I have a couple lengths of that drain tile
I suppose next fall if we are done combining corn in time before freeze up I will try to dig some trenches. I did some on top of ice bottom edge sets today, blocked the outside and top with rocks so it is a tunnel with no bait. Also set a hole where I saw tracks, and set another pipe that was half buried already. We shall see
I have a fairly substantial line out right now for mink (22 traps). A little discouraging but once they make their loop back through it could be feast, or it could be famine. Thank you for the info. I hope more keep adding to it, as I am definitely learning a lot. Spent the day skinning coon so this is a nice break for the hands.

Beav's got the right idea. I don't have any of these out this year but if mink prices continue to climb it might be time to get these back out. My 4" drainpipes are all about 3' long. In the middle there's a small hole (maybe 3/8") drilled then a sharp knife makes a slit away from the hole for maybe a half inch. This accepts a couple of Q-tips that can be placed into the pipe, head down, then pushed into the slit to hold 'em tight. I dip these in different lures prior to inserting. Sometimes mink lure, sometimes weasel lure, and also muskrat all call. The pipe also has a 1/2" hole drilled top to bottom less than a foot from both ends. This allows a 3/8" or 1/2" rerod stake to be plunged through to hold the pipe in place. Now, at both ends you'll need to cut the plastic away to allow your trap to set inside the pipe just a little bit. I use #1 Bridger coilsprings. Strong small trap. And I modify it with a Duke #1 1/2 pan. The Duke #1 1/2s now have the Wild River pan. Each #1 coilspring trap is hooked up to a drowner cable that terminates in deep enough water to drown a 'coon, just in case. This same terminal end has another drowner cable running to a trap aways from the pipe. Usually this is another foothold in a blind set. This way you'll have 4 working traps with two terminal ends.

Pipe has a wad of grass stuffed into it, about half way down. Pipe is set along the water's edge, but fully in shallow water. Snugged to a vertical bank works very well. Stake in place with both rerods, dip your Q-tips and insert 'em into the slit, then prep the substrate at each end to accept the #1 coilspring. You can cover the pipe with marsh grass, weeds, bark . . what have you along the shoreline. Get your drowning system in place, set trap and snug into place, and get your side sets made up.

You'll get muskrats and mink. An occasional 'coon but if your trap is set inside the pipe your chances become less. No bait. Nothing to rot and stink up later. Until it gets cold and stays cold. Then a muskrat haunch stuffed down into the pipe works very well. That grass wad shouldn't be so thick it blocks air flow, yet doesn't allow the mink to see through the pipe. As the Beav says . . if the mink thinks the hole goes somewhere and has an exit you'll have a better chance of having that mink enter the pipe.

Stock Bridger #1 and then with the Duke #1 1/2 pan.



Ready to go, though that copper tag will be blackened up just a bit.



And the Duke #1 1/2 with the Wild River pan.



The small coilspring trap is easily taken to deeper water by most mink and 'rats. It's a good set, takes some tinker time, but unless you have water up and down issues, should work well for you in those open creeks and rivulets that tend to remain open in winter when it doesn't get too cold out. Keep the pipe in flowing water. This will help prevent freeze up.

Hey Mike, In most cases I only set them in the dead of winter and in most cases the streams were froze over so there was little or no coon activity. And sometimes in the early season I wouldn't bait them just because of coon. And I still caught mink because of the curiosity thing.

And yes, your totally right about a mink kill. They always come back to the kill site to finish what's left.