Can I stir this pot?
I've wondered the same thing: if the strong musk smell scares them, why does a torn up stinky catch circle seem to improve the set?
I wonder if it's a regional thing? I think it was a mid western trapper (with 700 on a good year) who recommended straight preserved mink glands for a lure.

You hit the nail on the head. This is what I was talking about. I don't think there is any more confusing information available on any other animal than a mink. Some trappers swear that mink lure doesn't work. Some swear that mink lure will run the mink off. Almost every lure maker out there sells several mink lures, and claims they all will load your traps up. Some lure makers claim to have that "secret" " magic" ingredient, that will knock them dead. Some trappers catch their mink in boxes. Some claim the boxes don't work and are a waste of time. Hawbaker said to only walk in the water and don't even breath on the bank near your trap. Schmitt says they are as easy to catch as raccoons and no special treatment is needed. It is all very confusing, and I feel sorry for the young trappers trying to figure out what to do.

I know I am young and dont have as much experience as many of you guys, but I think part of it comes down to experimentation and what works for the individual trapper. Asa and clt what are your opinions on caven mink master and coni boxes? I have never used boxes,never needed to, but thought about trying them. If anyone else wants to comment as well feel free. Is mink master to strong?

If mink are as easy to trap as raccoon's, then how come many trappers have problems catching very many while others are catching hundreds? The answer of course lies in the fact that certain details are essential to maximum harvesting. Another thing I've noted over the years is that coon can be lured from considerably long distances while only one mink in a hundred will be lured more than a few feet out of his way for ordinary lures and baits. I expect that Schmitt is referring to blind killer traps where the mink is caught unaware, not luring them in. Another thing comes to mind, I have seen by tracks in the snow and mud where mink arched out around a set where there was something unnatural about it, NO coon would ever do that. As for mink being attracted to loud mink odors and torn up sets it is seldom out of 1000's of catches that I ever caught a mink that was in any position to fight like that as the trap was set to hold by the body or quickly drown, therefore I can't really assess the validity of that being any more than an occasional fluke and only by adult buck mink.

speaking of buck mink, I have caught very few females and most of the mink I catch are buck mink,I think part of this is mink gland lure and part of it is because I do a lot of winter mink trapping, and most of my winter mink if not all are big buck mink. I set up a beaver pond this winter, in an area where I saw a rediculous amount of mink sign and I made one baited conibear set with a 120 on a dam and one blind set with a 220 over a hole that the mink were usieng. I caught a small mink in the baited 120, but a big mink came up on the ice from under the water and left me the head. About 25 yards away in the hole I caught two huge buck mink in consecutive sets. I never thought of strong mink gland scareing mink away, Thank you guys for bringing that up! I think my mink catch is going to go up a little more. I also set a stream this year where I saw hundreds of mink foot prints in one spot on the creek wgere there were sheets of ice and some going up and down the creek travelling. I caught one mink in a little less than a week and it was a buck mink in a pocket set with mink master, of cousre to I was haveing some nasty weather so a lot of my sets went iout of commission.

I don't know anything about Caven's mink master so can't comment on that.
I have trapped mink successfully in plain weasel boxes with the entrance hole increased to 2 1/2" daimeter. I think the real secret to getting mink into boxes consistently is the use of a lure containing weasel musk, how much or how little mink musk is only a minor factor. There are two lures that I use and the same two lures receive a lot of testimonials every season. Mink Super #2 Range All Call which has an equal combination of mink musk and weasel musk in the formulation and Weasel Super All Call that has no mink musk, only weasel musk, blood and other ingredients. As I said in an earlier post, the only mink lure I ever tried besides my own that was worth anything was Tingley's Black Magic. I could never smell any mink musk or weasel musk in the Black magic, if anything the only overiding odor was castor and muskrat musk. I know from experimentation that muskrat musk is an excellent mink attractor and I will take that anytime over strong smelling mink musk/glands. Muskrat musk was probably the main attractor in Black Magic that made it effective.

