Country Ecology: Mink - Trappers Report

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Country Ecology: Mink Feb 23, 2019 14:53 ET Original: Country Ecology: Mink [Reprinted from original] During the gloppy snowstorms we were experiencing in early February, I chanced to look out at my feeding station, and suddenly saw the lithe, dark form of a mink appearing out of one of the tunnels the red squirrels have hollowed out of the snow. I could only surmise that this efficient predator was hunting these pesky rodents, as I watched his sleek, cylindrical shape quickly move away. Mink are aquatic members of the weasel family, and this one was not too far away from the banks of the Bearcamp River, right across the road. Mink live along rivers, streams, lakes, ponds and marshes. Shorelines with grass, brush, trees or aquatic vegetation like cattails provide good cover and abundant prey. There they usually feed on muskrats, if they are around. Mink will eat virtually anything they can catch and kill, including fish, birds, bird eggs, insects, crabs, clams and small mammals. Since mink are mostly nocturnal, I always enjoy seeing one around the wintry ice flows of this river near my home. They are excellent divers. Nearly all of their time is spent within 100 feet of the water’s edge, but they’ll occasionally cut across open country from one body of water to another, as they travel extensively. They often stay in their dens during periods of extreme cold or heavy snow cover, as they don’t hibernate in winter. Mink generally live alone except when raising their young. The unique, 24-inch-long, slender body of a mink is covered in glossy, dense, dark-brown or blackish fur, with a white patch under the chin. With its long, bushy tail, a mink’s fur is in prime condition when its silky guard hairs are thickest. They have short legs with partially webbed feet, which make them excellent swimmers. Mink have small, pointed heads with beady black eyes. Their close-set ears look small since they don’t stick out, but they’re actually about an inch long. With their arched back, their bounding, compact movements are rapid and erratic, as if they are always ready to either flee or pounce on an unwary victim. Like skunks, mink discharge a fetid liquid from their scent glands when they are afraid or excited. This horrid odor is very strong and unpleasant to most people. The mink is a versatile predator. Lithe and agile, it pursues its prey on land and in water, which is how you might surprise one. Some of my outdoors-loving buddies have had close encounters they hilariously reported to me upon remembering incidents from younger days fishing and hunting. My Vermont buddy of many years, Fred Stetson, recounted the following: “Years ago, about 1975, I was trout fishing with a friend, who saw one crawl down by the edge of a rushing stream. Next thing I knew, he raced over, arms flailing, waders splashing and grabbed the little devil by the neck. The mink immediately glommed onto my friend’s finger. Calmly, he lowered his hand into the water, with the mink kicking and screaming. The mink released, and my friend, Boynt, brought the animal to about waist level. ‘Why’d you do THAT!’ I asked in disbelief. ‘Just wanted you to see a mink up close,’ Boynt replied.” Apparently, he liked to see wildlife very personally, and so occasionally grabbed a few members of the natural world, Stetson said of his former college roommate. Jim Martinson is another old flying buddy from Vietnam times, and while growing up in Minnesota, he did a lot of fur trapping and hunting. He next had a story of mink raiding fish successfully caught in a nearby lake there. While cleaning their fish, mink would habitually show up at that moment and grab some of the catch. “It was quite entertaining, the mink’s teeth firmly holding the fish head while Russ Bunn was holding the tail of the walleye ... tugging back and forth,” Martinson said. “I was concerned that in the blink of an eye, the mink would drop the fish and sink his/her teeth in Russ’ hand, before he could let go of the contested fish.” “Fortunately, nothing happened. Our mink show occurred each evening during happy hour. As I recall, maybe six to eight evenings out of the 10 we were there. Sometimes, the female mink would bring five offspring. They were amazing swimmers; they would dive into the water and not make a splash.” Martinson went on to say further, they then conscientiously took the remaining fish offal across the lake to another site, to avoid being visited by bears later that night. Mating by minks usually takes place now, in February or March. And, while males mate with many different females, they occasionally remain with the last female to assist in caring for their single litter of two to seven young (an average of four), born around the first of May. Dave Eastman also broadcasts “Country Ecology” four times weekly over WMWV 93.5 FM. As vice president of the Lakes Region Chapter/ASNH, he welcomes you to monthly programs at the Loon Center in Moultonborough. He is available at: cebirdman@yahoo.com (or) Countryecology.com for consultation.

