Any uggestions on a problem mink

[jlwilliams]

I have a mink killing my chickens.  I believe it to be a mink because of his tracks.  I have tried setting a live trap with catfood as bait, and setting conibear traps, both baited and set in his paths to try to get him as he slips through. 


  Any suggestions I may try that I am missing?  My next step is to sit on top of the garage with a 22 and try to bag him that way, but that will end up being allot of time spent.

[tfyksen]

I would try setting a couple weasel boxes with a large 2-2.5 inch diameter hole. This set will take ermine and has a chance of nabbing a mink.

Bait it with bloody meat and weasel gland lure (if you have some).  Bodygrips and footholds in in travel ways is also a good idea.

[SHOOTALL]

bait the trap with a chicken . Or tie a chicken high enough off the ground that he would have to reach for it , and place a few foot hold traps under if covered with peat .

[james]

Hopefully you have a coop where the chickens roost.  Set a cage trap on the inside of the pen with the trap door over a hole in the chicken wire. Anything trying to get into the pen will find the hole and enter into the trap.  No bait is necessary and there is no danger of the chickens stepping in a trap. The conibears should work in the same manner but if one of the birds sticks his head in it, you will be having a chicken dinner.   If the chickens are running loose, I would back away from the yard and use dirt hole sets with lure.  When I was a kid we always had a dog that would beat us to the chicken pen if they heard the chickens squalk.  I got to shoot a lot of treed possums and coons off the rafters of the chicken house or out of nearby trees.  

[Bogmaster]

 Save the cat food for your cat.The mink is coming to kill,has it eaten any of the chickens? I have known a single mink, to kill dozens of chickens and ducks in one night,and never eat a bite.
 Body grippers set in the trail to the coop should work---but--they must be placed in tight spots,where the approaching mink, cannot go around,over,or under the trap.
 If the mink is entering through one or two holes--as was stated earlier, these can be set up with body grippers.If there are several entrance spots, block off all but one or two.
 Let us know how you do.
 Tom