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mink
Mar 12, 2007 10:01:46 GMT -6
Post by Steve Gappa on Mar 12, 2007 10:01:46 GMT -6
Yes, I agree
Another one I might make is a plank, buried into the bank that runs out into the water. My uncle liked that set.
now- do you set on the plank going into the water?
what about having that plank be a foot off so OVER the water...and set under it...
a set you can make if you want to premake sets- is find a rocky, shallow area of a creek. Place 2 rows of rocks parallel to each other, just a trap width apart and 3-4 feet long. Softball sized rock seem to work best. Set trap right in entrance on downstream side.
I've heard of people using black pipe, never tried it myself.
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mink
Mar 12, 2007 10:19:26 GMT -6
Post by Wright Brothers on Mar 12, 2007 10:19:26 GMT -6
"what about having that plank be a foot off so OVER the water...and set under it... "
you mean a resting, hiding, eating area for the mink at shoreline?
Why not start the plank a foot above the waterline, then goes out into the water and set both. Yeah, I'll try it.
No rocks at this local, all mud. I do have oak logs, place one in across creek at mouth, cut a V in center and place trap. It will also make a scour hole below. I do have some 8 foot barn stones, but not to waste there.
These sets do need to be pet proof so no bait or lure. If I can gettrdone I'll post pics later this year, hopefully with mink.
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mink
Mar 12, 2007 11:19:38 GMT -6
Post by mustelameister on Mar 12, 2007 11:19:38 GMT -6
The elbow set has always intrigued me. I believe it was Bob Noonan's book on All Weather Mink that described the set, though I could be wrong. You know the set: the run going into the bank at water's edge or just below, connecting with a vertical shaft that emerges up on the bank. Bodygrippers guarding the entrances. Perhaps bait in the back at the bend . . . you know the drill. Well, I gave it my best shot. Spent way too much time digging those perfect horizontal and vertical shafts. Legally couldn't set the top hole, since I run the river on a 2-day or 3-day check. Could have run a foothold up there and slid the critter into the river, but that would have had the cable hanging out over the water for everyone to notice, scratch that. Cave-ins would mess 'em up, 'coon reaching in springing the #110 guarding the bottom run. The river would come up a foot and I'd lose the location, especially since I run most these sets in the dark. So I gave up. But . . . it worked. Just wasn't enough payoff to make it worthwhile. Couple seasons later I got a call from a farmer friend about trapping 'rats out of this one ditch that led to a "muskrat nursery" inside DNR property. Okay fine. I staked the ditch up mostly with #110s on lath and included some short drowning cables with footholds for 'coon and such. And what do I find towards the end of the ditch was some discarded 6"drain tile. Hmmm . . . . As I remember it, the piece was about six feet long. I took my tile spade and shaved the edge of the bank down the length of the tile at water's edge, set the tile in the groove, then buried all but the ends of the tile. Had them curl back out a bit. Set a foothold trap at either end, separate drowners. That was the highlight of that drainage ditch. As I recall, in the week's time it took to clean most of the 'rats out, I also took 3 mink in those two traps. At least 10 'rats, and a couple of 'coon. No bait, no grass wad, just tile. Booiinnggg!!! Since then, I've got 4' sections of 4" drain tile buried up and down the rivers and major creeks I trap. They are anchored in place with 2 rerod stakes holding them in place. All are horizontal, but at an angle. One opening is at the normal water line, the other is about a foot up. Most are just downstream of a structural feature on the bank: stump, riprap, tree, etc. Drowning weights are stashed nearby for easy S-linking to drowner cables. All are set with #11 DJs. I'm sure this is a mighty waste of time for the longliners. But being a school district employee, I have this thing called summer vacation, which gives me way too much time to dream up these ideas and as much time to act on them. Downside is I've got from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm during the week to run the trapline. Everything has to be done quickly. This is my mink and river 'rat bread and butter set. I've got a mess of these scattered around this county. I lose a couple every now and then; a bank washes out, a tree falls over, a stump gets washed away, but they do work. Especially after they've been out there for a couple of years. I get a 250' roll at Farm and Barn and cut them into 4' sections. Works out to about a buck and a half apiece: www.farmandfleet.com/catalog/product.aspx?i=169063&h=050402006Apologies for the dissertation here, but if you're going to screw around with gimmicks like drain tile, maybe this will help. They work for me.
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mink
Mar 12, 2007 11:46:30 GMT -6
Post by thebeav2 on Mar 12, 2007 11:46:30 GMT -6
Heres a set that has worked for me.It gives mink a resting area a feeding area and overhead cover.It's not a set that you will make 100s of but a few In strategic spots will catch mink. It was long after mink season that i was out hunting rabbits and I just so happened to be hunting along some of my old mink lines. Of coarse the water level had dropped do to field tiles and other small water trickles had frozen up and no longer were draining Into the main stream. What i started seeing Is where ever I had dug a pocket set during the season Is that now the water had dropped and left the mouth of the pocket set high and dry. Then i started noticing that a lot of those pocket sets had mink tracks going up to them. Now those mink never went Into the hole but did Investigate. I believe if a hole goes somewhere and has a entrance and exit a mink will make a effort to go Into the hole. With the addition of bait and cold weather mink will do things that they wouldn't normaly do In nice weather.
