Mink Trapping

fiestaman

Was hoping to start a bit of mink trapping. I was going to get the Fenn Mk6 trap for the job as it despatches straight away. Theres the live cage trap too but whats the best way to despatch them if caught in this. I have shotgun and .22lr rifle. Im woundering if anyone ere uses a Fenn and caught anything they shouldnt have,least with live cage you can release.

pheasant tail

Well i had a mink in one of the alive traps and i shot him in it with shot gun and destroyed the trap..maybe i used to heavy a cartridge,,,probably did cant remember,,i know lots of people here just drown them!

Terrier

No.7 @ 30 yards

jap gt

pheasant tail wrote: »

Well i had a mink in one of the alive traps and i shot him in it with shot gun and destroyed the trap..maybe i used to heavy a cartridge,,,probably did cant remember,,i know lots of people here just drown them!

should never drown them, it takes away too long to be humane;)

pachey100

I have 9 tails in my shed from the last 3 months or so .22 in the head does the job. I did shoot one with a air rifle once and it made as much impact as a fly.

fiestaman

Jesus i wouldnt drown them anyway,everything deserves humane despatch. Would it be safe to use the .22 at point blank range?? Would it not be messy?

johngalway

fiestaman wrote: »

Was hoping to start a bit of mink trapping. I was going to get the Fenn Mk6 trap for the job as it despatches straight away. Theres the live cage trap too but whats the best way to despatch them if caught in this. I have shotgun and .22lr rifle. Im woundering if anyone ere uses a Fenn and caught anything they shouldnt have,least with live cage you can release.

I've shot a few with the .22lr I used to have. Used to poke them a couple of times with the muzzle, then let the barrel in through one end of the cage, where the mink would proceed to bite on it, then Pop!

I didn't like doing it, dangerous if you ask me. Maybe a better idea would be to get minky into a bag then shoot with shotgun.

I have since moved on to kill traps.

blackstairsboy

What about those wavin pipe traps. I saw a thread on them before on here they seem to do the business but dispatching is the problem. Someone said just check it every week and whatever is in it will probabley be dead. This would not sit well with me. Does anyone have any sugesstions on how to;

A) Get the mink out?
Dispatch it humanely either in or out of the trap?

I only have a shotgun so the air rifle is not an option for me.

jap gt

blackstairsboy wrote: »

What about those wavin pipe traps. I saw a thread on them before on here they seem to do the business but dispatching is the problem. Someone said just check it every week and whatever is in it will probabley be dead. This would not sit well with me. Does anyone have any sugesstions on how to;

A) Get the mink out?
Dispatch it humanely either in or out of the trap?

I only have a shotgun so the air rifle is not an option for me.

i used it once, i put a sack over the end of the pipe, mink fell into sack and one belt of a shovel did the job, but you could also shoot it in the sack

blackstairsboy

Cheers, Are these traps any good. I am to mane to buy the live catch ones at over 30 quid each so I am looking for an alternitive that I can make myself. These sound good but are they worth using or should I stop being so tight and go out and buy a live catch trap?:D

jap gt

blackstairsboy wrote: »

Cheers, Are these traps any good. I am to mane to buy the live catch ones at over 30 quid each so I am looking for an alternitive that I can make myself. These sound good but are they worth using or should I stop being so tight and go out and buy a live catch trap?:D

they can be good, they are cheap to make but would buy the traps i catch a lot more in the cages

blackstairsboy

Ya maybe if I combine the two I should be able to cover more ground without hitting the pocket too hard. Where do you buy your traps and do you use single or double entry?

jap gt

blackstairsboy wrote: »

Ya maybe if I combine the two I should be able to cover more ground without hitting the pocket too hard. Where do you buy your traps and do you use single or double entry?

i bought all mine from maceoin in dingle, all single

johngalway

All you really need to make a trap is some 1"x1" weldmesh of the right gauge (?), the ability to bend it properly, and some clips to hold it altogether. With those two items add a length of "bull wire", or even the top strand of a fence that's been taken down, and there's all a person needs to make a working mink cage.

Though if I could get my grubby hands on some mesh of that size I'd just bloody make some tunnels for my kill traps!

fiestaman

johngalway wrote: »

All you really need to make a trap is some 1"x1" weldmesh of the right gauge (?), the ability to bend it properly, and some clips to hold it altogether. With those two items add a length of "bull wire", or even the top strand of a fence that's been taken down, and there's all a person needs to make a working mink cage.

