I’m pretty wimpy with a quill in me much less 3 like these full penetration. Also very common, many critters are quilled

Also picked up a female ermine the other day, first one out of about 40 ermine total. They are so much smaller than the males they hardly ever set off a 120.

I just never get tired of seeing these. We used to have LOTS of them here and now they are few and far in between.

Nice catch. Are you using 120 traps specifically for weasels? How do you set them?

Maybe it's acupuncture...

Bever Retriever. Vertical 2 gallon flowerpots notched to hold the springs. Face up on the ground and face down on a tree. As you can see the trigger is closest to the bait. On a tree set the dog is against the tree. Bait is wired to the bottom of the pot. Holds are better if you use a small cross wire on the trigger V wires.

Same here-get lots of northern shorttails in the marten boxes,but very few females.

Great pics and info. Thanks

those are some pretty little critters. bet they are a hoot to trap.

Interesting. That seems like a multi species set though. I use a 1 1/2 long spring in a box to avoid non target catches when I’m after weasel. However, my setup takes male and female weasel just the same.

What type of lure are you guys using to target weasels? Same as a fisher/marten set or is skunk less attractive to them?

That's too bad, I wonder why?

That's right to exclude larger critters a cover with small hole would be needed. Our weasel seasons coincide with mink and marten. At any rate when using the 120's, a vertical set with V triggers will take the ermine while it is rare for a horizontally- set 120 with V triggers to get them unless they get the bait loose and fire the trap while dragging out the bait. I suppose a horizontal 120 with a pan would nab them but I don't use them.

Yes skunk works but often just the bait will do the trick. Rat musk and castor base lure will do it maybe with a touch of anise.

They will respond to most mink, marten and fisher lures and meat bait but I have found them to be very attracted to weasel gland itself.

I often use pretty much the same set for marten and there are plenty of weasels around but they never climb. Haven’t caught one in years . Nice job drasselt. Lotsa fun there

I get them occasionally in vertical marten sets, never got one in a non vertical 120. My theory is they stand on the triggers in a vertical set, setting off the trap. Had one fire one yesterday and missed it, some of the small short tails like the female you pictured will fire them on occasion but actually be between the upper and lower jaws when they close so that they don't get caught. If I want to catch numbers of weasels I will set boxes on the ground with #1 longsprings in them, but I haven't targeted them for a couple years and usually catch a handful in marten sets.

Same loud lures that work well for marten work well for weasels, like marten you need a good chunk of meat bait to get them to commit.

When I have a fired empty 120 I always take a quick look around on the ground for a dead weasel.
Occasionally they get hit by the jaw and killed but not caught in the trap.
I do the same with 330's set for beaver-a few times I have found a dead rat floating not far from a fired beaver trap.

X2 what Boco said, I once had a 220 set in Fisher box, trap was sprung and a large male mink lie dead a couple of feet away.
I don’t know what it is but Ermine are cool fur bearers, and I always get excited catching one. I have 2 on the boards now.

Good point on the fired, empty traps.

Squash yes ermine are cool.

The black tipped tail makes or breaks the pelt as far as that goes. An ermine without the black tipped tail is just a small strip of white fur and tough to sell....

So when skinning I cut heel to heel, forward of the vent, leaving plenty of hide intact to ensure the tail is not easily lost. Also I do not split the tail so as to avoid losing the black tip. Unsplit, they dry and tan fine for me.

We use a rat trap with a wooden box and a hole in the front. Fish for bait and some lennons lure. Ermine disapeared this year, I've only seen one set of tracks........not sure why as the voles are pretty thick but then everything is low this year excluding the voles and beaver.

Probably Suicide...

Garry-

lol

Thanks for sharing the pictures

Mac