Dear Mr Mink . . .

[Ideation 8,216]

Right so I thought I would have a crack at ending all of this bollocks. . . .

 

So I decided to start a post and try to answer some of your questions.

 

Let me begin by saying, you have absolutely appalling social / people skills, on this forum. . . . your way of replying to other peoples ideas and opinions does you so little favour, and you are rapidly digging yourself a hole, that will be impossible to climb out of.

 

Having said that, I kind of get the impression (and I'm probably going to live to regret saying this, when you prove me wrong!) that once I'd got past the Americanisms, the Christianisms and the Gingerisms. . . . . . I'd probably get on with you just fine in real life. As would most on here.

 

What you have achieved with the Mink is interesting. I wouldn't say that it is mind blowingly ground breaking. But it's certainly the first time I have seen / heard of someone attempting to get a mink to catch fish for them. And although you have not taught the animals to hunt, or even taught it to retrieve so to speak, what you have done is capitalised upon the animals natural behaviour, in order to exploit the situation for yourself. Very similar to falconry etc etc etc. It's interesting. . . .

 

It's also kind of neat, because unlike the E.U brigade, the mink has something else to offer a ferret cannot, i.e swimming and climbing ability. Which obviously makes them fit a slightly different niche. I also think it's not a bad idea as it circumnavigates the mine field of . . . is it legal to ferret in the U.S?

 

Having said all of that . . . . . if you had left it as . . . . the above, you would have been ok.

 

However, you decided to write a book. Like I have said, a paper would be neat, out lining what you did training wise, and what the results in the field are. But a book? Seriously mate, we don't need it, you don't have enough original findings etc etc etc to warrant it, at this stage, anyway.

 

And that's where all of the problems started wasn't it. In your book, you are writing about OUR way of hunting. . . . and OUR native animals. . . . . and not really listening to what WE say. We couldn't fault you on the Mink. . . . but you shouldn't have started talking about ferrets! It's what has put folks backs up, and then the ball has rolled.

 

Having said that, there are certain folk on here, that just like to pick on someone, when the mobbing commences and just join in, with nothing to really add themselves. They probably did the same as kids, always quick to give someone shit. . .. . . . from the safety of the crowd. . . . . and hoping no one realises how much of a dick they are themselves!

 

So in short. STICK TO YOUR MINK! And leave the ferrets to us. . . . .

 

Now to answer a few of your other points. . . . .

 

Most earth dogs probably weigh more than 10 lb in weight and would kill a mink dead. Having said that, there are plenty of shit eating little terriers around, who weigh that little, and when faced with a decent sized mink, or even rat will shit it and run. But the chances of the mink actually killing it (out of the context of water, or a confined space. . . . is very low.

 

As for mink v.s ferret. . . . . . the mink would win in a stand up fight, lb for lb.

 

Ferret and Polecat differences - I think you are not that far off. In my experience of wild poleys, they are indeed very very scared of people, unless cornered, in which case they will spit, hiss and bite. But only till they can escape. Generally they are also larger, faster, meaner and stronger. They would be of little use when ferreting, if taken straight from the wild. (I've had a wild poley here). They also are way more nocturnal, and a few other differences.

 

Just on what MALT said - whilst pretty much accurate, its interesting that there is a history and culture of keeping ferrets in the middle east, they are often kept on the flat roofs, living in a hollow log, or similar (now boxes) and often run free, keeping the thatch, house etc free of vermin (rats / mice).

 

Muskrats - they are pussys. When you consider that in days gone by (when legal) terriers were used on badger and otter, and are still used in many countrys on them, along with coons, coyotes, bob cats, boar, fox etc. You kind of realise that a GOOD working terrier, would make a mink of most sizes. . . . . .into an ex mink. Not saying it wouldn't get a bit smashed up, just depends on the situation. And that bite isn;t that bad at all, I've had similar of rabbits!

 

Finally, I've got a ferret here that drags rabbits (sometimes) from the warren, and once done hunting a warren always returns to her carry box on her own. So maybe I could train her to do the same as your mink. . . . .but I probably won't.

 

Now. . . . did I miss anything???

[jeppi26 1,855]

You did miss somethimg as I goes a chill pill lollol

[toby63 1,236]

good post mate .i love the title lol

[Ideation 8,216]

I'm very chilled buddy. Spent the day wandering the woods with J.B and the dogs, catching rabbits.. . . . nice frost, good sun, and even had a cuppa and biccies brought out to us by the farmers wife. I'm just bored of all of the bickering now.

[moxy 617]

its good to get things out in the open

 

Fair play

[Malt 379]

 

 

Just on what MALT said -

 

 

What did I say and where Jai? :laugh:

[Ideation 8,216]

I got fed up of multiple argumentative threads. At worst, at least we can have one big argument. . . . .

[Hot Meat 3,109]

It's kiss a ginger day, let's all line up an kiss the crazy smelly yank... Only jesting huckleberry, don't get your mink gloves in a twist..

