fitchet 788 Posted January 19, 2015 Report Share Posted January 19, 2015 (edited) Hi all sorry for the long post but I'm hoping to get this right first time so please bare with me on this. me and a very good mate back last summer decided to rent out a small peace of land to keep our bits of fowl on aswell as a few other bits and bobs. We took our time over the summer in making sure our pens were decent enough to keep the birds safe from vermin ect aswell as a few traps and snares. Basically over the winter we have done really well on the foxes thanks to a few helpfull lads and abit of work. The entrance to our bit of land is adjacent to a railway line and to enter our land at the locked gate you have to travel under an old railway bridge. Both sides of this bridge has been a real hotspot for mink we have trapped a few in cages and my mate has shot a couple whilst doing the rounds with his terriers. It seems we've been paying too much attention to fox control instead of making sure all forms of vermin are well covered. I'm hoping by hitting the predators hard in the winter I will be able to let next years chicks free range safely. So I took delivery of half a dozen fens on Friday and decided to spend the weekend walking along the various small waterways and lakes surrounding the place to dig a few sets and get a few more traps out. First problem I encountered was it seems that there are a lot of people who fish the rivers for pike and in the summer for trout and although I've set the traps with suitable cables I'm not really happy with having them down where people fishing can see any sort of quarry caught. The traps are well bedded but that colour is still abit shiny for my liking I know they will dull down with age but I was thinking of spray painting them has anyone had any success doing this ? If so what colours are best ? Second problem is that there were so many good looking trees that had fallen over the river offering a good looking path. Trouble bieng I don't really want to mess about putting tunnels on them when there's a good chance there going to go missing any body got any good ideas to combat this ? And finally although it's not too bad over the weekend I've not caught any mink but I have had a few rats. Now although this doesn't sound too bad it's abit of a pain really as a closed fen with rat in it is a lot easier to spot than one holding a mink in the water or one bedded down ready for the next victim. I was thinking abit of mink lure would put off old ratty aswell as attracting a few more to the sets ?? Anyone got a uk supplier for this stuff ? Thanks for taking the time to read through this any advise is greatly appreciated. Atb Edited January 19, 2015 by fitchet Quote Link to post
heritage 202 Posted January 19, 2015 Report Share Posted January 19, 2015 I'm not going to attempt to offer advice on all the points raised but I would like to express my opinion on a couple just to get the ball rolling,.... Firstly the spray painting of traps, although effective it is a relitavley short term soloution as the natural movement of the trap will cause the paint to chip , crack & wear away..... Now considering there being used near a waterway I would advise using one of the commercialy available dips .... Not only will it disguise the traps natural colour it will also ensure the trap fires as well as it possibly can with the added bonus of rust protection, I use dakota line but there are also other brands such as speed dip... Secondly in your situation I wouldn't set traps where they can be seen or found..... Cut channels into the banks, build natural tunnels & create your sets in advance but always keep your traps hidden..... Atb,.. Quote Link to post
fitchet 788 Posted January 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 Thanks for the reply mate I must admit I was tempted to use a dip of some sort but I was told all traps needed boiling for this ? The tunnels I'm using go back about a foot and half into the bank the traps are bedded in well and covered with soil it's not so much now I'm worried about it's when it warms up abit and the fly fisherman start wading that I think I'll have problems. Atb Quote Link to post
heritage 202 Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 No mate,... People say to boil traps when there new to remove any grease or oil left over from the manufacturing process but even then it isn't really neccecary . Fenns are made using galv / zintec type material and for best results when dipping all you need do is to weather the trap naturally to provide a key for the dip to adhere too.... Quote Link to post
Matt 160 Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 I use speed dip. You mix it with petrol and dip the traps and they come out nice and black and the waxy surface makes the trap fire a little quicker. Pour a kettle of boiling water over new traps to remove any grease; extreme care should be taken when considering boiling traps as it's easy to over do it and potentially change the temper of the springs. Natural tunnels should fit into the environment and will be hard to spot by the inexperienced eye. Quote Link to post
EDDIE B 3,120 Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 I spray paint mine lad! Rustolium Mat Black does a good job, doesnt peel off as much as other paints! I dig my sets similar to yourself, and use fish heads, as bait! If your getting alot of rats, may mean mink are thin on the ground, ( might be someone else trapping the area) You could always try feathers in the back of your sets instead of bait, to keep the rats out! A few in the back, and a few placed outside the set works well! I don't have much trouble with people spotting my traps, because i finnish up this time of year! Saying that, i do usually put my sets in overgrown area's where there's little or no traffic! Also, i use long cables, leaving my catches in the water, out of sight! 1 Quote Link to post
