# Mink trapping on frozen waters



## 9 (Jan 17, 2000)

FullQuiver said:


> Seldom I do have to tell you this too.. I also caught some of the largest brook trout in those sets with the minnows.. They may or may not have made their way into a cast iron skillet in the aftermath... So something was hungry besides me...Lol BTW having faith in your sets when you're 14 goes a long ways...


:lol::lol:


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## 9 (Jan 17, 2000)

dwalker said:


> He catches a bunch of mink in boxes on purpose though, so does powell. I think you need the population and no garbage thiefs to be successful with boxes.


The project in the SW part of the LP from the photos looked seriously minky but......... There was a team of trappers, some sent to trapper's school and some local, they had all 40 boxes out for 6 years I was told by the professor and one of the "trained" trappers". They came to the conclusion that the ony way they could catch mink was dragging scented dummbies (what you train a dog with) to get the mink so they'd enter a baited box. 

When working those two projects you had to use a lethal set and a drowning set was declared not sufficent/qualified by the Oversight Committe. None of the trappers used the BE and the professor said he'd never heard anyone talk about it until my interview.


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## dwalker (Jan 1, 2011)

Wow, dragging dummies around. lol
That’s commitment anyway!


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## dwalker (Jan 1, 2011)

This year IF we get any ice/snow I was thinking about using a foothold at the approach. I did see mink tracks at the opening of boxes last year but they did not enter. I have a bunch of 1 1/2 stoploss that would work well for this.


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## Fool'em (Sep 29, 2016)

Seldom said:


> The project in the SW part of the LP from the photos looked seriously minky but......... There was a team of trappers, some sent to trapper's school and some local, they had all 40 boxes out for 6 years I was told by the professor and one of the "trained" trappers". They came to the conclusion that the ony way they could catch mink was dragging scented dummbies (what you train a dog with) to get the mink so they'd enter a baited box.
> 
> When working those two projects you had to use a lethal set and a drowning set was declared not sufficent/qualified by the Oversight Committe. None of the trappers used the BE and the professor said he'd never heard anyone talk about it until my interview.


Same water new study. More mink in one week than 6yrs of previous study. 0 boxes used. 

Top that off with I'm not even a good mink trapper. 

If I was better at blind sets I'd have even more mink. 
I can pick out blind set locations that a mink will travel but the key to blind setting for me is picking that spot that the mink travels every time it comes thru. Currently I seem to pick the spots they travel maybe 25% of the time and the better spot would be that location they travel 75+% of the time. 
Running blind sets and thinking and studying mink especially I like to ask I caught this mink, why did I catch it here? What was it doing that made it pass this trap?

This season so far my catch is about 25% on blind sets and the rest on baited sets. Had about equal number of each out. 

This season my baited sets produced similar numbers of mink as last season. My numbers went up on blind sets. better locations = more mink. 

Boxes may work some places and the could work here but not with the consistency of other sets. In my opinion not worth humping a box around.


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## 9 (Jan 17, 2000)

Fool'em said:


> Same water new study. More mink in one week than 6yrs of previous study. 0 boxes used.
> 
> Top that off with I'm not even a good mink trapper.
> 
> ...


Yup, I completely believe it Fool’em! Those other trappers had no idea what a BE was so they just tried anything they could think of and bs other trappers told them. Smythe’s book came out in 1993 and you would think trappers would do some due diligence and research the problem. The problem being nobody knew how to trap mink! I specificly ask the one “trained/schooled” trapper if he was shown the BE at the Trappers College and he said he’d never heard of the BE until the professor told him what I was doing and he’d come up to spend a few days with me. The professor sent two of the Techs to Trappers College and they learned **** about mink trapping. They both told me they just wanted it on their resume so what they learned or didn’t learn made no difference because they were just as useless on the line as before the school. Oh, they loved the after-hours booze and bullchit and networking with USF&W trainees. 

The answer Fool’em is in my signature, there is ALWAYS a reason WHY!


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## Fool'em (Sep 29, 2016)

Well I saw it coming but still had to laugh. 
Just learned they want to move to a new section of river I've never even laid eyes on. 
I'm a glutton for punishment so a scouting I will go. 
I found some access already and I think I'll be able to run part of the section without a boat. I'll try to get some pics when I'm out. 

I'm still enjoying it and it's a good excuse to target low dollar mink so I'll give it my best effort


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## Whitetail Freak (Nov 10, 2008)

dwalker said:


> This year IF we get any ice/snow I was thinking about using a foothold at the approach. I did see mink tracks at the opening of boxes last year but they did not enter. I have a bunch of 1 1/2 stoploss that would work well for this.


What's crazy is I've only used the newspaper box 2 different winters (fur prices fell) caught a few mink both years and pulled the trap because I didn't want to catch too many. I'm far from a good trapper.


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## masonp2530 (Dec 27, 2014)

Whitetail Freak said:


> What's crazy is I've only used the newspaper box 2 different winters (fur prices fell) caught a few mink both years and pulled the trap because I didn't want to catch too many. I'm far from a good trapper.
> View attachment 351747


Awesome catch! Was just wondering if the mink in the picture was caught by a river stream or pond?


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## Whitetail Freak (Nov 10, 2008)

masonp2530 said:


> Awesome catch! Was just wondering if the mink in the picture was caught by a river stream or pond?


30' wide creek and I believe both years was froze over. Only happens 2 weeks out of year. That pic was January 30. I was standing on ice when I took pic.

Seldom and I discussed this before and I have a very high mink population. I used bluegill carcass for bait.


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## Whitetail Freak (Nov 10, 2008)

I don't have enough experience to say much about the subject, other than it can work. I only tried 1 box and it's still there. I wasn't planning on trapping mink this year, But ill set it this year after deer season and start a thread.


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