Crossing logs for mink

[frenchman]

I once met a guy who told me about catching mink in bodygrippers on small logs, say 2-4 inch thick, laid across from bank to bank on small streams. Said such sets were low maintenance, and caught mink in any weather conditions. PLus, they were muskrat free and coon free.

Any of you mink masters have tried them with success?

I am puzzled. We have lots of squirrels here, I would guess this would be plugged with squirrels, but what about mink?

[trappnman]

frenchman, I read a FFG article maybe 20 years ago about crossing log sets for mink. I set up quite a few logs with 110s set on them that season and never caught a mink.

hard to find a crossing log that size that actually formed a bridge like structure, so most of my attempts were around drift piles.

never tried it again.

logs that go INTO the water on an angle, are a different story and I've taken a few mink w/footholds off of them.

[frenchman]

Interesting. Charles Dobbins show 2 pictures of conis on logs in his books, none seem to be crossing logs, simply logs out to water.

I even though about setting logs parallel to the bank as "runways" for mink, but of course, never tried it seriously.

I figured if somebody tells me if works good elsewhere, I'd have the motivation to try it big!

[trappnman]

and if those logs have a space under them tight to the bank..........

those parallel logs are another thing. I've read about them, including building little roofs over them. Again, I tried them many times, cause they sure looked neat, but never caught many mink in them. They do seem to take every rat that comes along.

Yet I read where others have good success with it.

Get them snow covered and they couldn't look any better.

[moley]

im in the uk and these type of setups are used quite alot, most folk call them "rails traps" they are very good for stoats (weasels),squirrels and brown rats , i have trapped quit a few mink in them over the years, they have to be set with a wooden or wire cover in the uk to stop birds from entering ,they are also good with small mink/squirrel snares when placed across gutters ,small streams or any bank to bank situation

[trappnman]

Hi moley- you might be first poster from UK-

so are you setting those up over water or over other structure for mink?

[thebeav2]

Now If that log Is leading to a large bait like a beaver carcass or deer carcass that just happened to wash Into the correct spot these log sets can be real killers. But they work a lot better when the snow Is on the ground and things are a bit tough.

[mountainman]

Im making more crossing log sets with the 110s. I believe the nail on bracket will be easier than nails for that. I have caught some mink in the 110s on logs as well as a few mink and bobcats with a foothold on them. If the crossing log is above steep vertical banks the mink will at times have a faint trail where they climb up from the water. I use a heavy trap there like a #2 LS and place it just under the water under the trail with sticks shoved through the springs and under the frame to hold the trap. I do get some mink in 110s on smaller logs that lay parallel to the bank in the edge of the water. In some of the culverts there will sometimes be logjams on the upstream side that the mink will investigate. I will ocasionally lay a small log into the logjam at an angle so that it is against the wall and put a foothold at the base of the log. I havent tried that with a 110 yet.

Beav, I think it would be an advantage to have a strategically placed bait at narrow down places like logs and beaver dams. Late winter is the time I like to use bait for mink. On the last night or two before I move a late winter mink line I will sometimes remake a lot of the rat sets and some mink blind sets into bait sets for mink. That picks up a few extra mink for me when I do that.

[NittanyLion]

A few years ago we had a very light snow one morning when I was running my mink line. The snow was all gone by 9:00 AM that morning but I noticed two places where a mink ran logs, the one place was a small tree that spanned the small stream and the other place the log led to water on a stream that was about 6 to 8 feet wide . I tapped 4 roofing nails in the wood to stabilize my 110. On the next check I had a mink at the tree that spanned the stream and the other trap got washed off the log due to a heavy ran. When the water went back down I had a mink in that set. I have caught several mink since that morning over the years but it has produced many more squirrels than mink. I really believe it would be an excellent set if one knew which logs to set up. I only have enough vacation to trap the first couple of weeks. As a rule we have very little snow at that time of the year. When I retire and can trap the entire season I plan to utilize that set a great deal more.

[wcollinge2000]

I have tried the parallel to the shore log set and only caught coon tried it on two sets this season and the mink did run the log but jumped off before the trap . the set was too open . The only cover was I used some sticks to break the lines of the trap . caught one coon is all the log was 10 inch in diameter. I did have a set guess you could call it the elbow set but it was parallel to the shore . Sly mink would go in the side with out the trap and back out or would take the bait through the trap and didn't get caught I just caught the bait twice . I pulled two days after I had set both openings but he didn't show in those two days. that set was 15 feet from the same log set I described

[mountainman]

