bank holes for mink?

[walkercoonhunter(Aaron L.)]

i think im doing something wrong...i have mink tracks all round my bank hole sets but no commitment...i even put a fresh piece of rat in some of them....what size of hole do you guys use?6-8in...my holes are somewhere round 6 inches across half in and half out of the water....any suggestions? they are guarded with 1.5s....lots of mink sighn there but cant catch them?im not useing any mink lure and only have 3 sets in 20 yrds of creek..a blind set and 2 bank holes...all 1.5s

[dj88ryr]

The pockets I dig for mink are as wide as a set 1.5 CS, and maybe half again as high, the trap sits in about 1-2" of water, so most of the hole is OUT of the water, I don't use mink lure or bait till the temps get down in the 20s and colder.

[robertw]

Mink are more susceptible to semi hidden holes where the grass, cattails or other vegetation hangs down obscuring the hole. I always felt it was more of an intrigue thing than anything else. Blatant well exposed pockets with an easy view of the bait never worked well for me for mink.

Just my .02 worth.

[dj88ryr]

Robert,
They can't see the bait in mine when I use it, I dig my holes at least 18" deep, but I know what you are saying, IF there is grass etc. on the banks I will leave grass hanging in the hole. if a bare bank, a bare hole, but I may place a stick on one side of the hole as a little face guide.

[CoonDuke]

Sometimes a guy can learn from not catching as much as catching. ;D I have had poor luck with bare bank pockets like Robert describes as well. I've made a lot of them for coon and they just don't seem to catch mink very well.

[dj88ryr]

I can't argue that, but do you not make the set where the mink will be? If so, and you have a bare clay bank, are you saying to import vegetation?

[foxtrapperwoman]

Might want to put some fish oil in those holes. Maybe they aren't interested in rat meat LOL, but maybe your water is too deep where your trap is, thats what it sounds like. I assume no fired off traps either by ol brown n slippery footed?

[HappyPlumber]

I used some of those "bait sticks with the 3/4" PVC pipe" this year that were supposed to be so good for coon. I used ground up fish carcasses from summer fishing left over after filleting them. It is a good way to keep the bait at the right height in relation to the water. These bait sticks worked for coon, mink, and otter. If you make a bankhole the bait stick can cause the mink to put their foot in the right place. The bait stick also works good on a 45 degree angle. I need to test them yet for fast water after freezeup. From here on out I wouldn't be without them. They are a proven fur catcher in my book. You don't even have to put them in the water. HP

[Freak( Jim V.)]

Aaron , another thing is trap placement at pocket sets. Have seen times when setting trap at corner of pocket hole rather than centering it in hole entrance works better. Gets em coming in rather than them having to commit. Just some things to try. A jump stick across the entrance might help a bit also. Like I said just some things to try.
Also on the partially covered hole , it does seem to cause them to work sets better. Another option might be to plug the hole with loose grass plugs whenever setting on bare bank type area.
Get er done!

[walkercoonhunter(Aaron L.)]

ok when i put my trap in front of the hole ,the trap just fits in the opening...so its totally guarded...trap is in 1-2 inches of water and pocket is about 2ft deep....the mink are there and looking just not getting in the water to come to the opening of the hole...i will see if i can get a few pics today and post them...i know there is both female and male mink there because of the size of the tracks....could it be that they are a pair runnin togather and that makes them not commit?

[Steve Gappa]

its my opinion that the location AND the conditions play a much more important role in mink working a pocket than the type of pocket or the type of bait.

bare hole, slicked up hole, hidden hole- all work the same and all are investigated by mink the same. IF THE HOLE IS MADE WHERE MINK WILL BE GOING.

A hole cut in a sheer mud bank is one of my favorite sets- although I use no bait until very cold.

2 foot pocket is for sure long enough- I don't believe I ever made one that long. Mine are no larger that softball round, go back 7-8 inches and curl to the side an inch or two. This curl I do with my hand. I find a mink sized hole to far outproduce big holes. I like water in my mink pockets- and water goes back at least 4-5 inches.

if you are seeing that much mink sign on a nightly basis- you need to change your set locations. Mink don't go far out of thier way. In tough times, I believe they will be drawn farther to bait and lure, but in easy times- not so much.

And be patient. I've had traps on a creek for 3-4 weeks with no mink- then 4-5 in a couple of checks.

and I mean no insult- but it is very unusual for mink to go all around the pocket- but not go into the water. I mean very unusual. Don't know if I ever had that. I have had miss enter the pockets from the side when I allowed them to- but never mill around not committing. Are you sure they are mink tracks?

[thebeav2]

My trap placement at pockets Is outside the pocket I feel a mink will Investigate your pocket but may not enter. Traps placed Inside or halfway Inside may miss some mink In my opinion.
My favorite pocket Is one that's dug 4" out of the water so it's high and dry, the trap Is placed below the entrance In about 2" of water. If you have a slight rise In water levels your set Is still operational .I have caught lots of mink by the back leg or legs when they stood up to Investigate the hole.

In warm weather conditions I use a rat musk type lure and place some In the back of the hole and then plug with some green grass this gives you some eye appeal and the curiosity factor. Later In the season I may use bait but I still use the lure and grass.

[dblcoil]

One other thing is to make sure your trap will fire easily. if you dont have it hair triggered, they may be stepping on the pan without firing it. Been there done that.

[Craig Todaro]

Arron,

I'm no expert but i think ya need to focus more on blind sets. That is what i'm catching all of my mink in so far this year. i also have pocket sets but not one has connected yet. Plenty of tracks but they don't seem to be interested in the pocket. I even have some bottom edge sets and they haven't connected. The blind sets around them are. These are from blind sets from this morning.

[walkercoonhunter(Aaron L.)]

yes steve i am 100% sure they are mink tracks.....there was piles of mink sighn there already thats why i put in the pockets....traps are in the very outer entrance of the pocketsand they are on hair trigger...i just need to tag along with someone water trapping to get a better idea of the different sets to use......locations etc....i know i could pile the mink up here round the lake as i have seen lots of sighn and there are more creeks here than most areas have....every one has mink sighn...i dont understand most water sets and water trapping much because i havent done it much other than muskrats....and still a big learning curve on them is needed for me....

[dj88ryr]

Aaron,

I don't know if he has time or not, but contact Nittany Lion, he will take years off your learning curve, my catch went up big time after just spending two days with him, he is a good teacher and really knows mink.

[Craig Todaro]

Also what you might be seeing is squirrel tracks. Laugh but it is true. Squirrel tracks look like mink tracks.

[BK]

Don't know for sure but it sounds a lot like your traps are going off too hard.

[walkercoonhunter(Aaron L.)]

bk i dont understand your comment.......i have not had any trap set off and they are hair trigger....catch squirrels with them...lol...so i know the pan tension is not too heavy.....i have a problem getting the mink on the pan....

[trappnman]

Mink tidbit:

had a set today- resting platform cut out of sheer bank above deep hole. In bed, was a 9" brown trout with teeth punctures in the neck. In trap was a male mink.

BK gets them hunting, I get them eating (resting). Seriously, thats all it is. Same mink, same theories, same results.