Weasels (ermine) With pics

[GRIZ]

Anyone tried it?

I have caught them incidently in sets made for other animals. I have never set for them though, well I have but itdoesn't really count. The sets I made for them was to get them out of my aunts kitchen, grannys cellar, somebodys garage and in a wood shed. I guess I got the idea in my head to run a small line for weasel and see how it turns out.

Bought a dozen rat sized snap traps and picked up some scrap lumber to make my weasel boxes. Pick up some bait to mix with my lure, should be good to give it a shot.

[Cody Gruchow]

get any?

[GRIZ]

No havn't even set a trap yet.

Busy puttin in a door. Then over to a buddys to help put trim on/while I build boxes in warmth. First I must take care of neglected things as goldielox puts it. Also building some dogproof coon traps. Just isn't enough hrs. in a day even when I'm laid off.

May be towards the end of the week b4 I actually get any set out.

[GRIZ]

Today was my first check of "a weasel line". It wasn't much only a dozen traps but it is quite fun. Well I had a couple of frustrations too.

It took seven sets b4 I had any action, but not really what I'd had in mind. My 7th set was in a culvert underneath the CO's driveway, so I expected to see him eventually asking what I was doing. I told him just runnin a few weasel traps, showed him my identification on the traps, checked my lic, the usual and everything was fine. He asked about fur prices and what not then told me he just seen a weasel run across the road bout 1/4 to 1/2 half mile back. That got me a little pumped as I had a set about that far up the road.



Shur enough the darn thing ran right across the road and right passed my box(lower left of the picture) without even looking. I brushed the snow off just for pic. It was snowing pretty good so the faint tracks are fresher than it looks.

Then off to the ninth one. As I approached I could see some holes dug here and there in the snow. They seemed to be weasel sized but again partially drifted in by snow.



Then looked in the hole in my box and seen the trap turned upside down and I'm thinkin alright I got one. Open up the box and guess what I got.



Yup it's the tail of a mouse. The mouse must have gotten caught b4 the weasel got there as the mouse and my bait was eaten, only leaving the tail as evidence. Had I not seen the tail in the trap I might have thought I caught a weasel and it excaped. I have a feeling I will have that weasel in a few days after the weather gets better.

Then comes #10 and I can see one had been running around the box.


So I opened it up and saw



My little white prize.

The next one I caught a shrew and the next one had very fresh tracks by it similar to the ones in the other pic but nothing.

I had figured or hoped on getting 3 of 'em as it turns out I had a chance at 4 but only got one. That's OK as I got a bit of patience. Well OK not too much as far as I'm concerned them mice and shrews can stay outta my traps. I'll get the lil weasel next time.

[trout whisperer]

you send me a pm......ill send you a photo =a very simple weasel trap.......fur fish and game several years ago ran my article about it......and it has turned out to be very effective.....i love weasel trapping....around log piles.....any telephone pole by a low wet marshy area....cattail swamp edges have to be my favorite.......

if you deer hunt.....i save the tallow for my suet feeders......any tallow with sinew or meat attached...i use for weasels....

[GRIZ]

I will PM ya. Does it involve a piece of PVC on a stump or pole?

[Fawkinnae]

Griz nice description and series of photos - a day in the life of a weasel trapper.

Trout Whisperer - I would love to see your weasel set up too.
I'll send you a pm.

[GRIZ]

Things have been a little slower than I was hopeing. Part was due to the extreme cold. I hadn't salted my bait and switched to a louder lure. Then the blowing snow buried a few boxes which gave the shovel a workout. Then something I don't understand water raising and freezing on top of the creeks for no reason.



It isn't much fun chiseling them out when inside a culvert. Here's another one after getting chiseled out.



Bout all I could do was take them home and thaw them out in the tub. (goldielox was gone for the afternoon or I may not have) I did however have to chisel out something like this too.



Anyhow I had a few kinks to get worked out of my system an things went better yesterday.



