Mysterious Shit

[snareman 3]

Mink! I had a sniff :sick: FishAyyy!

 

I intend to examine it more closely later ~ I'be brought it home ~ only I'm too busy just now.

could be an otter ditch, ive seen them regular out on stones in the rivers .

[Rolfe 2]

Mink! I had a sniff :sick: FishAyyy!

 

I intend to examine it more closely later ~ I'be brought it home ~ only I'm too busy just now.

could be an otter ditch, ive seen them regular out on stones in the rivers .

My first impression was Otter spraint.....due to what appears to be fish scales and bones.

 

Rolfe.

[ianrob 2]

Was up by the river today, giving the Dogs their daily run out and checking my permenant mink cage. Then, on the track right where the river passed under, they pointed out some shit to me. In fact, it's in just about the exact spot where I found mink shit last year.

 

Strange again though; This seemed very dry and quite old to me. Yet we're up there every day and I always make a point of glancing around for fresh shit. Niether I nor the Dogs found it yesterday.

 

Even more frustrating; Le Ding went straight down into the river and started casting about. He even stuck his nose right up into the entrence of my cage! Again, he's never done that before. Even when I've just rebaited it the day before.

 

So; Something's been there. And what ever it was seems to have gone down into the river bed and possibly even inspected my cage, yet without going in there - or getting caught if it did. I'll closely inspect and reset that cage shortly.

 

Anyway, here it is. Size a huge ferret might have managed. Too small for a terrier though. But never mind that; What on earth's that stuff in the bit to the left? Looks like bloody hedgehog spines!

 

 

 

Strange Shit

 

 

 

Very Strange Shit!

 

 

 

Le Ding Knows Something .....

 

 

 

But What?

Any further forward yet Ditch, what do you reckon, mink? otter?, and are the spiny things hedgehog spines?

[gilly-93 31]

ask hunter12 what he finks

[Guest little_lloyd]

 

Priceless our mink suspect walks up to your cage and decides to feck off Oh well ditch, she left you a thank you present by the looks of it LMFAO

 

I personlly can not see an otter on that little ditc, that has just a flow of water ,, Seen and hunted many mink on little streams like that tho,, This is a local stream that mink run quite often.

[Tikka T3 0]

ditch

 

i think it is yours and you are ashamed.dont worry mate stranger things have happened if you want to blame some one else then its ok we understand ,try the salad mate its easy on the rear end.

 

 

good luck t3

[dogs-n-natives 1,182]

I think OTTER shit, as mink shit usually looks like a big ferret shit but with scales. Otters will definately use those kind of streams and drains. Especially as travelling routes between rivers/lakes etc.. and over hill ground.

Edited March 8, 2008 by dogs-n-natives

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Well lads, the jury's still out on this one yet. I smelled it and it stunk like ..... well, fishy shit. No hint of pleasentries or jasmine about it. Just stinking fish.

 

Next, having brought it home, I sat and looked at it a bit more - like ye do. I then measured it and found the cross section was, at it's widest point, 3/4" ! Now That's got to be some spinchture stretcher, even for a Bloody big buck mink, surely? I couldn't see it being a problem for an otter. But, see above; Nothing else to suggest it was an otter.

 

I then put in in a jar of water, supposing it'd break down. Not a thing. I've added washing up liquid, trying to lose the grease and make it break down. Nothing. It's still as solid as ever. I really don't know what to do next with it. Stir it into my tea?

 

Just to compound things? For the record; Yeppers, We Do have otters here. They're locally known to inhabit the lake down in the basin. The lake which all of these ditches, streamlets and so forth feed into. So it's equelly possible that it may have been an otter heading down to the lake. That might explain why something appears to have looked in at my trap and gone on? Perhaps, if it was an otter, he just spotted the hole or caught a whiff and took a look. Maybe finding nothing of great interest and a small entrence, he just shrugged and hurried on down towards the lake? I don't know. I wasn't there to see it.

 

So; What about the width of the log? Sound like mink or otter?

[Ossie 11]

you have way too much time on your hands!

 

most likely otter shit. or you're looking for a mink with a very sore arse!

 

leave a tube of pile ointment out, and a camera with a motion sensor.

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Ossie; It's a 'Man Thing'

[Rolfe 2]

Otter it is Ditch....Deffo.

And if you do decide to stir in in your tea..........please post picture as you taste the first mouthful. :sick:

 

Rolfe.

[ianrob 2]

If it is otter Ditch, then that might affect your chances of a mink. Down our local stream, which is now abundantly stocked with otters, I hardly see a mink, and they were really numerous at one time. Perhaps the otters don't like the competition.

[Neal 1,853]

On my walk this morning, while putting my hat in my pocket, I leaned my thumb-stick against a post. When I went to pick up the stick I noticed something at the base of the post which I presumed was an owl pellet. Taking a closer look I noticed it had those bits in it like the ones in your photo. I decided to crumble it up to take a closer look, purely for scientific reasons you understand, and discovered they were the ends of the central shaft of a feather.

 

Upon returning home, I had a look in my, "Animal Tracks and Signs" book expecting it to possibly be a scat after all but the closest thing to it was a short eared owl pellet. Incidentally, it was about the same size as my middle finger and had no distinct smell. Having said all that, mine was found at the base of a post between a copse and a field in the middle of a shooting estate and nowhere near a stream so they could be completely different. Have you discovered yet what the "spines" are in the one you found?

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

Whilst not disputing the fish scales ,those spines are not from a hedgehog as hedgehog spines are tubular and not flat ,though the colour is right ,brown, cream, brown .Otters are omnivores mind and it could be plant material .As to the location ,it fits with otter spraint .Definately not mink as every one ive seen has the characteristic twist to it and is made of equal parts fur and scale .Think you have an otter with a taste for pine needles mate .

[Guest bigredbusa]

ditch , i found myself reading every post left on this thread , i then sat back and thought to myself 'why'

 

ditch you are a star !! talking pics is ok i suppose but taking the thing home with you !! if ditch ever invites any of you lot over for a meal i think you should think long and hard