minktrapper wrote: »

Just looking at your concrete pipe and snare Eddie. Is there any need to bait the pipe?

No need to bait any of those run through set ups. It's all about location. If you can spend a bit of time looking for spots where mink are likely to pass through, then you can set them up with a pipe, wooden box, rocks etc, and then just use them each year. You could leave them as permanent corridors for mink to use, and then set a trap in them whenever you want.

Some places I don't need to do anything except stick in a pipe, box, etc and it's good to go. Other places, I may need to block off gaps/openings, at the location with rocks, brush etc, so as to leave your set as the easiest route for a mink to get from A to B.

Nine times out of ten, a mink will take the easiest route.

If using plastic pipes, I usually cover with soil or rocks, so's it stays in place all year, incase of flooding. Little bit of work involved, but they make one hell of an enticing tunnel for mink.

I'll visit that concrete pipe location, come September, see if there is any sign of activity. Didn't trap that spot at all last year.

minktrapper wrote: »

Would otters get caught in them? Have you any pictures of your snares? And how they are made up.

The loop is only three to three and a half inches wide. There is no chance of an Otter getting caught in one. Even a young Otter is two big to get his head into one.

Question for all ye trappers. Why are gin traps illegal where as fenn traps are legal.

Thin line between the two of them.

minktrapper wrote: »

Distemper in Mink. Any of ye hear of distemper in mink. Seems to be a noticeable reduction of mink numbers around me. Thought it was my trapping that was reducing numbers. I was told recently that they got distemper. Comments welcome.

Have never heard of it in mink. What about that dreaded Covid 19 virus?

minktrapper wrote: »

A Google says they can and do get distemper.

Any links to suggest there is an outbreak in wild mink here in Ireland?

It will probably build up resistance to it and pass the resistance on to all the mink all over the planet. Make them in to super mink.

Any mink being trapped. Put my cages down last week. Nothing caught. A good sign I hope. No mink footprints either.

Can anyone post a link to a good site with trapping tips, many thanks

minktrapper wrote: »

Any mink being trapped. Put my cages down last week. Nothing caught. A good sign I hope. No mink footprints either.

I done a couple of weeks. Very little action this year. Not sure why. A couple of lads i know, have had plenty.

minktrapper wrote: »

Maybe you are getting on too of them.

I think to get on top of mink, you have to trap all year round. I only trap each location for a couple of weeks each winter, so doubt it. More likely, someone else is trapping the rivers I trapped

Thought I had the demons banished from the river. Caught two more this week.
I wonder would thermal be any good for spotting mink on the river during the winter when all the foliage would be gone.

I tried my local river a few weeks ago. Got nothing only rats. Even had a couple of trail cams out, and not a mink to be seen. Weather is very mild so far this year. Gonna try a different river next week hopefully

Thing is, rats do a lot of damage to ground nesting birds too

Lots of mink on some parts of the Liffey, other parts have relatively few of them.

Like any wild animal, I guess its down to habitat and the availability and ease of food.

I know a chap who has caught plenty of them on the Liffey, well done to him.