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Post by NittanyLion on Jul 30, 2004 21:44:13 GMT -6
I was re-reading an old Trapper magazine when I came across an article written by Don Nicely, Jr. titled,"Just Minkin' Around." He described the following set. He called it the wall set. Some trappers recommend just setting a trap up tight against the wall. This is fine, except you'll miss a lot of mink if the wall goes dry. So for those small creeks that have a chance of going dry I place a small log that I find along the creek parallel to the wall. Then cover the log with debris. All that is left is to poke a hole in the debris and set a trap and bingo, no missed mink. You see mink love to squeeze through things so he won't be able to pass it up.
Have any of you minkers ever tried this set? If so, what were the results? I have numerous bridges on my trapline that have at least one side high and dry. I think I will give this set a try this coming season.
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Post by dj88ryr on Jul 30, 2004 21:48:51 GMT -6
And we know that little culvert where the dog got you mink, has one side that is totally dry and was covered with tracks!!
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Post by foxtrappersteph on Jul 30, 2004 22:43:36 GMT -6
I sorta did that before,but used a 160 and instead of a log used rocks piled up on the side. I put viny brush around the 160 so the opening looked like a hole through some junk. Thats the set I got the 5 pounder in.
Hey sounds like a surefire set though with the log and brush junk hole. Just a variation on the hole poked through a drift pile set.
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Post by foxtrappersteph on Jul 30, 2004 22:51:56 GMT -6
Oh where I did the 160 set the creek never goes dry and its not a trickle stream either,but is a small creek. Even the trickles here seldom go dry, a few will where they start out of the ground though if theres drought. The feeders dry up. Its amazing all the springs here though, a bunch all come together and make little streams which flow into bigger ones.
Last year there was no sandbar on my creek under the bridge,the county came and scraped it all out and redid the bridge,but the abuttment looked the same. The mink tracks on nearby sandbars looked the same though, oh the old familiar of Mr 5 toes!
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Smitty
Demoman...
just let me set one more trap
Posts: 132
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Post by Smitty on Jul 30, 2004 23:04:10 GMT -6
HAVE USED THAT SET,, AND NOW THAT I THINK ABOUT IT ,,I WILL BE USING IT MORE!!!!!!!!!!
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Post by thebeav2 on Jul 31, 2004 8:11:03 GMT -6
It would work most of the time.But there will be times when the mink will use the log and debris pile to run on, and you will still miss some mink.
If I make this set I try and use small branches with lots of small forks coming off these limbs so the mink won't have anything to climb on. Just try and make It eaiser to go through then to go over.
Beav
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Post by BK on Jul 31, 2004 11:14:23 GMT -6
IMHO Ninny the flat rock against the bridge wall as shown in your PA trapping book is a better deal if your gonna fool with that type of set.
Most of the sets I make under bridges I have too many clowns looking at them to suit me,..........unless the trap is under a good foot of water.
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Post by NittanyLion on Jul 31, 2004 15:30:01 GMT -6
Most of the sets I make under bridges I have too many clowns looking at them to suit me,..........unless the trap is under a good foot of water. BK.......I would make this set back under the bridge, where the clowns have to get in the water to see it. Do you like that PA Trapping book better than RF's book?  |
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Post by BK on Jul 31, 2004 16:06:48 GMT -6
Yes Ninny I like the PA book better hands down, RF should read it.
Your set seems like a lot of work,..........I mean mink are no smarter than muskrats.
Can you believe you and I were left off the list ?
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Post by NittanyLion on Jul 31, 2004 17:08:20 GMT -6
Your set seems like a lot of work,..........I mean mink are no smarter than muskrats. Can you believe you and I were left off the list ? I don't think it would be much work, throw a log near the wall, throw some debris on the log, ream a passage way, set a trap, and go to the next location. I always wanted to set up a dry wall, but my creative mind drew blanks, I just happened to be reading an old issue and thought it was worth a shot. As for the list, I don't get mad, I get even. ;D |
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Post by thebeav2 on Jul 31, 2004 18:52:07 GMT -6
Dry bridge walls. Just dig a dirt hole and bait with a fresh mouse nest.
Use large traps with no pan tension. It works.
Beav
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Post by Rob220swift on Jul 31, 2004 20:23:59 GMT -6
What trap are you setting? Coni or foothold?
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Post by NittanyLion on Aug 1, 2004 6:20:59 GMT -6
What trap are you setting? Coni or foothold? Good question. In the article I read, I was under the impression he was using a foothold, but I was thinking of going with a bodygripper. I also plan to try the Beav's dirthole, and that would be a foothold for sure. |
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Post by dj88ryr on Aug 1, 2004 8:43:52 GMT -6
Nittany, you could still use a body grip in that situation, if you used a box simlar to the one described in the new FHA magazines I just received from Gibb.
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Post by thebeav2 on Aug 1, 2004 10:25:05 GMT -6
I hope you all have better luck with boxes then I have.
But I will say this,they work In Canada. We even had mink climb the trees to get In the marten boxes. Try that down here and you would be going minkless. Also just about any place you placed a box along a stream you would take some mink.
Hell we even buried 5 gallon buckets In snow banks and baited them and placed a 220 and caught quite a few red fox. I bet If they had been blue we would have caught more. LOl
We even caught 2 red fox In elevated marten boxes, go figure.
Beav
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Post by trappnman on Aug 10, 2004 11:14:49 GMT -6
NL, I used to make a lot of those sets- and frankly, think they aren't worth the trouble to make.
They look real nice, and when you get down, you feel like a real mink trapper...why, peering into your new covered tunnel...why wouldn't any mink NOT run through them?
Don't know- but they don't. Yes, I caught mink in them- but not very darn many.
As suggested, I believe that a mink simply goes over or around most of these structures. Unless the mink can smell or hear something- he seldom goes into these short constricted tunnels. Frankly (again, I thing the old saying of a mink investgating every hole and tunnel is false- I think they go into very few of them.
The rock leaning against the bank will work- but much, much more effective is simply laying a 3-5 inch diameter log against the bank or side..... the mink readily...rests...under such objects.
That slight overhead cover with the bank behind him- gives a mink security to stop or at least pause when going under....trappnman
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