?
Several weeks, sometimes even months, can pass before the marten falls into the trap. This can have different reasons:
- The marten trap smells like humans and the marten therefore avoids it.
- The location where the trap was set is not on the marten's route.
- The marten is currently living in another location.
If you heard the marten, but it avoided the trap, you should take action: wash the trap again or leave it outside in the rain for a few days, change the bait and try one new location.
Marten in the trap – what now?
Once you have set up your marten trap, you should check at least once a day, or twice a day in warm weather, to see whether the marten has entered the trap. If the trap is in the attic above a room that you often use, there is no need to look - you will hear it when the marten has gone into the trap.
Releasing martens
A marten must be released sufficiently far so that it cannot find its way back “home”
In order not to put the marten under unnecessary stress and possibly even run the risk of it breaking free, you should release the marten as quickly as possible. To do this, you should choose a location that is at least 25km away from the starting point and, if possible, not close to other houses. Wire traps should be covered during transport so that the marten does not become unnecessarily stressed by the visual impressions. But don't suffocate the poor animal!
Catch martens with the snap trap
As I said, laypeople are prohibited from killing martens. Therefore the snap trap falls out from the start. Furthermore, this painful procedure is completely unnecessary - every marten that goes into a snap trap would also have gone into a well-prepared live trap and if it is released at a sufficient distance, it will not come back. Snap traps are absolutely taboo when catching martens.
Keep martens away
If the marten has fallen into the trap or if it has temporarily disappeared, you should try to block its access to keep it away. Measures against martens include:
- Stretch fine wire in front of openings
- Repair broken roof tiles
- Securing raised roof tiles
- Block access to the gutter with fine-mesh wire
- Prevent climbing the gutter or beam from the outside using marten belts
Excursus
Keep martens away from the car
Martens cause particularly great damage to car engines. These are popular overnight places and are victims of violent attacks, especially during mating season. Rivals probably bite cables and hoses when they smell another marten. There are different ways to keep a marten out of your car:
- Put wire mesh under the car
- Motion detectors that emit light when a marten passes by
- Scented sachets (usually not very effective on their own)
- High voltage (best variant with the highest success rate)
The alternative: drive away martens
Martens can be driven away with scents, light and noise
If, despite all your efforts, the marten does not fall into the trap, you have two options: Either you have an expert come and remove the marten for a fee, or you try to drive the marten away. There is a solution for this There are a number of home remedies and aids available in specialist shops, including:
| Martenremedies | Efficacy |
|---|---|
| Motion detector with light | Not very effective alone |
| Odourous substances such as animal hair, animal excrement, citrus fruits, toilet stones and mothballs | Helpful in combination with other remedies |
| Ultrasound devices | Rated differently, but the “noise” also bothers other sensitive animals such as bats |
| Loud noises like radio | Not very effective alone |
| High voltage devices | Very effective but can only be used very locally |
| Wire mats | Reportedly effective but can only be used locally |
It is best to combine several means and also block all entrances.
Frequently asked questions
Which baits are suitable for the marten trap?
Martens are omnivores, but prefer animal food. You should therefore equip the trap with dried meat or fish and/or eggs, for example. Martens also like to eat cat food.
Is a wire or wooden marten trap better?
The material of the marten trap is of little importance as long as it doesn't smell like humans. You should also line the bottom of wire traps with natural materials such as moss or straw, because martens don't like walking on wire.
Can I build a marten trap myself?
You can also build a marten trap yourself, as long as you have some imagination and technical talent, because it's not easy! The trap should be made of untreated wood and sufficiently large. The most difficult thing is the locking mechanism, which is triggered when the marten steps on a platform that should be mounted in the middle of the trap.
Where do I put the marten trap?
Marten traps should best be set up directly on the marten's route, i.e. where it normally runs. This can be, for example, behind a hole in the fence or wall or directly under a loose roof tile. If you are not sure where the marten is walking, you can spread ashes or sand so that you can follow the marten's tracks.
How long does it take for the marten to fall into the trap?
It can take several weeks or even months before the marten falls into the trap. So be patient. If the presence of the marten is clear but it does not enter the trap, you should examine it, possibly change the location or food and remove any human scent.
