Southern Alberta Mink

[APAShooter]

I was wondering if any of you guys have tried trapping Mink in the south? I would think there should be enough of them around to make it worth it, just never tried yet. I'm talking in the prairie areas, irrigation marsh lands, not in the foothills.
I kind of thought i might catch one or two in my rat sets this spring but it never happened, you would think lots of rats + lots of fish should = a decent Mink population.
Anyone with experience and some advice on this would be appreciated.

Thanks

[The Spruce]

Can't speak for the South, but Mink populations look good in the North. Best trapped in moving water, though they can be found in sloughs etc. They are a very cagy animal, and a generally scared of steel. These guys are what made coni pans get invented. Not very often one will stick its head through a trigger. Best trapped with foot hold drowning sets. Form a "pocket" in the bank, toss some bait or lure in it, set foothold in water (1"-1/2 cover) in front of entrance. Be cautious if there are Otter around, they will also go for the bait.

Spruce

[APAShooter]

Thanks Spruce.
I was thinking of using box or pipe sets with some bait in them. Probably doing this in Nov/Dec so things will be froze solid for the most part. This is what makes this a little different than traditional mink trapping i think as all irrigation canals will be shutdown and froze as well as the sloughs so no open water to speak of. Not like where you have creeks that stay open in places (good target spots).
Having some trouble figuring out where the best places to target them would be in these areas. I'm pretty confident they're there, i did find a dead one this spring, was at least one around.

[The Spruce]

If you are only going to be trapping stagnant areas (Sloughs, Wetlands), you will need to locate the travel areas of the Mink. They will either be leaving the water (in winter) via openings in the shoreline, or Push ups/houses used by the Muskrats. The only way to do this is by putting on a few miles and looking for sign. These locations will also change from year to year. If you can locate any push ups with "drill" holes, simply set a 110 mag over the opening. Next mink to pass through is yours. If you locate bank holes that are being used to exit water, set a well camouflaged baited box near by and cross your fingers. Though you will likely be harassed to no end by mice and weasels stealing the bait. For the shoreline sets, be sure to consider Otter usage, as well as K-9's. I don't recommend blind setting the holes unless you know for that Mink are the only critters using them.

Spruce

[APAShooter]

Thanks for the advice Spruce. We'll see how we make out.

[Secret coulee]

Originally Posted by The Spruce

If you are only going to be trapping stagnant areas (Sloughs, Wetlands), you will need to locate the travel areas of the Mink. They will either be leaving the water (in winter) via openings in the shoreline, or Push ups/houses used by the Muskrats. The only way to do this is by putting on a few miles and looking for sign. These locations will also change from year to year. If you can locate any push ups with "drill" holes, simply set a 110 mag over the opening. Next mink to pass through is yours. If you locate bank holes that are being used to exit water, set a well camouflaged baited box near by and cross your fingers. Though you will likely be harassed to no end by mice and weasels stealing the bait. For the shoreline sets, be sure to consider Otter usage, as well as K-9's. I don't recommend blind setting the holes unless you know for that Mink are the only critters using them.

Spruce

You Preatty well nailed er bang on spruce.
Caught a lot of mink in the brooks and area in the past 15yrs in the winter months,Preatty well O little open spots of water but the odd one in the past winters with our chinook weather.i mainly targeted them in pinch points from slough to slough with box traps on each side in the cattails so I could blend them in as well as a could.big time patients game,and dealing with mice and weasels like you said spruce.on average I only catch a dozen a winter if going fairly hard as a hack lol ,the only bait I've ever had any sucess with is fresh beef liver.i also found in a few areas as soon as I trapped out the big bucks and that's all I would catch in those areas that winter and it would die on me the following winter in those spots I would catch a few smaller mink in those spots,I'm not sure if those big buck mink runn all the other mink out of there area other then the breeding mink not sure just a few things I've came across.but yes there is definatly mink to presu in southern AB

[KBF]

Muskrat makes a pretty good bait. Then again, maybe they only eat the ones actually caught in our of traps.