Now I know everyone is going to get on this thread and say use blind sets and forget everything else. I'm not asking if you prefer blind sets for mink or anything like that. I am asking if you use lure for mink. Nearly every lure maker makes and sells mink lures. But if you read many of the trapping posts, most responses say forget the lure and use blind sets. What I want to know, is does mink lure really work? Do you use mink lure and how? Is there anyone that actually uses mink lure and catches mink wth it?

I use Lennons #2 mink lure,and think it works very well.I use it mainly to bring them thru my trap area.Alot of blind set areas have multiple ways for a mink to run thru it.Instead of using extra traps, I use the lure to try and pull them past my trap instead of taking the other route.I don't have very many mink to trap so anything that may help get them in my trap, I use

There are certainly lures and baits that will up your odds with mink under certain situations.Most people will say blind set first then add lured sets in spots that should be good but their isn't a good or easy to spot blind set right there.Anytime you dig a pocket set bait and lure is going to catch more than just digging a pocket and putting a trap in.With mink you can blind set trails with footholds and add lure on the loose jaw side of the trap,assuming one isn't just setting coni's.The problem with some mink lures,those that are heavy on mink musk,you are going to have a certain percentage of minkers tell you that if you use a lure heavy on gland,you are going to turn away a percentage of females and juveniles,but you will still take the big males.Some lures are developed around other ingredients that will appeal to most if not all mink.I tend towards using bait and lure,to be honest I catch most of my mink with a fresh piece of rat or fish meat with a drop or two of anise oil on it.Mink urine is good to use in and around pockets or in trails around blind sets,urine doesn't seem to turn them like heavy gland lures can.Good,mild fish oil can be used to trail them to sets or over,through traps in trails.This is all just my opinion,I ain't no big mink trapper but I manage to catch a couple dozen a year running a mixed line,I don't go out of my way for them but I don't pass up an easy opportunity either.Mink for some reason have a reputation as being hard to catch but they really aren't...

CLT said it well.

As a added note:
I have found that weasle gland lure also interest mink a lot.

You hit the nail on the head, weasel musk in a mink lure's formulation was the secret of the old-time minkers from the 1920's through 1940's mink was king era. Using weasel musk is known as an "enrager" in lure making, weasel and mink are natural enemies and when a mink passing a pocket smells weasel he becomes enraged and barges right into the hole to kill his enemy. The problem with most mink lures is that they are simply after thoughts made by lure makers who never actually trapped mink but need to fill their complete line of lures for sale. Lures like Lenon's Mink #2 Super Range noted in an above post was developed by a professional minker on a professional mink line during the era when harvesting mink put food on the table. Lenon's Weasel Super All Call is also used widely with great success. Another old time formula that really worked was made by another old timer, V. E. Tingley's "Black Magic", I'm not sure if it is still available or if so it is the same quality formula as Sterling Fur bought out the Tingley formulas.
Even in blind trail setting I can always find a way to incorporate mink lures into the scene. For example if I am making two trail sets 20' apart I will place lure half way inbetween to ensure they keep heading in the right direction. My Dad did extensive experimentation of mink lures vs plain blind setting and determined the proper use of lures will increase one's harvest by 30%.

V E Tingleys "Black Magic" is available from Sterling fur. It is a close match to J Lad Slapaks Deer Creek Mink #1 which is no longer available.....

Perhaps J. Lad Slapak bought the Tingley formula as he inquired with me back 40 or so years ago about purchasing formulas.

Thank you for that bit of history.. Several years ago an older Trapper gave me a bottle of Deer creek mink #1. It Soon became my favorite lure on several species. In the early 90's I bought all that was available. When that supply ran out , I started a "Mink Lure Collection" . That is how I came across Tingleys Black Magic..... In response to the original question. I personaly have not had success with gland type mink lures.

Cattails wrote..."I personaly have not had success with gland type mink lures."

Its probably because most of the ones I smelled had to much mink musk in the formulation. One lure maker used to advertise something along these lines "The minkiest smelling mink lure you'll ever smell". I knew right away he thought that one up off the top of his head in an effort to sell trappers the lure, not sell the mink.
I could never smell any mink musk in Black Magic.
Mink musk is subtle in Lenon mink lures.

