Frenchieboy Posted October 30, 2013 Report Share Posted October 30, 2013 I have been asked to help deal with a couple of mink that have killed a fair few of friends poultry. I have located one descent and well weathered cage trap which I am collecting tomorrow and have another new on on order. I am hoping that I will be able to deal with these terible little killers by trapping and then shooting them. I have not had any experience with trapping mink before so can anyone with experience of trapping mink please offer any tips on setting the traps and say what the best bait is to use in the traps? When the new trap arrives could I save time by brushing it over with some fish oil or anything similar or will I have to weather it by submerging it in the nearby stream for a period of time, and if so roughly how long please? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deershooter Posted October 30, 2013 Report Share Posted October 30, 2013 (edited) I am controlling mink on a regular basis for our fishing club ,the important thing is not to have any human smell on the trap I stem clean them with a steamer then rub the trap inside and out with a well slit rabbit guts and all fresh rabbit is the best bait I have found .I used to use liver but rabbit is better. If we have a problem mink we some times open the back end of the trap and let the mink go in and out for a couple of days to get used to the trap . Get an old pair of rigger gloves and only handle the traps with these on covered in good old rabbit smell and juice (keep these out of the way and not where SWMBO WILL FIND THEM ) Deershooter Edited October 30, 2013 by deershooter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchieboy Posted October 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2013 Thanks for that Deershooter, that was exactly the sort of help and information I was wanting. I am very obliged to you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigadam Posted October 31, 2013 Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 The ultimate bait is smoked kipper they go mad for it for some reason all my mate does is trap mink for a living taxidermist will pay good money for them if u kill them without blowing them to bits. He leaves his new traps in water for a wile before using them to get rid of shine. And ad deer shooter says rsbbit guts to scent the traps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnlewis Posted October 31, 2013 Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 Good luck hope you catch the little f------s they cause so much damage. There was a mink farm near me and animal right bods let them out they have no idea what damage they do. There use to be a mink farm in the same area as me in the 60s and there is still the odd pair floating around still now but are kept under control by local keepers/shooters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchieboy Posted October 31, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 (edited) Oh dear! Fresh shot rabbits to wipe the traps down with to remove human scent and smoked kippers to bait them with, that's terrible. It looks like I will have to buy a load of nice smoked kippers - One for the traps and the rest for me - I love kippers on toast for breakfast before a mornings shooting, and then off out shooting to get a few fresh rabbits - Purely to wipe the traps down with of course. Could I skin the rabbits and just use the flesh side of the skins and the guts to wipe away any human scent and save the flesh to make some nice pies with do you think? I have to say that sounds like a terribly unenjoyable and difficult way to spend the morning! Oh well, It's a dirty job but someone's got to do it I surpose! Thanks all for the valuable help, one serious question to end on Guys - Roughly how long should I leave the new trap submerged in running stream water to "weather" it a little before it is useable, any thoughts please anyone? Edited October 31, 2013 by Frenchieboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huntsman Posted October 31, 2013 Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 (edited) Frenchie best solution If I were you get some fish bait from the tackle shop called monster crab its about £3 its a liquidised bait squirt some of the solution in and around the trap with a tin of sardines as the bait. The monster crab solution will work as an attractant,saving time gutting and getting the entrails out of a bunny I have had good results using this method and the bottle of monster crab stinks to high heaven, so dont get it on your clothes or hands,preferably wear disposible gloves Just read this little story how bad the smell is http://www.northwestcarp.co.uk/forums/general-bait-chat/95429-dangers-cotswold-monster-crab-liquid.html Lert me know how you get on Edited October 31, 2013 by huntsman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchieboy Posted October 31, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 Frenchie best solution If I were you get some fish bait from the tackle shop called monster crab its about £3 its a liquidised bait squirt some of the solution in and around the trap with a tin of sardines as the bait. The monster crab solution will work as an attractant,saving time gutting and getting the entrails out of a bunny I have had good results using this method and the bottle of monster crab stinks to high heaven, so dont get it on your clothes or hands,preferably wear disposible gloves Lert me know how you get on That sounds like a plan - if our local tackle shop has any in stock. Even so, I think I really ought to go out and shoot a few rabbits, just to be on the safe side! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NIGHT SEARCHER Posted October 31, 2013 Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 I have always used a dead fish a Rudd or Roach chopped up Apple and even a Cornish pasty. If i put any attractant on i use Bloodworm juice it works well. Fishing tackle shop. It stinks but it works. I usually just stalk them and head shoot them on fishing ponds .22 cal 12 ftlb Air Rifle dose the job. I had two traps nicked of a fishing pond. Not nice at £50 each. Don`t do what one of the fishery officers did. He found one in a trap so he dumped it in the pond. Give it about 5 minutes and pulled it out and opened the trap and it bit him and ran off. He was very lucky not to loose a finger it was nearly severed. They can stay under water for 5 min easily. They just kill and store food I try and find there larder. Holes in the banking or soft under foot. If you can find there larder old Rat holes are likely you can stalk and shoot them. Nasty Critters. How is your dear Wife doing after the heart problems earlier this year. I hope she is recovering well. Good luck. Russ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filzee Posted November 1, 2013 Report Share Posted November 1, 2013 I managed to get one in a crayfish trap. I have also just waited out around a pond with a dead fish laying there and waited at dusk, it soon came out and got 36g of 7's in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchieboy Posted November 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2013 I have always used a dead fish a Rudd or Roach chopped up Apple and even a Cornish pasty. If i put any attractant on i use Bloodworm juice it works well. Fishing tackle shop. It stinks but it works. I usually just stalk them and head shoot them on fishing ponds .22 cal 12 ftlb Air Rifle dose the job. I had two traps nicked of a fishing pond. Not nice at £50 each. Don`t do what one of the fishery officers did. He found one in a trap so he dumped it in the pond. Give it about 5 minutes and pulled it out and opened the trap and it bit him and ran off. He was very lucky not to loose a finger it was nearly severed. They can stay under water for 5 min easily. They just kill and store food I try and find there larder. Holes in the banking or soft under foot. If you can find there larder old Rat holes are likely you can stalk and shoot them. Nasty Critters. How is your dear Wife doing after the heart problems earlier this year. I hope she is recovering well. Good luck. Russ. Russ mate, the reason it is not too easy to shoot any of the little b*****s is that there is a stream running through the poultry compound (Which covers about 3/4 of an acre) which is a little overgrown, so spotting them might be a problem. As for the traps being stolen, that should not be a problem as the few neighbours are people that I know well and help whenever needed. Any mink that are foolish enough to get caught in the cage traps will be shot while in the trap from about 25 yards with a 6 shot cartridge from the 12 bore, and if they as much as twitch they can have the second barrel too! As for the wife, yes she is doing quite well and has made a good recovery. There is still a little concern as the most recent tests have picked up what they have called a disease in the left ventrical(sp). They have stressed that this is not serious and should only need further examination if any further symptoms or problems occur! Thank you for asking after the wife mate! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the pigeon man Posted November 1, 2013 Report Share Posted November 1, 2013 Trapped loads and all bin traped with cat food !!! Every night successful with out fail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitebridges Posted November 2, 2013 Report Share Posted November 2, 2013 We've been trapping mink for a number of years.They aren't bait fussy but seem to love eels. if you can use a raft it will increase your success rate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walshie Posted November 2, 2013 Report Share Posted November 2, 2013 They seem to like poultry. Wouldn't they make the best bait? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saul Posted November 3, 2013 Report Share Posted November 3, 2013 I use rabbit guts we have an endless supplies of them here so they are free the mink when they are here always go looking for discarded bait left by fishermen so they seem to have no fear of human sent whatsoever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r1steele Posted November 4, 2013 Report Share Posted November 4, 2013 Once you have caught your first mink it's worth going around all your traps and rubbing the treadle plates with the scent glands as this will help attract them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchieboy Posted November 10, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2013 Once again thanks for all the advice guys. The trap that I had been offered the load on was not big enough for mink, it was more of a rat sized trap, so i went and bought one of these which I must say that I am quite impressed with: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121200544771?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649#ht_580wt_1170 I set it up and left it submerged in a "murky stream" for a few days. I then (Being the impatient so and so that I am) sited it where i wanted it and gabe it a really good and thorough rubbing down with a dead rabbit that I had split open. Then I set the trap with some of the rabbit's liver, heart and lungs all tied up in a but of nylon netting (Rather like the netting you get peanuts in to hang up for the wild birds in your garden). What I did then was to open a small tim of cheap and smelly cat food and spread some of it around and leading up to the entrance of the trap. I then covered the top and sides of the trap with an old and weathered hessian sack to mask/ camouflage the "newness/shinyness" of the trap and left it at that. That was yesterday - I went and checked it today and found that it had been triggered. on closer inspection it had a large rat in it so at least i know that the "trigger" is set light enough. The rat was quickly dispatched and disposed of and the trap has now been re-baited and reset. Let's hope that it deals with Mink as well as it deals with Rats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horny Posted May 2, 2020 Report Share Posted May 2, 2020 I’m just starting the trapping game I’m thinking of setting a mink trap on my local cannel do you still get mink on cannel banks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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