Mink traps, where is cheapest?

johngalway

Hi folks,
Just wondering if anyone could tell me where is cheapest to get mink traps (live catch cage type). Either in Ireland or by mail order would be fine, checked out some spots and they're expensive little buggers!
Thanks,
John

foxhunter

Try Gtech Outdoor in kildare they will post stuff out to you good lads to deal with.

Trojan911

johngalway wrote: »

Hi folks,
Just wondering if anyone could tell me where is cheapest to get mink traps (live catch cage type). Either in Ireland or by mail order would be fine, checked out some spots and they're expensive little buggers!
Thanks, John

John,

As you have no prices up I don't know what to go on, however, a buddy of mine bought four traps two years ago for €45 each from Jeffersports in Bandon, Cork. He got them for his pheasant rearing but no longer does it so I can ask him if he is willing to sell them at a reduced price if you want.

If he agrees then I hook up with Peter (Neo Researcher) every now & again to give him some foxes & if he agrees to take them I could ship them up that way (if the price was right for you). You could give Peter the lolly to drop off when he collects foxes off me...


John...

Trojan911

John,

Check your pm...

Cheers...

CJhaughey

Bury 4" wavin pipe in sections of 3 ft at a 45º angle in the bank, bait with sardines and you should get some mink.
Sometimes you get two and the second goes through the first!

kerryman12

Today 19:09
CJhaughey Bury 4" wavin pipe in sections of 3 ft at a 45º angle in the bank, bait with sardines and you should get some mink.
Sometimes you get two and the second goes through the first!


thats something thats worth a try, have you had much success?

CJhaughey

Not that many mink around me now, but I have seen that method used with great success by friends that have a mink problem.
Try and put a stone in the bottom to stop them digging out.
They can't reverse back up the pipe and can't turn around.
It is a good cheap solution that is usually run alongside normal traps as a cost effective way of increasing trap coverage.

johngalway

I'd forgotten about the pipe trap. Question from a very tired head, they wouldn't pose any danger to otters would they? Have a good few of them around here, would like to keep'em too

Terrier

Purchased mine from Dingle Poultry Supplies few years back a bit cheaper than they are now, diuble entry traps are very handy.

Discounts are available if your buying a few, Mike is a good guy to deal with.
(minimum 10% discount for NARGC clubs:D)

MINK CAGE TRAP- GALVANISED. SINGLE ENTRY - €44
MINK CAGE TRAP - GALVANISED. DOUBLE ENTRY - €56

Neo Researcher

John,
I would be willing to do what Trojan911 suggested no problem. Least I could do. Told Minkresearcher who posts on here, who I also work with, you were sound too so he might have a few tips for you.

Sorry about the delay in getting the bullet fragments pics up. Really hard to find but just found another one. Unfortunately my camera is at home at the moment. And with ten foxes stinking up the lab waiting for dissection I wont be able to get home for some time

Neo Researcher

johngalway

Cheers Neo that'd be great as Trojans mate is still using his

Thanks for all the replies fellas

famoussheamus

I know this thread is over 2years old but we are having great success with the pipes. we have had 16 mink in less than 3 months, one pipe had 5 mink in it after the Christmas...very hard to believe, but I have a picture. We do not bury the pipes, we just tie them at an angle along a wall, embankment or boulders on islands. We have never got an otter, but sometimes you will get rats, so always use gloves when handling the traps.

CJhaughey

famoussheamus wrote: »

I know this thread is over 2years old but we are having great success with the pipes. we have had 16 mink in less than 3 months, one pipe had 5 mink in it after the Christmas...very hard to believe, but I have a picture. We do not bury the pipes, we just tie them at an angle along a wall, embankment or boulders on islands. We have never got an otter, but sometimes you will get rats, so always use gloves when handling the traps.

Thats good going! Must be some population of Mink to have that many in that short a time.
Did you find they kill each other?or did they co-exist happily:D

deerhunter1

I have two Mink Traps if anyone can put them to good use they are more than welcome to them. Collect.