Just a question,why does a set that has been scented up by a caught mink usually produce more mink in quick succession after the first catch?I have also noticed that the smell from the caught mink is not the same as the quill taken from the gland and used at a set.

There is exceptions to every rule. More mink in quick succession was likely a few bold old buck mink or pure coincidence. There is nothing natural about loud mink odors, mink don't mark teritories with musk like some animal species so it likely spells danger to female, juvenile and more timid mink and many times scares them off. This idea isn't something new, too much mink musk causing set avoidance has been known to pro minkers for the past century and yet some lure makers have yet to catch on.

The one time I tried it years ago it did not improve my mink catch but I found out that the wolves were attracted to it as the following january I had all my boxes dug up and tossed around by wolves.

asa lenon and clt have it covered

CLT reads my mind, sneaks into my mailbox or come incognito as a student of mine one time as he always answers questions precisely for me and has a better way with expressing words than myself.

X2 on Asa's comments about less mink musk in mink lures. Location, location..... a little mink musk goes a long ways:) If a trapper is trying to call a mink a long ways by using scent,they need to invest more in learning about location. The lure is there to close the deal.

Yep, Asa and CLT have nailed that!! No more needs to be said. "Black Magic" mink lure sure brings back some fond memories.

I have used mink lure as a changeup on my k9 sets. Found it to work well on greys here. Lure was Grawes and Marsyada's.

If that was true I would have remembered to add weasel musk to my above post.LOL Not sure how/why I forgot to include that.Since you mentioned it above,I never understood why someone would advertise a mink lure as having a loud mink musk odor either.Unless they advertise it as specifically for targeting big buck mink,they usually also warn about it being an otter taker also.Something else to consider,if you are avoiding otter it is a good idea to avoid those strong gland based mink lures.

Asa,if I didn't live so far away I would gladly take instruction from you,either on the canine line or in the lure shed.

When trappers begin to view lures as you say "The lure is there to close the deal" by enticing any animal species to take that final step or set commitment rather than thinking of lures as something to call long distances the trapper will become more successful overnight.

I personally think the scented up set by caught mink is acting as a call lure. When a mink arrives at the set and sees the torn up area, it wants to investigate.

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.

Heck give me Lenon's Mink #2 anytime!

MikeD

...just when I was about ready to log off. LOL

You know... funny thing about mink lure...most people think it will make them a better mink trapper...but it won't !

What will catch more mink for you is studying the mink, following them in the snow, if you are trap where it does snow.
I realize it doesn't snow everywhere, but tracks in the snow are GREAT TEACHERS.
Sand bars and mud will work too.
Not as good...but take what you can get.

Mink love to hug the banks and go in tight places, nearly every hole they see...remember this !
A trap set in these places, lured or not... will produce mink.
Mink are also easy to snare.

Carp, about a one pound chunk will catch a lot of mink in a hole (pocket set).
Bullheads (catfish) also work well, as does eel.
Muskrat carcass and even a mink carcass...are excellent baits.
Weasel carcass. Another good one. Mink hate weasels and will kill them.

Don't listen to this crap about changing the bait every other day...it's nonsense. I've caught mink on some rank baits.

That said, fresher is better !

But you ask about LURE...and so, here it is...I like a slight bit of mink musk ( pure) but some straight
mink musk mixed with mink urine, muskrat musk and a little beaver castor thrown in to the mix,
will catch a good many mink, and may I add, a good many foxes and coyotes.

A stick stuck in a lure bottle and placed haphazardly , will NOT produce many mink...sorry it just won't.

And that is how many will use it...and end up in frustration when it doesn't produce !

A good mink lure in the hands of a good trapper...well, differently story.


Want to be a better mink trapper ?
Of course you do...

Do this : Take a No#1 LS or 1.5 coil spring, your choice...and go down a creek or river bank and find how many tight places you think a mink will step...
Then just set the trap !

I agree with everything stated by LT being important factors in mink trapping but in addition when one adds a lure that really works they will put frosting on the cake so to speak. If one has eaten the cake without frosting and liked it that way does not mean they wouldn't like frosting on their cake better if they tried it.

Yes, reason I said : A good lure in the hands of a good trapper, ...well, different story.

