I'm At It Again! (At Last! THE Mink Trapping Post!)

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Mark the date well, people! 1st of Jan', 2007! Or it Would have been, had I managed to get this damned infernal Post up, for the past two nights of trying!

 

Ok, I put Two cages out yesterday. They'll have stood to catch some time during 'Last Nights' pissy weather. I actually had them out by, I'd guess, 16:00. So let's start the count down NOW. I'll be checking them when I resurface today, 1st of Jan.

 

Now here's the story. Shall we begin?

 

 

Ok. First off, I failed (Miserably!) to catch a mink with Wires. Despite some of the best Mentoring available, I just couldn't do it. But will I hell give up! I started that Thread, somewhere back down the pages here, to try and show people with even less idea how Real Life can work out. I think we saw a fair glimpse of 'Real Life' there, eh? :whistle:

 

Well, now I'm at it again! If you're new to this Forum / Board? Go to the bottom of this Board and search back a few pages. Ye should find my original Thread there. Something pertaining to Mink. Loads of pages! NO f*cking Mink!

 

Now I'm at it with Cage Traps. Welcome to my latest story of Single, Bloody Minded Determination! Determination to catch up with ~ and catch! ~ my Nemesiss. Mustela vison. The " North American Mink ". A creature I simply never had access to before but which local intelligance tells me, along with my own observations, are rife round here.

 

But here's the killer: We have about as many Pine Marten as Mink! Pine Marten are, of course, protected by law. I have to tread carefully. I can't wipe out Protected creatures. Just the filth. Here's how I'm trying it this time .....

 

 

Starting Out

 

 

 

 

And that's how my freezer top looked, yesterday afternoon, as I began my latest preperations. One Fenn Double Entry and one of those rather excellent Single's we've long since discussed elsewhere here. Couple of deep frozen Wood Mice from my burgeoning collection of earlier victims. Reel of 1.2mm 'Mink Snare' wire which I actually have for quite another purpose, originally. Oh and ..... a power drill?! Mm hm.

 

Ye'd better believe it, lads! Yeppers; I drilled a hole through their f*cking heads! (Made me feel far worse than the mice did. You try cleaning pink coconut ice of ye drill bits! :sick:) How else was I going to secure these Baits inside the cages?

 

 

 

Wired!

 

 

 

 

That charming little job done, I then used my little wire crimps to do a Saddam on the things. Suspending them above and just behind the Treadles of the traps themselves. (Or at least I did with the big trap. With the Fenn I had to settle for having it directly over head ~ there being no 'behind' to a double entry traps treadle)

 

 

 

Saddamed Mouse

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ok, all set? Nearly. But not quite. Ye see, in an effort to ensure I get a mink and yet cut down on my chances of catching a bloody Pine Marten, I've imported some 'Lure'! Yeppers. I asked Mr Schmitt what he'd reccomend and he sent me a bottle of Carmans " Mink Gland Lure ". Disgusting looking stuff it is. Little screw topped bottle of what looks for all the world like tiny testicles, all floating around in a very sick mans urine! But Gerry Schmitt has probably trapped more mink than the entire membership of this forum put together. So, if he reckons - out of all his range - Carman's is the kiddie? I'll go with that

 

Now a little aside: Many of you will know that the old name for a Polecat was 'FouMart'. So called because they stink so badly. Pine Marten, conversly, were 'SweetMart'. I wouldn't know how 'sweetly' They smell. But it was obviously considered a world better than a Polecat. Mink, I assure ye, smell like nothing else on earth! (Please hold that thought. I'll be returning to it). Thus I'm figuring the smell differentiation between mink and marten should indeed be enough to maybe even put off an inquisitive piney all together? Maybe we'll see?

 

Now, here's just the sort of thing Ian Woods will be trawling this thread for - as a Hidden Member, of course. How does one use a small bottle of even smaller testicles? Read and learn, people. Read and Learn By the Biggest Mistake of My Life!!! :whistle:

 

What I did was, I got two bits of well seasoned tree stick. K? Few inches long. It hardly matters. I then got that trusty power drill out again and drilled quite a deep hole into one end. Sharpening the other end with my knife. Voilla! Lure Holders! I then cut a scrap of clean material ~ a murderous task around here. Finding clean material! ~ and got a bit of wire.

