Trapping Mink

Monet.

i am starting to trap mink and i was thinking if i caught one how would i kill it.
What is the legal and most humane way to kill a mink????????
???????????

Cass

Air Rifle is probably the best bet as it will not damage the trap. you could also try a .22lr with a rat shot or standard round, but be VERY CAREFUL. Also a shotgun with a 9.5 at a yard or two should do the job without doing any damage to the trap.

Here is a previous thread on the matter. Worth a read.

Monet.

Ezridax wrote: »

Air Rifle is probably the best bet as it will not damage the trap. you could also try a .22lr with a rat shot or standard round, but be VERY CAREFUL. Also a shotgun with a 9.5 at a yard or two should do the job without doing any damage to the trap.

Here is a previous thread on the matter. Worth a read.

Thanks lad
but is there any laws saying what u can and can not do???????

Cass

As they are classed as vermin there is no rules/laws/guidelines to say how they can be despatched. However, and without going into humanity/morality debate as it is not permmitted on the hunting forum, you want to use as quick and clean a method as possible. There is nothing to be gained from prolonging the deed so any of the methods above would work a treat.

Some things not to be used would be;

• Stick
• Stick with nails
• Spade
• Bag/drowning
• Water boarding
• 12V battery to the nuts,
• Chair with no seat, and a rope with a big knot (you all seen the film).
• etc

Remmy

Ezridax wrote: »

Some things not to be used would be;

• Stick
• Stick with nails
• Spade
• Bag/drowning
• Water boarding
• 12V battery to the nuts,
• Chair with no seat, and a rope with a big knot (you all seen the film).
• etc

Ha quality:D

Tackleberrywho

You have to be humane and quick.
Drowning Mink is not Humane as they have high lung capacity as natural swimmers.

Fur Farms use carbon monoxide posioning as it puts them to sleep before they go.
You have to adhere to cruelity to animals laws when dispatching any wild mammal

terminator2

you are dead right tack ......stick his head on to the exhaust pipe ,leave for 10 mins that should do the trick.....:D......man in england prosecuted for drowning a squirrel a while back

terminator2

Ezridax wrote: »

Air Rifle is probably the best bet as it will not damage the trap. you could also try a .22lr with a rat shot or standard round, but be VERY CAREFUL. Also a shotgun with a 9.5 at a yard or two should do the job without doing any damage to the trap.

Here is a previous thread on the matter. Worth a read.

a shotgun at 9 yards will blow a 1inch hole in a cavity block ,and you think it wont do any damage to your trap.......not good advice there kid

blackstairsboy

Think he meant with shot size nine terminator. Never used this method so cant vouch for it either way but that's the way it read to me.

landkeeper

easystart it's ether stick him in a bag in the trap a good squirt of that stuff close the bag
sleepy sleepy nighty nighty

Cass

terminator2 wrote: »

a shotgun at 9 yards will blow a 1inch hole in a cavity block ,and you think it wont do any damage to your trap.......not good advice there kid

Firstly its not a cavity block.
Secondly i said SHOULD
Thidly i said be careful not to damage the trap
Fourthly i gave suggestions however right or wrong. Your only contribution was to correct me without giving an alternative.

terminator2

let me get this right....you just suggested to someone to fire a shotgun at his trap from 1-2 yards away and try not to damage his trap......has to be the worst piece of advice i ever heard......all in favour with ezridax raise your hand and be counted..........dont worry about shooting yourself in the foot.....

Cass

terminator2 wrote: »

let me get this right....you just suggested to someone to fire a shotgun at his trap from 1-2 yards away and try not to damage his trap......has to be the worst piece of advice i ever heard......

Fair enough. What would you suggest? I still haven't seen any suggestions only mockery of mine.

all in favour with ezridax raise your hand and be counted..........dont worry about shooting yourself in the foot.....

How would you shoot yourself in the foot. You'd want to be some fool to place your foot under a trap and then aim directly down on it.

What about the air rifle and .22lr options? They foolish too?

Please enlighten me.

terminator2

mink should be emptied from the trap into a hession sack ,and then clubbed in the bottom of the sack.......why not use a mk6 fenn kill trap , it would save all this fighting,......sorry if i ruffled any feathers

fodda

terminator2 wrote: »

mink should be emptied from the trap into a hession sack ,and then clubbed in the bottom of the sack.....

Is this professional advice or just your personal opinion?

I should imagine this isnt very humane?

Cass

terminator2 wrote: »

mink should be emptied from the trap into a hession sack ,and then clubbed in the bottom of the sack...,

Its an option. Not a very nice one hence the reason i added it to the list (along with the joke options) of methods not to use. Also there are laws against cruelty however in keeping with forum rules i cannot get into a debate on morality, cruelty, and humanity.

....why not use a mk6 fenn kill trap , it would save all this fighting

Again an option. You could have posted that a few posts back and that would have saved any disagreement and given your previous posts credit instead of appearing to be just attacking mine for the sake of it.

......sorry if i ruffled any feathers

No feathers ruffled just wondering why you would "attack" one piece of a post so aggressively and ignore the rest of it.

fodda wrote:

I should imagine this isnt very humane?

There is no way this thread is going to get into a debate on humanity, cruelty or morality so please, as i've said above, do not start one as it will be removed.

