Hey fellas, I live in Montour/Columbia county in Pennsylvania. I am determined to get myself an ermine. I have three culverts on or near my farm & a weasel box I’ve built. I’ve been using beef liver then rebaiting as needed with slight amounts of Soul Taker. My first culvert was in a wooded area on the edge of a field I thought would be the best spot. Further away from the barn. However I found cats living nearby in the woods & believe maybe they are preventing weasels from getting near it due to the facts cats kill absolutely everything. Tonight I put it in my cow pasture, below the barn along a small spring creek.

Are there any Pennsylvania boys here or anyone who can give me some weasel pointers? I have never even seen one. But according to maps supplied by the state, they’re here. Not seeing one doesn’t deter me bc most people never see bobcats, grey foxes, etc and there’s plenty about.


Thank you

I have caught 3 in the last three years, been trapping for almost 50 yrs. I am in columbia county. I caught two of them with a weasel box baited with left over deer from butchering. I caught them on a stone wall. the third one i caught in a mink set in the water...........go figure on that one. If you have any brush piles or stone rows i would try them.

I have caught them along and around cattail swamps, along small brushy streams and in open hardwoods. They can be almost any where, seems they roam alot and can show up in many places.

Hear you. We have “the deer pit” where we dump after processing. They get picked clean. I’ve had two cats running around there living in this old fox den. The culvert is right next to it. Cats kept coming up to my box. I was catching a few mice which I liked but I just don’t think a weasel would choose to compete with cats like that if they don’t truly have to. New spot is along a creek just below the barn. I’ll let you know how I make out.

Thank you for the intel sir

Grinner and Mr. Jameson mentioned 3 of the best spots to find a Ermine. Stone walls or piles of rocks. Bruch piles. Cattail swamps. Those 3 are killer spots, always have Ermine around.

You have to find the locations. They will roam all over but hunt in specific areas. Go to those areas they hunt.

Bridges, are there rock piles under or near the bridge? Set it on BOTH side of the bridge. In the rocks, put a rock on top of the box, paint some boxes dark grey, they will blend right in, put them at the waters edge and right next to the bridge wall. Both sides, so two traps on each side, one next to the wall and one down in the rocks at the water. Go to the other side of the bridge and do the same thing, that's 4 traps under one bridge.

Any old abandoned buildings? Set inside and outside along the walls.
Any old machinery sitting in the weeds? Set a box under it.
Any old places they dump anything? Set it, right in the middle of the mess, try to get the box under something, a old car hood or something dry.

Use lot's of bait that the mice can get to and a lure up a couple of feet over the box. Smear it right on the rocks or bridge wall.
Your cat's only wish they could catch an Ermine, they can, but not easily or often. Hide the traps from the cats view.
Set that barn hard, and they will be in those culverts hunting and using them to access other areas and stay off the road. Cover your boxes from your cats view. Makes the ermine more comfortable to work your trap.
Maybe you have those big round bales of hay. I would set a box in there for sure. Think of all the mice and small creatures living in those bales! Good food and a nice house for a Ermine.

I am in Alaska, and these are the places that produce Ermine every year, all season. Find something similar on your land and go after them. Rat traps, #0 longsprings & jumps and #1 coils, longsprings or jumps. Holler if you have questions. Mr. Jameson sell really good Ermine lure too! Check his website out. His Erminator is a killer lure.

https://www.jamesonsultrablend.com/

Wonderful info. Gonna grab some lure now. Need to make some more boxes & get to work.

Cats in the woods will eat your weasels, birds etc. You ought to figure how to SCARE the hides off of them. Run them out in the road to get run over. Chase them into the river or pond.

Was thinking of buying some bear bomb eustress sprays and spraying a ton all over down there for a week or so lol

I only ever caught one in my life, 50 some years ago.

Like others have already pointed to, I caught it beside a rock pile the farmer picked from the nearby field.

Same areas I look for them here. Froze up beaver runs in the cattails very good spot here.

Bloomy19 just what Super Wide mentioned rock hedge rows and where ever there food source maybe near you this time of year
my advise would be to understand what there track looks like in the snow and instead of trying to draw them to your box locate them by there track and set your well baited box right on the sign
chicken livers are cheap and work well when used with with mr Jamisons Erminator lure what ever bait you deceide to use keep it fresh and bloody they are incredible mousers so keep in mind
find the mice and you find where they hunt
take care

What Bob said….. you find the food and I think you will have better luck than drawing them anywhere. It’s been along time ago now, but I caught three in one year in a bunch of cattails off of large creek…..plenty of small rodents in there .

Yep find the mice!! I used to get up to ten one year but I put out a lot of boxes, like 40 all good advice above. Set hard, culvert pipe next to cat tails and cats are your enemy. I THINK if you see cats you will not have weasels. One of my main traps was the #2 victor coil because you would also attract coon and fox and even Mr Bear, it is never to cold to not have one of those guys mess up you box. Oh the big trap went right in front of the box and a snap trap inside. It also seemed to me that the white ones were mainly above route #80. Short tails 10 to one long tail......jk

Perfecto thanks jk

The way I always trapped them here in MN was first of all look for tracks in the snow. If you aren't finding any tracks there probably aren't any in the area. I usually found sign around culverts or brushy areas. Weasel boxes work real well by keeping most unwanted targets out, mice are the exception. For bait I used liver or beaver scrapings from fleshing. I liked the Victor rat trap or a #1 foothold set near the opening to body catch them.