Near my house there is an old fencerow and in the winter (Snow on/everything frozen) there are always mink tracks running the fence row in a fairly straight line pattern. They do zig zag a little bit hunting I assume, but mostly straight line. The fencerow is brushy with briars and redbrush. It connects two larger sections of redbrush/briars that the mink hunt for rabbits. There is no defined water in the fence row. The larger sections of redbrush are kind of swampy, and I've caught mink in the small streams (6-8 inches deep, foot wide) that drain them when the water is free flowing. Once they freeze solid I notice the mink really start to travel that fence row and are not as apt to follow the small streams. The fence row really turns into a great funnel it seems when conditions are right. I guess my question is this, How would I go about catching the mink that run the fence row in winter?

I've thought about doing mink boxes with 120's, but it seems that people have mixed results in the posts I've read here. Would this be my best option?

I also thought about setting a #11 in front of a few rabbit holes that the mink always check, but I feel like it'd be tough to keep operational due to the conditions and my neighbors cats might fall victim.

This would be for next year as mink in PA is out of season, but I'd like to give it a shot when they come back in and conditions are right.

Thanks in advance for any help, advice and/or suggestions.

If you can use conibears it would be a good spot for a 110 if it has overhanging brush. Or if in PA snares are legal there's a great thread on here from Eric Space with his sets of the day.

Sounds like a dandy location. If it connects differing drainages even better.
The way I read body grips are not legal outside of a water course.
Nor are paw holds at the rabbit holes.
Light triggered paw holds at dirt hole sets and blind sets will work if cats are not a problem.
A wire cage trap or three, baited and brushed in comes to mind.

www.pgc.pa.gov/HuntTrap/Law/Pages/HuntingandTrappingDigest.aspx

This is where I read the regs.
Seasons and regs.
Then trapping and traps.

Your area holds some of the very best habitat in W. Pa. in my opinion.

Like said above dont use a bodygripper outside the confines of a watercourse or set within 5' of a den. I would just bait natural cubbies or make your own out of rocks or firewood- with footholds.

Mink are breeding now in Pa. and leaving alot of tracks.
Your location sounds great. If cats are a problem, use/make tunnels on Mink trail. Make tunnels before the season (even now) and have them ready & seasoned when conditions are right.

I think posums are in rut over here.

I've seen this over land mink pattern a few times and concluded
"connects differing drainages" though I'm only a student of them.

A trail cam may be revealing. Even a topo map.

I like the tunnel idea.

Thanks to all who responded. Yeah in PA we are not allowed to use 110's away from water course. I guess the box idea won't work either.

I think that I will build some cubbies/tunnels and try to get the mink checking them out and just set some footholds at the entrances and see what happens! There is a good number of mink using the funnel, there are mink tracks everywhere and has been for a couple years since I moved to this area and noticed.

If you can snare them, snare ! I catch a lot of mink that way.
Almost all fence rows will have a trail runnin' along them, which although are traveled by many other animals, are mostly raccoon.

How about using plastic field tile for cubby?
just