Caught my first Idaho weasel

Set out 10 boxes for three days and caught one weasel on the 3rd day. I have no idea how Idaho rates for weasel trapping. I didn’t see any sign. The weasel was about 2/3’s white. I thought at this time of the year they should be all white. Caught a few when I previously lived in PA but not very many. Unfortunately, I don’t know how to post pictures

Way to go.Congrats.

Nice

Cool I've only ever seen a couple. Good goin

From what I see on You tube, some guys catch a lot in the upper Midwest like Michigan. I wish I had their kind of population and habitat. One of the easiest animals to set traps for.

I'm not far from you Grandpa. Populations here seem to vary tremendously from year to year. About 6 years ago, we had tracks everywhere of both short-tails (ermine) and long-tails. I generally get 3-4 of them (long-tails) every year as incidentals in my marten boxes, so I decided I'd try specifically for them. Built 30 rat-trap boxes and set 'em out for nearly a month. Tried every bait imaginable, and tried all the recommended lures. Had tracks of weasels going right by and around the boxes, so they weren't afraid of them, but getting them to go in was nearly impossible. I've talked to a couple other mountain west trappers (Idaho) that had the same experience as I did. Finally caught a single male short-tailed weasel, pulled all the traps and haven't tried 'em since. Tell me your secret, man!

Jack

Gulo, when I trapped in the East just about all the ones that came up to the boxes went in them. Missed a few inside the boxes, though. I hope these western weasels don’t have a different mindset. I am going to place the boxes out again later this week. I use bloody beef liver for bait in back of the box on a nail. I have used chicken liver back East but there is some question if domestic chicken is legal here. I teach trapper education and received different answers from the authorities. I place weasel lure back in the box and smear the front entrance around the edge of the hole with muskrat gland lure. My weasel catches went up slightly when I started using the muskrat gland lure. I then place Hellfire lure a foot or two above the trap. If the trap is inside a culvert or pipe, I place the Hellfire on the top lip of it. If I catch a mouse, it stays in the box next to the liver bait. Maybe overkill, but it seemed to work for me. Hopefully, it does again. As I said, I am seeing very few weasel tracks and where I live, I have limited locations to set the boxes.

Good thread. Haven’t tried weasels in a couple years, there is a lot of sign where I am. I like that this thread reminded me of our days trapping them, they’re fun.

Yeah Grandpa. I tried beaver chunks and livers, I tried muskrat, I tried about everything. Even bought some weasel gland lure, and tried anal sac lure from weasels I caught in marten sets. I even tried switching out the rat traps for footholds. Tried taking the fronts off the boxes. Had tracks at or near 50% of the boxes while they were set. Was confounded nearly every time. Wife walked over a checked a box one time, lifted the lid, and there was a weasel in the box staring up at her. Trap, with big yellow pan, was still set. Go figure. We did catch quite a few deer mice. I'd sure like to figure it out. Keep me appraised of your success or lack thereof. Currently, I'm of the opinion that these western weasels are indeed of a different ilk than the upper midwest ones.

Jack

Grandpa -

You get a long-tail or a short-tail?

Way to go Grandpa Trapper!

Gulo, those boxes look deadly for weasel!

Thanks JP. Wife and I had over 300 trapnights and caught 1 short-tailed weasel. The boxes might look good, but I was disappointed. Like I said earlier, we get a few (long-tails) every year in our 120 Conibear boxes set for marten, but they apparently don't like the weasel boxes. Caught lots of short-tails in Alaska in our marten sets.

signed...

Weasel-less in Idaho

Caught a long tail. Never caught a short tail. How can you tell a short tail weasel track from a long tail weasel track? Size?

I am very interested in these creatures...are they destructive to human habitat, or do they mainly stick to the brush? We don't have them here, they seem like little bad(This word is unacceptable on Trapperman)es!

Sometimes the long tails don’t leave tracks. They wrap their tail around branches and swing from tree to tree like a chimp! Use bananas for bait.

