# nuisance mink...



## NDTerminator (Aug 20, 2003)

Guys,
Been a few years since I trapped and back then I was a snare-man pretty much only after fox & coyote, but a nuisance mink is forcing my hand.

The nasty critter has taken up residence under the pump house adjoining one of our chicken coops and has killed 7 guineas & chickens in the last 10 days.

Two days ago using my smallest diameter snares I booby trapped the holes he looks to be using to come & go and last night we moved the remaining birds into another coop.

I borrowed a couple 110 Conibears today and figuring in for a penny in for a pound, ordered up some of my own 110's & 220's, some holders, and a safety & setting kit. I'm going to replace the snares with a couple 110's when I get home tonight. I'm thinking the best bait in this case would be a live bird so will put one back out in the coop.

Never did much with Conibears but I recall bucket sets for ***** using 220's were pretty effective. I'm curious if anyone uses bucket sets for mink and if so, what you use for bait...


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## ND trapper (Nov 14, 2006)

Trapping and snaring season for mink closed on March 8. I would contact the game and fish to see what options you have since you are losing property to this mink.


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## NDTerminator (Aug 20, 2003)

Well aware of that, but as with any depredation of this nature taking out the critter is permissible. Might want to read that first sentence of your signature...


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## ND trapper (Nov 14, 2006)

NDTerminator said:


> Well aware of that,


You said it had been a few years since you have trapped so I wasn't aware that you were aware of that.



NDTerminator said:


> Might want to read that first sentence of your signature...


I was just trying to help. You might want to rethink about who is jumping to conclusions here.


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## xdeano (Jan 14, 2005)

having any luck?

things you could use as bait...
mice, rabbits, muskrats, poultry flesh, eggs.

I've never caught them in buckets. But wooden cubby boxes with at 120. The back of the box should be open with heavy metal screen covering it, so it looks see through. You can also put 1.5 or 1.75 coil spring traps in the opening of the pen that it has been coming in for the birds. Blind set it just on the outside the coop right at the opening. You can also make pocket sets, dig a hole as if something is trying to borrow under the coop and throw some flesh down the hole and throw a few feathers in the hole for eye appeal. A 120 in the opening will also work. Snares can be hit or miss, but they work as well.

good luck. 
Deano


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## NDTerminator (Aug 20, 2003)

Fair enough, Trapper. My apologies... :beer:

Since I've first posted I've now lost onto a dozen birds, including all my gamebirds but for one pheasant and a chukar. I revised my guess from mink to weasel as the cuplrit managed to walk through 110 Connies w/o triggering them, or if they fired, w/o getting caught...

On Sat evening we were doing dishes when out the kitchen window I saw a white weasel inside the gamebird coop feeding on a pheasant carcass I had left there for bait in a 110 set. I was able to get out the door and caught the little runt as he came out from under the attached birdhouse. He got a 20 grain 17HMR that turned his insides outside. Even the 17HMR is overkill for a weasel... 

I put the bird carcass back in place and made sure the 110 was still set. The next day it was fired and the bird carcass drug back back behind the set... :******: Shouldn't surprise me; in the old days where I caught one weasel, I usually got several.

Used to catch a lot of weasels as a kid with rat trap sets, so I bought a few and will build some weasel boxes tonight....


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## trapperbo (Mar 18, 2009)

I would try a foothold.


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## ray12 (May 29, 2009)

You can snare mink  But i do not know how easy it would be


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## Snowgooser (Mar 28, 2008)

I saw a little trick in a mail order trapping catalog. It was a piece of thin wire that ran down in a loop between the trigger points of a connibear to prevent the weasel or mink from going under it. You can also just use a rat trap with a piece of meat wired on it. caught tons of weasels when I was a kid like that.


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## xdeano (Jan 14, 2005)

Snowgooser,

Another little trick is to hammer the trigger ends flat just at the ends, drill small holes in the flat part and string a piece of 8 - 12lb test between the trigger tines.

It makes an invisible trigger, works like a charm.

xdeano


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## Snowgooser (Mar 28, 2008)

That would work good too. The ad they used to promote the thing I saw said that a test mink went under a 100 trigger several times without setting it it off. Mono would work really well I bet, no need for scent control like metal.


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