Bedding foot holds for mink

Along a stretch of creek I am trapping, there are spots where the mink are coming off the ice shelf and up into the marsh grass. I would like to put a few #11s in these spots. The ground is froze solid and we are in a freeze thaw cycle right now. I would prefer to use 160's with pans, but the snow has mashed down the grass and it is pretty open. Could I get away with pushing a #11 down into the snow or just under the grass? I can cable them to trees for anchoring.

Thanks.

I’ve used a hammer to pound out a depression in the ground before in some trails for mink and worked ok for me.

Rip up a few handfulls of dry grass and make a nest in your hand and set the trap inside.Set it down on the trail,blend in a bit with more grass and cover with a little dry grass and sprinkle with snow.Use a couple jump sticks so he hits the pan and a couple guide sticks or couple grass clumps to line him up..Dry grass is a footrappers best friend in winter to bed and cover traps to prevent freezedown.Longsprings are more solid bedded in dry marshgrass .A grass bunch,or sprucebranch can be stuffed thru the spring to stabilize trap.

Thanks guys. Plenty of dry grass here to use. I got two sets in yesterday, I am going to look for a few more spots tomorrow.

I’d use a mink box…..wooden cubby with wire screen on the back end….and the door / opening …has a plywood cover with a 2 1/2 “ hole cut in it. With a 110 inside….with a wooden pan…or triggers shaped into a semi circle with a trip wire. Some trout meat for bait in the back…and Lennon’s weasel lure in there too

I have two of those out there. Tried them last year also, no luck with them. I've been using muskrat for bait, any trout I catch I am eating.

I haven't done this, but I believe Boco knows what he is talking about here. This should work well.

I did everything but the dusting of snow. We hit 37 yesterday, I was afraid any snow I might put on or near the trap would freeze. This morning was 11 degrees. Looking forward to checks the next couple days.

I would use a larger trap. 1.5 or 2 longspring or #2 coil, if mink are the only likely catch. It gets them higher and they will expire quicker. You can also paint a conibear white, seriously it works so good. And dont be afraid to transplant some grass clumps if you need to. Look up some of the mink posts that Eric Space has done. There are some really good pics of blending in mink blind sets. I hope I got the name right.

I always used a 1.5 for mink. Any dry woody grassy material will work.

I cook my trout with the head on….but I don’t eat the head after it’s cooked…I save them for bait. I’ve had good luck with mink boxes aftah freeze up.cover that box with brush…make it look like a brush pile…they will investigate

Good Tips^^^

Use the old #2 victor coils, they act almost like a body gripper......jk

There are plenty of raccoons and muskrats around that place also, otherwise I'd go with a bigger trap. I am using DJ #11's. Drowner sets are pretty much a no go with the ice.

First pic there are two traps in this pic

Second pic is a narrowed down and brushed and grassed in white painted body gripper

Third pic is a close up

Fourth pic is a couple days later

Bodygrips shine in grassy trails.
Quick and easy to stabilize rock solid with two small sticks the size of your pinkie.

If you are using dry grass a good pair of scissors is great to cut up some fine clippings