I've got an ermine trying to get free chicken dinners. It's killed one up and coming Ameraucana cockerel that was showing promise of being better quality than his daddy (very expensive birds).

All of my coil springs, conibears and live traps are too big for this thing. Coming up with something more effective. Hope I am wearing this bastard before long.

What size conibear traps have you been using?

Take a 12"L X 4to6"W 6"H box with a 1.5" hole on one end, and a lid you can remove, but latch down.
Put a rat trap inside with a large pan trigger.
In the back use some bait, for mink I used chicken liver in a Dixie cup, or old tuna can.
Also works great for rats and smaller ones for mice. It keeps people(kids & anti's) from getting snapped and or messing with your equipment.
Best of luck.
James
Wildlife Damage Control
Norridgewock, ME

Good advice.

You need a large rat trap, or a 110 coni with a pan/block trigger instead of the wire trigger.

I was also thinking of something like a colony trap, if they are digging a hole into the area, place one way door trap into hole.

quote:

You need a large rat trap, or a 110 coni with a pan/block trigger instead of the wire trigger.

YES! My coni's have the wire. I wonder if I can just attach a home made pan to the wires?

There are no burrows, the critter is just coming in and the dog wasn't detecting it. My dog runs partol 24/7 in the barn yard. I've always left the coops open due to that. Now everyone is locked up behind rat wire until I catch the thing.

Will try a rat trap in a box method too and also have a smaller live trap to try. All I had was the larger coon size. My snares are too big too. Wonder if those glue traps hold up in cold weather?

sense it has been worm out, I dont see why they wont hold. Do you have any colony traps? That may work too!
Game cam's help. Find out what direction they come from. look for tracks, move cam. Repeat. Its long doing it that way. But something its the only way.(the long way that is)

quote:

Weasel Boxes-Trapperman.com Forums

Oh my goodness, I will have to try that! I can't belive how many he trapped!

I've tried patterning it but have not been able to. There are just tracks everywhere. If I can make some of those boxes I will have a field day I am sure. The is the first year I have had any weasel spoor/attacks on the property.

quote:

Originally posted by Aspen Hill Adventures:
I've tried patterning it but have not been able to. There are just tracks everywhere. If I can make some of those boxes I will have a field day I am sure. The is the first year I have had any weasel spoor/attacks on the property.

I have one of these, night hunting yote starts tomorrow! http://www.lasergenetics.com/
I love it! turns your normal scope into a night scope! See out to oh 300yds or so!

quote:

Originally posted by Aspen Hill Adventures:
YES! My coni's have the wire. I wonder if I can just attach a home made pan to the wires?

Yes, if you can attatch a piece of scrap wood to the trigger to make it a step, it should trigger when stepped on. Make the trigger a big enough obsticle that the ermine has to use it or has to move it to get through.

Drill holes in the wood block for the wire triggers to go through, and bend them back so they hold the block tight. Might be able to accomplish the same thing with staples from a staple gun.

The block only needs to be 1/2-1" thick and as long as needed to not block the trap 3-3.5", probably only 1.5" high. Basically you'd be filling in the big coni openning with enough wood to make the weasle trip the trigger. If it were me, I'd angle the trigger/pan back some, 45* angle or so and be sure it doesn't interfere with the trap closing.

You can use the coni's in boxes too, with the block trigger. Set it so after they enter the hole, they have to use the block as a step.

Good luck. My neighbors chickens have been cut down by half this winter from preditors.

If you can import some of these, they are worth a try.
http://www.predatortraps.com/index.htm

Specifically designed to catch and kill stoats for our conservation department. I use the 200, and there is not much other than a large cat it will not kill.

Those look great, Shanks! I did buy two rat traps after work yesterday and will build some boxes for them. I think I have a hole saw of the right size, just got to find it tonight and get to work.

Too bad your islands are infested with non native fur bearers.

I've used No. 1 1/2 and 2's with the pan set extremely light with some success for mink and weasels. They act as body traps rather than foot traps. My preferred trap for weasels is some really old No. 1's that are too soft for muskrats. In chicken houses, I make a weasel box and put a bunch of grain in it to draw mice ahead of the time I want to trap, then put a well waxed trap with the pan at the very edge, with the pan screw as loose as can be.
Bfly

I'll try that too. I now know where it likes to come through the fence.

Lot's of excellent damage control advice from experienced users. I also have had success with the bait in a box with the large sticky traps in the box between the bait and the entrance hole. They don't ever have a trigger or pan failure, thus fewer problems with Murphy who is everpresent in all things trapping. Good luck!

Alot of good advice on here. I like deadfalls pretty good too.

God Bless, Louis

Good article on just what you need in this month's edition of Fur-Fish-Game. Someone mentioned using milk jug plastic to use as a trigger attachment because it's easy to work with and won't break even in very cold temps.

As mentioned, most of your traps will also bring in rats or mice, so your tension needs to be set just right.

Ann,
Are you wearing him yet?


John

for ermine use the victor large rat traps conibears arnt good for something that small or thin. and foot holdes can miss easyer nothing kills small critters like a large victor rat trap tie them viticaly to a tree so when the wesel dies it dosnt piss on it self. wesels are the easyerst thing on earth to trap very predictable.

Ann Don't be afraid to use more than enough trap,set an absolute hair trigger for sure!
We have lost way too many fowl to ermine and mink,,,oh yes brown bears too!!

I've used regular rat traps baited with Peanut Butter and nailed vertically to trees about a foot off the ground.

quote:

Originally posted by Mike Brooks:
I've used regular rat traps baited with Peanut Butter and nailed vertically to trees about a foot off the ground.

I have used the same method with different kinds of bait and it works very well.

Ermines also tend to be very curious, so they are usually very easy to flag in.