Feidhlim Dignan

the army surplus store in middelton co. cork sell the galvised steel live catch ones for 3o euro

famoussheamus

We are already up to 18 mink in the pipes since the first week of November, we are covering a large area of about 100km square. The traps are checked once a week, I think the frosty weather had a lot to do with getting so many as the mink were doing more foraging for food than they normally would. We rarely find mink alive in the traps so I do not know if they co-exist. We have only caught one juvenile mink so far.

jimbo 22

Hi John


If your tight on cash you should be able to make them your self

I did, and judging by the stuff you have made and posted here before you shoud have no bother doin it

The more you have the higgher your sugcess rate will be...
Go to a scrap yard and and look for old fire screens or other similar mesh material. Galvinised mesh would be my choice of material as it wont rust...

So here is how i did it:

1. Mark the mesh with a marker and sketch out the flat pattern
2. Score the fold lines with a hack saw and fold it into shaper - will bend with your hands when scored depending on the cross section of the material.

3.Use snap ties to pull it together to form a basic rectangular shape -You dont need to weld it.

4.Copy the trap door design for the walk in Grey Crow / Magpie trap and affix this to the Entry point of the trap


Volla you have yourself a trap ...

I use to be able to make these in under an hour - you get quicker after you do the first one...


A Word of warning tho. I lost a few traps BY passers by and general 'do gooders'

Make sure they are concealed well and out of view from the general public


Happy Trapping

Jimbo

Eddie B

famoussheamus wrote: »

We are already up to 18 mink in the pipes since the first week of November, we are covering a large area of about 100km square. The traps are checked once a week, I think the frosty weather had a lot to do with getting so many as the mink were doing more foraging for food than they normally would. We rarely find mink alive in the traps so I do not know if they co-exist. We have only caught one juvenile mink so far.

Mink are very territorial animals! The only time they co-exist is during the breeding season. When you catch a mink in the pipe another one will take over his territory, find the pipe and get the sent of the dead mink inside, and goes in to investigate! I dont use pipes to catch mink because it`s vertually impossible to dispatch them! I check my traps every day and id advise you to do the same, because sooner or later one of those tree people will come across one and that means trouble!!!

johngalway

I'd forgotten I'd started this thread, once page two came up Old age is a terrible thing

Lads, where are ye getting one inch mesh, I can make use of it for tunnels for fenns and bodygrips, failed me to source any locally though

Eddie B

Looking for same John! Have one made from timber just to keep me going but too heavy to make it practical!

johngalway

Eddie B wrote: »

Looking for same John! Have one made from timber just to keep me going but too heavy to make it practical!

Exactly right Eddie, that's what keeps me away from making stuff out of wood now.

Also had a thought about making tunnels out of some type of rigid plastic, have 4 section, with joints cut in the edges so as they'd fit together, hold it all together with some type of square jubilee clip if such a thing exists. Take apart for storage and traveling, construct on site. But there'd be UV and other issues I'm sure, so the wire mesh is still way ahead IMO.

Invincible

Agri store in Lecarrow "Big cheese" mink traps for €26.
You can get rolls of 1" weldmesh in hardware stores John.

Sponge Bob

Had big mink problem in the area during the cold weather so here is what we did:

1. Scavenged every 2 meter length of 4 inch wavin pipe we could.
2. Put concrete plug at the end of each one , about 5-6 inches of concrete.
3. Set them up at intervals of 200m on sharp slopes along a river bank and pegged a fishhead into each one.

So far the stats are encouraging. Most are dead when you check the trap and we drown the rest inside the pipe and then tip them out and bury them.

Note, if the pipe is any longer than 2m it is difficult to verify it is a Mink but we have not caught any otters which is what we were afraid of or stoats , pine martens etc, we have caught rats though.

Soon as we get a reduction in the kill rate we will move half the traps to another local river and space the remaining ones at 400m

Sadly it appears that the mink have wiped out all the local otters, either that or disease.

