Mink

[mikench]

I have to say Tigger that Mink are a significant contributory factor in the decline of water voles along with the other reasons you mention.

Near me is a lake in an SSSI full of fish( but no fishing) and i used to walk the dog around every day and usually see at least one water vole. They have all gone due to mink. I chatted with the warden a few weeks ago who said that he had caught several mink and when he thinks they are all gone, the lake will be repopulated with water voles.

I haven't seen a mink for at least a year and I hope he is right.

Otters do kill mink!

 

[tigger]

Sorry Tigger, but you are wrong, every wildlife authority says so. Mink are largely responsible for the drop in Vole numbers. Of couese, loss of habitat and pollution have an effect too.
https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/water-vole-faq
Water voles eat reeds and grass and are not interested in anglers rubbish like Brown Rats are.
They are protected now, unlike brown rats.

Narrh....i'm not wrong at all. I couldn't care less what the plonkers at the various wildlife authorities spout, they know ball all.

Why are you trying to tell me what water voles eat ? I used to listen for the voles chewing the reeds, sneak up and plap 'em with the slug gun while they where eating and feed 'em to my ferrets. I know the difference between a rat and a vole....are voles protected now ....I never would have guessed. Do you know if golden eagles are protected also?

tonya....don't insult my intelligence ffs mg:.

Oh, a close friend of mine does the environmental studies for the Canals trust and he was talking t me only yesterday and yes we all know mink will kill and eat voles amongst pretty much everything else they can overcome but the major killer is pollution.

 

[dicky123]

I'm a naturalist first, and Angler second.

In Lincolnshire the Water vole has been in decline for some years. A large contributer to this is the mink. One season on our fly fishing section, we caught and killed 19. Their numbers seem to remain static despite our intervention. We have no water voles on our beats currently?

As mentioned they take water birds of all kinds, duck, water hen etc.

I doubt the chap with the airgun did have a licence, the licence is for trapping only. However maybe he got the land owners to agree. Many people see a big dog mink, and think it's an otter.

On small rivers they take barbel too. I have seen this with my own eyes, the fish weighted 8lb. As barbel feed head down the mink attack from behind. I doubt the take many, but take them they do, if available.

Contact your local DEFA! Or better still if you have a fly fishing club, they may have traps?

 

[tigger]

I'm a naturalist first, and Angler second.

In Lincolnshire the Water vole has been in decline for some years. A large contributer to this is the mink. One season on our fly fishing section, we caught and killed 19. Their numbers seem to remain static despite our intervention. We have no water voles on our beats currently?

As mentioned they take water birds of all kinds, duck, water hen etc.

I doubt the chap with the airgun did have a licence, the licence is for trapping only. However maybe he got the land owners to agree. Many people see a big dog mink, and think it's an otter.

On small rivers they take barbel too. I have seen this with my own eyes, the fish weighted 8lb. As barbel feed head down the mink attack from behind. I doubt the take many, but take them they do, if available.

Contact your local DEFA! Or better still if you have a fly fishing club, they may have traps?

****y, in reality the only way a mink could kill an 8lb barbel would be if the barbel was already on it's way out.

People don't realise that the brown rat is an omnivore, much larger and fierce than a vole and will eat pretty much anything, they also hunt and kill other animals, they eat meat! The normal brown rat is rife along the rivers and pools, can swim above and below water and will probably kill more water voles than all the pure predators put together.

Regarding mink killing voles (which we know they do if they get chance), mink won't fit down a lot of the voles tunnels so the voles they do kill will have to be caught mainly above ground. I've tried to ferret voles using very small jill ferrets and they could only get down a few tunnels and then only part way...mink are generally much larger than a small ferret so will only get into the largest of vole holes.

Personally I don't think the decrees of voles is purely down to mink at all.

 

[soft plastic]

****y, in reality the only way a mink could kill an 8lb barbel would be if the barbel was already on it's way out.

People don't realise that the brown rat is an omnivore, much larger and fierce than a vole and will eat pretty much anything, they also hunt and kill other animals, they eat meat! The normal brown rat is rife along the rivers and pools, can swim above and below water and will probably kill more water voles than all the pure predators put together.

Regarding mink killing voles (which we know they do if they get chance), mink won't fit down a lot of the voles tunnels so the voles they do kill will have to be caught mainly above ground. I've tried to ferret voles using very small jill ferrets and they could only get down a few tunnels and then only part way...mink are generally much larger than a small ferret so will only get into the largest of vole holes.

Personally I don't think the decrees of voles is purely down to mink at all.

I have shot and fished all my life, that's nearly sixty years now. You are the first person I have ever heard of who has stated that they have intentionally hunted and killed voles. I doubt what I am going to say will have any bearing but you are an idiot.

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[tigger]

I have shot and fished all my life, that's nearly sixty years now. You are the first person I have ever heard of who has stated that they have intentionally hunted and killed voles. I doubt what I am going to say will have any bearing but you are an idiot.

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No bearing at all so keep your personall insults to yourself you idiot!

It was a long time ago when I was a kid and no one gave a shyte about voles as virtually every bit of water had voles present in large numbers....you idiot !

 

[soft plastic]

No bearing at all so keep your personall insults to yourself you idiot!

It was a long time ago when I was a kid and no one gave a shyte about voles as virtually every bit of water had voles present in large numbers....you idiot !

Hoisted with your own petard...that's my last post on the matter.

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[tigger]

Hoisted with your own petard...that's my last post on the matter.

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Thank god for that...as your a professional idiot .

 

[thecrow]

Hoisted with your own petard...

Isnt that an Americanism of the saying? just saying like

Imo although mink may be partly responsible for the demise of voles I doubt that they have been responsible for the nationwide fall in numbers so another reason must be responsible and I must agree with Ian that its loss of habitat and pollution that is responsible.

 

[binka]

A man walks into a very posh West End furrier with a gorgeous blonde on his arm.

"Show the lady your finest mink!" the fellow exclaims.

So the owner of the shop goes in the back and comes out with an absolutely gorgeous full-length coat.

As the lady tries it on, the furrier sidles up to the guy and discreetly whispers,

"Ah, sir, that particular fur goes for £35,000."

"No problem! I'll write you a cheque!"

"Very good, sir." says the shop owner.

"Today is Saturday. You may come by on Monday to pick it up, after the cheque has cleared."

So the man and the woman leave.

On Monday, the fellow returns but the store owner is outraged:

"How dare you show your face in here?! There wasn't a single penny in your account!!"

"I just had to come by," grinned the guy...

"To thank you for the most wonderful weekend of my life!"

 

[mikench]

Best anecdote to date on mink Binka!