Dan Merchant, a Sky-Hi News reader, snapped some pictures of the elusive pine marten. Just how enigmatic are they?

An article from Delta County Independent references a U.S. Forest Service document that says only a total of 30 pine marten observations have been documented by the service in Colorado since 1991. This same fact was even shared in the Denver Gazette. However, the document from the U.S. Forest Service was only referring to a section of land in the Rio Grande National Forest.

Joseph Livingston, a public information officer for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, confirmed that pine martens are commonly found all around Grand County. CPW biology staff and hunters say that while sightings are rare, they do regularly spot the small animal.

The marten is a weasel that lives in trees, according to CPW’s species profile. They prefer old-growth subalpine forests of spruce, fir or lodgepole pine. During the coldest days, pine martens take shelter inside of these trees.

Males are around 2 feet long with an 8 inch tail. Male martens weigh about 1.5 pounds and female martens are 10-20% smaller than males.

Martens are normally nocturnal, but when they are hungry, they are active day and night. Their diet consists of squirrels, birds, voles and other critters. Martens are active year-round. While the marten doesn’t have many predators, trapping and habitat destruction from clear-cutting trees are the biggest sources of mortality for the weasel.

Pine martens can be hunted in Colorado and an estimated 220 were harvested in 2022-23. They are categorized as furbearers along with beavers, red foxes, badgers and minks. CPW released a video back in March about pine marten management strategies in Colorado.