Tips on mink shooting
- Thread starter kaboom
- Start date
Overlay
Well-Known Member
Couldn’t comment on a live one, I’ve killed every one instantly, apart from one critter that run up the gauntlet cos dopey here wanted have a good look at it alive and attached itself to my arm big time, still the remember the bruising 4” x 2” inches across, shows the bite compression they have, not one animal to under estimate by any way or form they are a relentless killing machine we haven’t got the environment or space in this country for such an animal
I think it was to attract the males when they come in season.
sikamalc
Administrator
Trapping them will give better success. Live small cage traps baited with just about anything (fish, dead chicken chicks) they will easily be caught as a rule. Or tunnel trap with a very strong fen trap at the end, fixed down well.
Trapping along streams, dykes and rivers work well. Mink like water and use these routes to spread.
Trapping along streams, dykes and rivers work well. Mink like water and use these routes to spread.
Overlay
Well-Known Member
Best of using a sand pit to monitor, pre baiting has a use but mink are full on hunters, they are looking to kill something rather than just foraging their mind set are as instant progressive attackers, sand pit monitor then straight to live catch, the way I got the best results.
Phil fox man
Well-Known Member
Get a tin of sardines from Lidl,1l cooking oil and blitz it.then into on old sauce bottle,you can squirt it into the traps and leave no human scent on it.
Never I repeat never pick one up till it's dead you have been warned
.
Phil
Never I repeat never pick one up till it's dead you have been warned
.Phil
baguio
Well-Known Member
Gents, I don't know how many times I have said it on this site but Fenn traps in tunnels have been illegal since April 2020 if when set there is any chance that you might catch a stoat. That would be pretty much anywhere that you would be setting a trap for Mink. Ignorance is not a defence. Cage traps are the way to go every time!
The information is all here
The information is all here
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kenbro
Well-Known Member
Our town river (Roch) like many rivers running through Industrial Revolution areas had many businesses along the banks discharging their crap left over from processes like the textile trade. So rivers ran black mainly but sometimes brighter colours! The only life in them appeared to be leeches and rats.
Over the last 25 years the water has become cleaner and supports fish ( More then one species) that anglers are enjoying.
There are trout being caught but I’ve yet to meet anyone that admits to eating them.
The river runs around the local park and the mink could be seen coming off the river, crossing a 3 my wide footpath and going into the park lake, they would/ do swim the 50 mtrs to the island where they raid the nests of eggs and chicks.(Duck, geese and other birds).
In entering the lake they submerge and head for the island but can never seem to get all the way there with coming to the surface for the last few metres.
5 years ago I used to set traps ( Cage open each end) on the river and take tins of sardines with me (
(Ring pull opening) for bait.
Runs along the river bank were easy to see, so set traps on those and covered with grass and twigs.
The mink were easy to catch.
Someone told me February was best time as mink likely pregnant then so get rid of more.
Went to set at trap around 21.00 one Feb night after some heavy rain so river was swollen.
Set my trap (Pitch black) and set off back up the steep banking…..slipped and fell backwards into river and after I bobbed to the surface I floated downstream pretty quickly.
Had my Rivers West Wildfowling jacket on, so cuffs sealed round wrists and I was okay.
Went over 100 mtrs passing over a few rocks) before I was able to get to the side and scramble out.
Specs were still on but earring aids not working.
Phone working so phoned Wifey and asked her to run a bath…..she said. ‘you fell into the fluffing river, didn’t you?’
Too old she said (75) at the time and she banned me from trapping mink.
Went back the next morning after daylight and I’d knocked the trap into the river on my way there myself. I could see the trap in about 2 mtrs of water near the side.
Went home for fishing rod and retrieved it no problem.
And it just happened, while there a kid and Dad’s toy boat had stopped running so we were able to rescue that with the fishing rod too.
Incidentally, Wifey walks the young Border along by the river early mornings (Me being less able have to walk the two older dogs round the top of the park as the 3 don’t gell on leads.) and a few days ago she briefly saw an Otter! Never heard of an otter being on this stretch of the river before.
Wifey took some. (Not very good) pictures of a structure someone had made by the waters edge.
Next day she said it had been trashed. Day after that someone had started to rebuild it.
Today she took more pics of how the structure looks now.
Is this some kind of trap?
Does it look familiar to anyone here?
See if I can post the pics.
Cheers, Kb.
Ps just look at todays pics for first time and thinking it might be to get footprints for positive id?
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Shooting mink is really mostly done at the end of a barrel range being measured by inches , with a cage trapped mink ! Sure you will get some with the rifle / gun but its a tiny proportion of the yearly bag . Only time you seem to them out in a shootable position the odds are your carrying a fishing rod LOL !
Keep away from kill traps , Otters are now on all river systems etc
Keep away from kill traps , Otters are now on all river systems etc
Smellydog
Well-Known Member
Great story ken lol, glad you got out of the river though!!
I don't know what's more scary...seeing a big mink or you coming down the river
.I think that's a gold prospectors sluice box ken
kenbro
Well-Known Member
Ha, Smelly,Great story ken lol, glad you got out of the river though!!
I don't know what's more scary...seeing a big mink or you coming down the river
I think that's a gold prospectors sluice box ken
Had to see for myself, so took one of the dogs and went down this afternoon.
Looks like it was shuttering to put in a small concrete pad, for what reason I know not.
Kb.
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As above, do not underestimate, they are a relentless killing machine, solid muscle and theeth and fear nothing or no one, if you have to shoot one use a shotgun as you will be that close.
Shroughaun
Well-Known Member
I’ve just started trapping mink in the last couple of months. So not an expert by any means.
But what I am finding the most successful is trap with one entrance buried into the bank and mackerel heads or 1inch cubes with wire through it hanging at the back of the cage so the have to step on the trap release part to reach the food.
Outside the trap I use a small amount of the lure picture below.
I’ve also found tuna in sunflower oil to be good also.
But what I am finding the most successful is trap with one entrance buried into the bank and mackerel heads or 1inch cubes with wire through it hanging at the back of the cage so the have to step on the trap release part to reach the food.
Outside the trap I use a small amount of the lure picture below.
I’ve also found tuna in sunflower oil to be good also.
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The hunting Finn
Well-Known Member
If you are not allowed to use instantly killing traps I would go for cage traps combined with a trail camera. A sending trail camera on a cage trap would be legal in UK (if you can´t check the trap daily) or?
This way is more fun though;
The Finnish way
This way is more fun though;
The Finnish way
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