If you're a good trapper, a "good" lure will make you a better one...it just won't IMO, make a poor trapper a great one and lots of trappers buy lure thinking it will !
Think like a mink ! Get down on it's level. View the world as it does, not from standing erect. You will see things as a mink does...and that's where the trap should be.
A hole dug at the waters edge will catch some mink...it just will !
No bait / lure....just a trap. Now a lure or bait will improve your odds, yes, but so will proper trap placement, guiding and not setting a trap too deep !

Getting down to the animal's level reminds me of something my Dad taught me very early, to get down to the animals level and see how the set visibility and eye appeal appeared or if there was anything to do to improve the set approach.

OLD SCHOOL !

Yep, more NATURAL trappers from that era.

Young guys, read and then re-read the post LT wrote above. He is telling you true.

Asa wrote: 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?

Asa, I am an old customer and you know I have a ton of respect for you. I just want young guys or beginners to understand that numbers in Minnesota or Iowa for example may be pretty tough to duplicate in Alabama or Maine. Not trying to take a thing away from the great trappers that bust their butt to make good catches but you kind of got to have them.
I do a lot of business with Gerald Schmitt and he has told me this more than once.
mac

Lt

Hit the nail on the Head so to speak!!!There is no magic in a bottle of any lure.Location is every thing.Being a blind setter I use very few pockets.When I do It's fresh fish.If I do use a lure it is rat gland based.The weasel and mink gland base lure seam to do better for me when the freeze is on.

I seen someone in this thread mentioned about He gets all big Bucks when beaver trapping in the snow or late season.(how ever this was stated).The reason for the bigger mink later in the year is the "winter run of mink" As the back country freezes up and all the little springs,swamps, and ponds lock up!!The snow hits and the woods running mink also have a hard time make'n a living.The winter pushes the mink off the summer/fall food sources.This pushes them to open water.Easier to find food and travel.Plus the males are move'n towards the water getting geared towards mating season...My 2 cents worth....

If I had a few dollars for everytime in the last 50+ years that a trapper wrote or stated as example "I have tried a dozen lure brands and none of them worked so I'm anxious to try yours" I would fully retire. It has always been very tempting to tell them don't waste more money as mine likely won't work either. I do most times try to offer some tips and advice when I hear this rather than just taking their money. If I can talk with the person it usually doesn't take but a minute to see what their real problem is. Many time it is just what we are discussing, they think the lure should overcome all obstacles. Many past lure makers advertising is somewhat responsible for this sort of thinking. As example, my Dad used to grumble everytime he saw an O. L. Butcher advertisment with some art work depicting animals fighting in the wilderness over a bottle of his lure. I'll bet that was the most effective ad in the lure industry though, LOL! Later lure makers made claims like "will make them risk their hide" or make them slobber at the mouth" as examples. How could anyone expect a young impressionable mind not want to try something like that and expect dynamite results!

ewoktrapper, dead on with the winter run of mink. as soon as the snow hits new york, really hard, I taliking a foot or two, I get on my sled with some 120 conis and set on sign in the snow on the water ways. My favortie time to mink trap and was how I caught my first mink.

can you go into a little more detail about this please, i think your talking "proper placement"; if so what do you feel is proper placement

LOL.Heck Asa they still sucker me in!!!! But got to try it you know!!!!!

Lure only assists in sealing the deal, if your not on location there is no deal in the first place. A trap on location is 99.999% more effective than any lure on the market placed haphazardly..

And I'll add to this that lures will not necessarily call animals for any considerable distance even if they do detect the odor. When trappers begin to view lures as something to entice a passing animal to take that critical final step into the set rather than calling them from long distances the trapper will begin to see more successful results. Just to make an example, if a coyote in my country went far out of its way and off its day's agenda to investigate everytime he smelled skunk in the air (the essence of most LDC lures)he would never get where he was going as he would be zig-zagging all over the woods constantly.

One of the easiest to understand explanations I have read yet! Agree 100%!

I have a 40 yr bottle of Black Magic mink that is about 1/2 full.Maybe I will use it this season.Bought it when I was yong from Tingley.

Its worth a try but being that I don't know the make up of that lure some of the ingredients may have had their effectiveness nulified over that many years. On the other hand many lures improve with age, I have used 40 year old coyote lures that trappers would gladly pay triple price per bottle for.

