Unwelcome Pond Visitor removal advice.

[Jeff]

I knew whenI built this pond in the middle of basically wilderness, and put fish in it I would have to find ways to defend it. So far it has been air attacks by Herons and King fishers. Dye in the pond fends off the diving birds,  and a line of knee high cotton string with martigras beads attached  thwarted the waders.

Now the attacker is coming from land with submersible capabilities. HE HAS TO GO. Any trapping tips?

[SawyerTed]

A 12 gauge trap with #4 steel shot will remove that visitor.

[YellowHammer]

He's a little cutie!  

[GAB]

Jeff:
If Robert thinks he is a little cutie maybe you should rehome him or her as the case may be.
GAB

[aigheadish]

It is cute but look at him, he's friendly enough to let you get close enough to shoot it. I'd worry about their smarts and ability to destroy a lot of stuff and eat a lot. You dog may make a nice snack out of it too... How about snapping turtles trained only to go after the mink (Is that what it is? Muskrat?)?

[Tom K]

Mink can be tricky to trap. They roam wide areas and don't regularly use the same trails or go to the same places consistently. If he is coming in through the same trail regularly you can blind set the trail with a #1 long spring trap, or a 110 conibear. Your best bet would probably be to make a baited box set. Use some scrap wood to make a 4 sided box or cubby. Either use it as a pass through with bait in the center and a trap at each end, or block one end. I build the box sized to use a 110 at the entrance with a notch in the sides for the spring. If you set it next to the pond you could also use a foot hold at the entrance with a drowning rig into the pond. Use a fish based bait, canned tuna or mackerel work, the stinkier the better. If you catch it live they are mean, and they stink.

[Peter Drouin]

How much can one eat?
When putting food out, fish or whatever the wildlife will come.
So you either stop putting food out or more food. 
Killing everything you don't like at the dinner table is not good. With food out, they will keep coming.
Or till you kill them all.

Wildlife always gets the short end of the stick.
I have a big heart for wildlife as you can tell.
At my place, they all eat.
Sometimes when I go out the wildlife is there waiting for me.
Like the cfarm, when he yells the deer come running.
I wish you luck Jeff, to find a way where all the wildlife doesn't have to die to keep your fish.

[Peter Drouin]

Maybe you can catch them and send them to YH. He has more fish than he wants. 10 or so should do it.

[TreefarmerNN]

I didn't realize a mink looks so much like an otter.  If it was an otter, I'd say just let it be as they typically move on rather than staying in one place. 

I don't know about a mink, never have seen one here.

[WV Sawmiller]

Jeff,

  What kind of fish did you stock in the pond? Sorry if I missed that on an earlier post. How many fish can a mink eat? Can he really make an impact on the overall population?

    They often steal my bait since I use small live bream for bait on my set hooks and I once rescued a 3 lb channel cat a very large mink had just pulled up on the bank. It was still flopping when I got there. I  have more problems with otters as they eat my big fish but I write it off as the price I have to pay to fish where I do.

  If the mink is not causing too much damage I just enjoy having him there.

[Jeff]

Hybrid Bluegills and some largemouth bass. He may be hunting frogs. There is no end to the frogs. I can tell you that my neighbor that has the pond on the corner, that has been there 40 years thinks its bad. That is honestly what I have to go by, but come to think of it, I think he might of voted for Biden.

[WV Sawmiller]

   I guess that means any solution will have to be eco-friendly, organic and carbon negative. You better check to see if the mink speaks Spanish and if so it may just be simpler to move and let him have the place.

    Good luck.

[YellowHammer]

That mink would have to be a lot bigger and meaner to eat my hybrid bream.  I once saw the bream eat a cow that had fallen into the pond before the cow finished mowing.  (Mooing?) 

[TreefarmerNN]

That mink would have to be a lot bigger and meaner to eat my hybrid bream.  I once saw the bream eat a cow that had fallen into the pond before the cow finished mowing.  (Mooing?)

They must have cross bred those bream with piranha!

[Jeff]

So, I found this den about 50 yards from the pond. I'll put a camera on it. The hole I estimate 5-6" diameter, with a goodly amount of soil removed, dug into the hill so water doesnt go in it. 

[WV Sawmiller]

   I wonder if mink dig their own dens or just take over one from a muskrat or other critter? They live in the rocks on our local lakes and rivers but there are plenty of washouts and such for them there. 

