Mink refusal?

[mike692]

I'm relatively new to mink trapping. In fact I've only caught three in my life, two last year. I've had two sets in a small gutter for a month now. They were lured with ProCoon, but yesterday I gave them each a squirt of shellfish oil. This morning I could see in the snow where a mink worked both sets from the bank, but wouldn't enter two inches of water to cross the trap pan.
Is this common behavior for a mink?

[trappnman]

Did the mink go into the hole from the sides? if so, this is pretty usual behavier.

Now you know why it is said to make pocket sets on vertical or shaved banks. Both coon and mink can and will work sets from the top or side if given an opportunity to do so.

Did the mink not go into the holes but just investigated them from the sides? Is it usual for mink to not enter water to work a set? yes and no. Mink do what they want to do. Sounds too simple- but that mink didn't WANT to come into the water, which translates to there wasn't enough there to hold his interest enough to get INTO the hole. Perhaps a shallow hole?

fwiw- I've only caught 3-4 mink on procoon sets- its not a good mink attractor.

[mike692]

Too shallow of a hole may be the problem. One set is a vertical bank, but holes are tough to dig because of roots.
I set this up early for coon and used ProCoon to avoid catching mink before the season. There may be....well, I guarantee there is still a ProCoon smell there. I may just punch in a couple more sets there and use only shellfish. There are a couple more desirable locations upstream.
I've only ever used fish/shellfish oil at mink sets. You may get an order by the end of the week for a bottle of Stef's mink lure. I'd like to try a gland lure for mink.

[thebeav2]

I allways found that bait worked well when things started to tighten up.

Gary

[dj88ryr]

Mike,
You will like Fouineur, I use it at about 40% of my sets after freeze up, as well as rat carcasses. If the problem is your hole, find a spot on a vertical bank where you can make a hole the width of a 1.5 CS wide, about 8" high, and about 12"-15" deep, I try to dig it so that the trap sits in about 1-2" of water, in this set up, dog goes at either 3 or 9 o'clock position, the mink walks between the jaws. It works for me.
I have another problem this year, it seems the places where I trapped rats last year, were trapped a little too good, I believe that with the drought conditions we experienced, they did not move to repopulate, so I had to find new rat spots. The mink are every where.

[fishadict]

Bait is good. More bait is better. Appeal to their greed.

fa

[foxtrapperwoman]

I get commitment on mink using just fish oil. With a rock cubby they can climb all over too, but they went in the water and hit the trap. Maybe the mink had just eaten or hated the pro coon smell and didn't want to get closer to it, or was just a goofy mink.

Anyone use Indespensible on mink? It sure smells mink musky.

[mike692]

trappnman said:

Perhaps a shallow hole?

Steve I took your advice and remade the set. I made the hole about twice as deep as it was, and after a night of snow and single digit temps, this guy was waiting for me. (Don this is the first set I remade last Saturday.)

[trappnman]

I can just here the "all right!" when you came to this set.

I read so many times that a mink will investigate every hole, etc on his route, but I don't find this true at all. I find that MOST holes, etc are NOT investigated by mink. Give him a hole where he wants to be, and make that hole appear to go somewhere or contain something...and then he will investigate.

I like pockets to be at least 10 inches deep- and tapered to the back. I also like mink pockets to have water going into them as far back as possible- I feel mink enter water pockets more than dry pockets- but thats just a hunch on my part.

[mike692]

"All right" was exactly what I said. lol

We have a few more weeks to go here for mink season and I'd like to experiment some with maybe a handful of dry hay, or cattail duff in the hole. When I was cleaning out the freezer to make room for my deer I found a couple bags of big gold shiners. I'm going to try them as well. Supposed to be a storm coming so they should move the next couple nights.

[coyote]

way to go, Mike!!

guess that shows what *I* know about pocket sets!! ;D

[HappyPlumber]

Has anybody used dry pockets when everthing is frozen up. I would think that muskrat in a pocket and then the trap in the pocket covered with cat-tail fuzz might work. What are some of the altenates to water sets? This is the first year that I can remember that we will be able to set mink sets till the end of January in Wisconsin. It always closed December 31. Has anybody used baited conibear triggers under water?

[dj88ryr]

I always set a few pockets high and dry, for when it floods, but every once in a while, I get mink in those totally dry pockets, not a high percentage set, but if you have extra traps, why not?

[thebeav2]

I like to dig deep pockets My trap is allways out side the entrance that way If the mink won't comite you will have a better chance to take him. If the hole dosen't go any where the mink knows this and I dought that It will enter.

One year I was scouting my old trap line. Of coarse the water had dropped once all the small water sources had froze up and all my old pockets were above the water line or I should say above the ice line. i would have to say that just about everyone had mink tracks around them. Now if they would have had a big chunk of rat meat in them I would just about bet that the mink would have entered. Mink do things when things get tough that they wouldn't normally do during times of plenty.
Now a pre made covered trench with a #3 coil bedded In some dry dirt or hulls might just catch a few mink, but It wouldn't be a high production set.
The # 3 will act as a killer trap so you can get away with extended checks. I just never had any luck with mink going through exposed killer traps.

Gary

[dj88ryr]

I agree on the body grips being exposed Gary, the only exception are those shelves under the overhanging banks, maybe the lack of light under there, has something to do with it?

[rk660]

Yes, that about the only place I can catch them in 110's too above water is on a shelf. Preferably with bottom jaws under water. DJ, ever try a 220 with hardward cloth pan on blind sets? Works pretty slick.

[dj88ryr]

Wish I could rk, sounds interesting, 220s will get you in hot water here.

[trappnman]

a well know PA trapper makes tunnels under logs, etc and covers them with 110s.