Body grip traps for mink

[Netter 0]

The bracket things I made were made from the metal banding you find on the end of scaffolding boards.

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Cheers, Netter. Either way, I have a shit load of steel straps laying around here. Can't even remember why I bought them, but I have them. I also have a small disc grinder!

 

Now, if I can just figure out some sort of jig .....

[OldTrapCollector 376]

I have just given a little thought back in time to a few tunnels I once made for myself for my Fenn 4's.

 

They were 6 inch wide x inch planks about 18 inches long, attached to the top of the plank was a tin arch, nailed to the sides of the plank. I made the arches out of 'wriggly tin' hammered out flat to create the arch shape (think long Everitt tunnel Ditch).

 

I wonder if the same idea would work for the BG's, if the tunnel was square not arch shaped, with a snipped out side slit for access and spring expansion? I reckon they would work a treat. Not as lightweight and portable as a weldmesh roof but for permanent sites just the ticket I would say.

 

OTC

[Guest vaughan]

I think body-grip traps are excellent. I've only used tham on rats and squirrels but they seem to get fewer foul catches than Fenn traps and (especually with squirrels) give more instant kills. I have also heard they are more effective on mink - but I can't confirm this.

 

BUT they do take a bit of getting used to, which is why a lot of people don't like them. The main 'problem' is that they need something to support them.

 

I bought a couple and almost gave up on them until I got a copy of the video. Very boring but useful for ideas. Now I catch more in them than the Fenns. Though I think the Fenns are still better for natural tunnels.

 

A bit of whole maize is good on the trigger, especially if smeared with peanut butter, for squirrels. Or just leave it bare for rats - like the Fenn no bait required.

 

My advice is to buy just one or two and try to beg, steal or borrow the video for some ideas.

Then If you get on well with them you can buy a few more.

 

As a last piece of advice though: give them a lick of paint as they seem to rust rather fast.

 

Oli

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

I got a copy of the video. Very boring but useful for ideas.

 

 

Is it? God, I'd love to see it. Trouble is; I don't have a tv!

 

I s'pose, when ye think about it, Oli; Most of us are so programmed to using Fenn's now that the BG will take some getting used to. Just like the Fenn did, post Gin. I can see a whole, new generation of trappers lauding nothing but the BG.

 

Like ye indicate though; We really do need to sort out the support methods side of things. That, get some decent Setters more readily available and some forms of safety devices. Fiddly f*cking things and I imagine they must hurt like hell!

[micky 3,325]

I got a copy of the video. Very boring but useful for ideas.

 

 

Is it? God, I'd love to see it. Trouble is; I don't have a tv!

 

I s'pose, when ye think about it, Oli; Most of us are so programmed to using Fenn's now that the BG will take some getting used to. Just like the Fenn did, post Gin. I can see a whole, new generation of trappers lauding nothing but the BG.

 

Like ye indicate though; We really do need to sort out the support methods side of things. That, get some decent Setters more readily available and some forms of safety devices. Fiddly f*cking things and I imagine they must hurt like hell!

i use trail legs to stablise my traps if someone can get a picture up you will find them very easy to copy,Last summer i was setting traps for rabbits in growing corn,i had some success but not much, and quite a few times a trap would be fired but no catch. I suspected the rabbits were jumping over the traps (I have since learned that it could have been mice). however when i raised the legs ,so the bottom of the trap was three inches off the ground rabbits would happily jump through,the catch rate went up,and there were no more empty fired traps I think the art of using these traps is to be adaptable and imaginative

[Guest JohnGalway]

Like these fellas?

[micky 3,325]

Like these fellas?

yes, there the ones, TRAIL LEGS

[ianrob 2]

Hi folks,

 

As you are all no doubt painfully aware by now from my recent rambling I'm getting into trapping a few mink. At the moment I'm using single entry live catch cage traps. These work but I have two problems, they're on loan so they're not mine, and culling the mink is presenting it's own problem.

 

After a chat Snareman (top bloke as always )a few different types of traps have been suggested to me. One being the body grip type trap (the others were konibear (spelling?) and fenn (I have two). I'd like to try out these body grip traps as they are not out of the way price wise and will dispatch the mink for me

 

As I have no experience myself of using these I'm asking around for tips and advice. First thing I need to know is what size bodygrip trap is best for mink?

 

Second thing I would like to hear about is the settings that different people use them in. I believe that in the UK these are like fenns that they need to be set in natural or artifical tunnels. I plan to make some wooden tunnels to use them in, the mink researcher has told me that on his mink rafts they use a hole of 75mm which has kept out non target animals thus far, so I'd use one hold like that on each end of my artifical tunnel. If you have a better idea which works for you with mink please let me know

 

Any other useful information would be appreciated. As I am a complete green newbie to this don't think anything to be too basic

 

Thanks all,

 

John

 

Edited to add, links to pictures would be helpful also, they tell a thousand words I'm led to believe.

 

...and is one brand better than another? I know I'll need a setter also.

I've used rabbit fenns with success in tunnels. I used tunnels with lift off lids to facilitate setting. You can use twigs or pieces of wire even inside the fenn if they aren't too long, to guide the mink. I also found that if they are skipping through and not stepping on the plate, a wire mesh barrier 4" or so from the trap can make the prance about enough to get nabbed. That obviously blocks the tunnel and you need two traps in it to catch from both ends. Quite a risk if you get traps nicked.

[proper job 1]

Just to show you a couple of ways too set, 1st one is a permanent set in a wooden tunnel.

This one is to the right of bridge

Todays catch, ferret. (Sorry to all you ferret lovers).

Reset

Cover it up with a few stones and leaves, and Robert is your fathers brother.

[proper job 1]

This holder is made from the metal banding they use to hold bundles of steel/wood together and a 6" nail

Place on a couple of sticks to stop trap freezing to ground in hard weather

Place tunnel over trap.

This is another way, replace rivet with bolt,

And stick into ground, can also be pushed into bank or wall of hole etc.

 

Dont forget to narrow entrance if danger of trapping non target species.