I'm a rookie mink trapper, so these threads are extremely informative to me. Mr. Lenon, one of the mink I caught this year sprayed when I approached the set. It was a small female, and I had caught a large buck the week before in the same set that drowned. This one for some reason was able to stay up towards the bank. Would you continue to trap a location after the mink sprayed or would you advise to pull it and re-set another spot close-by?

I would never give up on a productive set spot that has caught more than one mink already. Sometimes it seems like there is some mysterious magic attraction to certain spots when other sets a few feet away never produce.

Thank You Sir!

Great thread.

Yes it is .thanks for bringing it back to the top.

This thread should be required reading for every young mink trapper.Where else can you sit and read several lifetimes worth of experience for free.I really don't think folks like Asa are appreciated enough by those who come on this sight. We need to realize what an amazing resource these guys are.

AMEN !

I like to pick my baited/scented set locations as carefully as I would my blind set locations. In other words, the location would probably suffice as a blind set as well as it does a scented set location. Like many have said above, the scent is there to help close the deal.

When a mink is passing a set as close as just inches away, his nose will surely detect even the weakest of mink scent odors. He does not need to get blasted to get his attention. My mink scent was designed with that in mind.

Had a hall of famer here in New York say,he was STRICTLEY a blind set man. but after many years of that came to use lures and said he cant imagine how many more mink he would have caught had he used lure and bait. He said anything that makes them hang around and take more steps increases your chances of catching them...I also agree, to much mink musk and they will shy away, have never had multiples where they got the area all smelled up...

After years of testing my Dad determined that a master blind setter could increase their harvest 30% by incorporating lures into their trapline. For example, sometimes just using lures to keep a mink on the right course is necessary as they might otherwise leave the trail before they get to a set. Personally, I wouldn't think of trapping mink without putting a dab of lure somewhere in the set vicinity even if it isn't always necessary.

x2 Asa and Otter04! Could not agree more

FWIW, I will tell a true story I have about mink. In an old creek bed 2 miles from water I had a 220 guarding a old beaver hole. After about a week I caught an overly large buck mink. He sprayed every where. 3 days later I caught a huge male badger in the same trap. I have the theory that most members of the weasel family like to kill and eat the smaller members. The skunk might be the only acception.

"I would never give up on a productive set spot that has caught more than one mink already. Sometimes it seems like there is some mysterious magic attraction to certain spots when other sets a few feet away never produce."




i was told that as a kid, and it might be the best mink knowledge ive ever known... every year i set many of the same pockets next to each other and i can pretty much pick out the one thats going to nab a mink first... a few times i have partnered up with an old boy for around a 10 day line for mink and rats, and i know he gets a soft spot when i have a set in a certain spot. he rubs his beard and says, nawwwww this here is where you will nab that old buck boy. {sets 3 feet away) and ill be damned if he wont pull that old fuzz tail out of the water in the next few days, then sit back and grin while we ride on down the road

All this being said it would be nice if one of you with good knowledge of the subject could post a list of mink lures that are well made.

Asa: so did your dad say anything about bait? I try to make at least one bait set and one blind set per location. It seems to me that sometimes mink are interested in bait, sometimes they are not. If you make both blind sets and bait sets you can catch them regardless what mood they are in.

email
asalenon@yahoo.com

or PM Asa
http://www.trapperman.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/users/239/Asa_Lenon

MY Dad's idea of lures was making a lure that appealed to all known calls of the animal the lure was formulated for, naming the lures "All Call" wasn't to imply that they called all animals but rather that each lure appeales to "all know calls" of the animal. With any Lenon Super All Call or Super Range All Call lure no bait is needed in addition to make it more effective.
That being said there are circumstances where bait could be a plus, for example a cage trap would want something visible inside other than a small dab of lure. When using Lenon Nature's Call mink lure that is strictly a gland passion scent one would need to add bait if they were using it at a pocket set or box as example to make it complete because it has no food element in the formulation. My Dad always said the best possible bait he ever tested for both odor attraction and visibility/eye appeal attraction is a shrimp. Folllowing that was a piece of brook trout. All fish species may smell the same to use but some species fish will be completely ignored. Deer liver will get just about any animals attention as will fresh muskrat. Using deer live in my state has always been illegal so my Dad never recommended that.