Mink trapping need some help!!

[matthewpitcher 1]

HI i have been asked to catch some thing which is killing fancy ducks and carp (mink?) on a lake in some ones garden. the lake has an island and three months ago there was two half eaten ducks on the island. we have 10 mink traps set and three fox traps, they have been baited with beef, kippers, pheasent, rabbit and chicken over the last three months but the only things we have caught have been cats, rats, hedgehogs, one duck and a black and white. then this weekend i went to the island to check the trap on there and there was a 10 pound carp on the island with its whole side total eaten!!! has anyone got any advice cus im scratching my head. traps been set now for about 4 months.

[matthewpitcher 1]

Has anyone got any ideas?

[matthewpitcher 1]

Has anyone got any ideas?

[Guest bluemink]

have you seen mink tracks?

[matthewpitcher 1]

have you seen mink tracks?

 

No mate, i have seen strange droppings a bit like a ferrets but stingy like grass in dog crap but all black.

[matthewpitcher 1]

its a well kept lake so grass all the way round. they have dogs and cats which are around the lake every day crapping and the cats are hunting and eating what they catch so their crap looks different as well!!

[patdahat 41]

what traps are you using? fenn mk6 and bodygrips work good on a run but the cage works better on an open area, make sure to cover the trap as to give a tunnel effect. best rebait the cage after a week,keep's a fresh sent looming.

[comanche 3,076]

Don't know if you have otters about I suppose ? Rats will often pull a duck down a hole and eat the part of the corpse that is underground so you do literally end up with half a duck sometimes . Not impossible that you have more than one predator on the go .

The poo could be an otter but as so many other animals are scrounging about and eating healthily on ducks and fish their diet and poo might well smell similar . Is the lake fished which mught explain a carp dying from injuries or even old age and being dragged ashore by a mink or fox . Crows and rats -lots of things - could take a side out of a dead fish ??? So many question marks .

Maybe stake -out a fresh corpse on a mud flat at the waters edge and look for tracks around it .. Photogragh the poo .

Don't overlook the obvious . Maybe the hedhogs ,rats,cats foxes etc are to blame . Mink can be quite transitory . Often they move in make a few easy kills and move on . A bit of rain gets em on the prowl because they can slip up and down flooded ditches .

Detective -work . Post some photos of tracks and poo and help from people on this site far better qualified to comment than me will almost certainly be forthcoming ATB

Edited October 20, 2009 by comanche

[410phil 4]

Well said comanche,you need to eliminate suspects not add them to a list of possibles,maybe have some baits down that aren't in traps and use either sand or mud tracking techniques to determine what if anything has passed by. Mink, as stated by comanche are very transitory so a mink raft may give you an idea of the frequency of visiting mink to the area.

sometimes its along haul and very frustrating but patience and learning from your mistakes can be the best experience you could ever ask for.

Hope it goes well

All the best

Phil

where abouts in the country are you by the way????

Edited October 20, 2009 by 410phil

[410phil 4]

Well said comanche,you need to eliminate suspects not add them to a list of possibles,maybe have some baits down that aren't in traps and use either sand or mud tracking techniques to determine what if anything has passed by. Mink, as stated by comanche are very transitory so a mink raft may give you an idea of the frequency of visiting mink to the area.

sometimes its along haul and very frustrating but patience and learning from your mistakes can be the best experience you could ever ask for.

Hope it goes well

All the best

Phil

where abouts in the country are you by the way????

[heritage 202]

not offering direct help but im sure that a recent dvd i saw would be of intrest to you, it was the mink snaring/trapping one ,made by glen waters. its an old film but very informative, who knows, there might be a few tips on there that help you to resolve the situation. atb

[alimac 882]

IMO a 10lb carp would be a little too much for a mink, i know how good they are at killing but a fish of that size would certainly be more than a challange for our little invading friend.... my money is on a otter

[OldTrapCollector 377]

Sounds like the work of a visiting otter to me too - and there's not a lot you can do about that!

 

OTC

[Rolfe 2]

have you seen mink tracks?

 

No mate, i have seen strange droppings a bit like a ferrets but stingy like grass in dog crap but all black.

 

A good way (although not very pleasant) to check what the droppngs are is to smell them. Mink droppings (scats) are usually very ferret like and twisted and stink to high heaven.......they can be any colour depending what they have been feeding on.......often containing rabbit hairs if that is what they have been eating. Otter droppings (spraints) often contain fish scales and are a bit bigger than those of a mink.......and are often deposited on a prominent feature such as a rock........but the main difference is that Otter spraints smell quite pleasant.......some compare it to the smell of jasmine...........Happy Sniffing. :hmm:

 

Rolfe.

[waidmann 105]

try to find prints in the mud before setting anymore traps mate( or restrict the entrance of the tunnel to exclude otter) its amazing how far ranging they can be!

if no mud around try a sand bed( man made),if its an otter unlucky but you will know the culprit and be able to target him specificly.

happy trapping