Can anyone tell us when voles are active and how close to the river as we do not want to catch them either.

Eddie B

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Had big mink problem in the area during the cold weather so here is what we did:

1. Scavenged every 2 meter length of 4 inch wavin pipe we could.
2. Put concrete plug at the end of each one , about 5-6 inches of concrete.
3. Set them up at intervals of 200m on sharp slopes along a river bank and pegged a fishhead into each one.

So far the stats are encouraging. Most are dead when you check the trap and we drown the rest inside the pipe and then tip them out and bury them.

Note, if the pipe is any longer than 2m it is difficult to verify it is a Mink but we have not caught any otters which is what we were afraid of or stoats , pine martens etc, we have caught rats though.

Soon as we get a reduction in the kill rate we will move half the traps to another local river and space the remaining ones at 400m

Sadly it appears that the mink have wiped out all the local otters, either that or disease.

Can anyone tell us when voles are active and how close to the river as we do not want to catch them either.

No water voles in ireland! mink are wiping out water vole population in the u.k! Mink don`t wipe out otter populations, so u probably have some in your area! You won`t catch otters in the pipes because they are far to big an animal to fit in them!

Guru Maith Agut

This crowd do them for €32.50, double entry.


http://shop.maceoinltd.com/maceoinltd/product_info.php?cPath=56&products_id=580

stevoman

we are getting robbed in this country!!
I buy my traps, feeders and game crop from here and with postaage is still cheaper then ireland.

http://www.gamekeepafeeds.co.uk/ShowDetails.asp?id=634


postage is £8 so it will work out about €22 all in.

johngalway

stevoman wrote: »

we are getting robbed in this country!!

Because most will pay it without question. I moved away from the live catch traps, and bought second hand fenn, bodygrip and kania traps.

Tackleberrywho

johngalway wrote: »

Because most will pay it without question. I moved away from the live catch traps, and bought second hand fenn, bodygrip and kania traps.

My cousin made a trap out of an old shopping basket a spring and an old cat food tin as the baiting area.( he spent days making it but it works)

He to date has caught, millions of rats down the years with it, foxes maggers, feral cats, a pheasant and a hedgehog. He let the hedgehog go obviously and the pheasant. It was baited for cats that needed to be relocated.

how much to buy second hand john?
I don't fancy making one:D:D

johngalway

I can't remember of the top of my head now Tac. I got them over from the UK. The Kanias were the most expensive, but the BG's and Fenns were cheap.

welsummer

MacEoin Traps & Snares Ireland Squirrel Trap / Cage Trap €35.00 €31.37

www.maceoinltd.com

welsummer

kania squirrel traps

i use these. you dont have to check the traps every day or have to carry a gun to dispach them.......pure killing machines

Eddie B

welsummer wrote: »

kania squirrel traps

i use these. you dont have to check the traps every day or have to carry a gun to dispach them.......pure killing machines

Still have to be checked at least once a day! Think it's law!

johngalway

Eddie B wrote: »

Still have to be checked at least once a day! Think it's law!

It's at least best practice to check once a day.

I would not set a trap or snare that I couldn't check each day.

Guru Maith Agut

stevoman wrote: »

postage is £8 so it will work out about €22 all in.

Postage to Rep of Ireland is only £8..? That's pretty good for a package that size. When did you last purchase one do you mind me asking?

stevoman

Guru Maith Agut wrote: »

Postage to Rep of Ireland is only £8..? That's pretty good for a package that size. When did you last purchase one do you mind me asking?

Bought a single mink trap about two months ago and boght a pallet of game crop and loads of trap last month. no probs with postage. they just told me if im in ireland just to click the uk mainland delivery button and they'l send it for £8. they are still profiting.

Spend over £500 on game crop and trap and feeders and they posted the whole large pallet for €40 which was excellent.

