Mink "dispersal"

[CoonDuke]

OK, I have read in some books and watched in videos how a female mink will rear her young at the headwaters of streams and wet areas. Later in the season, the mink will travel to the bigger streams. If this is true, I have a few questions...

First, how much water does a female mink need to raise young? A trickle coming out of an old pond or spring? A drainage ditch in a farm field. A weedy trickle of water?

Second, what time of year do the young make their journey to the larger streams? Does the female chase them at a certain time, or do they travel when the abundant food supply of summer and fall gets scarce?

What I am getting at is if there is a time when the mink disperse, and it is during mink season, wouldn't it be easy to trap the mouths of every feeder stream and pinch the mink before the get to the big water?

Another question, where are the buck mink during the summer. Do they stay near the large streams or do they roam?

[trappnman]

Some good questions- unfortunately, not many real answers. Mink research is hard to find.

I do have some thoughts, based nmy observations over the years.

A) I believe male mink spend a lot of time away from the water. I base this on several things:

1) I have caught mink in coon set at least 6-7 miles fro many know water
2) I have seen other mink in similar locations
3) The big male mink are covered with tick bites (and even ticks)until late in the season -unlike the females and young that are on the creeks.

I further believe that it takes a big SNOW to move these mink back to the streams. I base this on the fact that I usually have my sets out before deep snows- and only after we get a substantial dumping, do I start picking up big males consistently. I finds this pattern to hold true year after year.

How big of water? don't really know on that- overhead cover and denning areas combined with a ready food source- I think wet meadows near creeks hold a lot of early mink also.

I do beleive these family groups stay pretty much togther through much of the fall. Many times, I hate catching a small mink on a creek early, I know I'll take the rest of the litter there shortly. Once ice, snow- and a slowdown in food occur, I believe these groups break up.

But that is hard to say- yoy mink are easy prey in early winter- their numbers drop substantially I believe- another reason for a larger % of males in late season.

As far as setting up tributaries and junction points- yes, of course they would be good locations... but as far as pinching points like canines...I have my doubts. I know male mink do not go up everylittle tributary they encounter- much to my surprize.

Something else I find- after winter sets in- I don't find a lot of movement or migration by the smaller mink- but again that could simply be less numbers.

[CoonDuke]

Just a thought. Could the male mink be travelling overland to find another watershed to set up territory? I would assume that if two males encountered eachother, "confrontation" would happen and one mink would drive the other off...but I don't know.

[trappnman]

Don't know that either... but will hazard a guess that in any given area, a mink will pass around another of its kind....predators don't waste energy if they don't have too.

Mink definitely travel overland. I don't know if it is "new" terriory...I think it is just THEIR territory. It has to be that a adult male mink wanders and in these wanderings spends time where hunting is easy- brushy woods, high grass meadows, even old buildings.

[trappnman]

we the only mink trappers on here MinkDuke....?

[Rob220swift]

I'm no mink trapper but I believe buck mink act like large male ermine in many ways. They go where the hunting is good because they are very proficient and do not have to rely exclusively on water as a hunting environment. Large male weasels can be found anywhere prey they can handle is located. I often find mink sign in high hilly areas that harbor big coon, fisher and marten. There are surely more mink living in "dry" areas than most trappers believe, however it's probably impossible to target these animals while trapping. I have read a number of posts where trappers have caught mink in fisher and marten sets in areas no sane minker would expect to catch mink. Streams and associated banks etc... narrow down the habitat, so to speak which makes those areas productive for trapping.
I have a pretty good mink population in my area and I sure would like to get some time to focus on them this year. The mink and ice topic was loaded with information that will be very useful when I take aim at Mr. Mink. Put that one in the Archives.

[Furhandler]

Not a big Mink trapper, but at least a trapper. LOL

Before snow and freeze-up Mink (At least males) hunt the woods more than they hunt the streams. I heard this for the first time in 93' from Russ Carmen and I believe that to be true as I have noticed many sightings throughout the summer in very distant areas away from water.

After the first freeze-up and a little snow, I also noticed
a huge bump in catch (56 was my best personal catch in a year) which MAY be the result of them returning to a NEW hunting ground for them as winter approaches.

I run about 200 Marten boxes for 2 weeks and only take 1 mink a year in those, so there definately not around in the woods in the late fall.

[trappnman]

Good posts! I think that the reason they move down to the streams w/snow is simply the type of prey they usually hunt- becomes absent or almost impossible to catch. Birds aren't nesting in the grass nor are small rodents, reptiles and such.

So- they go to where the food is- the open water areas of their range. I don't find that the 1-3 inch snows that come or go have much effect- some, as does cold weather...but the big push, at least in my area, of when the males hit the streams- is the snow of 5-6 inches and more- snow that stays.

I also know mink hunt frozen areas- marshes, brushy creeks when open water is not present- but then they are still land orientated.

I think one aspect of needing a big snow- is once the overhead cover gets knocked down- there is both less hunting opportunites but also less overhead cover for the mink.

