What Sound Do Pine Martens Make?

Last updated on October 23rd, 2023 at 08:51 pm

Martens are very unpleasant contemporaries. If they stay in your house or garden, they can get into the engine compartment of your car and cause a lot of damage. Since the animals are very nimble and also nocturnal, it is very difficult to catch them in the act.

Do you have the feeling that there is a marten in your immediate vicinity? Do you perceive unusual noises that you can not assign? Then this could be the marten. But what sounds does the marten make at all and how can you recognize it?

The sounds of the marten

What Sound Do Pine Martens Make?

The marten is a hunting animal. This means that he usually proceeds very calmly and deliberately. After all, he does not want to warn his prey and possibly scare them away. Therefore, you will extremely rarely actually notice the sounds of a marten.

The marten makes noises only in special situations. In midsummer, when it is mating season, the marten is louder and can be perceived a little better by you.

Other situations in which the marten makes itself heard are due to threats. For example, if a foreign marten wants to enter the territory, this is accompanied by a loud territorial behavior. The martens begin to virtually scream and try to radiate a great threat. Also, when the marten feels threatened by a dog or other animal, it emits loud, shrill cries.

The marten’s sounds are most comparable to those of a cat. Because the marten is relatively small, its cries are very shrill and high-pitched. Compared to a cat, the marten can make a greater volume.

When the martens are cornered, they make sounds that resemble hissing. So if you set up a marten trap and the marten has fallen into it, this will not be accompanied by loud screams, but by a very clear hissing.

Thus, the marten’s noise behavior is most reminiscent of a cat. However, the marten can seem much more aggressive and fearsome than a cat.

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How does the marten sound in the attic

So in the wild, the marten sounds very much like a cat. But does its behavior change when the marten is in the attic? If you suspect a marten in the attic, its sounds are good clues and indications of its presence. In the attic, the marten is less likely to scream or hiss. After all, he is safe here and does not have to make any threatening gestures.

In the attic, the marten is perceptible mainly by its movements. Depending on the condition of the attic, a rustling or trampling can be heard. In the room below the attic, these sounds can be easily perceived. Otherwise, however, the marten behaves very quietly and can hardly be heard.

But not every rustling or trampling is caused by the marten. After all, other animals can also stray into the attic. For example, there could be a cat in the attic. If you do not have a cat, this could be a neighbor’s free-roaming cat. Mice and rats also make sounds reminiscent of the marten.

So there are several other candidates that sound similar to the marten. If you are unsure which animal it is, then there are other clues that point to the marten.

If the sounds occur almost exclusively at night, then this may point to the marten. Because the marten is nocturnal and keeps quiet during the day. If, on the other hand, you hear the sounds very insistently during the day as well, it is very likely to be other animals.

Rats and mice are rather small animals. If you hear loud kicking noises, then they probably do not come from these small rodents. Cats are comparable in size to martens, but they move more carefully. Loud footsteps, especially during the evening hours, are clear indications that speak for the marten.

Summer is the mating season of the marten. If you hear sounds of several animals during this time, then this can also be an indication of the presence of the marten.

Tracking down your suspicions


If you want to satisfy your curiosity, then you can resort to a trick to make the marten visible. As utensils you need some cat food and flour.

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Now place the cat food in the attic. Outside the cat food you can scatter the flour. The marten will be attracted by the cat food. In the flour you can see the traces of the marten. These look different, the traces of a cat.

This way you can verify if there is actually a marten present and it is making the sounds. Until this little trap strikes, however, a few days can pass. The marten has several hiding places where it retreats during the day.

The tracks of the marten remind of cats. In the marten, however, the claws are still clearly visible, while in cats they are not visible in the tracks.

How to drive away the marten


If the suspicion that a marten is roaming around in your attic is confirmed, then you can test out various methods to drive the marten away. After all, the marten can cause a lot of damage even in the attic. On the one hand, the marten is not exactly hygienic and the marten droppings can attack the building structure and on the other hand, the marten can scratch the attic. If by the sounds of the marten you could ensure that it lives in the attic, then you can choose the following options. These have already paid off even for the protection of the car.

Ultrasound against the marten

The marten itself makes very loud and shrill noises. Ironically, he himself finds this kind of sounds very unpleasant. This kind of sounds signal him a danger and he will try to find another hiding place.

You can use an ultrasonic device to emit these unpleasant sounds. These are in such a high frequency range that they are no longer perceived by humans.

For greater effectiveness, some devices additionally resort to LED lights. These deter the marten even further. So you have a variety of possible products to choose from here.

To help you make the best choice, I have provided an overview of the best ultrasonic products against the marten.

Scare away the martens with smells

Martens not only have a fine sense of hearing and are very sensitive to certain sounds, they also have a very fine nose. With certain scents, the martens can be driven away very effectively.

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The spray is applied to the places where the marten is suspected. If the animal perceives these odors, it will avoid that area. In order for the scents to maintain their effectiveness, the marten spray must be renewed at regular intervals.

Here you can learn which marten spray is worthwhile for your application.

Catch the marten with a trap

If you want to drive the marten away from your attic for good, the best way to do this is with a live trap. With this marten trap you can catch the animal and release it at a great distance.

However, it is forbidden to kill the animals. Even if many aggrieved parties have murderous intentions against the animal, you should comply with applicable law and not harm the martens.

The live trap is a very gentle way to protect your house and garden from the animals. The trap is equipped with a marten bait and placed where you suspect the animal. After a few days, this will most likely go into the trap.

Thus, the question of how the marten sounds has been answered in great detail. With appropriate means, the marten can be expelled quickly and you do not have to worry that this can cause any damage.

Author

  • James Jones

    Meet James Jones, a passionate gardening writer whose words bloom with the wisdom of an experienced horticulturist. With a deep-rooted love for all things green, James has dedicated his life to sharing the art and science of gardening with the world. James's words have found their way into countless publications, and his gardening insights have inspired a new generation of green thumbs. His commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship shines through in every article he crafts.

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