how do you catch a weasel?

[Maeschak]

WEll I'm sure it's a mink, the more I think about it it was too big to be a weasel. . I'm reluctant to set the trap now, because there was a skunk in the barn this evening. The skunks I'm not as worried about, yes, I know they sometimes will kill a chicken, but we haven't had any problems with skunks for a long time...years...as far as killing a chicken. They are always around this time of year and They are a pain eating the eggs but that's all so far. We have a small (large rat size) hav a hart trap, which I'm pretty sure is big enough for a mink, but is it too small for skunk? I don't want to trap a skunk. I am pretty sure the mink has been targeting us...at first I suspected fox...because we've lost three others since January..they just disappeared without a trace. We have, in the past been successful in discouraging fox from returning...and I have heard they are hard to discourage too, but we were able to. The mink was pretty scared when I confronted it, it literally didn't see me til I was about four feet away from it, so it was plenty startled. I'm just worried the trap will attract the mink back, and then it won't go in, but it will kill more chickens, where otherwise MAYBE it might stay away if we keep trying to discourage it?? You see what I'm saying? I'm just trying to find the most foolproof way, if we are going to trap it. I would never use a leghold trap on any animal. So is the small Havahart one big enough for a mink but too small for a skunk, and how valid are my concerns?

Do you have a water source nearby like a pond or stream? If so, the mink is most likely living down there and moving up to the barn for feeding. Set your trap/s along the banks of the water source (or many trappers submerge/partially submerge the trap in water). Look for little trails and low-lying ground that a small predator would use to sneak to your barn. That should keep the trap from attracting minks to the barn. And no, a smaller rat-sized trap shouldn't be able to trap a skunk- might not even get a really big mink but it is worth a try. (If the animal is long enough to have its tail or back-end at the opening while tripping the trigger the animal can back out). Don't forget to fully cover your trap- wrap it in something as most animals will just put their paws/claws through the wire to pull out the bait from the wrong side never going into the trap. You can use a towel, black trash bag, or enclose the trap in hay bails or bricks, etc. with only the opening uncovered. I have video of many many animals refusing to enter an uncovered wire cage trap and just pulling the bait out through the holes.

I hear you can even use weasel boxes for mink, just use different bait and place differently (mink in/near water and weasel's in low-lying areas approaching the food source. I made about 4 weasel boxes and they do double duty as mouse/rat traps too- so it isnt a complete waste of time to build them. (A weasel box is basically a Victor rat trap inside a small box with two holes in the box. One hole for entrance and one hole wired up just so the targeted animal can see and smell the bait from both sides.)

Good luck to you~

 

[wcbpolish]

I accidentally caught one in a live trap about a month ago. Lost 2 roosters on consecutive nights, set 2 livetraps in the barn baited with hotdog (I thought I was trying to catch a raccoon). Next morning, dead weasel in the trap. He walked in, and got his head stuck trying to squeeze out. He had not touched the hotdog... I had simply placed the trap in his path, I guess.
I think I saw another one on Saturday... it was either that or a red squirrel. It zipped out of the door where I store my grain, and I only saw a flash of fur. Middle of the afternoon, but red squirrels are not common in our area... so I am thinking weasel :-(

 

[chicknmania]

Thank you guys. It killed another one of my hens, I think in the early morning, despite my best efforts, I was out there on barn police patrol until almost midnight. I am looking for a professional trapper at this point. I just can't afford to take any more chances than I have to, this is killing me, too.

 

[Maeschak]

Thank you guys. It killed another one of my hens, I think in the early morning, despite my best efforts, I was out there on barn police patrol until almost midnight. I am looking for a professional trapper at this point. I just can't afford to take any more chances than I have to, this is killing me, too.

I am so sorry. I had a weasel get into my coop over the summer (two nights in a row) and it killed about 15 laying hens, cockerels, baby chicks, new mothers, and one duck. It was horrific. The worst part is that it didn't outright kill most of them- just ate half their body under the wings and so I had to do the deed... crying my eyes out at like 3 am in my pajamas (which subsequently got covered in blood as I got each injured/dead animal out of the coop). Horrible. For the next week I left my barn doors open (coop is a converted horse stall) and lights on... I stayed awake ALL night nearby with a gun just hoping to put that nasty weasel underground but never saw him again. I did, however, remove three raccoons trying to get into the coop. I also had about 5 or so traps out and about... never caught that weasel. I hear Mink are just as bad, so good luck.

 

[chicknmania]

I am so sorry. I had a weasel get into my coop over the summer (two nights in a row) and it killed about 15 laying hens, cockerels, baby chicks, new mothers, and one duck. It was horrific. The worst part is that it didn't outright kill most of them- just ate half their body under the wings and so I had to do the deed... crying my eyes out at like 3 am in my pajamas (which subsequently got covered in blood as I got each injured/dead animal out of the coop). Horrible. For the next week I left my barn doors open (coop is a converted horse stall) and lights on... I stayed awake ALL night nearby with a gun just hoping to put that nasty weasel underground but never saw him again. I did, however, remove three raccoons trying to get into the coop. I also had about 5 or so traps out and about... never caught that weasel. I hear Mink are just as bad, so good luck.

That is so sad and I am so sorry for your loss.

I found another hen later this morning, crammed into a pallet where the mink had stored her for later. I am so hoping that we can catch this thing. Normally, as many may know, I am a huge advocate of discouraging predators as opposed to dispatching them, but not this time. It is not killing for any reason other than the joy of it. We've had problems with fox in the past, but not anywhere near like this. And at least the fox needed them for her young ones.