Now hopefully I can keep that up every other day.

[Randy Kaar]

that sucks Griz... at least you got them out in 1 piece.
them weasels look like my daughters ferrets!

randy

[The General]

I had one of these in my fish house last night.  I saw something run out of the corner of my eye and sure enough there it was.  The thing came right up to my boot.  Then it tried to sniff my beer but i wasn't having any of that.  Then it walked around the floor a bit and back down the hole under the house. 

[GRIZ]

I had one of these in my fish house last night.  I saw something run out of the corner of my eye and sure enough there it was.  The thing came right up to my boot.  Then it tried to sniff my beer but i wasn't having any of that.  Then it walked around the floor a bit and back down the hole under the house. 

Nothing wrong with that, he's just keepin the mice out.

[HUNTER2]

They can't be worth much. Is this for something to do?

[Fawkinnae]

They can't be worth much. Is this for something to do?

Good question. What do you get for them?

[GRIZ]

They can't be worth much. Is this for something to do?

Yes and no. I havn't actually went out for them just for there fur B4. So in that respect it is just for something to do. On the other hand I can't afford the gas money going after them if it didn't pay expenses.

To answer your ? The little money I get back allows me to go after more. Oh and also you don't have to put on as many miles to catch a $5 dollar yote or fox as you do a weasel.

[GRIZ]

Sorry I made a mistake it doesn't take as many miles to take a weasel as it does a yote.

[The General]

I had one of these in my fish house last night.  I saw something run out of the corner of my eye and sure enough there it was.  The thing came right up to my boot.  Then it tried to sniff my beer but i wasn't having any of that.  Then it walked around the floor a bit and back down the hole under the house. 

Nothing wrong with that, he's just keepin the mice out.

I was going to stomp a mud hole in him.........but it being the holidays and all.

[GRIZ]

Picked up three more today. Catchin the little fellas is gettin to be more fun all the time. On the way home I took a different route and found some more spots. Plan on pulling the unproductive boxes and moving them there on the next trip.

[GRIZ]

Managed another 3 yesterday. They all came from the same boxes that had produced 2 days ago.



Pulled 7 spots that I'd lost confidence in, an put a couple new ones out yesterday. Plan on setting the other 5 out yet once it gets above zero.

Got a few inches of snow here yesterday which should be good for locating tracks. It isn't deep enough yet that I've had to do much shoveling to get to the boxes.

Talking to some of the guys up north with more snow, they have a different attitude. They have been doing nothing but shoveling, some have just pulled the pin surrendering to mother nature. I don't blame them. When the ditches and cattails are filled level with snow it's tough work.

Other than that trapping weasels is relatively easy. The critters are relatively simple to trap and abundant throught most of the state. Perfect target for a youngster to go after. That's why I told my buddy he's gonna build a half dozen boxes. He said "Saw is in the shop you can build your own." Then I told him I was gonna buy his boy a belated x-mas gift, half a dozen rat(weasel) traps.

Trappin the little buggers gives me the same feeling I had as a kid just learnin how to trap.

Nice catch here didn't even make it in the box.



Most I find are this way

[GRIZ]

Got a couple more today. Had a bunch just go right by the boxes without paying any interest at all. They must have moved yesterday or last night as everywhere I went I found tracks.

To say the least they are an interesting creature to figure out. Sometimes just down right frustrating. One day they just run right by an couple days later they just jump right in. I'm sure it makes sense to them but I'm still trying to make sense of it all. Not real hard to catch. Trying to figure them out for me is like trying to figure a woman out.

I still think my goal of 40 by the end of january is doable but I'm starting to get nervous.

[trout whisperer]

dont know why your goal is forty??

but..........when those little critters are going past sets........start gang setting.......w/fresher baits..and.......not one hole to snoop in........set three boxes........about a foot apart........with the hole facing each other.......they wont run past three scented offerings..........and try to keep the hole under some sort of overhead cover..not like a cubby set......but just an over hanging pine bow helps...or cattail duff.........weasels dont like to be completely in the open...hawks and owls........biggest fear they have....