[musher]

I live on a river that has quite a few mink. There's a fish farm a quarter mile up river so we see mink from time to time. It is usually a one/two shot deal as buddy has many sets out year round. A mink doesn't visit that hatchery twice.

Some things I have noticed are: they are usually travelling up stream, they are never on my side of the river even though there is a good fishing pool (could be the dogs!), in the summer months, they are small (female?), they are always alone.

I read somewhere that female mink are not good mothers. It doesn't take long for a mink to catch a minnow so the problem must be something else. I had a buddy that farmed mink for a while and he said the females killed their young regularily.

I have lots less marten boxes than F-Handler but I catch more mink in them. But there is water everywhere in this part of the world. I think it would be impossible to be a mile from water here.

[trappnman]

had a buddy that farmed mink for a while and he said the females killed their young regularily.


I have heard that also on mink ranches- that noise, bright lights, etc causes it more- in other words, stressful situations.

Some dogs do this also, esp on first litters, though nervousness.

I would have to think that a female mink is a good mother- simply because from what I have read, teaching the young hunting skills is her #1 activity.

[jsevering]

Im no expert on mink dipersal either, but do agree with you guys about a percentage of the adult males and some females being away from the bigger watersheds, until a good snow and the urge to search out mates and a ready food source, pulls them back down into main flows even if its only a main flow leading out of a small beaver flow wich also seem to come back to life for me around the middle of december.

caught quite a few in those dry parrallell culverts running along choked subdivision road ditch's and old spring box's near stone walls a thousand feet or better from the main stream,in late fall, first pretty much by chance. now if im canine trapping and Im there in mink season, I just set them up.

take care of a fish hatchery every year, on one of our main waterways and one thing Ive also noticed there is the catch is pretty much localized until the frost sets an a good snow hits, funny part is the number of mink it starts producing all sizes from the small males, that grade down as females to those big old buck mink you would swear by the fat on their shoulders and size were ranch raised, if the prey is there, I think they tolorate each other with a grain of salt so to speak.

The high sex ratio's of both, also surprizes me. have noticed with some females they will set up shop close to one tank, usally the two inch fingerlings, and have a trail straight to the food source and back to the den, only hit the water when its time to eat more or less, the males range, but dont seem to range to far, think they mouse more in this particular situation...jim

[CoonDuke]

Great responses everybody. Definitely some interesting stuff.

I guess when you think about it, why wouldn't mink go to the water when the snow flies...every other animal. bird, rodent, predator, etc. seems to head to the water at that time.

[jsevering]

Kinda think the snow is only part of it, kinda like the geese heading south in the winter and north again in the spring, only in the minks case, spring being the time frame we get hit with the snow and ice.

kinda think the urge to mate or the closer mating season gets also puts them on the move and draws them into the water sheds, searching out where the females are hold up and as mentioned an easier food source.

how many times have you set up the main brooks only to have the mink dry up on you, go up to a beaver flow on the hill side and it looks like holiday inn for mink without a track on the outlet flow?

not saying your not gonna catch a rambling mink or two on the brook searching, when this type situation happens, but theres probably more to it than snow.

I kinda also wonder how many juvinile males or less dominant doe's get pushed out of a good area during this time frame if there isnt an abundance of groceries in the imeadiate area...jim

[trappnman]

Jim- I can only speak for the big males- but here- it is definitely the onset of the first big snow that pushes them- a bare ground winter- no matter how cold- and it just doesn't happen.

but get that big dump- and the next few checks will be hot- and then I start picking up the big males pretty consistently.

Doesn't matter if that snow is mid Nov or mid January....although, eventually, I am sure mating does (or would) pull them back if not already there....

No snow- not much happening once the yoy and the females are taken.

[jsevering]

no arguement here, I agree, I think snow is a big part in it, but just one part.

Mabye their, there, but running parallel with the brook beds, hunting the banks, searching out\locating females as they go?

The snow might just be the element that actually puts them over your and my sets in the water?

Know them buggers will run snow tunnels here and there until we get a good melt and crust.

I sure in heck dont have any concrete answers just a million questions, bout every time I think i got something halfway figured, I realize Im only about an eigth of the way there...jim

[trappnman]

nah...they are 20 miles away!

you probably are right..as the cold, etc moves in..they slow wind their way back...makes sense to me...

hey, ever going to get Ed on here? Or is he...

[jsevering]

Steve, he hates, dosnt really understand computers.

He checked out Pauls site a couple of years back, but had his daughter do the typing and getting him there.

I think he might lurk here and there,once in a blue moon, but probablly has to have his girl type and get him around the net...jim

[trappnman]

yet...from what he says..he can whip out a camera and get a perfectly focused picutre in a nano second....

he would have fun here...

[CoonDuke]

Yep, I would like to see Ed on here too. He would bring a lot of trapping knowledge and a lot of laughs.

[jsevering]

I'll talk to him, gotta get him to promise no posting of two legged chew outs and other compermising pictures first.

Im sure he would enjoy it also, been telling him for years alot of good people and info sharing, mabye now that he got to meet some of you he might...jim