Mink - Winter Travel

[primetime]

Do mink keep to the water and undercut banks once the snow falls? The reason I ask, is because I set a few traps yesterday along a stream, and I didn't see any mink tracks along the bank. Of course it has been snowing almost every day, but still figured I'd see something. I set up a few good looking locations anyway, but was wondering if they stay mostly in the water and only come up on shore in certian areas.

I did see some places were something came out of the water or went to the water near some logs. They went up on the bank maybe 5 yards and then back on the same path. I could not tell what it was, because the snow was to powdery and didn't hold tracks, and it was deep enough that the body of the animal was in the snow also.

Figured it could be mink, but it would have had to have been in the water all the rest of the time because for 50 yards up and down from that location I didn't see any sign of disturbance on the bank.

[trappnman]

I see very few mink tracks on most of my creeks. The only real exceptions are creeks that have no banks to speak of- where pasture comes right to the waters edge with no grasses, etc. At these locations, I see mink tracks. At my grassy, rocky streams- some I take 3-6 mink a year off of, I've never seen a track and I trap mink in 3 months of snow. At a lot of these very grassy banked creeks, the mink are down under the snow hunting mice and shrews.

Mink spend a lot of time in the water, in bankside dens, under the grass, etc. in snow conditions.

At a guess- you saw where rats came out. Rats don't go far from the water in the best of times- less so with snow. Mink would, USUALLY- wander some after coming out of the water. In snow, unless real deep snow and what we have, this 3-4 inches isn't enough - you will see the distinct bounding look to the mink tracks and seldom see where their body is dragged through the snow.

[primetime]

You are most likely right on with the tracks being Muskrat. I got down on my hands and knees in the water and looked up under the grass overhanging the bank and could see how a mink could swim the water and run the bank without making a track. I'm hoping to catch a few Mink in this location to boost my confidence. I set a few blind sets, a few baited sets, and a few bottom edge sets to see which one produces better for me.

Side Question: Can Mink swim fast enough to catch a trout? Trout are some of the fastest swimming fish I know and can't see how they would catch them. There feet and bodies don't really looked built for swimming. Most swimming animals have a smooth tail and webbed feet for a reason.

[trappnman]

Very much so from observation and looking at scat, but even data backs it up-

talked to a dnr man one year alongside a creek. They had a bunch of medium sized trout with tracking chips in them. He complained that the darn mink were eating the trout, and they were finding their chips under logs, in cutouts, etc...

I said I'd give him a dollar for the plotted map...

[Vanmeer]

While on the winter mink subject, when does the mink rutt usually start?

[JB nomad]

In Pa. mink really start running (rutting) Jan. 8th cause they know theyre safe. What a stupid time to end the season.

[fishadict]

PT - I think mink are a predominantly a see and attack predator when it comes to trout. Trout tend to hold position in a stream and are pretty predictable. Mink have to know this. Otter on the other hand can catch them on the swim. I have seen stretches of stream where trout I am sampling have tails or other parts/chunks missing - otter.

fa

[conibear]

Up here when there is snow on the ground and things are froze I head for the beaver dams. They seem to be a mink magnet. Theres usually open water on the low side of the dam and I'll take a whole rat carcass and mink lure gland. And find a place up under the logs or sticks below the dam and put the bait and lure and then put the trap in front and have had great results. Or look for feeder stream also they seem to stay open when it's the coldest out mink love to hunt there also.

[fingerlakesfur]

Bottom edge set has revolutionized my winter mink trapping.

We get deep snow here and once the slower moving streams freeze, there is a very active mink world under this deep freeze. Mink seem to spend more time under water, thats when this set really shines.

Your sets should be in before the snows and cold arrive and it is no problem keeping them maintained through the rough weather.

Believe it or not, I catch more mink this time of year than any other. I just wish we had a longer trap check here in NY. Hard to rack up any decent numbers with a 24 hr check.