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Mink
Dec 5, 2007 17:51:10 GMT -6
Post by trappnman on Dec 5, 2007 17:51:10 GMT -6
early season, you catch the YOY and the females more so than the bigger males- my cousin insits he can taje al lthe mink out of a location in a week- and I stronmgly disagree.
After you remove the locals, there are plenty of nomadic males left- but they aren't, at least not here in my type of habtat, hitting the streams hard until after snow fall.
snow is to my mind, a #1 factor in mink habits here.
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Mink
Dec 5, 2007 18:14:01 GMT -6
Post by markymark on Dec 5, 2007 18:14:01 GMT -6
But trapping them during the rut will put up just about all males and easy work. So easy you don't even have to wear waders. All snares to boot.
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Mink
Dec 6, 2007 2:37:08 GMT -6
Post by mountainman on Dec 6, 2007 2:37:08 GMT -6
Even after all quiet in a week or so its deceptively easy to think its all over. In some places it may be far from over. I wonder how many trappers actually go back and scout later after a 1-2 week line is pulled. It can be an eye opener.
I'm not sure about the longest I ever stayed anywhere, probably 50 or more days, usually less than that. I do remember some sets waiting a month or more to connect on big mink.....and in snow.
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Mink
Dec 6, 2007 5:22:35 GMT -6
Post by NittanyLion on Dec 6, 2007 5:22:35 GMT -6
Our mink season in PA is only about 50 days long, when I retire I plan to run from the first day of the season to the last day. I would not expect to double what I do now, but I would think I could pick up an additional 50% by keeping the line out another 4 weeks. My concern this year is the male/female ratio is about 50%.
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Mink
Dec 6, 2007 23:37:55 GMT -6
Post by mountainman on Dec 6, 2007 23:37:55 GMT -6
NL, I dont move as fast as I once did either. Hopefully experience makes more of a difference than speed. I admire the intensity you put in your mink trapping. That is a high male/female ratio. Maybe mink numbers are on the rise there. At this point I'm not sure how many days I'll put in for mink each season. Since mink are #1 to me its very possible I'll go back fulltime on them. I like playing with the kittys some too but always miss the water. I can take it or leave it on the beavers except for handling some problems for permission. The best I did before having to stop on the longer mink lines in 89 was towards the 40s range. Things have sure changed a lot since those days but my obsession with mink is still there. I almost couldn't believe how different some places look after a couple of decades. One of them still had the same long crossover trail into a big marshy pond with plenty of rat sign around...and a good place for a Gappa resting set with mink tracks just a few feet upstream.
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Mink
Dec 7, 2007 22:22:32 GMT -6
Post by NittanyLion on Dec 7, 2007 22:22:32 GMT -6
Week 3 just about history (2 more checks). It has been 85% males the past 5 days and My catch for the 3rd week already outnumbers the catch in the first week. My female to male ratio is still out of whack, but this past week the males have really been coming to the water.
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