FENN 24 Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 It Will be very difficult to trap the mink now due to the water level going up and down they do like to keep to the water edge so you may find the traps ok one day but the next they are under water .one trick you could try is to cut a sort of run out of the bank and try snareing them or even dig out and put a plastic pipe in the bank to put your fens in out of sight then cover the pipe with soil and i wouldnt think anyone will bat an eyelid it will just look like a hole in the bank .As for bait try a can of sardines but cover with salt to stop the flys in the summer . Quote Link to post
fitchet 788 Posted January 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 Well fellers many thanks for the helpfull bits of advice I lifted four of the traps today as these were put in the tunnels I made the others are in natural sets that were already there. I'm leaving the newly dug sets to blend in abit before I put traps back in them. Heritage/Matt: would either you have a link where I could buy some of this dip please as I only need enough for a half a dozen fens. I'm gonna spray half a dozen and dip half a dozen see what works better. If I didn't think mr mink would cause me problems with chicks later on in the year i would leave him be but as I've already said me and a mate have been so focused on reducing the large number of fox everything else has been left. There's deffo a few mink about as I say we've already dealt with a few and the fishermen see them now and again. Fenn: I had a fair bit of success snaring rats in the past and to be honest I was thinking a few snares would be a good addition I was chatting to a river keeper not long back about snaring and I'm sure he said set a good loop about 4 inches high with the addition of jump sticks either side for mink does this sound about right ? What sort of wire should I be buying and are these legal to set on fallen trees that offer the mink a dry path ? Many thanks fellers. Quote Link to post
heritage 202 Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 The type of dip you use is down to personal preference , I have used speed dip in the past but found it wasent for me although I do think it would be the best option for your fenns. I switched to dakota line as I use mainly Imbras and being an older trap that's made from a different material I thought the end result was much better. If like you say you only intend to dip half a dozen I wouldn't bother investing in any as it would prove costly to try on such a small number of traps. I imported half a dozen cans through Fourteenacre and I use them to top up my vat, as far as I'm aware no one in the uk stocks it at the moment although I can vaguely remember that robin at magnum trap co was thinking of stocking it so he may be worth a try..... There are lots of different brands available in the states and two of the most common company's are the snare shop or f&t.... Just to add.....most dips can be thinned beyond reccomended amounts and used on snares. Atb.... Quote Link to post
heritage 202 Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 As far as wire goes a lot still favour spun brass but there are a few that have had very good results using fishing trace wire, when used in conjunction with the crimps and a swivel it has everything required of a good snare whilst still remaining affordable. Unfortunatly I dont, nor ever have snared a mink so I'll leave that to those better placed to offer advice regarding the setting heights / placement ect Quote Link to post
IanB 0 Posted January 21, 2015 Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 I used the formula one dip years ago on some bodygrips, looks similar to the dakotaline dip, ie water additive rather than petrol, the rust still came through on the traps, even on the ones left in the shed unused...its meant to be re-dipped at will...but I never bothered, not for me. Quote Link to post
EDDIE B 3,120 Posted January 21, 2015 Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 I used the formula one dip years ago on some bodygrips, looks similar to the dakotaline dip, ie water additive rather than petrol, the rust still came through on the traps, even on the ones left in the shed unused...its meant to be re-dipped at will...but I never bothered, not for me. That is why spray paint is recomended for water sets, or sets near the waters edge where traps are likely to end up in the water! Saying that, no matter what you use, its something thats meant to be redone each year! Quote Link to post
gamerooster 1,179 Posted January 21, 2015 Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 I find with mink the best way is to use as many methods as you can....... The American trappers are the ones to talk to, don't forget there making a living parts of the year from trapping fur bearers...... me myself, I have had good results using bridge traps, until a heavy flood came and snapped it in half Quote Link to post
J Darcy 5,871 Posted January 21, 2015 Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 Mink snare...... 2 Quote Link to post
nod 285 Posted January 21, 2015 Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 Is that lock upside down J Darcey Quote Link to post
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