OK, I need to make a plan for next year. It appears these critters are very plentiful where I live. One killed a chicken and I have seen the tracks of more than one.

What are the best ways to trap these killers?

Make a couple of mink boxes, 2ft long and big enough for a 110 Conibear to just fit inside. Make a cutout on a side so the spring will fit into it. Some 1/4 in hardware cloth on the other end, a little bait inside any you will have a mink. They may bring $15-20 depending on the market

I have a lot of luck with dirt hole sets using 1.5 coil springs along creeks baited with fish that I can over the summer. I make slide wires into deep water if possible. I usually hold off on my streamside raccoon trapping until mink are in season, since I get them both in the same sets. The basic blind set along a creek works well too.
Bfly

They are not hard to catch. With a little investigating you should be able to find trails they use quite regularly, especially if you are concentrating in a small area. Usually you can find where they run up, under, and along undercuts and around debris.

I just stick in 110s with a few small guide sticks if the trail is a little wide. These are very quick to make and I can stay out of the water, at least where I am.

Right now there is over 4 feet of snow here. I was pretty sure what I was seeing were squill tracks, but no! These are mink. I had no idea they were here until I saw one.

I know nothing about them so what sort of populations might I expect? Do they keep seperate male/female territories or do pairs share an area? I am assuming they den and stick to sections along the stream?

The best bait for them is fish? Fresh, rotted, previously frozen? The season is limited here but no bag limit on critters. I have seen no sign of raccoons, I wonder if fishers kill off coons?

Ann

Mink will travel a regular circut, not necessarily the same path, but the same areas. Some of the most interesting or productive places on that circut will be visited every time. Males tend to range much farther than females. It could be several days between visits to the same place so be patient. Also, typically every mink using an area will visit the same places! These hot spots will be easily identified in any mink habitat once you learn them.

Follow those tracks NOW. Learn their habits and next seasons catches will reflect your new found expertise.

With that much snow the coons will be "holed-up." While they don't hibernate they do find a warm, comphy place to wait out bad weather.

Anne,
Get some mink snares they work great. Are you sure it was a Mink that got the chicken?
John

Anne,

Check those tracks. I think I follow where J Zola's going, make sure its not a weasel.
Some of the sets mentioned for mink will work for weasel but use a smaller trap. I like boxes they seem to hit well enough. It might be hard to get a 110 coni to trip on a weasel.

Mink love holes. Period. And I would guess that the all time best mink catching set would be the pocket set. that set is constructed by taking a tile spade and digging a hole right at the edge of a creek bank so that there is about an inch or two of water in the bottom. Dig the hole about 12 inches into the bank. you wnat to look for places where the bank is a bit steep so that you can dig the hole. Make the hole about 4-5 inches round or maybe a little bit bigger. Angle the hole upward a bit so that the far end has no water. that is where you place our bait. I like small bullheads or pieces of carp. You set your trap in front of the hole in about 1.5 inches of water. make sure your trap covers the front of the hole. YOu then take your chain and run it out towards deeper water and stake it out there.

If there are mink around and they are traveling that stream where you make this pocket set you will catch them. Coon and muskrats too, and dont be too surprised if you catch a fox now and then as well.

Believe me I am watching! Saturday morning I was having coffee on my front porch, which is elevated at a good height. I called my chickens in to feed them kitchen scraps. They ran down the driveway to the house, the brook passes under the drive and is very close to the house.

While the chickens were eating I saw movement, yep, mink. It kept coming up the steep bank and was looking at the chickens. I went for my .22 in case things went sour.

It never went after the birds but it stayed quite interested in them.

I thought it was interesting how this animal carried on. With the long body they have it pretty much just hustles around pell-mel and does dive into holes with ease. It particularly used holes where the snow had melted around tree trunks. They must have very sharp claws as I could see it cling easily to the underside of overhanging ledge stone.

Heard lots of coyotes last night.