Hunting With Trained Mink

[Minkenry 1,044]

I find most falconers get a kick out of the sport I've invented, so I thought I would share it with you guys. I was originally invited to join this group by someone on the ferreting side of this website, and I've been posting messages over in the ferreting messages for a while now. But since I'm a falconer at heart I wandered over here, and thought I'd introduce myself and the sport I've created to you guys.

 

I used to be a falconer a few years back, but over the last few years I've been too wrapped up in my own little sport that I've been too busy to fly a bird. I still have a deep love of falconry, and I'm sure I'll fly birds again someday, but not until I've satisfied my fascination I have with a new field sport I created that I call Minkenry.

I became interested in mink when I moved near several mink farms during my last year of high school. This was the first time I was introduced to mink. I originally knew nothing about mink, and I was told by everyone around town that mink were wild, vicious, and impossible to tame. Having had plenty of experience taming and training wild hawks and falcons as a falconer (I'm from the U.S. and we can legally trap, tame and train wild hawks), and wild horses as a horse trainer, I decided to try to do the "impossible" and tame a mink.

Soon after taming a couple different mink, I became intrigued with the idea of hunting and fishing with a trained mink. I have since hunted and fished with several different mink that I have trained. I have found Minkenry to be just as addictive as falconry, with the added satisfaction of knowing I'm the first to do the sport. I'm sure it's possible SOMEONE SOMEWHERE has tried hunting with a mink, but I have a hard enough time finding people who can even handle them with out gloves, let alone train them to hunt. Here's a little video I put together showing some of my mink in action......


http://youtu.be/smpsEQaCbBU

 

 

And here are a few pics of my mink.....

 

Here's one of my female mink Missy about to catch a muskrat

 

 

 

Here's Missy killing a muskrat

 

 

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Here's my mink Missy with her first rock squirrel

 

 

and here we are with a muskrat she caught and killed

 

 

Here's my female mink Thioⁿbasabe' (that means "black lightening in the Omaha Native American Language) sleeping in the pocket of my Minkenry vest on the way home.

 

 

Here's Thioⁿbasabe' with her first rock squirrel. It was a 736 gram female

 

 

And here is Thioⁿba again with a brown rat she caught today

 

 

Edited October 13, 2013 by Minkenry

[Rake aboot 4,929]

Again, a fantastic post.

 

That mink looks superb.

[youcanthide...BANG 1,051]

I wouldnt even let my ferrets near my ears let alone a mink!

[Ginger shooter 58]

I wouldnt even let my ferrets near my ears let alone a mink!

 

 

Ha ha ha like wise!!!

[arcticgun 4,548]

my mate and myself where chattign about you just the other day pal, amazing what you are doing, truly something unique, pushing boundaries and thats what its ll about , best of luck too you and kepe posting real interstign stuff

[Rake aboot 4,929]

I wouldnt even let my ferrets near my ears let alone a mink!

 

 

Bloody hell, mines will lick my nose if they get the chance, I never worry about them having a carry on.

[paulus 26]

 

I wouldnt even let my ferrets near my ears let alone a mink!

 

 

Bloody hell, mines will lick my nose if they get the chance, I never worry about them having a carry on.

 

i use to take mine to the pub they shared a drink or two with me mind i did get banned from a few pubs

[charlie caller 3,654]

I watched the videos on the ferreting section, brilliant sport and your dedication is to be admired, thankyou for sharing it with us, I just wonder how long before somebody in the UK tries it?

[youcanthide...BANG 1,051]

 

I wouldnt even let my ferrets near my ears let alone a mink!

 

 

Bloody hell, mines will lick my nose if they get the chance, I never worry about them having a carry on.

 

Ha braver man than me, always a first time for everything, dont fancy having a ferret munching on the end of my nose, or wearing them as earings lol

[pointer 543]

Its brilliant what your doing, something different.

[socks 32,253]

Absolutely fantastic thanks for sharing ............

[Billy Warren 43]

look's a good crack mate you won't get me handling one keep the video's coming bud

[Minkenry 1,044]

look's a good crack mate you won't get me handling one keep the video's coming bud

 

Here's a few more you may enjoy....

 

http://youtu.be/WnrDEzo1B5k

 

This isn't much of a hunting video, as my mink just walks in and grabs the rat. I think this video is interesting because it shows her ignoring chickens while hunting for rats. THAT took some training to accomplish!

 

 

Here's one of my big males going for a carp in a small stream....

 

[Accip74 7,112]

There's was guy in England bringing a youngster on a year or so ago, a friend of a friend, when my mate told me he had been round & seen this mink & that his mate was gonna try & hunt with it, I thought it was mental! Then a few months ago I saw you on utube & I thought well there you go, someone done it. Great stuff!

Not sure how the English guy got on with his, I'll have to try & find out.

Incidentally you said you had more than one, do you have any plans to breed offspring for the future?

[Minkenry 1,044]

There's was guy in England bringing a youngster on a year or so ago, a friend of a friend, when my mate told me he had been round & seen this mink & that his mate was gonna try & hunt with it, I thought it was mental! Then a few months ago I saw you on utube & I thought well there you go, someone done it. Great stuff!

Not sure how the English guy got on with his, I'll have to try & find out.

Incidentally you said you had more than one, do you have any plans to breed offspring for the future?

 

Yeah, I bred my first litter last year. It was a nice learning experience, but I'm not in too big of a hurry to breed again. Maybe in a few years I'll try again, but this time I'll be breeding for a purpose, instead of just breeding to breed like I did last time.