Valmont

Are there likely to be mink on the coast? There are a good few streams leading into the sea near where I live. I wouldn't mind catching a few of these critters.

johngalway

Valmont wrote: »

Are there likely to be mink on the coast? There are a good few streams leading into the sea near where I live. I wouldn't mind catching a few of these critters.

There sure are mink by the sea. I have caught plenty in the places you have described and people I know regularly tell of not just catching mink by the sea but seeing them run along the shore. Smoked kippers are a good bait from now on if the weather starts to warm up. Tuna in sunflower oil is good for the colder weather. Or if you have mink scent you'll be onto a winner too.

terminator2

would a fenn trap be any good for mink

johngalway

terminator2 wrote: »

would a fenn trap be any good for mink

The larger MK6 Fenn is the one for mink, squirrels and rabbits.

The MK4 is smaller and meant for squirrels and rats.

Very important to set them only in a covered run, natural tunnel or suitable artificial tunnel.

The number 116 Magnum Body Grip would also do the job for mink. Perhaps more suitable for mink in my mind but I'm not an expert. Again, proper tunnels/covered runs.

Check all at least once per day.

johngalway

A good read on "mink rafts".

Grouse67

deerhunter1 wrote: »

I have two Mink Traps if anyone can put them to good use they are more than welcome to them. Collect.

Deerhunter1 are those mink traps still available? need some more to protect a duck pond

terminator2

has anyone got any photos of where they set up their mink traps and how,....i recently got a fenn mk6

johngalway

mallards

Are you getting many mink up that stream John? What are they feeding on in it? I have a stream exactly like that but I never imagined it would be large enough to sustain a mink.

Cheers,

Mallards

welsummer

pond in wicklow

johngalway

mallards wrote: »

Are you getting many mink up that stream John? What are they feeding on in it? I have a stream exactly like that but I never imagined it would be large enough to sustain a mink.

Cheers,

Mallards

Speculate to accumulate

Chanced my arm and caught a few since I've started trapping. I'm not sure what they're eating but, two streams run through small woods into the sea as well, may give some clue to feeding. There are people with hens not far away from either stream, both have been raided in the past.

Eddie B

You will find mink on any waterway, no matter how small!
They mainly feed on rats and frogs which you will also find on most waterways!

Of coarse during the summer months mink will take eggs and chicks of ducks, water hens, and whatever else they come across!!!

Terrier

mallards wrote: »

Are you getting many mink up that stream John? What are they feeding on in it? I have a stream exactly like that but I never imagined it would be large enough to sustain a mink.

Cheers,

Mallards

This was a bit of drainage work carried out about 2 months ago on small local bog. Nothing else about for miles, was told by a local farmer his dog had flushed either an mink or something of the like.
Trapped it the next day and bingo, large male mink. I was shocked to find one there but goes to show they can live just about anywhere.

Terrier

Some pictures from my traping last week, clear runs along the river bank and dropping. I always set my traps along run paths

terminator2

Just knocked this together yesterday......has it any hope of working 001 - Copy.JPG

003.JPG

004 - Copy.JPG by the way thats Reggie swimming around in the background if i cant get any tuna ...hes next on the list

Eddie B

terminator2 wrote: »

Just knocked this together yesterday......has it any hope of working 001 - Copy.JPG

003.JPG

004 - Copy.JPG by the way thats Reggie swimming around in the background if i cant get any tuna ...hes next on the list

Not a bad effort that terminator, but i think you should take out the floor of the box, and maybe make the entrance into an arch rather than a circular hole!
Then when you find a good location to set your trap make a small hollow in the ground, place your set trap ( safety catch still on) in the hollow, peg the chain of the trap with a tent peg, (the trap should be flush with ground level), and delicatly cover the trap with leaves, twigs or sand!

Then place your bait,(sardines in sunflower oil, fish heads) behind the trap, take off the safety catch, and cover with your home made tunnel!

Finally, place a few rocks around the sides and back of the tunnel, and maybe one or two on top to keep it secure!!;)

Hope this helps!!