Though if I could get my grubby hands on some mesh of that size I'd just bloody make some tunnels for my kill traps!

John do you mean you use Fenn Trap? i was thinking the same about a tunnel into the fenn trap. is this what you mean?

landkeeper

blackstairsboy wrote: »

What about those wavin pipe traps. I saw a thread on them before on here they seem to do the business but dispatching is the problem. Someone said just check it every week and whatever is in it will probabley be dead. This would not sit well with me. Does anyone have any sugesstions on how to;

A) Get the mink out?
Dispatch it humanely either in or out of the trap?

I only have a shotgun so the air rifle is not an option for me.

humane dispatch easy 4" fence post insert into wavin pipe' thump' problem solved never fails
cage trap into hessian sack put exhaust pipe into sack leave for 5 mins problem solved

as far as fenn traps go you should set them in a tunnel , that's the correct way as they jump up when triggered if it's in a tunnel it'll catch whats set it off properly , if not it pushes the setter up and off maybe catching it by a paw or similar
three pieces of old floorboard etc make a perfectly good tunnel you can dig out a slot to situate it and then camoflage it with earth sods etc

johngalway

Yep, fenn, bodygrip, or kania. I can't recall off the top of my head which #fenn and #bodygrip. The Magnum Trap company will have info on one of them and just search for fen/bodygrip and mink and that will tell you the correct sizes to use for a humane kill on mink. If you make a tunnel out of 1"x1" mesh, place 2"x2" mesh on the ends, should stop non target animals entering the trap, while letting mink through.

Eddie B

johngalway wrote: »

Yep, fenn, bodygrip, or kania. I can't recall off the top of my head which #fenn and #bodygrip. The Magnum Trap company will have info on one of them and just search for fen/bodygrip and mink and that will tell you the correct sizes to use for a humane kill on mink. If you make a tunnel out of 1"x1" mesh, place 2"x2" mesh on the ends, should stop non target animals entering the trap, while letting mink through.

Fen mark 6 and bodygrip 116

Eddie B

pachey100 wrote: »

I have 9 tails in my shed from the last 3 months or so .22 in the head does the job. I did shoot one with a air rifle once and it made as much impact as a fly.

I use an air rifle now and its the only job!
One well placed pellet to the head and its instant death!;)

pheasant tail

jap gt wrote: »

should never drown them, it takes away too long to be humane;)

Thats exactly what i said...asked would it not take fukn ages for him to die,like they can swim under water etc so it would be horrid lousy,,going to put the traps out again tanyt,,wouldnt miind trying to get me brother to open the door of the trap and let the mink run and try shoot him then,,good crack but ud wana make sure of the shot!

Invincible

blackstairsboy wrote: »

Ya maybe if I combine the two I should be able to cover more ground without hitting the pocket too hard. Where do you buy your traps and do you use single or double entry?

They're available for €24 each in Lecarrow, Tel 090 6661114,double entry.
We got 4 single entry there for €100 earlier this year,"Big cheese" type.

blackstairsboy

Thanks. Where abouts is Lecarrow? I am down in the south east.

Invincible

blackstairsboy wrote: »

Thanks. Where abouts is Lecarrow? I am down in the south east.

It's a village on the main road Athlone side of Roscommon.

terminator2

drove a cruiser up the lecarrow canal two years ago ,its a tiny little village

Invincible

Blink an eye,you're past it

blackstairsboy

Righto thanks for that lads I'll get a couple for th spring.

fiestaman

Lads will the Fenn kill instant. Have any of you come across an animal foul trapped??

landkeeper

1/yes it will if it's set properly , /2anyone who says they havn't have either done very little trapping or have just been pure lucky

johngalway

landkeeper wrote: »

1/yes it will if it's set properly , /2anyone who says they havn't have either done very little trapping or have just been pure lucky

Agree with that. Like the lads who've never missed a fox

macadam

1st mink spotted today in over 5 years, how plentiful would you guys think they are I am in Louth.
Spotted it today crossing a quiet back road, nearest river about 2klms.

crackcrack30

heard once that there is supposed to be one mink present for every mile of waterway.