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ADJUST - MINK, COON pan tension #134768
03/14/07 09:52 AM
03/14/07 09:52 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,447
Kansas,32,6-1,220,B/B NS
CharlesKS Offline OP
trapper
CharlesKS  Offline OP
trapper

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,447
Kansas,32,6-1,220,B/B NS
as some of you know, im not really a water trapper, but this past weekend i was river ratting with coon hangman, and we found some MINK tracks.

i had no idea they were there on the river. so now, i want to be a minker. i want to catch some of these interesting animals.

my question is, you guys that target coon AND mink, do you run ZERO pan tension?

the coyote trapper in me wont want to do that..lmoa

charles

Re: MINK, COON pan tension [Re: CharlesKS] #134776
03/14/07 09:57 AM
03/14/07 09:57 AM

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IMHO, when minking, Zero-Pan Tension

Re: MINK, COON pan tension [Re: CharlesKS] #134784
03/14/07 10:00 AM
03/14/07 10:00 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 447
Stafford VA.
T
Timber Offline
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Timber  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 447
Stafford VA.
I run 0 pan tension on all my mink and coon sets. I usally use 1 and 1.5's cs


One day I will figure this game out.
Re: MINK, COON pan tension [Re: ] #134786
03/14/07 10:00 AM
03/14/07 10:00 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 602
Minnesota
H
hunter82 Offline
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hunter82  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 602
Minnesota
Zero pan tension is what I have always run for coon mink and muskrats.



Re: MINK, COON pan tension [Re: hunter82] #134787
03/14/07 10:02 AM
03/14/07 10:02 AM
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 333
Davenport OKlahoma
DavidOK Offline
trapper
DavidOK  Offline
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Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 333
Davenport OKlahoma
charles going for small stuff hahahaha never thought id see the day


AR Ramadi iraq soldier aka ramadi law dog

Re: MINK, COON pan tension [Re: DavidOK] #134794
03/14/07 10:14 AM
03/14/07 10:14 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,447
Kansas,32,6-1,220,B/B NS
CharlesKS Offline OP
trapper
CharlesKS  Offline OP
trapper

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,447
Kansas,32,6-1,220,B/B NS
well, its a very SHALLOW river..lmao

that, and i find them interesting.

charles

Re: MINK, COON pan tension [Re: DavidOK] #134797
03/14/07 10:16 AM
03/14/07 10:16 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,161
NW Ohio
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cj's trapping Offline
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,161
NW Ohio
Charles, I do like to have some tension, to account for the way I bed and conceal many of my coon sets. Not alot of tension, but some. There are occasions where I want zero tension, but will simply adjust them on the spot.


I wouldn't be able to get away with the below with zero tension.






Re: MINK, COON pan tension [Re: CharlesKS] #134802
03/14/07 10:21 AM
03/14/07 10:21 AM
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 144
Minnesota
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PrimeTime Offline
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PrimeTime  Offline
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 144
Minnesota
I think you want zero pan tension with Mink. To that I'd like to add I like a weaker spring so that the springs do not apply as much tension also. I think I miss Mink when using say "new" 1 1/2's with no bolt tension, yet a lot of spring pressure. I like the way LS's fire, but like using CS's better. My favorite traps are those old victor Pinch Pans, but they are hard to find and if you do find them to expensive.

One tip is to put a slight downward bend in the dog. This lets the trap fire with very little resistance. This added with and oversized pan for mink would be a good compo. I ran one oversize pan this year for an experiment, and did very well using it. Most checks that trap held either a Mink or Rat. Could have been just a great spot, but I think the bigger pan helped.

Re: MINK, COON pan tension [Re: cj's trapping] #134805
03/14/07 10:23 AM
03/14/07 10:23 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,447
Kansas,32,6-1,220,B/B NS
CharlesKS Offline OP
trapper
CharlesKS  Offline OP
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,447
Kansas,32,6-1,220,B/B NS
CJ, tell me the situations you would want zero pan tension,

and, heres a question from a non water trapper..

"With the mud like that, with ZERO pan tension, would you get toe catches and misses, or is the mud soft enough thier feet push right through it anyway?

charles

Re: MINK, COON pan tension [Re: CharlesKS] #134814
03/14/07 10:31 AM
03/14/07 10:31 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,161
NW Ohio
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cj's trapping Offline
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NW Ohio
Originally Posted By: CharlesKS
CJ, tell me the situations you would want zero pan tension,

and, heres a question from a non water trapper..

"With the mud like that, with ZERO pan tension, would you get toe catches and misses, or is the mud soft enough thier feet push right through it anyway?

charles


Charles, when I use the above (pics) it's in very soft mud conditions. I've never had a problem with the trap not blowing thru that soft mud, toe catches or misses. I either have a coon, or an undisturbed set.
If I have a rocky or clay bottom, I simply omit the mud, and set to zero tension. Many times in this situation, I'll add a large leaf to the pan, much like a screen pan cover would be used, simply to help blend it under the water a bit.