Up until now I really havent set a large number of log sets other than for rats. Its only been an occasional thing for mink when I saw a promising location. Sometimes I had some luck and sometimes not. There is a lot of downed timber here now because of the hurricanes so I have more opportunities for log sets (and a lot more downed trees and log jams to get through) I have in the past seen some places where mink and otters used a log that was sticking out of the water at an angle for a resting place, but they didnt return in the time I had left on those lines. Leaning logs going into the water have caught some for me. Those logs tight to the bank with a space under them are a set I will not pass by any time I can get a set in there. I also really like the ones in the log retaining walls of some of the old tractor bridges when I can still find one. They are often picture book perfect. For a long time I considered the crossing log a better set for the larger predators as that was for the most part what I had seen and heard about. I believe the smaller logs are easier and better to set up and that setting the trap so that the mink will commit and camoflaging the trap as much as is practical does help. There are some creeks in my area that have mud banks with vegetation and trees but not a whole lot of structure for long distances. Crossing logs are a real draw for the mink there and its fairly easy to span the banks with one in some places where the creeks are deep and narrow. Thats where I figured out that a swimming mink would climb a vertical bank just to get on the log. I did make one parallel log foothold set this past season. I found a location where there is a fairly high bank on an outside bend in the river with a mostly submerged log in the edge of the water and a strong current just out from the log. A 1 3/4 CS set under about 2 inches of water on the log produced an XL buck mink there so Im not going to overlook that type of set in the right location from now on. The parrallel logs that I have caught mink on with 110s all were in at least a few inches of water with water on both sides of the log and no land to jump to near the trap. The trap was dry set on them but I dont know that makes any difference other than that driving nails in water splashes water all over my glasses. Right now I pick up a lot more squirrels in 110s on the bank trails. They are a real pain for that in some places.

[frenchman]

I also recall a notched log set in the mink book of Jim Helfrich I believe. We don't have bayous here, but we have mink and we have logs - figured, easy pathway may work.

I wonder if a support that elevated the 110s higher above the log would make it better? I know for coon that higher conis, even on crossing logs, make the set MUCH better!

[moley]

traps are set mainly over water , but sometimes close to the water crossing a washed out area, the biggest job is keeping out the squirrels, i havn,t trapped a mink in 2 years , but used to trap and snare quite afew each year, i do trap a good few stoats, rats and squirrels in rails each year , these are set over small streams and ditches in woods and on open farmland , especially where a fence or hedge comes to the ditch/stream, loads of gamekeepers use these setups on open moorland , the rails are placed over drainage ditches ,called grips , and catch good numbers of stoats each year to help preserve the red grouse for shooting purposes

[mountainman]

Tim Caven has the twist in bodygrip supporters with both a 1 3/4 and 4 inch size for anyone that wants to try that. I may try the short ones myself along with the nail on brackets. There are some places I dont like to make noise with a hammer anyway.

[thebeav2]

Well those screw In coni supports are a pure wast of time. The mount Is a fixed thing but every trap Is different some will set so loose they will fall off the next one you will have to bend the jaws to make It fit and then It will be so tight It won't go off. I have been there. Use some roofing nails and make It fit right. A small brushy branch stapled to the side of the log and then bent to lay over the trap will guide a mink through the trap.
I would think where you have lots of crossing logs It would be a crap shoot as to which one to set. Now if you have just a few and they are placed where the mink want to go then they might just work.
Here's an example. I was out late winter trying to find my B and E sets that had been washed out. There was a drift pile In the center of the creek with pretty fast water flowing around both sides, It would have been tough for a mink to get to that drift pile. But there was a 3" branch that laid on the bank and made a perfect travel way to that drift pile. And since snow covered that branch It showed me that a mink had made one trip out and one back. Now who knows If that mink ever came back to that drift pile. Now If a big bait was wired in that drift pile It could be a real killer set.
Setting just any log does not catch you a mink.The mink has to have a reason to use that log.

[mountainman]

Thanks Beav. I dont need to deal with too many tolerances on equipment. I got enough of that working in machine shops. I guess I will look for my can of roofing tacks. I did think about using fence staples to hold branches.

I have tracked mink in the snow to see where they avoided getting into a few blind sets. They are surprisingly agile. I believe the drift piles are a good draw for mink I usually see mink and coon droppings on them and the logs running to them. A bait should help keep them working the driftpile. I do occasionally hide a fish or other bait somewhere in a set when coons arent a problem. The smaller logs should help on that anyway. I look for logs that the mink has a reason to run. I do sometimes wonder if they enjoy running on them.

[frenchman]

Thanks to all - Frenchman will try some this fall, with moderation, and hopefully have some pictures to show.

Can't wait for the snow to melt so I can start scouting!

[thebeav2]

With snow on the ground now would be the time to be looking for crossing logs with tracks on them. Flag those logs and you will have a place to start next year.

[ColdSteel]

Would love to get a few snows around here have not had one in 4 years and even then only stayed around a day or so.I would love to learn more about mink plus I cat trap way more also and I know a good snow would help with that on those large cutovers I trap with paths that go for miles

[mountainman]

Coldsteel, I still look at cat tracks in the snow and get a lot of good info from that. A scratchup works good for me and is a snap to make. I found one made by a cat and copied it. We need to get Jimmy to do a demo for us and show what he learned to catch those monster cats.