In past years we've done that staying up all night thing a couple of times too..but never have we ever had as severe problem as this. I don't know what to attribute to the fact that we have never had a mink or weasel problem in the past 11 years...til now. Trapper says dog will help. so we will be searching for a new one, but that will take time. We had such a mild winter that I think the predator population is crazy booming. I know there are skunks galore, anyway. Professional trapper is coming here in a couple of hours so I am praying he can help.

 

[chicknmania]

Update: the mink avoided the traps last night, which was night number one. I went out to check on the flock at midnight and the mink was in there, I figured out where he went out, and blocked the hole..it was down a drainpipe that he had somehow accessed, and managed to split it to get out. I turned a radio on and put it on an intermittent timer. got two hours sleep, back out at 6:45 and all was well, everyone accounted for. Spent a couple hours out there, decided all was ok, turned talk radio on, and left. Came back two hours later. Radio was on static. Could not find two hens. Trapper showed up and found fresh tracks in the snow where the mink had entered through a small hole in the back of the barn sometime between 8:30 and 11;00AM. It killed two more hens in the two hours I was gone. Trapper tracked it to an elaborate series of holes and tunnels at the rear of our property, then it exited those and headed back to an area of our woods that is pretty far from the barn, there are vernal pools back there. He lost the trail. The mink is very big and probably a male. Trapper set up two kill traps, one inside, one outside, the mink's access hole. And blocked the other (exit) hole. As long as the mink does not have other secret entrances we don't know about, and as long as nothing else goes through the trap first, we expect to catch it tonight. At this point I'm pretty sure the mink was watching the trapper and knows exactly what he should not do to get back in the barn. Just being sarcastic, but it sure seems that way. If this does not work he will set more traps in the tunnel maze. And we will get ready to surveil all night with weapons ready as the next step. Please keep fingers crossed and prayers are appreciated. I am beyond numb. We have chicks on order and I want them to be able to join the flock, if there is any flock left....in May.

 

[Howard E]

Wow.......that is a tough fight you are in. Sounds like you are going to get him, but he isn't making it easy for you. Your trapper sounds like he knows his stuff.

Can you post some pictures of the area in your coop where he has been getting in and getting out? That might help some realize the size of hole they can get through. If possible, put something in the photo to give it some scale.

 

[itsasmallfarm]

Update: the mink avoided the traps last night, which was night number one. I went out to check on the flock at midnight and the mink was in there, I figured out where he went out, and blocked the hole..it was down a drainpipe that he had somehow accessed, and managed to split it to get out. I turned a radio on and put it on an intermittent timer. got two hours sleep, back out at 6:45 and all was well, everyone accounted for. Spent a couple hours out there, decided all was ok, turned talk radio on, and left. Came back two hours later. Radio was on static. Could not find two hens. Trapper showed up and found fresh tracks in the snow where the mink had entered through a small hole in the back of the barn sometime between 8:30 and 11;00AM. It killed two more hens in the two hours I was gone. Trapper tracked it to an elaborate series of holes and tunnels at the rear of our property, then it exited those and headed back to an area of our woods that is pretty far from the barn, there are vernal pools back there. He lost the trail. The mink is very big and probably a male. Trapper set up two kill traps, one inside, one outside, the mink's access hole. And blocked the other (exit) hole. As long as the mink does not have other secret entrances we don't know about, and as long as nothing else goes through the trap first, we expect to catch it tonight. At this point I'm pretty sure the mink was watching the trapper and knows exactly what he should not do to get back in the barn. Just being sarcastic, but it sure seems that way. If this does not work he will set more traps in the tunnel maze. And we will get ready to surveil all night with weapons ready as the next step. Please keep fingers crossed and prayers are appreciated. I am beyond numb. We have chicks on order and I want them to be able to join the flock, if there is any flock left....in May.

good luck on catching that mink. hope it helps

 

[chicknmania]

Wow.......that is a tough fight you are in. Sounds like you are going to get him, but he isn't making it easy for you. Your trapper sounds like he knows his stuff.

Can you post some pictures of the area in your coop where he has been getting in and getting out? That might help some realize the size of hole they can get through. If possible, put something in the photo to give it some scale.

I can try but it is hard to take pictures in our barn, it is kind of dark. And the trapper has cleared it a bit so that he can put the trap in, so it is bigger than it was. But...it was about 4 inches by 4 inches. What makes me sick is...I knew the hole was there...I had it blocked so that only our resident skunk could get in. I don't like the skunk coming in either but he has been around for years and never has done any harm besides be a pest. I figured if I didn't leave a hole for him he would dig a bigger one (which he has done) and that might be accessible to coons and possum. so that's all I was thinking about keeping out, we have never had a mink. It's not exactly a coop, they live in a big pole barn that has basically been converted for them to live in. they have lots of space in there and can perch up higher than in a conventional coop, which is no doubt what has saved some of them. But the predators can dig under the barn wall when the soil is soft, and that' what happened here. This summer we are going to re-do the perimeter of the barn outside and see if we can re inforce it more. . The trapper said the barn though is basically very secure, there were just those two holes and for most of the perimeter we have it barricaded so predators can't dig. .

I am beginning to think this mink is a demon in disguise. I'm getting so paranoid I'm afraid to check the traps anymore, figure he'll see me and figure it out.

 

[chicknmania]

good luck on catching that mink. hope it helps

thanks.