Mink.

[Lab 10,979]

Aye, trust me, i spend a fair bit of time walking the banks, of both larger rivers, and smaller streams / brooks, with the dogs and they seem very very few and far between around these parts. Was just hoping for a little direction into which river / stream networks might hold decent numbers.

You could walk for a week and never see one. This bolting to a gun scenario is a no brainier unless there's some kind of mass outbreak. Get the traps out and see what you get mate...:-)

[gonetoearth 5,144]

Walk your river banks a do the ground work look for the signs , take a terrier you never know your luck you might just FLUSH ONE TO YOUR WAITING GUN !!! HUMOUR

[Ratreeper 441]

I never see them either, but I haven't searched for them. Good luck finding them I would be interested in how you get on, but I wouldn't slip a hawk on a mink you are asking for trouble

[poacher3161 1,766]

Have a word with any body who fishes the river regular they will no doubt have seen mink often.

[kenny14 656]

Aye, trust me, i spend a fair bit of time walking the banks, of both larger rivers, and smaller streams / brooks, with the dogs and they seem very very few and far between around these parts. Was just hoping for a little direction into which river / stream networks might hold decent numbers.

Stick a trap out for the knight,you will be suprised at the amount of them about.

 

It's Mink he's after, not Sir f***ing Lancelot

Edited May 9, 2012 by kenny14

[Lab 10,979]

Aye, trust me, i spend a fair bit of time walking the banks, of both larger rivers, and smaller streams / brooks, with the dogs and they seem very very few and far between around these parts. Was just hoping for a little direction into which river / stream networks might hold decent numbers.

Stick a trap out for the knight,you will be suprised at the amount of them about.

 

It's Mink he's after, not Sir f***ing Lancelot

Can just see Ideation running up and down the river bank jousting a Mink..................

[Tayto 52]

Aye, trust me, i spend a fair bit of time walking the banks, of both larger rivers, and smaller streams / brooks, with the dogs and they seem very very few and far between around these parts. Was just hoping for a little direction into which river / stream networks might hold decent numbers.

Stick a trap out for the knight,you will be suprised at the amount of them about.

 

It's Mink he's after, not Sir f***ing Lancelot

Can just see Ideation running up and down the river bank jousting a Mink..................

Been told that they'v found a cure for dyslexia, was music to my arse!

[JohnGalway 1,043]

I had good success (for the effort I made ) with live catch traps, baited with sardines (must be in OIL, not brine). Trail the oil from the watercourse to where you have positioned the trap, bit of sardines in the end of the trap. Wrap it up in a black plastic rubbish sack, makes it look like a tunnel. Camoflague well so no two legged vermin make off with it. Have it near enough the watercourse, but far enough away so as to avoid drowning the mink should the water level rise. Used to dispatch mine with .22lr, but an air rifle would be better/safer. Check at least once a day, works 24 hours a day/7 days a week. (Smoked kippers are meant to be better for the warmer months, less fly strike - but we don't get warm weather in Ireland anymore ).

[Ideation 8,216]

In answer to a couple of points!

 

I fish my local rivers so i know there are not 'lots' of mink, only a few here and there, the odd one we manage to make contact with whilst mooching. I'm trying to find somewhere i can spend a day and have a good chance of some sport. As for the hawk, it would make it legal, with me using the dogs to flush it to the waiting hawk, and less of a belly ache then carryng guns on some land (i.e footpaths next to a lot of rivers)

 

I will be laying some traps down, so thanks john for the tips and sand etc, in order to gauge where i might find some, but i dont really want to be catching all of them in traps, seems a waste of a good mink.

[StevoSmith 147]

Was a few around my area but they were trapped/shot in a few weeks not seen any since

[kenny14 656]

In answer to a couple of points!

 

I fish my local rivers so i know there are not 'lots' of mink, only a few here and there, the odd one we manage to make contact with whilst mooching. I'm trying to find somewhere i can spend a day and have a good chance of some sport. As for the hawk, it would make it legal, with me using the dogs to flush it to the waiting hawk, and less of a belly ache then carryng guns on some land (i.e footpaths next to a lot of rivers)

 

I will be laying some traps down, so thanks john for the tips and sand etc, in order to gauge where i might find some, but i dont really want to be catching all of them in traps, seems a waste of a good mink.

 

It's commendable that you want to get some sport, but to coin a phrase - 'the only good Mink is a dead one'. They can spell the end for many native species if they're allowed to settle in anywhere. IMO all available methods should be used to eradicate them from the British countryside.

[gonetoearth 5,144]

trapped me first mink in 1977 being wet behind the ears tried to drown the fooker me then head keeper come along and shot me pride and joy was going to get stuffed

[Ideation 8,216]

In answer to a couple of points!

 

I fish my local rivers so i know there are not 'lots' of mink, only a few here and there, the odd one we manage to make contact with whilst mooching. I'm trying to find somewhere i can spend a day and have a good chance of some sport. As for the hawk, it would make it legal, with me using the dogs to flush it to the waiting hawk, and less of a belly ache then carryng guns on some land (i.e footpaths next to a lot of rivers)

 

I will be laying some traps down, so thanks john for the tips and sand etc, in order to gauge where i might find some, but i dont really want to be catching all of them in traps, seems a waste of a good mink.

 

It's commendable that you want to get some sport, but to coin a phrase - 'the only good Mink is a dead one'. They can spell the end for many native species if they're allowed to settle in anywhere. IMO all available methods should be used to eradicate them from the British countryside.

 

I totally agree, but some methods are just more enjoyable than others. Not being a dick, but i get very little to no pleasure from shooting anything, and even less so shooting a caged animal. I am no anti before anyone cries about it, i just believe that if something needs to be eradicated, and that eradication can be done through more sporting and enjoyable means then those are the means i will use.

 

And as much as they are a total b*****ds, they are also a very good quarry.

[Guest cookiemonsterandmerlin]

Jai we use to have a pack of beagles for mink based at shriveham military college just outside swindon .

They where very active until the MOD stopped funding and the pack closed down.

They hunted alot of our area thames ock etc the land and stream in our area seem to hold very little mink population but if I have any info I PM you with contact details of landowners .

 

ATB Cookie

[kenny14 656]

In answer to a couple of points!

 

I fish my local rivers so i know there are not 'lots' of mink, only a few here and there, the odd one we manage to make contact with whilst mooching. I'm trying to find somewhere i can spend a day and have a good chance of some sport. As for the hawk, it would make it legal, with me using the dogs to flush it to the waiting hawk, and less of a belly ache then carryng guns on some land (i.e footpaths next to a lot of rivers)

 

I will be laying some traps down, so thanks john for the tips and sand etc, in order to gauge where i might find some, but i dont really want to be catching all of them in traps, seems a waste of a good mink.

 

It's commendable that you want to get some sport, but to coin a phrase - 'the only good Mink is a dead one'. They can spell the end for many native species if they're allowed to settle in anywhere. IMO all available methods should be used to eradicate them from the British countryside.

 

I totally agree, but some methods are just more enjoyable than others. Not being a dick, but i get very little to no pleasure from shooting anything, and even less so shooting a caged animal. I am no anti before anyone cries about it, i just believe that if something needs to be eradicated, and that eradication can be done through more sporting and enjoyable means then those are the means i will use.

 

And as much as they are a total b*****ds, they are also a very good quarry.

 

You're not wrong about them being good quarry .

But sporting methods aren't always the quickest or most efficient methods. And where Mink are concerned, it can spell disaster for lots of other wildife and stock if they're not got rid of asap.