So what I did next year was dig some trenches about 4" wide and about 3' long I left both ends open. I did this so the entrance and exit would be above the water line at anytime of the year. I made these sets close to road crossings. I didn't plan on using them until late winter when I had shelf ice or completely frozen streams that made typical mink trapping a bit tougher. The sets consisted of a trench 4 to 5" wide and three feet or so long I covered the trench with a board or asphalt shingles and then threw some ground litter over the whole works. About a week or so before I was going to set them I placed peat moss or dry sand In the trench to bed my trap. My trap of choice was a #3 coil staked In the trench. I liked the loose jaw to be up against the side of the trench, this acted like a guide It also gave me a higher catch, you could also place a small twig or so at the dog side of the trap. I liked this size trap because It acted like a killer trap. I baited the trench with either a large piece of beaver meat or a rat carcass.I like beaver better since It didn't freeze up so fast. I also staked the bait down. This way the mink had to move around to get the bait weather It came Into the trench from the stream side or the bank side. I could have used two traps with one placed on either side of the bait but I never did, I kept the trap up fairly close to the bait. I didn't make 100s of these sets but a few placed hear and there at easy access points worked when shelf ice and bad weather put most of your standard mink sets out of order. I did have some problems with coon digging up the trench and screwing up my set so you need to stake well. I never had much luck with body grips mink just seemed to avoid them, anyway that's how It worked out for me.
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mink
Mar 12, 2007 16:55:40 GMT -6
Post by Gerald Schmitt on Mar 12, 2007 16:55:40 GMT -6
Mac hit the nail right on the head. It takes experience to be good at anything. The more you do something the easier it gets. In a way it is insulting to say that you can go out and do something as well as someone that has devoted decades to the same thing. I can pound a nail, but that does not mean I can build a house.
I'm like Beav, when I go down to a location, I don't even think about where I am going to put my sets. I just "know" where I want to put them. I don't care if there are any tracks or not, I just know where I want my sets to go. I've tracked mink also, very random patterns.
Trap placement is also quite critical, a couple inches can cause you to miss a lot of mink.
I think Eastern trappers, unless they have been here, don't realize how much water we have in the Midwest. I think you guys have to work a lot harder for your mink than we do in the Midwest.
Damn Steve, mink triples don't happen every day, especially in your country. I bet you where pretty pumped.
Gerald
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mink
Mar 12, 2007 17:03:52 GMT -6
Post by braveheart on Mar 12, 2007 17:03:52 GMT -6
I really like trapping mink.And when spring beaver trapping check all mink tracks.And watch where they go.But keep it simple and punch in 2 sets and cover alot of ground and take the cream and run to the next stop.If I catch several in one spot good if I don't then the next stop I might.Trapping is always a learning process.But none of it is hard just how hard you work at.
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mink
Mar 12, 2007 17:05:27 GMT -6
Post by trappnman on Mar 12, 2007 17:05:27 GMT -6
Couldn't agree more on trap placement. I've seen where moving a trap just a few inches, makes a bad set a good set.
Yes, was very pleased. That was best check of the year on the line...I made Bob Wendt money for a day... ;D
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mink
Mar 12, 2007 20:02:21 GMT -6
Post by BK on Mar 12, 2007 20:02:21 GMT -6
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mink
Mar 13, 2007 8:13:39 GMT -6
Post by Steve Gappa on Mar 13, 2007 8:13:39 GMT -6
Heres a picture of a mink snare that Newt sells- its 1/32 1 X19 stainless calbe on a support. Newt recommended that the swivel be bent at a 90 degree angle, then placed over a lathe. I'd think it would be perfect for shelf ice, among other things.
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mink
Mar 13, 2007 9:08:05 GMT -6
Post by Jeffrey on Mar 13, 2007 9:08:05 GMT -6
I got the mink bug this last Dec. it was around the 15th. I was checking a beaver set and saw a nice buck mink working the beaver dam, he was heading down towards my parners bottom edge sets across the road. A couple of days later, when he checked his sets, he had a nice buck mink. From that point on, I was going after mink, I read Smyths book and went at it. Now I had 10 days left in the season so I set out 2 and a half doz. 110's. Now in the time I had those sets out I got 9 mink and 30 rats, now I'm hooked. Next season I want to run a 100 trap line for them and have some fun. I've been reading the stories about all these pocket sets and think they are a good set, but here any foothold set has tobe checked every day, so for me, why bother? I can put in 110 sets and check every three days. I would like to use the bottom edge set in conjunction with box type cubby set, but I've heard mink don't like cubbies, is that true?
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mink
Mar 13, 2007 9:14:04 GMT -6
Post by trappnman on Mar 13, 2007 9:14:04 GMT -6
I've heard mink don't like cubbies, is that true?
