current reports

[Kyle]

Anyone having any success?

[dcraven]

29 rats, 2 buck mink, 10 beaver (three biggest 58, 54, and 54 lbs on a digital scale), 1 coon and 1 skunk so far - trapping on the weekends plus a few coni's left out and checked every two or three days... Fur looks good to me. Not a ton of rats here in the Leech lake area. Going to hit the beavers this weekend before everything freezes up solid, which sounds like what is going to happen this coming week.

DC in Walker

[Kyle]

Went to my cabin in search of rats this weekend. Found nothing but beaver, everywhere. I don't own a conibear larger than a 160 so I put out some #4CS next to a monster of a beaver house. I also put a few 1.5's out on what looked like a very small rat feed pile...Well I ended up getting 3 beavers in the same 1.5 on the same pile in 1 day and 1 night. I also got a really nice beaver in another trap. Ended the weekend with 4 beaver and 2 rats with only 5 traps out for 1 day and 1 night...I feel good about that being it's my first season trapping and I've never trapped beaver before. I'll take beginners luck all day everyday. lol

[dcraven]

We added a few more rats and a 41 inch long male otter - tip of nose to tip of tail (in the round, unskinned yet). Beavers are plentiful in northern MN right now. They've had a number of good years without getting over-trapped in most areas.

My son and I had a number of rat traps set off by beavers this weekend due to their over-abundance in a couple of the lakes we trap. My son also put out his weasel boxes...

DC

[Random guy]

Well I pulled the water line today, not by choice. Got my Otter filled out, a nice mess of mink and a few rats...and enough racoons to fill a big freezer. Actaully we normaly do not get many decent racoons up here but this year was good for them. I'm leaving the beaver sit until spring hoping for better value.

[Kyle]

Johnny

I've got some mink boxes, and saved some beaver meat and muskrat meat. I live in Moorhead, and have yet to see any mink sign. Word on the street is mink are few and far between around here. BUT, I have a cabin in lake country just 1hr east, and I know there are mink up there. My question is where do you put a mink box? I'm thinking just on the edges of lakes and swamps?

[Random guy]

I have never used a mink box. All I do is hit the bank with my little trapping shovel and knock in a hole about a foot deep right at water level about as wide as 1 1/2 trap. Chunk of oily fish or moss soaked in fish oil in the back and stake the trap deep. Once ice comes on I move the holes just above the waterline and try to use 110 or 120 conibar but a foot hold staked down good will work.

Mink can't stop themselves from running along the waters edge, it's what they are desinged to do. Like Otter, even if the sign is not present they will show up sooner or later as long as the habitiat is good. I would have to say most of my mink come from little bays, ditches or creeks right off of a main body of water. If you have a little shallow running water mixed into ice it's a sure fire mink set.