Asa, are you going to Evart to the MTA?

Adc, Great topic! I dont use any mink lure, However I use the mink I catch for bait & allways cut the glands open on them when I use them. Sometimes Just use the fresh glands in my pocket sets. They have a place on my trapline

Have you got all your traps ready for opening day?

Minnow

Freepop asked...
Asa, are you going to Evart to the MTA?

No, I only go to the U.P. conventions at Escanaba and Kinross.

Good post salt hunter. Sure many mink have been taken with blind sets but I would venture to say many more have been taken in baited or lured pockets. When a mink comes through a blind set you have one chance to have its foot find the pan. If your off a little or the mink happens to bounce differently this time through you miss him. When using a bait or lure or both that a mink is readily interested in and you have confined the area in which it can place its feet on the approach to the pocket your odds are greatly increased for a catch. Mink have much better noses than people give them credit for. I see absolutely no advantage to the use of mink musk in any amount in a mink lure. They do not mark their territory with it any more than a skunk does with its musk. Both are in the weasel family and both use it as a defence and fear response. lures are only valuable when they provoke a strong response in the target animal to investigate the odor. Every bottle of "Maquoketa River Lure" that I formulate does just that.

I agree with Dave P! Ace

What are ground and aged mink glands good for?

I think there is a place for mink glands in mink lure formulation so long as its not too strong and overpowering so as to scare off females and timid male mink as well as overpowering milder ingredients in the formulation.
I have experimented with mink glands in canine lure formulation and they are a good attractor to bring fox and coyote up to the set. However, I have seen many times where fox and coyote seemed hesitant to stick their nose into a hole that smelled like mink. I concluded from the number of times this happened (tracks in sand and snow)that some canines are reluctant to take a chance on getting bit on the nose by a mink in the hole. I noted tracks many times attempting to look into the hole from the side and back of a set, way more often than when lures without mink glands were tested. Ace

i agree with ya on that one asa ..... "conditioning" .... those ones that refuse to work those holes have had run ins with mink in their lifetimes and dont want that tender nose bitten ... but there was a reason they were bitten to begin with .... before the nose bites they had gained food either from stealin it from a mink or findin a mink cache ... this post keeps gettin better and better

In my opinion their best aplication is when used in a canine formulation and to a lesser degree for otter. I prefer to use them fresh with a few other enhancing ingredients for coyotes. Mink musk is quite volitale and requires the use of a few other ingredients to hold it down and keep it in the animals scent zone. I would highly value Aces input on the subject

I understand what Gary is saying about how a Coyote's past experiences with a mink might play a roll in if he investigates a set with mink musk or not. But, what about the young Coyote/Fox/Bobcat that has never had a run in with a mink before. Now, any furbearer must smell numerous scents on a daily basis, but I'm sure they do not go around investigating all of those scents. So my question is what would pull a furbearer to a set with mink musk if that furbearere has never had an experience with that scent?

K-9 I got plenty of 3 and 4 year old weseal gland ground up.

That's what I wondered, is how a guy can get any quantity of weasel gland. Is it straight up gland or is anything done to them to stretch them out a bit?

I mean we are atlking some pretty tiny little pods and there just can't be THAT many weasels killed every year can there? I'm guessing some of you guys got an in with some pretty good weasel trappers.

They work good on fox, great on coyotes.
I was messing with bobcats in Washington state, but not enought to say it was as good as castor

k9...

forieghn glands your reccon?

i mean, from over seas to?

Okay, I was curious as I wanted to purchase some lure. I can order from F & T though. It would've been nice to meet you and talk for a bit also.

Netrapper writes...
So my question is what would pull a furbearer to a set with mink musk if that furbearere has never had an experience with that scent?

Canines are curious about scent gland of most all other animal species and recognize them as animal even though they have never had experience with them. For example, a desert animal never smelled castor but it attracts animals attention wherever its placed. Also, I think some canines when smelling mink musk recognize mink as being potentially dangerous to stick their nose in a hole even if they have never had any experience with mink. Just an example of danger recognition, I once had an Airedal that would shiver and shake when it smelled bear poop even though he had never had a confrontation with a bear. Ace

Mac:
How could an Airedale dog be afraid of bear poop when he never ever seen a bear? I believe its inherent in animals nature to recognize possible danger.

Mac also wrote....
I personally think more prospective mink trappers have been caught by mink lure than actual mink. Just my thoughts.

Fox and mink lures were the first two lures offered for sale by my Dad in 1924 and those same mink lures are still being sold today. These were lures developed and used by a master mink trapper in the big money mink trapping era. Dad made most of his living off trapping fox and mink in those times. Scores of trappers order Lenon mink lures year after year, many for 10...20...30...40...and more consecutive years. Like you say, being as respectful as possible, why would anyone order year after year if mink lures had no merit??? Dad figured that good mink lures used correctly would add a 30% increase to one's total harvest over using blind or baited sets. From my years of experience trapping mink I concur with that assertion. Ace

Animals smell fear, we can too if we recognize it.
An example in humans;a new mailman came to my inlaws twice one day, was pleseant, My father-in-law recognized something was wrong, called the sherriff and post office. The fellow was an ATF agent' my fatherinlaw had purchased a gun in Spain, and the sent him the wrong gun it was ment to be a bust.

Ever see a cow or horse turn wild when down wind



The first part may be true,
Lure do work better in the north than in the south,.... something to do with snakes and holes

Thank you for your responses Asa.

i am more open on my thoughts and respect ALL trappers on here .... but when i read certain things i have to question em ... if this is true of canines fearing mink musk for no apparent reason and they refuse sets just on this smell .... with no prior bad incidents ..... what is to say that mink wont do the same with the weasel scent that yall talk bout earlier ?? i REALLY believe an animal has to have a bad incident and assosiate these with a smell before they "realize" that they are connected .... this pretty much falls into the trap-wise critters associating certain things to danger .... this is a vast subject and i may just be stupid ... but ill throw it out there for everyone to read and reflect on .... but keep in mind ... how many times have you seen a yearling animal approach you with no fear ... until a warning sound of the mother has it scampering back ?? after that first encounter that animal will know (from its mother's warnings) that this "smell" is danger and will remember it from then on out ... unless it "learns" otherwise .... all bout conditioning if ya ask me .... and this includes all their senses ... just not smell ..... just my opinion