Country Ecology: Mink Feb 23, 2019 14:53 ET Original: Country Ecology: Mink [Reprinted from original] During the gloppy snowstorms we were experiencing in early February, I chanced to look out at my feeding station, and suddenly saw the lithe, dark form of a mink appearing out of one of the tunnels the red squirrels have hollowed out of the snow. I could only surmise that this efficient predator was hunting these pesky rodents, as I watched his sleek, cylindrical shape quickly move away. Mink are aquatic members of the weasel family, and this one was not too far away from the banks of the Bearcamp River, right across the road. Mink live along rivers, streams, lakes, ponds and marshes. Shorelines with grass, brush, trees or aquatic vegetation like cattails provide good cover and abundant prey. There they usually feed on muskrats, if they are around. Mink will eat virtually anything they can catch and kill, including fish, birds, bird eggs, insects, crabs, clams and small mammals. Since mink are mostly nocturnal, I always enjoy seeing one around the wintry ice flows of this river near my home. They are excellent divers. Nearly all of their time is spent within 100 feet of the water’s edge, but they’ll occasionally cut across open country from one body of water to another, as they travel extensively. They often stay in their dens during periods of extreme cold or heavy snow cover, as they don’t hibernate in winter. Mink generally live alone except when raising their young. The unique, 24-inch-long, slender body of a mink is covered in glossy, dense, dark-brown or blackish fur, with a white patch under the chin. With its long, bushy tail, a mink’s fur is in prime condition when its silky guard hairs are thickest. They have short legs with partially webbed feet, which make them excellent swimmers. Mink have small, pointed heads with beady black eyes. Their close-set ears look small since they don’t stick out, but they’re actually about an inch long. With their arched back, their bounding, compact movements are rapid and erratic, as if they are always ready to either flee or pounce on an unwary victim. Like skunks, mink discharge a fetid liquid from their scent glands when they are afraid or excited. This horrid odor is very strong and unpleasant to most people. The mink is a versatile predator. Lithe and agile, it pursues its prey on land and in water, which is how you might surprise one. Some of my outdoors-loving buddies have had close encounters they hilariously reported to me upon remembering incidents from younger days fishing and hunting. My Vermont buddy of many years, Fred Stetson, recounted the following: “Years ago, about 1975, I was trout fishing with a friend, who saw one crawl down by the edge of a rushing stream. Next thing I knew, he raced over, arms flailing, waders splashing and grabbed the little devil by the neck. The mink immediately glommed onto my friend’s finger. Calmly, he lowered his hand into the water, with the mink kicking and screaming. The mink released, and my friend, Boynt, brought the animal to about waist level. ‘Why’d you do THAT!’ I asked in disbelief. ‘Just wanted you to see a mink up close,’ Boynt replied.” Apparently, he liked to see wildlife very personally, and so occasionally grabbed a few members of the natural world, Stetson said of his former college roommate. Jim Martinson is another old flying buddy from Vietnam times, and while growing up in Minnesota, he did a lot of fur trapping and hunting. He next had a story of mink raiding fish successfully caught in a nearby lake there. While cleaning their fish, mink would habitually show up at that moment and grab some of the catch. “It was quite entertaining, the mink’s teeth firmly holding the fish head while Russ Bunn was holding the tail of the walleye ... tugging back and forth,” Martinson said. “I was concerned that in the blink of an eye, the mink would drop the fish and sink his/her teeth in Russ’ hand, before he could let go of the contested fish.” “Fortunately, nothing happened. Our mink show occurred each evening during happy hour. As I recall, maybe six to eight evenings out of the 10 we were there. Sometimes, the female mink would bring five offspring. They were amazing swimmers; they would dive into the water and not make a splash.” Martinson went on to say further, they then conscientiously took the remaining fish offal across the lake to another site, to avoid being visited by bears later that night. Mating by minks usually takes place now, in February or March. And, while males mate with many different females, they occasionally remain with the last female to assist in caring for their single litter of two to seven young (an average of four), born around the first of May. Dave Eastman also broadcasts “Country Ecology” four times weekly over WMWV 93.5 FM. As vice president of the Lakes Region Chapter/ASNH, he welcomes you to monthly programs at the Loon Center in Moultonborough. He is available at: cebirdman@yahoo.com (or) Countryecology.com for consultation.