 

I then used said wire to plunge a scrap of material into the balls jar. K? Then I stuffed the soaked scrap into the drill hole of each of my little sticks. So far, so good.

 

 

 

Lure Sticks ~ Loaded

 

 

 

Trouble is, ye Don't want to be carrying Loaded Lure Sticks around in ye coat pocket! I thought I'd best put them in a plastic bag, for transportation to the trapping sites.

 

Shitters Top Tip! : Here's the vile bit ....!

 

What happens when ye try to open a plastic bag, folks? That's right. First ye realise ye trying to open the wrong end. Then the right end sticks together. Uh huh. And what do ye do Then ....? In One! I Liked My F*cking Finger Tips!!!!! I won't go on about it. It's an experiance beyond descriptive telling. Suffice to say, I felt really quite violently nauseous for a good, full Hour after that! Tasting concentrated essence of Minks Arsehole is NOT an experiance to be relished!

 

Open the damn bag BEFORE ye even open that vile bottle!!!

 

 

Anyway, the rest was relatively plain sailing. I trudged out onto the bog and found a couple of likely spots to drop these two traps down. The big one I've put in a classic (potential) Mink Hot Spot. It's at the end of a wet ditch, just on the point where that ditch emptied into what I call 'The River', but is in fact more of a small stream, at least untill summer. I bedded it so that the entrance hole itself is partially submerged - another anti pine marten idea, see? And stuck a lure stick into the bank, right beside it. Bit of cammo work and here she is:

 

 

 

Single Entry 'Big' Trap ~ Sited

 

 

 

 

Quite pleased with that one The Fenn I'd always planned to drop off on my old favourite, the 'Bridge Over the Styx' of earler campaign fame. Unfortunatly, the weather has killed back the vegetation whilst raising the water level of the Styx. But, what the hell. Something's crossed on that girder lately. What ever it is may yet decide to amble straight into my open ended cage trap? We'll see. Here it is:

 

 

 

Fenn Over the Styx

 

 

 

Well, there we go then. That about wraps it up for now. Tomorrow I'll go back out there and check them. And, doubtless, many More 'tomorrows' to come!

 

You know it. I know it: I'm f*cking useless around these damn mink! But, by god, I'm a Tryer!

[pointer28 1]

I love it!

 

Laughed like hell with the bag opening thing, bit like taking a piss after chopping chillies.

 

You'll never make that mistake again.

[BLACKBOB 9]

Excellent read that DS, keep us posted on the results with some good pics.

 

All the best

 

 

Cheers bob

[bshadle 5]

Yeah, good read. Just warn me in adbance so I'm not drinking coffee when I read the post. The screen got all messy!

[J Darcy 5,871]

God...i SSSOOOOOOO want you to catch a mink now. Great thread ditchy

[john b 38]

As a regular reader DS, I am starting to get a sense of where things might head.

 

Reading this thread, coupled with your 'noose pole' one, I can't help wondering if you should start carrying a small first aid kit with you ?

 

Good luck mate and watch those fingers ........

[The Ferret 0]

Cracking read matey, nice one.

 

Ferret

[bigadg 5]

you never fail to entertain me with your posts

allways full of content and wit

keep um coming please

stu

[lost scouse 46]

imformative and amusing ready for the next instalment

[moley 115]

i thought the post was lacking in detail, a bit too short and not enuff pictures

[foxlamper 5]

good read ditch you sure put some time into your posts

[Coneytrappr 29]

Ditchy, if anyone has ever deserved to trap a mink, it would be you.

 

If you ever write a novel I'll buy it. High quality stuff, your posts.

Hope you get one.

[marko 30]

god loves a tryer so they say good luck and keep us posted.

[Guest The Shaman]

Well DS after a post like that, my reply seems abit redundant.

 

Hope ya get the mink - and when are you putting up the recipe for the Minx Bollox Chilli?

 

Happy Days or What.

[Bagpuss 0]

keep this going its so much better than BB which is on down stairs

I can't belive how bad that must of been ' but look on the bright side with your experience you could win the Bush Tucker Trial anyday if you were a celebrity,