Trapper Gets First Mink

I squeezed the spring on my #110 bodygrip trap and set it over an old muskrat den. I staked it down, walked away and struggled to sleep that night. I dreamed of a mink getting caught in my trap.

That day I managed to get through school and as soon as I got home, I eagerly ran back to check my trap. When I arrived, my heart sank as I saw that the trap stood untouched, just as I left it next to the creek the night before. I was going to pull the trap, but I knew it was a good spot for mink so I decided to leave it one more night.

The next day when I rode my quad back to the woods to get firewood, I didn’t see my trap. Filled with joy that maybe, just maybe, there could be a mink in my trap, I stopped the four-wheeler. I ran over to the bank as fast as I could. Lying on the edge of the creek, sprawled across the grass, was a beautiful mink with its head caught in my killer trap. I was overcome with excitement and delight.

A week later, I was riding in the  car hopping around like a rabbit in the front seat as my dad drove. In the back were my mink and all of my other animals I had caught that year. There were seven raccoons, 12 muskrats and one opossum.

We arrived at our destination and walked in with my catch. I sold the ’coons for $5 apiece, the muskrats for $5.50 each and the opposum for a dollar. The mink sold for $15. That is the story of my first mink.

“School Days” is sponsored by Duke Traps and the Wisconsin Trappers Association. Winners receive six traps, a Wisconsin Cooperative Trapper Education video, an NTA handbook and a membership to their state’s trappers association. To be considered, send a 300- to 500-word story and a photograph of the trapper or hunter with a catch, kill, fur or trap to: School Days, The Trapper & Predator Caller, 700 E. State St., Iola, WI 54990.



Discover new techniques for finding and trapping more fur, how to make the most of your catch with harvest trends and prices, skinning techniques that can increase the value of your furs and more all in Trapper & Predator Caller. Subscribe Now

Related Posts

  • No Related Posts Found

Leave a Reply