THOSE LOVELY MINK

[longnetter]

I've got permission to rabbit a large caravan site and it's adjoining coarse fishing lake. Guess what? there are mink at large around the lake and the stream that runs through the camping area of the site. I've snared four in the past week and one of them was a large dog mink, pity it's still the breeding season because the pelts aren't up to much, but perfecting the art of setting snares and the anticipation of a catch makes up for anything else! At present the owner thinks I'm a modern day Grizzly Adams, and really it would be churlish to contradict the man, anyway I love the bacon sarnies and coffee he keeps us supplied with! I only trap in inaccessible { to mere mortals } areas of the stream due to holidaymakers at this time of year. I would be interested to hear of anyone elses mink experiences and share tips and ruses! :unsure:

Edited May 12, 2005 by longnetter

[Teal]

Cage traps- a bit bigger than rat cages baited with a trouts head (or body if you can afford it!) work a treat, the mink are also then in perfect condition. Good luck nailing them.

[PEREGRINE]

Longnetter

You say you snare the mink, do you use spring snares or just set them as for rabbits? I didnt think the shape of a mink would lend itself to snaring in the usual way. When I was a keeper for fun we would set spring snares for rats, is this a similar method?

Peregrine

[longnetter]

Peregrine,

I use ordinary rabbit snare wire, but about two and a half feet long and I set it across narow runs along the very edge of the stream. I tie one end of the wire to one of those bricks that have about ten holes drilled through them and then I tie a bit of stiff wire to the other end of the brick to act as a tealer wire. This goes into the edge of the stream and then I set the snare an inch to an inch and a half of the ground with a three and a half inch loop. All this is on the narrowest part of the run, and then I lie a stick about an inch to two inches from the snare on both sides of the loop to create what the warrener calls a hopping stick. This makes the minks head about right to hit the snare as it hops over the obstacle. I use fish oil to make an attractive scent for it to follow and this works reasonably well for me! Must shoot off to work now, how I wish we bus drivers were allowed to snare some of the miserable **** that use public transport these days, Oh well, we live in hope eh'? :unsure:

 

P/S

I've aquired the basic knowledge from a video called 'SNARES AND SNARING FOR FOXES AND MINK' by the Warrener. It also has a section on rabbit snaring, it's a prized part of my countrysports video collection and invaluable at times!

 

PP/S

In my rush to get to work I forgot to mention I have a large sea fishing swivel attached to the snare wire to stop the mink twisting around and snapping the wire.

I only used the sea swivels basically because I already had them in my shed!

Edited May 12, 2005 by longnetter

[dodeer]

I caught 3 mink in the same trap one day , 1st wsa there at 7am, 2nd at 12pm and 3rd at 4.30pm. All caught in a mink live cage trap with cat food as bait. Make a very loud shrecking noise if you go close to them.

 

I use a 9mm garden gun to dispatch them and that works a treat.

[Fisherman Mike]

We have them on the small trout stream on which I am syndicated the ******* come up to the shallows in spring and summer after the ducklings. last year i caught 12 or so in a cage trap and shot them through the bonce with a .22 air rifle.

 

Some of them are really mean critters and stink like blazes. I used to have a wire haired Terrier which was almost drowned by one. I hate em.

 

All these do gooders set them free without realising they are capable of travelling a river 8 miles in a day and will kill anything their size they come across. We used to have healthy water vole and moorhen populations locally on the Coln, Windrush, Leach, Churn, Cole, Frome, Upper Thames and Bristol Avon but not any more.

 

I hope you get as many as you can.

 

FM.

[old rooster]

Can you please send me the skins for fly tying. I use them for a very deadly pattern called a "minkie", there's a surprise !!.

 

Big trout catchers late season, we've been catching on them at Draycote during the last week fishing deep over the edges of the shoals.

 

Had an interesting experience with a mink while trapping Signal Crayfish (still illegal by the way), which in their own way are as destructive as the bl**dy mink!!, neither are indigenous.

 

Was pulling in one of the traps when a mink erupted from the water like an exocet missile, swam to the far bank and stood hissing and spitting at me in a right old rage. I reckon it had seen the Signals in my trap and been desperately trying to get to them (or the fish head bait) and had been startled by the trap suddenly dissapearing from view.

[rjimmer]

Leaving a female mink in a cage trap can often result in multiple catches.

They come in season, don't they!

Placing other cages around the first, once you have caught her, might help with getting them out.

[pigeon master]

Went for a walk the other day and found these very close to some mink tracks next to a small trout river.

 

The marks on the eggs could be a Jay, but I'm blaming the Mink. times up little killer Minky.

 

 

Oh sorry forgot there is no picture attachment on this post.

 

Its in photo section

 

The PM

Edited May 20, 2005 by pigeon master

[Malc]

Longnetter, for a "non dangerous except to mink" trap for the caravan site, try sinking a 2ft long 6" round drain pipe vertically into the ground, thus creating a deep narrow shaft. Drop a fish head or two in the bottom and see what you find when you check back later.

[longnetter]

Malc,

sounds good to me, I wish I'd thought of that myself, mind you I'm easily convinced and by this time tomorrow I'll have persuaded myself that it was my own idea anyway! Joking apart though, thanks we'll definately give it a fair trial as soon as we can acquire a pipe.

longnetter

:( :( :( :( :thumbs:

[henry d]

I used to use cage traps that had spent a week or two in the ferret hutch with the jills and had good results,so I also tried it with the hob and that also worked.I also caught a large hob in the one the jills had been rubbing against and he was no pet he would have had my hand off if he had the chance.I think the mink werejust curious who was on their turf.Best of luck mate.

[longnetter]

Henry D,

there's more than one way to skin a cat according to what my old granny used to tell me as a nipper many years ago! I'm open to all suggestions on ridding the site of those pesky mink, thanks a lot mate, I'll definately give it a good go, trouble is, the campers and caravanners, definately a bit P.C. some of that lot!

longnetter. B)