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

[Guest Nightwalker]

Any sign of those mink yet Shitty?

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Not as yet, mate. But then the Americans often subscribe to a theory that a winter mink has a route that he travels. And this route - they say - has a pretty set number of days in it. May well be twenty or something. I don't remember now.

 

Equelly, of course, other Trappers out there say the whole idea is a crock. I tend to suspect it's somewhere in the middle; That we shouldn't expect to just pick up a conveniantly travelling past winter mink, simply because we put the traps there. It takes two to do this tango, after all. I'll just wait till one does come by - or else till my mice fall apart.

 

Big differance though, between this Thread and my ill fated Mink Snaring effort was that I did that back in the summer. I also appear to have at least hit on an active territory. Thus we had the almost daily adventures, as I missed him. Adjusted my aim. Missed again. Tried something differant, ad nauseum till he probably died of old age just after I ran out of snares!

 

Now they're moving. So I've done my best and just placed a couple of ambushes for them. Fact is, I'm seeing absolutely no sign of mink activity round here just now. Back then I was finding tracks and spraint. Could simply be they've moved on? Down to the open waters of the Loch's, maybe?

 

Anyway, I'm keeping an eye on the traps and, who knows? One of these fine days I may find something black and vicious in one? If so? That's when the Real fun'll begin! I'll have to despatch the bloody thing!

[Coneytrappr 29]

That's a good thing about traps. They're patient.

 

The mice may not be though. How long until you'll have to put fresh bait in?

[foxdropper 17,092]

Couple of points I'd change mate -1] The bait needs to be more pungent ,mink are drawn first to a land based bait by smell.

2]The lure stick ,while being a good thing ,should be under the trap,between bait and plate or on the plate .If the lure is the draw and to the side ,then there is a strong chance of the trap being turned over as the mink tries to find the source .EXPERIENCE.

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Excellent input, Drops! That's what we're here to evoke, mate!

 

Ok, well, as ye'll have seen, I've hung the (wood, in this instance) mice through the skull. My reasoning in doing that it that A/ The head will hang around even after the softer tissue and organs drop away. B/ It'll give the bugger something to try for. There's also the fact that I've had tremendous success with pigeons heads, wired into cage and spring traps (See 'B') when trapping rats. It's a good bait.

 

Do ye think I might be better off then wiring the bait on the floor, beyond the treadles? I'm thinking how, if I space it just so, he'll grip and pull with his jaws, using his front feet to brace himself - right on that treadle! I'm up for giving that a try

 

Regards the Lure Holders; I'm afraid my first effort's probably proven a complete and literal Wash Out! Bloody water levels round here are up and down like a yo yo and I'm convinced - without crashing about that near to either trap - that those sticks have probably floated off into Roscommon long before now Maybe I should do it again, only wire the sticks, upside down, from the roof of the trap? Cloth will stay inside and the Lure's soaked into that .....

 

One thing I will chuck into the discussion; I read, from an experianced US Mink Trapper, that one should use Bait in winter, when they're hungry, and Lures in Spring / Summer, when they're horny! Point being that a winter mink has no balls and is thinking only of his stomach. Comes the season, he'll rush to confront a competitor. Seems to add up? I'm using Lure. primarily, to try and put off the Pineys. Though, just now, I'm actually finding Sign of niether around here

 

What ye reckon, mate?

[woodga 170]

a rabbits tail with some lure on it will catch and you will not need to keep replacing bait once it goes bad and a few feathers scattered near your traps as attractors might help

also as regarding the trap being tipped push a stick or rod through the trap through the top and side and this will stop that happening

Edited January 6, 2007 by woodga

[woodga 170]

Edited January 6, 2007 by woodga

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

I've spoken to Ian about the repeat posting stuff, Woodga. Nothing came of that so I'm reverting to 'Reporting' such stuff to the remaining Moddies. 'Moderate' success there too, it seems. Drives me up the wall because my connection's not exactly greased lightening as it is.

 

Thing is, if a post were put up, beseeching people not to do it ....? Well; Like Text Talk, mate. Deaf ears 'n all that

 

Thing is, a lot of people will repeat an entire Thread and then just add an Emoticon. But ye can sit and stare for Ever - as I have done. F***ing photo's, repeated in the posts above, take so long to load that ye've given up all will to live Long before the 'Smile' emoticon ever unfolds. Such point as there is in all that

 

Hey ho. I try ...