Yes and no.
Mink certainly like cubbies, I catch a few now in them in coon cubbies.
Boxes now are another story. Some places seem to do real good on them. I've tried them a winter or two, and never did any good with them. BUT- I do have llots of open water.
Jin B makes a "Pocket Popper" that is put into the pocket then a 110 is placed into it. I'll have osme out at PA this year if yo uwant ot see them.
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mink
Mar 13, 2007 15:43:09 GMT -6
Post by psb1011 on Mar 13, 2007 15:43:09 GMT -6
Remember often reading on these here forums about the pro trappers,and big numbers guys etc,etc,not being any better at catching whatever than many other partimers etc etc.Not thinking im any better than the next guy ,but I tended to think in line with what Gerald said,which kinda flies in the face of many antibignumbers guys.
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mink
Mar 14, 2007 21:09:34 GMT -6
Post by mountainman on Mar 14, 2007 21:09:34 GMT -6
IMO being antibignumber is in a way being against many of the things that make us better trappers.
Longline trappers put in the long hours and build up a lot of insight into the intricacies of trapping. That shared knowledge has done much to help both beginners and veteran trappers who are looking to learn and improve their trapping methods.
Longline trappers help design new equipment and make more things available to us. Sewell Newhouse listened to veteran mountainman trappers and designed his traps that are still used today.
Longline trappers contribute a lot to the various trapping associations and organizations that promote and protect our trapping both by being active members and by contributing funds. I think that one speaks for itself.
These guys work hard for their money in often dangerous conditions. I have seen things from both perspectives and sure wouldnt want to take anything away from them, far from it. I believe the pro trappers who walk the walk deserve recognition for their achievements just the same as congradulating a trapping buddy for making a good catch. What really is the difference there? So a guy caught more fur than I did. Thats great! I see that it can be done. Maybe I can learn something from him. I have a profound respect for the pro longline trappers and thank them for all they have done to benefit trapping. I dont think I would be where I am now if there wasnt a FFG magazine, T&PC or the guys who wrote articles, method books, gave demos at conventions and generously gave good trapping advice. We are all trappers and that is something special. A little more cohesion would only be a good thing.
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mink
Mar 15, 2007 6:57:07 GMT -6
Post by Steve Gappa on Mar 15, 2007 6:57:07 GMT -6
Remember often reading on these here forums about the pro trappers,and big numbers guys etc,etc,not being any better at catching whatever than many other partimers etc etc.]/b]
don't believe you read that here very often.....
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mink
Mar 15, 2007 16:13:28 GMT -6
Post by BK on Mar 15, 2007 16:13:28 GMT -6
What is a pro. trapper, I never could figure that one out........?
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mink
Mar 15, 2007 16:27:49 GMT -6
Post by trappnman on Mar 15, 2007 16:27:49 GMT -6
a pro trapper is one who pays his bills by trapping
a professional roofer pays his bills by roofing...
a professional accountant pays his bills by accounting...
and so on and so forth and scobbie doobie doo.....
and that relates to this thread...how?
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mink
Mar 15, 2007 16:41:13 GMT -6
Post by BK on Mar 15, 2007 16:41:13 GMT -6
Hey lighten up Trappnman,...........I think that Gappa guy posted about something it on this thread? Go after him,....................
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mink
Mar 15, 2007 16:51:10 GMT -6
Post by trappnman on Mar 15, 2007 16:51:10 GMT -6
mea culpa
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mink
Mar 16, 2007 15:33:32 GMT -6
Post by mountainman on Mar 16, 2007 15:33:32 GMT -6
Trappnman, about how many sets would you say a guy who insists on having mink tracks could set in a day vs. a guy who can catch mink off of bare rock or other locations w/no sign or tracks assuming the two guys have the same type of water with the stopping places equally spaced on both lines? I was on the phone last night with a guy who wanted to learn how to catch mink. He insisted somewhat beligerently saying "You have to have mink tracks" I just got off the phone after that as the conversation turned pointless. Sure mink tracks can point out good set locations. I use that at times but do equally well or better just cold rolling and making sets as fast as I get to them only taking time to look at what mink tracks are easy to find to see what size and numbers of mink I have to work with.
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mink
Mar 16, 2007 16:18:26 GMT -6
Post by Steve Gappa on Mar 16, 2007 16:18:26 GMT -6
If I set on tracks, or even on creeks where I see tracks, I'd have very few sets out. I go under the assumption, until the location tells me different, that all creeks in the area that are similar to type- will contain mink. Its up to me to decide where the best location will be.
Next year, I setting up an entirely new mink loop. Well, 20 some years ago Loris brother and I trapped some of it, but for all practical purposes, new. We made 2 run bys this spring determining locaitons, and my locations are 100% dictated by access.
Should be interesting. It wil be 90% of more mink/rats only with 110s. A few locations might get a coon set, but only on very private ground.
Blind set mink trapping is a skill. And I do not care what anybody says. If they think its very easy- then the answer is simple- they are very skilled.
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