I and many of you have seen where mink have avoided conibear traps set for them, especially when there is snow and tracks can be seen. I would like to draw on the vast knowledge on this site and find out why this happens and what we can do about it. Please offer some rationale for your conclusions.

I think it must be a combination of both sight and smell. The sight of the trigger must have something to do with it, because I seem to have better luck using pan triggers in conibear boxes. Some paint stripes on their traps, or camo patterns. Concealing them with grass seems to help sometimes. I have noticed that when conibears are completely submerged both mink and otter will go into them without hesitation. If they are covered or partially covered with a light coating of powder snow it seems to help too. All this seems to suggest it can be either sight or smell. I do catch quite a few in conibears, but I would like to catch them all. What do you guys think?

mink are naturally suspicious of being funneled

I think your traps are dirty. You need to sell them cheap to mean and your luck will change. It is all a matter of Vodoo.

Is it possible that trap placement and variations in the height of the stabilized #110 could be a contributing factor to avoidance when setting in varying depths of the prevailing (overnight)snow's accumulating conditions - I presume on land?

I too have had limited success on land in the snow with #110's for mink under extreme variables in blind trail sets. I have never used boxes or cubbies.

My set preference for mink with a #110 is in open water, a blind set at a constriction, obstruction or pinch point - no lure or bait. I have not graduated to the effective pocket set, as most of my water trapping has been for muskrats in cattail marshes working out of a duck skiff.

Jonathan

I have used conibears and cubbies, either newspaper tubes, or ones I construct along an undercut bank with sitcks and grasses.

at the bank sets, I had just plain walk bys, didn't even glance in there.. I was using a lure and fish oil and beaver meat or salmon scraps..

I changed to ASA's mink lure and never had the problem again...

the newspaper cubbies, I set on top of snow, and along the lines of travel, baited with the same and a few times with no bait.
always put in ASA's lure.. I did not have any refusals after that, and actually they seemed to be more agressive as they were suitcased, rather than around the head caught..

I beleive in my instances, it was the lure that made the difference, I changed nothing, but the lure... and after that, every one was plugged on every check..

It is not possible due to conditions here to use the blind trail sets in my area or bottom edge or pocket sets due to freezing. they are alleither above water line or on top of the snow and ice. the only other sets besides bait is covering their access holes in the ice or on beaver huts with a 110..

mad, i feel you may be on to something with your noticeing that the grass and snow covering the trap helps some. i think its just breaking up the outline, its just like trapping coon in trails, i put a good handful of grass on either side between the jaws to break up the outline of the trap. im not totally camoflaging the trap just trying to make it harder for the coon or whatever to see it, i think this is the way to go for the mink too.

i know this isn't the most practical tip of all time, but i once read in a book or magazine somewhere that this guy used hollow roots and just stuck them on the trigger wires to help break up the outline of the wires. im far from an expert but maybe this will help some.

im not gonna get into detail, or argue on this thread, but a few things, i have caught many mink in shiny brand new oil covered traps fresh out of the box, i have had one refusal that im sure of, i have caught many in blind sets, no bait or lure at all, may not be that the mink are refusing the trap due to being affraid of the trap, may be how ya have them set

I seem to have my best luck using 110s on land in the fall when the marsh and field grass is brown and the dark brown or black dyed traps blend in. I sometimes smear the black conibears with a little brown dirt. I think breaking the outline of the square is crucial. Now in the winter I use the plastic mailboxes as mentioned by hupurest with conipans and they work great. I wish we could use mink snares on land here in Wi cause I think they would be the ticket in frozen marsh situations. But we are talking about conibears so I am reviewing in my head the winter sets that work for me besides the baited mailboxes.
-trail sets in trails that enter really thick cattails making it easier to break trap outline.
-if mink tracks are seen coming out of or going into the water via shelf ice when the ice shifts and there is an opening leading to water. You may have to chip ice to make the conibear fit in the opening but this is a good set. If you chip ice make sure you brush away the chips so the set looks natural. Oops, almost forgot;put a stick under the jaws so they don't touch the ice and freeze. Yes I have had mink go right thru the conibear and it was frozen stiff and the jaws closed only half way.
-as a matter of fact we haven't discussed leaving big ole human boot tracks in the snow. If its medium to deep snow I have to think that a big ole buck mink saw my big feet prints he might balk. So I also carry a stick to brush away my tracks or stand off of the mink trail to make the set.
-I set mostly in cattails so I use wooden lathe to stabalize my trap and tie the trap chain off (wire)to a thick cattail. I sorta bend the spring up with the lathe snuggly securing the spring(sorry I can't draw it). Now on a frozen marsh there is no place to drive the lathe in the mud due to ice etc but the lathe is at about a 30-45 degree angle with conibear underneath in the mink trail and the light brown lathe looks like a cattail grass. Its stable enough that it will fire before the mink tips it over
if set on the first notch. I also think that the mink sorta ducks under the lathe and BAM!
-I am a little befuddled on the trigger placement in these trail sets. The regular "v" seems to be fine though I may spread them a little. On the other hand when using the baited cubbies most will not commit unless the hole is clear(conipans). Maybe the smell of the bait and lure causes as much caution as it does interest.
- I hope this helps. I am no expert but it works for me.