[GRIZ]

Normally I'll let them go a couple days but today I was going to see what I could do different. Well nothing I guess had 5 out of the dozen boxes. Most of them are already under cover inside of culverts. I dunno are they just that moody? Today was pretty good but won't run them til sunday prolly.

I don't know why I picked 40 either. Guess I just was putting a figure out there that was available but would still have to stay after them.

[NDGUY]

Try hanging a feather (goose or dark type)  above the box to get a visual other than the hole if they pass up wind they still see the feather, I don't think their nose is very good at distances. its worked for me many times

[GRIZ]

Nd guy never thought about visual b4 but it is good idea. I just figured being within 2 feet is enough. Most of my boxes are inside of culvert so they only are a couple feet away. It might be enough just to make em stop and take a better look.

Here's the days take


This culvert got buried by blowing snow and something ate a dime sized hole in it's side.


I don't know what happened here. Found a dead mouse laying out in front. Looked like it'd been gnawed on by another mouse but found no sign of anything,ah who cares as I got my weasel.


This one a mink had found but decided to leave it be.


It was a much better day. Still don't understand why they run by one day then the next just jump right in?

I like the idea of using eye appeal. Gonna try that in a few places.

[GRIZ]

Boy that one pic doesn't do justice. There was 3' of snow over that culvert I had to shovel out in order to find a critter with a hole in it.

[GRIZ]

Got 3 more today and one yesterday. My best spot so far took number six out of today. Yesterday mostly just moved some boxes around to fresh locations and freshening with new bait and lure. Think it paid off.

The one I got yesterday was in the same place I'd gotten one a couple days earlier with the hole in it's side. It appeared to me that it may be another weasel rather than a mouse or a shrew. Which would make me believe they are cannabalistic much like mink.

The snow is starting to build up an some of the culverts are drifted over so now picking location is more difficult in new spots.

[HUNTER2]

A GRIZ killing Weasels. That's got a different sound to it. When you heading to URL?

[GRIZ]

Yesterday was alot of work yet it was pretty good. Got 7 but another weasel and a shrew ate a couple of them. All were nice big males cept one juvinile male. Not many good hits so they were pretty soiled up.

What I thought was the funnest part of the day was to watch the looks people gave me as they slowed down to see what I was doing. I suppose it might look odd seeing some one in a road ditch shoveling snow when it's 14 below zero.

 One place a pair of younger guys stopped an asked if I was having any trouble or needed help? as I was chest deep in snow shoveling out a culvert
 My reply was "yea you got a shovel."
They said "sure what ya need?"
That's when I said they could go shovel the other end of the culvert out.
They asked "What for?"
I told them so the weasels can get through
Boy talk about strange looks. They just left saying the weasels can cross the road. I bet they are still talking about that wierd duck they run into yesterday.
I never did tell them I was trapping them, it may have made more sense to them then.

I'm still laughing as I type just imagening the look on their face when I said "so the weasels can get through."

Here is one that made a big mess of him self and was froze in the box. I had to pull the box an put a new one out just to thaw him out at home. (When Goldielox is gone)

[kingfisher1]

"when goldielox is gone."  That's funny. My wie always wants to be right next to me watching what I'm doing and asking questions.  Not necessarily a bad thing.  I can't imagine the questions I'm going to get once my kid turns two........   

[GRIZ]

The reason for when she is gone. The bait and lure is still frozen in the box also. The lure has a bit of skunk in it and when I open a box I could smell it yesterday at 14 below. Now what you think it's going to smell like at say room temp. Pretty loud. Last time I did this I wasn't useing skunky lure but with the cold temps I wanted something a bit more powerful. Anyway last time I got away with it.

[HUNTER2]

I was wondering what that cologne you had on was Griz.