 

 

 

Rabbits tails? Would this Lure not be washed out then? We have rain like ye'd never believe over here, mate.

 

Feathers? Mush up from me keeps White hens! God alone knows what he ever does with them. But yeppers; Next time I get a word in with him, I'll ask him to reserve me a bag of feathers ( <-- 'Thumbs up emoticon ~ eventually!)

[OldTrapCollector 376]

DS - Hi mate

 

Best bait for those black monsters by far is kippers - strong, fishy and the flies won't blow on it when it gets a bit warmer. I once popped a tiny morsel in a cage to set it up and caught five mink in five days - without adding more bait.

 

Try it - it will draw them from the next ditch!!

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Makes sense, mate. And it ties in with what FoxDropper's saying, above too. Only trouble is, would ye believe; Getting my hands on kippers, round here, is like finding free 'baccy! I'm completely land locked, see? And there's no lorry fetching in fresh fish from the coasts here. Everyone seems to exist on huge ammounts of local bred beef. However, I have seen a bit of fish in one of the butchers occassionally. More to it, I'll check out the Spar supermarket. They might have some now and then.

 

I'm giving these mice a damn fair run for their money though - despite tha appalling conditions here just now. As ye'll come to see from my Threads such as this; I do this sort of thing as much as a huge and public experiment as anything else. I like to try to sort of take the ideas from the books - or out of thin air - and try them to death for all to see.

 

Point is; The newer and younger guys can study my failures and see what doesn't actually work, despite the great sounding theorys. By the time I catch a mink, they'll all know it Must be a winning idea!

 

 

Incidentally; I was studying a reasonable looking Mink Cage in a gun shop today. Never had time to question the guy about it, but I will do. Had one or two points I've never yet seen on such. If the price is sensible, I'll pick it up. Can't have too many cages out for these b*stards

[bshadle 5]

Point is; The newer and younger guys can study my failures and see what doesn't actually work, despite the great sounding theorys. By the time I catch a mink, they'll all know it Must be a winning idea!

“If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to serve as a horrible warning.†-- Catherine Aird

[bullmastiff 610]

A RAFT!!!

Just seen one used on the telly, no bait just using their curiosity against them!!

 

A floating wooden raft about 1.5m x 1m with a tunnel across the length of it, covered in local vegetation. They put wet clay in a tub in the bottom of the tunnel to check their about (leaving footprints in the clay) then slide a humane catch trap inside to actually catch them.

 

Problem solved with your changing water levels and constant rain, the traps under cover and on top of the water!!! just attach it to the bank at your favourite location and a weight hanging in the water the other end to keep it facing parallel with the river.

 

It could even save you the hassle of the pine martins getting caught?

 

The only trouble is it didn't show whether they face the trap upstream or down???

[lost scouse 46]

yep i watched country file aswell as you say they used the raft for observation and trapping

[OldTrapCollector 376]

It's a Game Conservancy Trust idea that they have been using for a while. OK on very private land but I wouldn't want my Fenns or cages floating about for all to see in a more accessable place personally. A hidden cage under a ditch or river bank is far easier to conceal and just as effective.

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

“If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to serve as a horrible warning.†-- Catherine Aird

 

I Liked that one too!

 

 

The Mink Raft? That was actually the brain child of an old friend of mine. He passed it onto the brit govt. and they told the GC

 

Fact is, round here, No One touches another mans traps. Seriously! Mind bending as this may seem; People in rural Ireland simply don't touch what isn't theirs. I have cages out in plain view and they just sit there, in plain view. They're my cages. I put them there. No one else around here would interfere. Beyond british conception, eh?

 

However, the Raft? While I'd love to give it a spin one day, the lochs I'd try them on are just that bit too far away. The route to them would be trecherous and take ages, on foot, across some very boggy ground and some swollen ditches. No bugger's paying me for this little adventure. Therefore I'm simply not That enthusiastic just now.

 

Ye should see what I have to trapse through now, just to eyeball these cages I have out!

 

Maybe, comes the dry, warm weather ....?