Why do mink avoid conibears?

They can see the trap and consider it to not be natural. Instinct maybe, not necessarily smarts. I do not believe odor has much to do with it as I catch mink in dry sets setting body grips with bare hands. Some seem to have difficulty catching mink in body grips above the water while some say it is a breeze. Go figure.

Mac

I have caught lots of mink in conibears Al , they don't like to push through the metal triggers with there soft faces. Same as a marten.. I use pans now. Thats why I went to pans on marten too.

Jim;

Are these sets w/coni pans blind or baited cubbies?

Jim: I have been using coni pans for over 15 years for marten and in coni boxes for mink. They work ok, but they are a one way deal and are not good for trail sets. I do think the sight of the trigger is one of the problems, I have used a hollow weed to slip over the trigger wires, but that only works if the trigger wires are straight. I do have some that have triggers bent in a round shapeand I du use a trip wire which I think is very necessary for mink. I am always surprised at how many mink I catch by the hind quarters even large males with the trip wired triggers.

Hup, Which one of Asa'a lures have you been using?

If you start the trigger wires midway on the connie pan, like a see-saw, it will work both ways. Will put the mink more in the center of the pan to improve body catches.

As far as the sight of the square trap I think it is noticed by the mink sometimes, it's gotta be some kind of a factor.

I agree with what madtrapper said. That's why I think some of those RBGs would work. They seem to work better on coon In trails.Less refusales do to the more natural round tunnel look.

I think it was #1, but then again it might be #2.... I will check and see...
I know it isn't #3..

Thanks Hup.

AL. You think about this to much. If you come up with an answer fill me in. All my mink taken with 110's were taken on very small creeks (1 to 5 feet wide and shallow) with baited pockets.

I don't have much trouble with mink avoiding conibears. I believe there are a number of reasons why they might but if you eliminate those reasons you shouldn't have any trouble catching them in bodygrippers.

I set a lot of traps bare handed early in the year and doubt that this is your problem. Most mink will not shy from human odor.

Blending the trap in with dead grasses, weeds, and sticks helps tremendously. Using a 160 sized conibear for the head room is a big plus also. Getting your 110 sized ones up off the ground a little bit is important also. Starting the triggers is very important too as is trigger placement.

I place the trigger in the middle and bend the wires kind of like this ( ). By starting the trigger it will swing freely back and forth a half inch or so each way. Try and push it beyond that point and the trap fires. The trigger needs to be very sensitive not stiff. A little work with a file and a little adjusting here and there will make your trap very sensitive which is what you want.

The head room of a 160 makes it more enticing to those big male mink but I catch females and even weasels in them once they are set up properly. I put sticks down through the top of the frame to narrow the sides down some. Kind of like this |( )|. Most mink will focus on that hole in the middle and will be caught around the neck. The 160 is my favorite mink bodygripper and I use them whenever and wherever I can. Unfortunately here in Ohio we have to have our 160's touching water but I can still use them under overhanging banks and under tree root systems etc.

Getting your 110's off the ground a half inch or an inch helps some also. Keeps them from freezing down on cold nights but also gets the top of the trap up and out of their line of sight more.

One last thing. Be patient. Here in the mink barren, east central part of the state of Ohio a good creek will produce anywhere on average from 2 to 5 mink a year. If you have other types of sets out and you catch the mink in those sets first it might appear that your bodygrippers are being avoided. Most times the mink just haven't traveled the trails. High water, snowy blustery nights, or foggy drizzle type rainy nights are when those trails shine for me. They sit there as well as a lot of sets for days on end and then when you least expect it you pick up 4 or 5 mink in those bodygrippers. Hope this helps some. Good luck. By the way I'm 12 and caught 1 mink last year. LOL Just kidding.