mink travel cycle in home range.

[wcollinge2000]

I was curious and wanted to know what the cycle of travel was for an area as I was trapping some rats in an area. We will call it schreibers pond. This was acquired by the state of Minnesota and is now a WMA . Well It started with I had a Rat eaten by a mink. So I thought you little rat eater I will show you. so me being the opportunistic kind of trapper I said bet he is gonna go there again Just didn't know when. I also got the Idea I wonder how long it will take him to come back to that location it looked real good and I could tell he had been there before or at least one of his cronies. Then it snowed alittle this was just after it got a thin layer of ice the second time as it warmed up for a period. I set both ends of this pond which is say 1/4 mile long it took 5 days after the first one ate the rat and sure enough Mr big buck jumped into the 160 I placed for him. I also could tell he was either with or one followed close behind him . something scared it and I could see it was startled by the trap going off on the first mink. He scrambled and took a very long leap. seven days passed and I could see more tracks like there were three or four that passed through that night different size tracks and all going same way. on the other end of the pond there was another buck waiting for me in a #1 b+l long . so I investigated further and with the aid of my trusty little helper set acouple more sets . I picked them out except for one that I did notice but kind of milled around hoping she would spot the place that would be a good set or what I thought would be. Well she did after I asked if she could see if there was a spot she wanted to place a trap this process took a good 20 minutes . it was a small trickle of water coming out of an old beaver dam that had a little spot that mink had been coming up to either rest or shake off or even eat . the only thing I could really tell was that they were going there . well she placed her trap and we went on looking for more . I placed 4 more sets out and we left . we checked sets for five days and the first 160 produced again and a pocket set produced farther up. still could see that there were more mink passing through this went on for acouple of weeks catching one or two every five days and every seven days I don't know why it was like clock work . then one day after a catch after the seven days passed my little helpers set produced. It was time to pull the sets . and I went back later to catch some weasels afew days later and still could tell that two mink were still working the area. now this really does not tell me all that much about there travels except that they came by or came out every five days and every seven days. I assume that they traveled and it took them that amount of time to go through the area , at least that part of the area. the 160 set produced 3 mink , a pocket set produced 3 mink and a bottom edge stet produced 3 mink. some of the others were one I might have had 7-8 sets some were no shows. Twelve mink were caught ten were buck mink. two were doe mink. This was done for curiosity I stayed too long but got some answers to some of my questions . all sets were not baited or any lure used. I just set on sign or used there natural curiosity habits against them. I hope my helper was taking notes too I tried to explain why they were set where they were set.

[BK]

It's common knowledge mink are real thick in the Lake City area.

[wcollinge2000]

most of my sets were actually on steves tailgate. ;D ;D

There easier to catch that way!!!

[BK]

Yep,.............

[trappnman]

darn it Wayne.... I left those for seed....

I honestly don't think that there is any pattern to a minks movements at all. I think its entirely random, and depends more on food and weather.

Females and YOY have, in MHO rather limited ranges. My cousin swears that in a week, he will eliminate the mink along his creek, and to a degree he is right. If hes on location, and makes sets like he was taught (his dad and mine were brothers, so we have a similar style) I believe he can do this early with family groups.

But males are a different story. I firmly believe that males spend much of the year wandering. Wandering with no set territory in mind- just going where they want to go when they want to go. In my mind, they go where hunting is the easiest- and thats in the grasses and meadows.

I do think that wandering animals like otter and mink, have a memory for where they were and how to return to it. I also think that when fall/winter weather arrives, that as creeks dry up, as meadows get harvested or die off, as ponds freeze.... the mink both through memory and through elimination... come to were its easier to make a living- the creeks.

If a mink kills something big, he will stay in that area longer. If he finds a big carcass, he might stay a week or longer, all within a few yards. Otherwise, he is hunting as he is going. A moving mink, is a hunting mink. The better the food, the closer he stays around. The sparser the food, the more random is his return.

You see a set of mink tracks- the next mink you catch there might or might not be the same mink. Or the next 3 mink. Good areas, have lots of mink going through them. Bad areas, do not.

Twice this year I had triples in a 50 foot area- I don't think those mink were locals, that is, set up on that creek as in running a home area. It was a good creek, and by random chance, 3 mink (at least) during my check period, happened to come through.

I believe a couple of things that were oft quoted about mink are more false than true:

1) mink investigate every hole
2) mink run a regular timed pattern.

I don't think mink investigate even a small fraction of holes on a trapline- yet those holes they do investigate, are usually checked out by every passing mink. Theres a free hint for you as Bob says.

and on #2- I think they run loose patterns- but the frequency and length, is almost 100% based on food and the prevailing weather. Bad weather (blizzards, ice) limits both range and duration.

[DaveM]

I think Steve hit the nail on the head concerning a regular timed pattern.

When I was growing up, all the books said mink would run a big route and be back through every 7 or 10 days.

I have learned they will come back through whenever they darn well please. It might be the next night or it may be several weeks.

[wcollinge2000]

I feel the same way . I just checked it out and that is what happened (for the most part) I did look at other areas and found a random pattern this is just a strip in a valley and there were probably more . It was fun doing though. I wouldn't have even done it lest a rat thief didn't take one from me.I have caught mink but this really helped me to see what there traits were alittle more I am impatient and learned that patients is what is needed to catch them. well and a good set. its all location and trap placement really. I have caught a few but never just tried for them and them alone. I was either trying for coon or muskrat when I caught them before. I hope my daughter caught on the locations . I will try this next year but will try lure to see if it expedites the catch if not I will just go with what I know. seemed to work better than just catching the occasional one.