Intense Footage Of My Mink Getting A Muskrat In The Water

[Minkenry 1,044]

This is a pretty intense video I filmed a few weeks ago of my mink Fang getting a muskrat. At the end of the video I explain why I called the dog off when the muskrat was running.

 

As an additional explanation, the reason I don't interfere with dispatching the muskrat is I have found that the more I interfere when the muskrat is still actively struggling, the greater the chance that the mink will get bitten. If the muskrat is still alive once it has stopped struggling, I then reach in and finish dispatching it. With Fang, this is rarely necessary, as the muskrat is usually stone dead once the struggle is over. I used to reach in and try to hurry the dispatching process as soon as I could get a hold of the muskrat (like how I always did as a falconer when my bird captured prey), but I learned through experience that doing this increased the chance of the mink being bitten. If I just stayed out of the way and let the mink do what it was born to do, the mink will typically kill the muskrat without getting so much as a scratch.

 

 

https://youtu.be/M5GwKWq8n8g

[terryd 8,870]

very interesting and you have that dog spot on. Credit to you

[CushtyJook 1,097]

Good video ild love a mink like that

[bird 10,014]

is the muskrat , bigger than normal rat that's found around city's / houses etc , ? what kind of waterways is it you do your hunting around , good vids keep them coming

[Minkenry 1,044]

is the muskrat , bigger than normal rat that's found around city's / houses etc , ? what kind of waterways is it you do your hunting around , good vids keep them coming

 

Brown rats (the species Rattus norvegicus, also known as Norway rats, city rats, sewer rats, barn rats, etc.) typically range from 250-400 grams, with a few extra large individuals getting over 600 grams, but very rarely ever reaching or even getting close to 700 grams. Out of all the brown rats I've caught, I've never personally seen one much over 550 grams. I've seen a few fat domestic brown rats that were over 550 grams, but they were bred to be extra large, and they were ridiculously fat. I do have friends who have caught some extra large city rats with their mink that were close to or just over 600 grams, but I've never seen it myself.

 

Full grown muskrats in my area average 800-1000 grams, with some extra large individuals getting over 1500 grams. I've heard of some ridiculously large muskrats getting over 2,000 grams, but I've never caught one that big myself. Whenever I catch an otherwise healthy looking muskrat that is much under 800 grams, I typically assume its young and still growing.

Edited January 4, 2017 by Minkenry

[beast 1,884]

great stuff. do you feed the dead muskrats to the mink?

[Dinosaurs 2,138]

Another excellent vid bud as already said keep them coming ? Happy New year to you & your family. Atb

[Minkenry 1,044]

what kind of waterways is it you do your hunting around , good vids keep them coming

 

When hunting muskrats we hunt various different waterways, and hunt a little differently, based on the conditions. Lakes, ponds, and deeper streams is where the lurcher is the most useful, because she can dive into the deeper water and grab a bolting muskrat that isn't likely to ever be captured by the mink once it is out of the burrow. Before getting the dog, I would use fishing nets with an extra long handle to capture muskrats as they bolt into the deeper water. But now that I have a lurcher, I actually leave the nets at home and allow her to capture the bolting muskrats when we are hunting in an area where the water is deep enough for the muskrats to easily escape the mink. Unless I am doing pest control, in which case the focus is numbers, not giving the muskrats a sporting chance. In those circumstances I still use the nets, in combination with the dog and mink to capture every muskrat we can. In more shallow streams and drained canals, like where most of my most recent videos have been filmed, I only use my lurcher for locating the muskrats, as the mink can capture them in the shallow water without any help from me or the dog. Using both the dog and the mink together when hunting muskrats in shallow water is like shooting fish in a barrel. The muskrat has ZERO chance of escape, and that kind of hunting doesn't really appeal to me, so I call off the dog, and let the mink do it all herself. The mink has a very good chance at capturing the muskrat in that circumstance, and so she doesn't need any help. In places with deeper water, the mink must capture the muskrat before it bolts, because muskrats can swim much faster than a mink can, and mink refuse to take muskrats in deeper water anyway.

 

This video compilation I made talks about mink and muskrat dynamics, and shows wild mink hunting muskrats in nature.....

 

https://youtu.be/89_IgjwDKLg

Edited January 4, 2017 by Minkenry

[Silversnake 1,099]

Brilliant footage and information, that is some hunting I would enjoy a lot! Thanks for sharing.

[border lad 1,047]

A very good video, thanks for showing, A happy new year to you, and family, keep them coming,

[Minkenry 1,044]

Thanks! I'm glad everyone is enjoying the information and videos

[beast 1,884]

do you use the muskrats for mink food ? i feed rats to my ferrets when the dogs kill them kill them and they do well on that diet, but didnt know if you manage your mink differently (i understand you do rather more formal training than we do with ferrets)

[Minkenry 1,044]

do you use the muskrats for mink food ? i feed rats to my ferrets when the dogs kill them kill them and they do well on that diet, but didnt know if you manage your mink differently (i understand you do rather more formal training than we do with ferrets)

 

Yep, most of what my mink kills is used for feeding the mink. We also eat some of the rabbit, squirrel, and muskrat meat ourselves. My lurcher is on an all meat diet as well, so she also ends up eating some of the muskrats and brown rats. Though the lurcher does eat a good amount of muskrat and brown rat meat, most of what she eats is road killed deer, rabbits, beavers, and unwanted roosters I get for free.

[beast 1,884]

 

do you use the muskrats for mink food ? i feed rats to my ferrets when the dogs kill them kill them and they do well on that diet, but didnt know if you manage your mink differently (i understand you do rather more formal training than we do with ferrets)

 

Yep, most of what my mink kills is used for feeding the mink. We also eat some of the rabbit, squirrel, and muskrat meat ourselves. My lurcher is on an all meat diet as well, so she also ends up eating some of the muskrats and brown rats. Though the lurcher does eat a good amount of muskrat and brown rat meat, most of what she eats is road killed deer, rabbits, beavers, and unwanted roosters I get for free.

 

great. keeping the videos coming, i have looked at most of your stuff on youtube now so need some new bits to watch

[green dragon 701]

Great stuff mate.Do you have any vids of the lurcher dealing with the rat