Mink

westwicklow

Any mink spotted lately?

stylie

Plenty along the rivers I fish around Cork...pick any river and eventually you will stumble across one..last year I saw a lot of the buggers towards the backend of the season

westwicklow

They seem to be getting scarce over my way!

ttm

Saw one recently near our local river and luckly we don't see too many, but havn't heard or seen any otters this year.

Dusty87

There somethin i keep my eye out for as iv only ever seen one. Are they more active at night?

ttm

I've seen mink at all times of the day and night and to be honest I think you see them more at times like early morning as like most animals they don't like beeing disturbed and its quite first thing. Having said that mink are as "bold as brass" and don't seem much afraid of humans.

westwicklow

ttm wrote: »

....... don't seem much afraid of humans.

They seem to be fearless hunters and very defensive of territory.

ttm

That was what I was getting at

Closest I've got to a Mink is about 6inches away, and the little bastard didn't half make a noise about it, I was the one that backed away. In case your wondering how that happened I managed to pick up a mink somehow (possibly when I pulled into a garage near New Ross) under the bumber of the car. Mink I think was confused after the trip home and spent the night under the car making the most gastly scrieking/hissing noises, in the morning when I thought I'd got rid of it (a longer story) I spotted its tail hanging down from the rear bumper, eventually after a high speed drive with a few mad breaking sessions I saw it run up a hedge and away.

Another that turned up after our chickens was almost as bold and stayed within 6 feet even though we were present, think if it thought it had a chance it would have killed another chicken despite our presence.

Last one I saw was crossing the road near our house at about 6am in the morning (early May). Along the same road I quite often see a stoat, a turbo charged streak of fur the size of a cigar tube. We normally see otters and often hear them (sound like a wheel barrow wheel that needs oiling) but havn't had a sign of them in twelve months. Foxes are always around and a badger seems to be regulaily digging up spots near the river bank.

But in the 5 (ish) years we've been here I don't think we have lost a single chicken to a mink (one mentioned above was at another house) and as chickens are such an easy target I suspect there aren't too many around.

Also thinking back a neighbors small dog was attacked by a mink and was almost killed by it a few years back, its neck was torn open.

deerhunter1

ttm wrote: »

That was what I was getting at

Closest I've got to a Mink is about 6inches away, and the little bastard didn't half make a noise about it, I was the one that backed away. In case your wondering how that happened I managed to pick up a mink somehow (possibly when I pulled into a garage near New Ross) under the bumber of the car. Mink I think was confused after the trip home and spent the night under the car making the most gastly scrieking/hissing noises, in the morning when I thought I'd got rid of it (a longer story) I spotted its tail hanging down from the rear bumper, eventually after a high speed drive with a few mad breaking sessions I saw it run up a hedge and away.

Another that turned up after our chickens was almost as bold and stayed within 6 feet even though we were present, think if it thought it had a chance it would have killed another chicken despite our presence.

Last one I saw was crossing the road near our house at about 6am in the morning (early May). Along the same road I quite often see a stoat, a turbo charged streak of fur the size of a cigar tube. We normally see otters and often hear them (sound like a wheel barrow wheel that needs oiling) but havn't had a sign of them in twelve months. Foxes are always around and a badger seems to be regulaily digging up spots near the river bank.

But in the 5 (ish) years we've been here I don't think we have lost a single chicken to a mink (one mentioned above was at another house) and as chickens are such an easy target I suspect there aren't too many around.

Also thinking back a neighbors small dog was attacked by a mink is trd was almost killed by it a few years back, its neck was torn open.

Plenty on the shannon in limerick and on its tributries, not
one bit shy

homerhop

Haven't seen any mink so far this year, but have notices a huge increase in the amount of otter tracks in the mud and runs along a 2 mile stretch of the river.