Tackleberrywho

fodda wrote: »

Is this professional advice or just your personal opinion?

I should imagine this isnt very humane?

Carbon monoxide puts us mammals into a deep sleep.
A vet told me that was the most humane way if Injections were not available

I also watched a doc on BBC were they went to a mink farm and used a carbon monoxide box as their method.

If they did not bite; a swift bar to the back of the neck scull will also suffice

fodda

Tackleberrywho wrote: »

Carbon monoxide puts us mammals into a deep sleep.
A vet told me that was the most humane way if Injections were not available

I also watched a doc on BBC were they went to a mink farm and used a carbon monoxide box as their method.

If they did not bite; a swift bar to the back of the neck scull will also suffice

I should have wrote it better Tack. What i really meant was ..... not very humane when it could be dispatched with a air rifle/rifle.

Tackleberrywho

fodda wrote: »

I should have wrote it better Tack. What i really meant was ..... not very humane when it could be dispatched with a air rifle/rifle.

Not really
It's down to experience.
My Gran could kill hundreds of turkeys and pluck them in the one day

Sometimes a rifle is not the most suitable

bazza888

i have fenn traps got them one day for rat mink in 2 different sizes,but never used them as i was worried that say a pine martin or something might get caught in it even if i made a box to go over it

J.R.

http://www.diy-pest-control.co.uk/mink-pestid-61.php&filter=control


Good article here on trapping mink.


I haven't trapped mink for years now but when we did & caught one we used two different methods:

1.
My friend had an air rifle & a quick shot to the back of the head, while the mink was in the trap, killed it humanely.

2.
When he wasn't available & only a shotgun was available we used to tip the mink from the trap into an old fertilizer bag & tie tightly. This was placed in the field and fire at with shotgun from about 30 yards.

I'm sure a .22LR would work as well but you'd need to be very careful of backstop. You don't want a .22 passing through the mink & hitting a stone, causing it to ricochet. A good, soft, safe backstop would definitely be needed.......a large round bale or similar would be ideal.

I know one chap who would shoot the mink with a shotgun in the trap. He used no. 9 cartridge and stood 25 - 28 yards away. Never witnessed it but he said it instantly & humanely killed the mink. The trap had a few dented wires on the side but was still perfectly useable.

pugw

terminator2 wrote: »

mink should be emptied from the trap into a hession sack ,and then clubbed in the bottom of the sack..

Anyone who has done a lot of trapping would no this is rubbish as there is a hugge chance they would escape when transferring them out of the cage. Best job is a .22 with subs, put the barrelright up to the cage and fire down into a soft backdrop like a lawn!

crackcrack30

Pity u cant purchase 1-2 lower caliber rifles on a rifle licence, (maybe small admin charge) the gun shops would clean up and the vat would circulate back into the economy, i'd purchase straight away................

johngalway

Cumbersome option:

Fabricate some type of box that a live catch cage can be placed into. Hook this up to the exhaust of a vehicle/engine.

.22lr option:

Remove any silencer. Carefully push barrel through the cage, poke mink once or twice gently. Remove barrel. From one end or the other (not sides, not top) push the barrel in through the mesh again. Mink will bite the muzzle of the rifle, squeeze trigger.

Safest option?:

Air rifle, but with the licensing laws here it's a lot more likely any trapper will have better access to a .22lr than any type of air rifle - unfortunately.

Kill traps:

They're great, if there's no other species in the area that can be harmed by them.

Tea drinker

following on from the other lads advice maybe an ould plastic bag (with a few small holes on the end) that the trap will fit into, and the other end around the exhaust pipe?

Sounds a bit like the yolk the lads made on that film Apollo 13 mind you ;-)

jhcossie

now before anyone starts I DO NOT KNOW IF ITS LEGAL, its an idea but can they be poisened in the trap

garv123

jhcossie wrote: »

now before anyone starts I DO NOT KNOW IF ITS LEGAL, its an idea but can they be poisened in the trap

even if its not illegal you will risk poisoning other protected animals such as pine martin and stoat which are protected species

Tackleberrywho

jhcossie wrote: »

now before anyone starts I DO NOT KNOW IF ITS LEGAL, its an idea but can they be poisened in the trap

John Gormless Baned the use of baited posion

Posioned meat is liek a land mine, does not care what damage it does.
That is why humane traps work best, as if a hedgehog for example goes in it can be released un harmed

pugw

jhcossie wrote: »

now before anyone starts I DO NOT KNOW IF ITS LEGAL, its an idea but can they be poisened in the trap

He means poison it when caught as a means of dispatch id say lads. Ya JH ive heard of it being done but not sure if its legal!

pugw

johngalway wrote: »

Remove any silencer. Carefully push barrel through the cage, poke mink once or twice gently. Remove barrel. From one end or the other (not sides, not top) push the barrel in through the mesh again. Mink will bite the muzzle of the rifle, squeeze trigger.

Ifind shooting from the top down is better John as the bullet has less distance to travel thus less chance of the bullet hitting the wire if you dont get your angles right!

No6

The Mink trap I have is only opened by putting your fingers into the trap and pushing up the bar!!! I wouldn't fancy it with a live mink!!:eek: I'll stick with the bullet in the head, An air pistol would be ideal if they didn't have to be licensed!!