I think a terrier can kill mink single handily, not a doubt in my mind. Perhaps the terrain makes a difference, a mink out in the open or a mink in a pile of rocks is fair game if not outright screwed; in the water I have no problem imagining a mink clawing the shit out of a terrier struggling in the water, god forbid.
The jaws of the mink is not what i would be worried about, instead the ability to manipulate its' body in various angles which make allows it to bite while being bite,. Regardless, a good shaking should be the end of a mink, especially on the neck or abdomen.
I have pho