Bright-eyed and inquisitive, a pale brown face poked its head from under a pallet of dog food bags.
We're used to weasels and an occasional mink in our feed room, but the American pine marten is a rare visitor. They intensely dislike dogs, so they rarely come near our dog yard -- even with the enticement of several tons of meat and kibble.
A friend of ours has a tame marten that comes and goes from his cabin through a cat door. The animal once spent the night shivering in a birch tree in his yard, afraid to come down because the dog yard was too close.
Martens, in many ways, seem more closely related to cats than other members of the weasel family (mustelids). They are the only member with semi-retractable claws. Instead of purring, they chuckle quietly when content and warm. They tame quickly and love to be scratched and to play chase.
A trapper friend of mine on lower Cook Inlet had a pair that frequented his yard and house; they were tidy and clean, very rarely getting into anything; his only complaint was that they were always trying to catch his pet weasel.
The American pine marten is closely related to the Russian sable, though slightly smaller and a bit lighter in color. They need heavily forested country and tend to prefer southern slopes on the edge of timberline.
Many believe they feast on red squirrels. However, if you spend time in good marten country, you'll find them constantly hunting voles and digging under bark for hibernating insects. They'll nab a grouse or gray jay now and then to supplement a diet high in frozen berries. Most marten trappers know that any sweet bait works very well, especially jam.
Martens are prized for their fur. They are trapped extensively throughout Alaska and prices have fluctuated over the years from $20 to more than $100 a pelt. The worldwide economic crash has affected the fur trade dramatically and marten prices have declined, though they are still the base fur for trappers along the middle Yukon and in areas of the Canada's Yukon Territory. This season, the average marten fur is likely to fetch no more than $30.
Martens are born in spring, with breeding taking place the previous July or August. Like all members of the weasel family, they have delayed implantation; the gestation period is only about 30 days.
Three or four kits are born in a hollow tree or a red squirrel midden pile with eyes closed and often lacking hair.
In 40 years, I've seen one litter -- six babies that looked like big peanuts.
Four to five weeks later, they open their eyes. Before long, they're out of the den. By eight to 10 weeks, they're mostly on their own. And by November, they've reached adult size.
Males run 2 1/2 pounds, females a bit smaller.
They're generally lighter in color than mink, with longer hair and a colorful throat patch that can be bright orange. Martens have huge feet for their size, leaving tracks about the size of a fox's. They often move in long leaps, so their tracks are distinctive.
Seldom will you see a marten while out in an Alaska forest. While they don't seem particularly secretive and spend considerable time foraging during daylight hours, we just don't tend to travel where they do.
I will see one now and again on the trapline, if I'm traveling quietly with dogs, or if they have found an old wolf kill that is in good cover.
Martens have few predators. Certainly a fox will get one once in a while. Goshawks and horned owls probably take their toll, especially on youngsters.
Martens that visit our kennel never stay long enough to earn a name. They brighten our life for a day, invariably chase the resident weasel and are on their way to pursue their solitary forest lives.
John Schandelmeier of Paxson is a lifelong Alaskan and Bristol Bay commercial fisherman. A musher, he was trail coordinator for last year's Yukon Quest and has written on the outdoors for several newspapers and magazines.
By JOHN SCHANDELMEIER COMMENT