Edited January 12, 2014 by Hot Meat

[Ideation 8,216]

Malt - in response to his comparison of wild polecats and ferrets.

 

I think they have been used for applications (hunting / vermin control) other than removing rabbits from warrens. And also I would disagree that in their wild state they would be inquisitive enough to approach humans etc. Not the wild ones I have seen anyway! However, I believe that they naturally inquisitive nature, would lead them to be a more suitable animal than some to take in infancy and tame.

 

Having said that, most animals will tame to man well, if reared from birth. We've all seen various examples, including foxes, hares, badgers, all kinds of birds, deer etc.

 

My mrs has some brilliant photos of the old munty doe they had as a pet, she trotted around the garden wearing a pink collar and would come to a call, be petted etc. And they are definatly shy of humans normally.

[Malt 379]

Malt - in response to his comparison of wild polecats and ferrets.

 

I think they have been used for applications (hunting / vermin control) other than removing rabbits from warrens. And also I would disagree that in their wild state they would be inquisitive enough to approach humans etc. Not the wild ones I have seen anyway! However, I believe that they naturally inquisitive nature, would lead them to be a more suitable animal than some to take in infancy and tame.

 

Having said that, most animals will tame to man well, if reared from birth. We've all seen various examples, including foxes, hares, badgers, all kinds of birds, deer etc.

 

My mrs has some brilliant photos of the old munty doe they had as a pet, she trotted around the garden wearing a pink collar and would come to a call, be petted etc. And they are definatly shy of humans normally.

Ok I'll go with that, although I didn't mean they would go out of their way to approach man when I said their bold and inquisitive nature was probably one of the things that made them easy do domesticate. Most animals have a flight instinct built in and I don't think it would take long for this to become diminished in even a wild adult to get used to people if in contact long enough. They are wild populations of Otter at the ponds down the road at Bosheston, and they are not bothered by people in the slightest because they see a lot of them. Same with some of the small birds there, you can feed them from your hand..

 

Couldn't find the bit about the otters, but there's a clip on here of the birds being fed there:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01qcg9l

[lapin2008 1,587]

Good balanced post mate, I saw the thing he put about the mink killing a terrier a while back and had a chuckle to myself but didnt bother rising to it

[Ideation 8,216]

Yer I get what you are saying mate, and perhaps you are right. It's entirely feasible

 

Just going on my experience. The wild one I had here (and others I have seen) were very very 'wild' in their nature.

 

The one I had hid in the darkest corner it could, only came out at night, and when I tried to handle it, it would freeze solid, like it was dead, as my hand approached, like it was shit scared, and as my hand made contact, turned into a ball of spitting, hissing teeth.

 

It's funny how some animals are naturally more ok with people, than others, both individuals and species.

[Malt 379]

Yer I get what you are saying mate, and perhaps you are right. It's entirely feasible

 

Just going on my experience. The wild one I had here (and others I have seen) were very very 'wild' in their nature.

 

The one I had hid in the darkest corner it could, only came out at night, and when I tried to handle it, it would freeze solid, like it was dead, as my hand approached, like it was shit scared, and as my hand made contact, turned into a ball of spitting, hissing teeth.

 

It's funny how some animals are naturally more ok with people, than others, both individuals and species.

 

Again, that's down to flight instinct - it's stronger in some animals than others.. I seen a program about the fox domestication experiment they carried out in Russia. They bred from the animals with the weakest flight instinct and within a few generations foxes were appearing with different coat patterns, colours, droopy ears, etc. I've read that they reckon that this is what happened with wolves around human settlements and how we ended up with dogs. Just thinking after you wrote about ferrets living on flat rooftops in the middle east and hunting the vermin etc. Well maybe that's how we ended up with the ferret in the first place? Polecats followed the vermin into areas of human settlement and the boldest/ones with weaker flight instinct hung around and became ferrets.. Perhaps they self domesticated in the same sort of way that dogs did..

[Ideation 8,216]

Yer, I've read about the fox thing and done a lot of research into the wolf to dog transition. It does seem like its all about the fact that certain individual animals are lacking in that fear and so will be drawn to folk for the advantages they offer, food, shelter etc. . . . without that being negated by the flight reaction. So are those the more fearless creatures or the more stupid? lol.

 

R.E the ferrets . . . . that was my guess on the matter to be honest. Probably something a long the lines of. Polecat less scared of folk hunts in and around settlement. Polecat has litter. Person ends up with young / infant polecat and decides to raise it as it amuses them and has a purpose (pest control). . . . similar to dogs, cats, horses etc.

 

Interesting isn't it?

 

P.S just remember that my neighbour had a pair of polecats make home in his outhouse roof. . . . . when I was a child.

[mushroom 12,388]

JC was church empty today and made ya cross :laugh:

 

Shermans can be a little different at times my only gripe with Mr Mink phd was the comparison of fezzers and mink (you can't) and l'dmao when he was going on about a mink killing a terrier must of been one of those jackers I hear so much about on here