Martin Eating Deer On Game Pole

[Ron.C]

Hi all,

We lost a deer on our last trip a year back to a couple martin. We ran a large rope between to trees, and hoisted a deer in a game bag up very high "there was a game pole robbing Griz nosing around and we figured there was no way he would get this deer.

Anyhow, temps were cold and meat was in no danger of spoiling. Turns out the martin got onto the deer through the game bag and lived there for a few days, eating and relieving himself all over the meat.

This is the only time we've had a problem like this. Has anyone else had issues with martin "or other small critters" and what have you done about it to keep them off your hanging animal?

[jan.wi97]

I would leave Martin at home as he sounds
like an absolute weirdo! add a funnel pointed upwards (or spikes) above the game bag
as some guys I have gone out with have done to deter the Martens.

Cheers :)

[Piperdown]

Well i say you better martin up next time :)

[finngun]

Well i say you better martin up next time :) or make smarten hat out of martens..finnygun..tikka of coarse

[Ron.C]

Haha. Bloody spelling. I stand corrected, "MARTEN".

[Salty]

They get pretty brazzen at times the little buggers. Had them following us around in the bush when we were surveying at lunch time I've had them like 15 feet away hissing and giving me the what for on their hind legs eyeing up my sandwich. Didn't help that we'd toss them the odd snack I guess. A few years back we put a field dressed deer in game sacks in the back of my friend's truck at camp and went for a walk. We came back maybe a couple hours later and there were marten tracks in the dust on about every square inch of the tonneau cover as one looked like hell for a way in.

[butcher]

Had one eat a point off a caribou in velvet. Turned it into a four point which did not please the Dease lake CO. Had to do some fast talking on that one. Luckily had photos as well.

[tigrr]

Wrap the tree in a tarp because it is too slippery for them to climb up. Or make mittens.

[Bigdoggdon]

Had the same problem on the island one time years ago. He actually jumped onto the deer and started munching while we were all having dinner around the campfire just a few yards away. He started growling at us when we went over to him, one of the guys hit him with a stick and he didn't come back after that.

[two-feet]

Happens in the QCI frequently, they go right for the tenderloin

[Robson]

I found that if you put a tarp over the meat pole and tie it out so you still get air movement over the meat, the martens cant climb down onto the deer. As long as you have the deer hung far enough in from the tree and high enough off the ground, you should have no issues. We found this out the hard way on Haida Gwaii last winter.

[TyTy]

Also had this happen on Haida Gwaii, hogged out one of the hams. Caught him on it again the next morning and the thing growls and hisses at us.

https://www.haidagwaiiobserver.com/news/fat-marten-suggest-a-haida-gwaii-ecosystem-out-of-shape/

[whitespringer]

Also had this happen on Haida Gwaii, hogged out one of the hams. Caught him on it again the next morning and the thing growls and hisses at us.

https://www.haidagwaiiobserver.com/news/fat-marten-suggest-a-haida-gwaii-ecosystem-out-of-shape/

Sounds like the little devils need a good beating with a stick

[Walksalot]

We got the first load out of an elk I got backing in the bush and upon our return we noticed the liver was missing. We found the liver at the base of a tree and a marten was up the tree very vocally claiming ownership of the liver. In the end we left it a chunk of the liver.

[guest]

SSS.......problem solved.