   Good luck getting another video of him.

[Jeff]

Both I think. This is new, I traverse past that spot at least weekly, and where it is, that excavation sticks right out.

[Jeff]

After having a camera on the den for a week, I got two surprise photos. A not a red squirrel, never saw anything on this property other than pine/red squirrels. I'm guessing gray. Maybe he hitched a ride one time in my truck from Harrioson.




And this.


Either The den was deserted, never completed, or just ready for ice fishing stays later. 

[Jeff]

Just saw that flipping mink. It swam across the pond, got up on a rock in the shallows, and had part of a dead fish in its mouth. It went back in the water and swam over and out and went under the boat. I came up and got the shotgun, halfway back I seen it go up over the clay pile and into the brush.

I have a live trap here, im trying that. The way he scooted uner that boat, i figured thats where I'll put it, so I did. I have some canned salmon here from 2021, so I used a little of that for bait.

[barbender]

Hmm. I'd be more concerned with an otter than a mink, as far as eating fish. I really don't know how many a mink can catch and eat. I know otters can clear out a pond in short order!

[Jeff]

I hope no otters show up. They aint far, I can tell you that. Old friend Lou had him getting in his ponds all the time, but his pond was connected to carlton lake via carlton creek, and then calton creek leaves the lake and goes out to the St. Mary's

[SwampDonkey]

Them otter travel a long ways over land. I saw one this fall going across the neighbor's pasture, but following a narrow row of woods and hillside that run across the middle. No creek or lake for 1/2 a mile.  I see more river otters now a days than I ever saw as a kid. Not much fur trapping these days.

I've had mink clean up a small trout pond before. They keep coming back for dinner until they are all fished out. These were small speckled trout, no bigger than 8" long.

Yesterday while walking, I found a bear path beat down to the mud down by the creek. Crosses the road and follows and old logging road.  He's been eating the neighbor's corn. The corn was just cut this week, but there is lots of waste cobs on the ground. Judging from where the path comes from, he's likely got a den on the back of the neighbor's place, but likely in the adjoining maple woods of another owner.  Neighbor also has some sheep and bears love sheep meat. Local bear hunter says he never seen a bear all fall. Hmm. I see paths and tracks, gotta be bears. :D

[Jeff]

So the young man I found to come trap, actually his dad found me via my youtube channel came over yesterday. His name is Jacobb he is 17 and home schooled. I like him! We took a walk and I showed him the trails to stay betwenn to stay on the property, but first we walked down to the pond with Cedar.

I told him.I had set a live trap on the peninsula under the boat and the story of cedar getting his nose to the mink  before it escaped into the water.
I lfted the boat to show him and the SOB was under there! Instantly Cedar was on him and grabbed him in the middle. The mink made a big hiss and twisted and tried to get a hold of cedar. Cedar dropped him to get another grip, and instantly the mink was in the water and gone. The mink had a big frog havlfeaten. That is when we noticed the blood in the snow by the bank. I quickly grabbed cedar and looked him over. Turns out the blood was frog blood.

 Jacobb when right back home and got some traps and set them about 4pm yesterday. He was back last night to check, but nothing yet.

Im going to check traps today as the young man has two thanksgivings to attend. His girlfriend is native american, and they have something special today as well.

Anyhow, like I said, I like the kid, and what a better situation? A young man that is highly interested in the outdoors and trapping. Not a lot of those around anymore. It was a great day, despite my finding the short cut from the top of the front porch to the sidewalk yesterday while on the phone with @Cedarman. It is less than one step to the bottom.

[Rhodemont]

Thanksgiving two year ago we all went for a walk after eating.  All heck cut loose in the chicken coop as we passed by.  I opened the door to see what was going on and not 3 feet from me on top of the laying boxes was a mink all puffed up and staring at me.  I reached for the poker stick Mariann keeps to see if I could swat him or better.  What looked like a medium size cat size turned and went through a knot hole not much bigger than a quarter.  I could hear the screaming as it ran right by everyone to get into the stone wall.  Ash ran around to find it but long gone.

Lost two chickens and had to build an entire new coop 100% enclosed in 1/4"steel wire mesh, under the building and run and on all framing before finish boards and roof.

    

[Jeff]

I'd like to have some ducks on the pond, but not sure they would stand a chance here.