But really, the way to tell the difference is the size of track and distance between them. Sometimes the long tail does actually leave a bit of a tail track...not kidding.

I remember seeing the tail in a track or two.

Pictures are deceiving but that looks like a short tail to me. A long tail around here is the size of a small mink. I don’t think a snap trap would work real good on a long tail.

Voracious eaters with a very high metabolism. Miniature bloodthirsty killing machines. Supposedly eats up to 1/2 of its body weight in a day. I don’t think they are destructive to habitat other than getting into farmers chicken pens

I used to catch more short tails then marten in my marten boxes. I always used an open front box with a #1 longspring. A piece of muskrat or beaver and gusto lure 3 to 4 feet off the ground. I only ever caught 1 long tail and I caught it in a bobcat set in a #3 long spring. Up here they should all be white by now.
Yukon John. Once in a while they will take a young chicken or rabbit but other then that I have never experienced any problem with them. I didn't mind catching them as I usually caught enough to pay for my gas.

So do I, lol!
Thanks Sundance, and Grandpa!

I'd sure be interested in hearing of any other mountain west weasel lines. We've got both the short-tails (ermine) and long-tails, sometimes in pretty good numbers, but I sure can't catch them, when I target them.

Jack

#0 long springs gulo. Don't force them to go through a small hole to get to it.
Perhaps you're not "managing" your ermine line properly?

Also put a good coil spring in front of the box, a lot of other critters come for a sniff too. Oh use drags here or your boxes will be destroyed. we have a lot of weasels here in Pa and from what guys tell me the ones south of I-80 do not turn white, I do not know that for a fact but have been told that. Hay the half white ones look neat too.....jk

I've had the same luck as Gulo, except I've caught one less than he has.

Thanks martentrapper. I tried taking the front off the boxes, so it was more like a marten cubby. Seemed to make no difference.

jk - Generally, the weasels (long-tails) I catch in November have not changed completely over to white pelage. Ten years ago, I never caught any with even a hint of brown or gray, but most now have at least some hair of the head and down the center of the back that hasn't completely changed. Interesting. What's with that?

You are referring to the short tail as ermine and not the long tail. I always thought any weasel that turns white is referred to as an ermine? Correct me if I am wrong

I believe the Short-tail is the only one to be correctly called an Ermine.

I found boxes just as frustrating as Gulo did. I ended up using 110's with a bit of meat on the trigger....set on "fire if breathed on" mode. I would cover them up with either a white paper plate, or set them up inside a cut-out milk jug. Not only will it keep the snow off, but also keep the tweety birds from messing with them like they did when they were in plain sight

P.S. congratulations on the catch!

To clarify the set.....I sat the 110 upright on the ground, resting on a couple twigs to prevent freeze-down. The paper plate was sat on top of the jaws and a leaning twig held it in place. The milk jug deal was usually fastened to the trunk of a tree, just low enough to have the 110 sit under it out of sight of the little birds.

Congrats on the weasel catch,GT.

Catch them by the dozens in boxes every year.
Got one today.

Gulo
I ran my line in northern Idaho in the Priest Lake area. Your box missing the front looks good to me. I never caught any that weren't all white. Only time I had a box damaged was by a two legged varmit. I caught a few in 110s usually in a vertical set with the bait above, I think they stood on the trigger.

Have tried All kinds of sets here in Wy in lots of locations very few ermine. I have caught a few in marten boxes but still few. Tried even setting out boxes 24 one year in a lot of different locations and in 2 months about 3. Tried a lot of different bait liver, beaver chicken scrapes and ground mice no luck. Same with mink catch one on occasion but not much, tried beaver flows streams but very few and not much sign of either critter. When I lived in Montana lots of mink at least where I trapped and fair amount of ermine. Im guessing just not the right habitat in Wy at least where I trap. But when you roll 100 miles and hit the culverts marshes slash piles and dont catch much got to figure they are not numerous here.