as some of you know, im not really a water trapper, but this past weekend i was river ratting with coon hangman, and we found some MINK tracks.

i had no idea they were there on the river. so now, i want to be a minker. i want to catch some of these interesting animals.

my question is, you guys that target coon AND mink, do you run ZERO pan tension?

the coyote trapper in me wont want to do that..lmoa

charles

IMHO, when minking, Zero-Pan Tension

I run 0 pan tension on all my mink and coon sets. I usally use 1 and 1.5's cs

Zero pan tension is what I have always run for coon mink and muskrats.

charles going for small stuff hahahaha never thought id see the day

well, its a very SHALLOW river..lmao

that, and i find them interesting.

charles

Charles, I do like to have some tension, to account for the way I bed and conceal many of my coon sets. Not alot of tension, but some. There are occasions where I want zero tension, but will simply adjust them on the spot.


I wouldn't be able to get away with the below with zero tension.

I think you want zero pan tension with Mink. To that I'd like to add I like a weaker spring so that the springs do not apply as much tension also. I think I miss Mink when using say "new" 1 1/2's with no bolt tension, yet a lot of spring pressure. I like the way LS's fire, but like using CS's better. My favorite traps are those old victor Pinch Pans, but they are hard to find and if you do find them to expensive.

One tip is to put a slight downward bend in the dog. This lets the trap fire with very little resistance. This added with and oversized pan for mink would be a good compo. I ran one oversize pan this year for an experiment, and did very well using it. Most checks that trap held either a Mink or Rat. Could have been just a great spot, but I think the bigger pan helped.

CJ, tell me the situations you would want zero pan tension,

and, heres a question from a non water trapper..

"With the mud like that, with ZERO pan tension, would you get toe catches and misses, or is the mud soft enough thier feet push right through it anyway?

charles

Charles, when I use the above (pics) it's in very soft mud conditions. I've never had a problem with the trap not blowing thru that soft mud, toe catches or misses. I either have a coon, or an undisturbed set.
If I have a rocky or clay bottom, I simply omit the mud, and set to zero tension. Many times in this situation, I'll add a large leaf to the pan, much like a screen pan cover would be used, simply to help blend it under the water a bit.

i see.

do you take many mink with the "mudded-trap set"?

charles

Yes, but not alot. I take more after hard freezes when everything is froze up tight, and only the mink are moving. If I do see alot of mink sign along a creek, and specifically want to target them, I'll dig a much larger pocket, and get the trap inside. Still, many times coon will find the set first, simply because a mink might not make it thru that stretch od creek for another week.
If you want to target just mink, maybe look for specific "pinch points" where a mink is more likely to go thru than a coon.

As many of you know, this is my first year and I have alot to learn. I don't understand about the pan tension thing. I just figure if you buy a certain trap, it's pan tension is already set. How do you adjust it?

For mink and coon I run zero pan tension: that pan falls on its own. I have never had a problem with toe catches or any other type of poor hold. In fact, the only trap I had fired without an animal in it had a small rock stuck between the jaws, holding it wide open.

It sounds like you are reluctant to go zero tension for fear of toe catches or even misses. I can assure you that is not an issue when water trapping. Remember, you will be dealing with animals that are not nearly as wary as coyotes. Besides, it's a lot quicker to just loosen the pan bolt until the pan drops and be done rather than trying to measure the small amount of tension you would need to still catch mink. Good luck with your new adventure. I'm sure you will enjoy it.

Josh

Hey Charles, Pan tension Just enough to have the pan drop on its own. Bend the dog down just a touch right over the jaw. I like my mink trap to snap in a fine crisp snap. If I think the coon going to get there first rather than increasing the tention I just lift my pan up above level, sometime I'll place the dog all the way in for coon. Thats how I work the coon around my mink sets.

"Warning " Mink trapping is addicting! Minnow

i can see that it could be addicting..

it has consumed my mind for the last few days.

charles

LOL Andy

I think it's all because I showed him some mink tracks....

Zero pan tension on my mink and coon traps.

Zero pan tension.With a properly adjusted pan height,you won't get many toe caught coon either.

LukerLance...you can adjust the pan tension on your traps by either tightening or loosening the bolt that holds the pan onto the trap. They're not adjusted when you buy a trap and depending on what you're targeting, you'll want to adjust it. Take your pan without the trap set and move it up and down and you'll be able to feel if it's tight or not. For smaller animals like coon, mink, etc., zero pan tension means you can lift the pan and it just falls back down when you let it go. The bigger the animal, say coyote, the more pan tension you'll want so that it takes more weight to set it off. This avoids pull outs, toe catches and catching non targets. Hope this helped.