Too bad the convention always falls right when Oregon beaver are at their best.

I have caught over a thousand mink and have never used any lure. Fish 100%.

I like half of the fishl be in water. That oil and blood leaching out of the pocket will do the trick.

I run a little mink gland lure if I’m using baited boxes and 110s just to get them to commit a little better to enter the box. Can’t speak scientifically if it works but it makes me feel better. Lions share of my sets are not boxes with bait but I run a lot of blind sets with 110s and no bait or lure.
On side note, mink gland lure is an awesome coyote attractor for me at various predator sets, and those nowhere near good mink habitat. So I always buy some, just not always for mink trapping.
Jim

That’s a sign of good character. Some people would rather have someone hide who you really are and appreciate dishonesty in this day and age…..lol.
But nowadays honesty and brutally honest criticism, a guy will wind up in the HR office downtown.

I’m hoping to make it to NB next January, but like you say, the timing hurts. If I was retired, no problem but I gotta maintain a few lines, the fur line & the power line……lol.

Hard to beat fish.

If there is any way I can figure out to do it I'd love to go to NB in January too. The only interactions I've had with FHA brass is when they had sales in Seattle and I got to attend one. Loved the buffet!

Glad they have the convention in winter again like the old days.

I dont get the mentality that you have to check traps every day in winter.
Not an efficient way to operate.Actually counterproductive where I am.Especially land fur you gotta let your traps time to work.Big waste checking empty traps.

My traps are always working no matter where I am.Checking traps once a week in winter is plenty.
Learn to gang set hotspots for concentrated species like beaver so you dont have to attend sets all the time to take out animals and reset the same trap to catch stuff.
And dont let greed for money take you over-you will regret all the important stuff you missed in life when you get older.
And I guarantee you if you think you will have time to do more things when you are old and retired you are sadly mistaken.
I was able to do way more trapping back in the day when I had a full time job than I could ever do now.

Ole Harris told me...

An otter hates a mink

And a mink hates a weasel

So lure appropriately

Lenon's Muskrat Super All Call.

Best 'coon lure out there I've found for pocket sets . . . ;O)

good info and agree with Gusto

A lure I have experimented with and have had good results with is bobcat gland lure. Years ago I used this at dirt holes up on top of river banks and was surprised at the number of mink I'd catch. Carman's. Went to using this on the river and continued success with the mink.

There are times when I believe a loud mink gland lure will cause females to shy away from a set. Just a thought.

Never tried it myself, but my dad talks about when he was a boy and learning to trap, he was told that otter hated mink. So he was trying to catch otter on the millpond by his house. He would take the back half of a mink carcass and nail it to a log and set a trap there. Said he never caught an otter with it, but it was the most productive mink set he ever used.

The otter mink weasel thing is an old wives tale.
Just my opinion based on experience since I have never tested it out but never seen a connection from years on the line either.
Otter are attracted to beaver castor occasionally,but not often.

Just think how many you didn't catch without the lure. lol

Musky mink lure works on coyote just sayin

I doubt I missed many. I'm in NW ohio. Not really known for a large mink population.
When i am going hard I catch 80 to 85 % of my catch the first 3 days a set is made. It's not a waiting game.
All my mink are caught in a 7 mile radius from my house.

When average or above conditions for the critters to run I am getting about a 30% catch rate for the number of traps I have out.
Coon are the biggest problems. Plugging good sets. With several adjustments over the years I got my coon to mink ratio down to about 1.6 coon to 1 mink.
I make one set only. Find what works and repeat. IMO mink are the easiest furbarer to catch
They want to kill (weasel). Find that trigger and they will fall in your sets.

Do your best to talk to the guys putting up big numbers. I highly doubt they are luring. Fish or meat. I'm hooked on fish.
I have gave demos at several locations and I tell everyone that i wont claim i know everything but I'm very confident in what I am doing.

Mink dont need a bait or lure,,,,

Use what ever you have locally.


We used fresh (frozen walnut sized chunks ) bullhead in Minnesota for bait much simpler to work with and cheaper Sometimes with beaver castor added .

But if you really want a lure: Fish oil with a wee bit of skunk ,

Otherwise limit the beaver castor when beaver are around,,
And Mink grand ,, works great on cats, doyotes and fiox ,,,not so great on mink

If mink are attracted to fish, would a fishy lure not work? Seems like it would be easier to deal with than actual fish bait.

Both mink and otter are attracted to weasel musk, mink glands and fresh bait bullhead great, smelt if you can get it, fresh muskrat. Sure you are going to catch mink, muskrat, raccoon, otter, and beaver in blind sets, it is in my opinion though that you will increase your blind catch by adding some good lure.

And a pocket set at water edge will catch every water furbearer, you decide if it is better with a kidney bean size of lure on an attractor fur, wool, whatever in the back of the pocket.

Lots of states have restrictive check times for your line. in Oregon it's 48 hours.

The main issue for me on getting away in January is it's when my target species are prime and water conditions might be as well. Lately with floods and then dry spells good trapping is effectively limited to the intermediate. I've never had much extra cash in the winter months and depend on my trapping income.

That said...I'm going to make a concerted effort to get to NB for a convention...if not in '27 for sure in '28.