Interesting Old Relic. I figure animals of any kind are 'easier' to catch in high popultaion, or maybe they're not easier, just that you get so many more chances at them.

What are the thoughts on the usage of mink urine? Is that also threatening in certain situations?

Carolina Foxer asked ..."What are the thoughts on the usage of mink urine? Is that also threatening in certain situations?"
No, any reasonable amount of urine cold not be anything but natural to any mink. A good formula for blind sets where there is no hole or cubby where weasel musk would apply to making the mink thik his enemy was in the hole or cubby is mink urine with subtle amounts of mink musk along muskrat musk and a good grade of tonquin added to the urine. This type of formula will also enhance the chances of a mink responding to a baited set too.

What about mink carcass for mink bait? A respected trapper in my state recommends using it and says the back half with glands intact is best.

I believe Schmitt was using the mink glands by mixing them with his bait, and is a pocket set trapper.

I wonder if Eric Space would weigh in on this thread, as I know he mentioned catching multiple mink in blind snares until they had all the vegetation torn down.
I'm just trying to learn something here. One reason I can see it being a regional thing would be the competition factor. More mink=more aggressive mink?

(Note too self to buy some weasel glands...)

PAskinner asked..."What about mink carcass for mink bait? A respected trapper in my state recommends using it and says the back half with glands intact is best.

I think one will do better with a muskrat carcass rather than a mink carcass. Without knowing the respected trapper, I have to ask when I read things like this if the trapper has any idea of how many mink may have passed a set because of his bait odor. A trappers catching 20 mink is going to be real happy with their harvest and may have not a clue that with the same number of traps and time expended they may harvest 40 mink as example if they were using a better attractor.

Thanks for your insight on this subject Asa.

Asa, It was Marsyada. Don't think he was saying that it was his main or only bait, just that it works well.
How does the U P compare as far as Mink populations to say, NY or PA?
I agree, Thanks for sharing your insights.
Seems like most all of the few mink I get are in blind sets.

same here paskinner, mostly blind sets

I have no idea how populations here compare to PA and NY. I do know that we don't have nearly the mink numbers as noted places like Iowa and Minnesota. The most mink I ever know of anyone in my area ever trapping in one season was 163 by my Dad. That was an exceptioanl season, a more realistic figure that I always shoot for is about 70 to 100 per season, only a few professionals attain that number.

Thanks Asa. Exactly the answer I was hoping for. I've got some stuff planned for next year and the urine will be important for it. Feeling more confident already!

If you catch a lot of weasels & mink (weasel glands are really small and smell worse than a skunk - be fore warned). You can make your own lure by taking the glands from each animal and putting them in a glass jar and cover with mink urine. Put a loose cover on the jar and bury it as soon as you can dig in the ground. Dig up in the fall and I run them through a food processor until totally liquified. Then I add some glycerin - that equals about what is 1/2 of the amount of volume. I add just a "touch" of beaver castor and fire up the processor to mix before putting in bottles for the trap line.
I have found this makes more use of the animals harvested and aid in my trapping efforts.

Sounds like a good effective lure formula D. L. Miller!

Dave Edwards purchased the Tingley formulas years ago also. At one time Dave was Vaughn Tingley's neighbor. I have the Black Magic formula, but I won't produce it, because Sterling fur already does. I don't know how many people purchased the Tingley formulas, but it appears there were more than one...

The "Black Magic" mystery lure ...... In my quest to find a match to J Lad Slapacks Deer Creek mink #1. I found Black Magic to be a close match. But an even closer match and the lure I settled on is Grimshaws mink lure #43. Who got the lure formula from who is anybodys guess.

You wouldn't need to duplicate that formula exactly Paul. With your own and your Dad's knowledge of mink attractors and the Tingley formula you could easily spot the dominant attractor in the formula and add your own knowledge to make an even more effective lure.