A few years back, I saw one mink pulling another mink off the highway that had been struck and killed. Not above scavenging, I guess. Another time, while adjusting the dock's level in the late spring, one continued along the shoreline rocks while I was in the water. Wasn't at all concerned about me.
Few years back I was raising some Pheasants and Chukar Partridge when I started to find some bird's with no heads (they don't flush so well for the dog's) Found the little S.O.B. eating one of the bird's when I went into the pen to feed them. He gave me enough time to run to the house and grab a .22 revolver. I did shoot him in the head and still got $6 at the fur auction, not such a good deal as he probably killed a few hundred dollars worth of birds. I still raise and release a 100 Chukar Partridge each year.
I lost 6 chickens last year to a mink too. Lost 3 at once, kept the other 3 cooped up for a few months (snowy season anyway, they didnt mind). After a few months figured the mink would have moved on...started letting the chickens out again and lost the remaining 3 a few days later. Same M.O. - heads ripped right off. Very traumatic for the wife... We've since built a completely predator proof coop...no issues since. Trapping/killing them is all good but where we live they'll always be another fox/mink/raccoon/etc. Having a predator proof coop is really the only option for me.
One time I was sitting on the bank of a small lake (yes, in the UP) and a mink ran right under my legs. Paid no attention to me at all. Another time I was at a mink farm and the farmer showed me just how nasty a mink can be. Believe me, you would not want to be bitten!
They really stand out when the rivers are snow covered. I seen many poking around the banks sticking out all brown.
Wife almost backed a juvenile into a corner of the house one day thinking about petting it. She figured out that wasn't such a good idea when I turned a little pale as she told me about it. About 5 minutes later it skinned up a cat's tail over in the weeds and she really got the message as the poor cat came howling back into the lawn, bloody tail behind her. That part was funny. Except for the cat. Screech!!! Wifey: "What was that?" Me: (laughing ) "Jose just found your mink!" Cat: (sounding impressively like a siren) " Meeeee Woooowwwww! " Zoom!
When I was a kid I lived in Northern Iowa on a farm for a few years. We had chickens and one day when we went to gather eggs we saw close to 10 chickens that were dragged to the fence line with their heads removed. A weasel had killed them and tried to take them out of the pen but couldn't drag the bodies past the fencing so the darn weasel kept going back for another. Our dog got the little jerk a couple days later but I'll never forget seeing that mess as a child.
I posted this somewhere else here earlier today, but we had a mink wipe out about 75% of the fish in our Koi pond at work just a few weeks back. Boss said it was probably $1000 worth of fish if he were to replace like for like. This one was a large black male...dunno how many different colors they come in...but he got made into a stole...
I loves me some .17hmr. It's my pick for ground hogs. They make a mess of things with good shot placement... I've never had one walk, well... Maybe an occasional tail twitch .
It’s a mean little thing! I remember the first time firing it boy that was a surprise! I expected something like the sound of a .22 not the bark that came out! Shot a milk jug full of water once too. Blew it right in half there’s definitely some energy transfer even from that tiny little bullet.
