So just a question for those who catch lots of Ermine. Using boxes-what are the tricks to it. Questions like how to you keep mice out of the rat traps? The most productive spots that everyone finds? Favorite baits? Lures? If you're going to longline what are some tips to catch lots of them. Say running 80 weasel boxes. Just trying to get set-up for next season is all. Not like there is going to be a ton of competition out there-but asking questions to guys who have done it alot and caught a bunch of them in a season.

What say you. And yes I know go where there are lots of weasels etc..LOL

Weasel boxes are great, but it takes a lot of time and wood to make a lot of them. Instead, I resorted to using plastic one gallon milk jugs. I cut a door from the bottom and both sides leaving a flap on the upper part of the door. Use a stick to keep the flap upright. Very useful in keeping snow out. Through the top I suspended a thin wire with bait that hung inside the jug. Screw the milk cap on to hold the wire in place. It was hard for the mice to get to the bait due to being too high for them to jump up to it and they can't climb the sides of the jug, too slippery. Set a trap like a #1 or 1 1/2 LS the pan set with a hair trigger. Be sure to anchor the trap on some brush or something similar because you will occasionally catch a larger animal such as a mink that will run away with your trap. I once had a fox get away with my trap. Just about every weasel will be body caught and die quickly.

One other thing. Set where there are a lot of tracks in the snow. Areas they have been using a lot. I trapped a lot of cattail swamps. In those swamps, I usually tied a plastic ribbon marking where the trap was. Weasel are so much fun to trap!

I found benefits to filling those small mushroom cans with bait. I catch less mice and box stays cleaner.
I like to set on sign. But cattails seem to always hold weasels. A culvert between 2 cattail swamps is a fantastic funnel.
Hard to beat Beaver for bait !

Loads of Weasel information in the Archives !

Use beaver meat, liver,or the mice you catch. I also use a lure that smells skunky,seems to help them find the box. Hole cut in the back of the box with a screen over it. I also cut the sides of the inside of the box about an inch up and down from the back of the box with a skill saw blade to make a trackthen i slide a hard metal screen to make a bait holder. Prevents the mice from getting all the bait. Mice are good in the box just not in the trap. If I can find a box in the garage I’ll post a picture later. Best places I find are around the sloughs in cattails, brush piles from bush breaking and big old growth timber. If your going for long tails adjust your hole size so they can get in. To big and you will get lots of squirrels if they are around. In a big slough with lots of cattails you can set quite a few boxes and catch a surprisingly large amount of weasels. Also used to put a couple boxes where I had bait piles for coyotes. Every check it would I seem to have a weasel in one of the boxes. I always had a few extra boxes when I was trapping coyotes hard and if I noticed a set of tracks I would through a box out. Usually had him in the next couple days.

I do.

All my boxes are at the cabin. Going to pull this week. I’ll take a few pics and post later this week

I forget what these traps are called but they are great for weasel. Easy to set and put in the box. Plastic and will break sometimes when it’s cold out but 2 seconds to set. Push the back bar down and it sets itself then grab the top bar and lower in box. When your in a hurry or your hands are cold it’s a quick trap


Pulled a couple weasels out from yesterday . One is nice the other is yellowing so it’s time to pull

I vacuum seal 50 to a bag. They will keep for along time in the deep freeze and they are easy to handle

For anyone one that’s interested a picture of a long tail and a shortail. Least weasel I can’t find a picture right now but a lot smaller with no black tip on the tail

Odd time you will catch a weasel with a brown tip tail

Taught Kris F how to catch them and old bait piles he sure cashed in. Females travel with their young in the fall to those spots and it is instinctively in their behaviour to return months later.
Alberta Trappers mag years ago instructor Mitchell put out diamentions of a box that when the trap went off it closed the entrance so shrews did not enter and eat the catch
6 inches off the ground slows down microtones from entering
pm I ,have 25 boxes you can use, have not seen a track in 2 years now in my area

Boco was crushing them in his marten boxes. This year I gotta clean up and die/wax or FMJ my 120s. Took em down yesterday and they’re rough. My buddy finally got 2 out of all his sets. Most were set off or mice but he uses boxes that he made off a diagram on the internet.
Triple Nickle had them running all over his truck while baiting for yotes…lol
12:50 mark

Targeting weasels and catching weasels in marten/mink sets are very different

My son wanted to get rich trapping weasels

We built 30 box’s

Would of loved to use 1.5 long springs. but being in Canada we had to use the snap style trap in the boxes

Out of 30 boxes,, he would get 28 mice for every 2 weasels,,,,,disappointing!!

Ordered a dozen of ouell snap traps(yes they are expensive!!)

Setting on sign,,,12 traps 12 weasels almost every check

Didn’t take long to pay for themselves

spjones do you have that Alberta trappers article of those traps was about 10 years ago.

Did he get rich? Sounds like the densities there, but even at $10 a weasel?

Finally got some time to post pictures

I router the hole to make it easier on the weasel fur. They will tear off hair and often snap the trap before fully inside.

Put mesh on the back hole for scent dispersal

Same mesh on the back hole works as a bait holder. Caught mice go in the bait holder. Run a skillsaw cut up and down and slide the mesh in. Hard for anything to steal big pieces of bait.