Pacific martens hunt through dense, old-growth conifer canopy rather than open ground, chasing squirrels and voles both on the forest floor and up into the branches, and Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks carry the overwhelming majority of Wyoming’s named record, 27 and 22 sightings respectively, against just a handful across the state’s other national forests.
Records build through summer to a September peak, more than 15 times the March low, tracking the season when this forest specialist is most active and detectable before deep snow limits both marten movement and observer access. NatureServe ranks the species S3, vulnerable, in Wyoming, tied to its dependence on the old-growth structure that logging and fire have reduced across much of its range.
Full species profile