Re: MINK, COON pan tension [Re: cj's trapping] #134818
03/14/07 10:35 AM
03/14/07 10:35 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,447
Kansas,32,6-1,220,B/B NS
CharlesKS Offline OP
trapper
CharlesKS  Offline OP
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,447
Kansas,32,6-1,220,B/B NS
i see.

do you take many mink with the "mudded-trap set"?

charles

Re: MINK, COON pan tension [Re: CharlesKS] #134825
03/14/07 10:41 AM
03/14/07 10:41 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,161
NW Ohio
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cj's trapping Offline
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NW Ohio
Yes, but not alot. I take more after hard freezes when everything is froze up tight, and only the mink are moving. If I do see alot of mink sign along a creek, and specifically want to target them, I'll dig a much larger pocket, and get the trap inside. Still, many times coon will find the set first, simply because a mink might not make it thru that stretch od creek for another week.
If you want to target just mink, maybe look for specific "pinch points" where a mink is more likely to go thru than a coon.



Re: MINK, COON pan tension [Re: CharlesKS] #134826
03/14/07 10:42 AM
03/14/07 10:42 AM
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 472
Warren, PA
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LurkerLance Offline
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Posts: 472
Warren, PA
As many of you know, this is my first year and I have alot to learn. I don't understand about the pan tension thing. I just figure if you buy a certain trap, it's pan tension is already set. How do you adjust it?


If I tell you a chicken dips snuff, look under it's left wing and you'll find a can
Re: MINK, COON pan tension [Re: LurkerLance] #134841
03/14/07 10:59 AM
03/14/07 10:59 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 482
Michigan
J
Josh H. Offline
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Posts: 482
Michigan
For mink and coon I run zero pan tension: that pan falls on its own. I have never had a problem with toe catches or any other type of poor hold. In fact, the only trap I had fired without an animal in it had a small rock stuck between the jaws, holding it wide open.

It sounds like you are reluctant to go zero tension for fear of toe catches or even misses. I can assure you that is not an issue when water trapping. Remember, you will be dealing with animals that are not nearly as wary as coyotes. Besides, it's a lot quicker to just loosen the pan bolt until the pan drops and be done rather than trying to measure the small amount of tension you would need to still catch mink. Good luck with your new adventure. I'm sure you will enjoy it.

Josh




Re: MINK, COON pan tension [Re: Josh H.] #134851
03/14/07 11:16 AM
03/14/07 11:16 AM
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 214
West Des Moines, Iowa
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minnow Offline
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West Des Moines, Iowa
Hey Charles, Pan tension Just enough to have the pan drop on its own. Bend the dog down just a touch right over the jaw. I like my mink trap to snap in a fine crisp snap. If I think the coon going to get there first rather than increasing the tention I just lift my pan up above level, sometime I'll place the dog all the way in for coon. Thats how I work the coon around my mink sets.

"Warning " Mink trapping is addicting! Minnow

Re: MINK, COON pan tension [Re: minnow] #134891
03/14/07 12:07 PM
03/14/07 12:07 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,447
Kansas,32,6-1,220,B/B NS
CharlesKS Offline OP
trapper
CharlesKS  Offline OP
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,447
Kansas,32,6-1,220,B/B NS
i can see that it could be addicting..

it has consumed my mind for the last few days.

charles

Re: MINK, COON pan tension [Re: ] #134900
03/14/07 12:20 PM
03/14/07 12:20 PM

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LOL Andy

I think it's all because I showed him some mink tracks....

Re: MINK, COON pan tension [Re: ] #134985
03/14/07 01:45 PM
03/14/07 01:45 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,153
SW MN
Mncoontrapper Offline
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Mncoontrapper  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,153
SW MN
Zero pan tension on my mink and coon traps.

Re: MINK, COON pan tension [Re: Mncoontrapper] #135016
03/14/07 02:26 PM
03/14/07 02:26 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 719
Mo.
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Palerider Offline
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Mo.
Zero pan tension.With a properly adjusted pan height,you won't get many toe caught coon either.

Re: MINK, COON pan tension [Re: Palerider] #135033
03/14/07 02:51 PM
03/14/07 02:51 PM

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LukerLance...you can adjust the pan tension on your traps by either tightening or loosening the bolt that holds the pan onto the trap. They're not adjusted when you buy a trap and depending on what you're targeting, you'll want to adjust it. Take your pan without the trap set and move it up and down and you'll be able to feel if it's tight or not. For smaller animals like coon, mink, etc., zero pan tension means you can lift the pan and it just falls back down when you let it go. The bigger the animal, say coyote, the more pan tension you'll want so that it takes more weight to set it off. This avoids pull outs, toe catches and catching non targets. Hope this helped.

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