Right trap for mink

Let me start off by saying I know nothing about trapping mink I’m normally a land trapping guy
This year my 5 year old has his heart set on catching a mink while I’m trying to trap beaver
I have a few old duke 1.75 traps i used for bobcats and coyotes in the past.
is this to much trap for mink using a pocket set ?

1.75's will work at pockets, or blind set trails in water

x2, they get into my rat sets.

Your traps will work. I suggest you reduce any pan tension to Zero

Most footholds work just have zero pan tension since the.animal is very light and nimble.
First one I ever caught was in a #3 northwoods coyote blind set at a creek crossing. The mink hit the pan and the big trap acted more like a body gripper and got him by the head and chest, never moved the trap from its base.
I had a bunch of victor #1 longs and those worked well for mink and coon at pocket sets.
Any smaller trap you can find is a good mink trap just needs to fire with very light to no pan tension.
Have fun with this!.
Mink are one of my favorite animals to trap.
Jim

Thank guy i will go get them ready for next weekend

Should a person strive for the same pan tension for mink & muskrats?

I have a pile of Victor #2 square jaws that I use to toss in the back of the truck for any possible mink set up. They worked great.

Yes, less is better.

The #2 square jawed vic Is probably the best mink trap going. The 1.75 Is also a good mink trap. Even though you loosen up the pan tension bolt there Is still to much pan tension.

I spent a few seasons trapping rats In ND and watched rats sit right on top of 1 1/2s and # 2s and 1.75s and never set off the trap. I had backed off the tension bolt but the strong springs were still creating to much pan tension. Then you will be told to just file down the dog notch so you have a hair trigger. Well In my opinion that will get you to many toe catches or just sprung traps. I want That animals foot fully committed before that trap springs. So what's the answer?

Heat the springs to remove some of the strength. So I dedicated 300 some traps to be used with weak springs for just rats and mink. Once I did that my catch ratio went up considerably. Sure you can catch rats with out weakening the springs but I'm more concerned about the rats I'm missing.

I heated each spring for about 30 seconds to get what I wanted. But you should start out with less time till you get what you want. It will also depend on your heat source and how It's applied and of course the spring strength to begin with. I just used one of those butane hand held torch's. I also built a jig so I could hold 12 traps at a time so I didn't have to handle them. Heat the traps while they are sprung and let them cool before setting.

Good luck.

Adjust those traps so that pan falls on its own. That is the pan tension you want on mink or muskrat traps. When setting the trap, pull the pan down until it is almost off or out of pan notch.
Those will be fine for mink trapping. Remember you can crowd mink hard, so do so. In pocket sets would prefer the hole to be no larger than the trap width. I would prefer about an 1" of water over the pan. I would prefer the mink can see the bait so I do not cover it up. If using a lure or liquid bait then I would make a false or fake mouse nest or rat nest with grass. If you have mink lure, use it sparingly. Most mink lure is made for trappers not mink. I have used a couple good ones and made a couple of good ones but good mink lures are scarce as hens teeth. If the water is going to be dropping you can lightly camp the trap with leaves but not too much. In my mind the mink does not see the trap as a trap if the water drops but just something to jump over. Camo the trap a bit and it is sort of ready to a semi dry set.
You can alter your pocket set by not making a traditional pocket. If you have the bank, which should be vertical or shape the bank to vertical, you can dig a small pocket or hole about three inches in diameter about as deep as you can but not necessary to go over 8 or 10 inches. The hole can be about anywhere but for mink or muskrats 9 inches to a bit more above the water lever. Set your trap directly under the hole. Place the trap so the loose jaw is against the bank. The pan should be about 1 inch under water. Place a jaw guard guide stick up against the jaw held by the dog, close to the dog. Use jaw guard stick about the diameter of a pencil and it should be sticking out of the water perhaps 8 or more inches. It sounds complicated but it is a very fast and effective set to put in. I first learned about this style of set talking to Ivan White, a name few these days will recognized.
If you have any mild smelling fish oil like salmon oil or a good trout oil, you can stick a twig in the bottle and sort of flip or fling a little scent trail up the bank from the pocket. This is more of a liquid bait and far better than most lures. There are things that one can add to make the oil more effective but I have rambled on too much.

Good luck and thanks for sharing what you know with your son. Those young folks will have to carry on the tradition.

Mac

Your old fox lures will make them stop and take a few extra steps and as mentioned above the old weak #2 victors are great mink and rat traps......jk

so number two victors are the perferred trap from what im reading?

Yep! They weigh enough to drag them under water quick if they don't kill them outright. 9 out of 10 times, I catch them across the shoulder/chest/neck area and they act like a conibear.

Nice!

I think everyone here is talking about the old square jawed Victor #2s....and I don't believe you can buy them new anymore. Just to clarify.