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Joined: Jun 2002
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I was walking around the pond yesterday and Dolly my dog stopped, listened then leaped into the high grass by the pond and killed a mink. I used to trap when I was young but never caught a mink. I looked up the picture of a mink of goggle and sure enough it was a mink.
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Joined: Apr 2012
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Do you have muskrat in your pond. If you do the mink is probably after them.
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I used to have muskrats every couple of years but not since I've had Dolly my dog. I've let my pond go natural and there is a lot of food there, especially frogs, so maybe that is what the mink was after. Mink must be tough to take a muskrat twice it's size. He was very pretty, black to a deep dark brown.
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Joined: Apr 2012
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Think about the size of a shrew and what its killing ability is.
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We have problems with pine martins getting into our fish holding pen. The pen is used to keep the fish alive and fresh till we want to clean them all up together.
Pine martins are tuff mean little buggers. Mink are just as crafty.
Cheers Don.
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John,
What kind of dog was it again? Can you post a picture? Quite a hunter there! I've had my last dog and my present one kill a muskrat. For some reason they really hate them or they bring out the hunting instinct in them.
Once had a mink that was so large I thought it was a woodchuck at first! Was living under my pier where it met the shore. Lots of fish bones and parts under that pier.
I have a neighbor that lets his dog run freely onto my property even after I chewed him out one day and told him that my dog -- that is about 15 times the size of his -- could do it harm. Just doesn't care. His last dog got run over and he just got another one. My concern is the dog isn't much larger than a muskrat (a Bichon Frise) and if my dog ever got so excited she'd jump off the deck she could kill it. Or perhaps not. Not an aggressive dog but they all protect their territory. Or worse yet follow it on to his property and end up on the highway. God I hate irresponsible people!
Last edited by Cecil Baird1; 07/24/13 09:24 AM.
If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.
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We have problems with pine martins getting into our fish holding pen. The pen is used to keep the fish alive and fresh till we want to clean them all up together.
Pine martins are tuff mean little buggers. Mink are just as crafty.
Cheers Don. So tell us more about the Pine Martins. I was always under the impression they were associated with forest habitat. Was I wrong or are they just adaptable? I was amazed when I found out woodchucks climb trees and even more so when I saw one swim across my trout pond to access an open field next to it. I took it out as I don't want them doing any damage to my pond dikes.
If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.
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Joined: Jun 2012
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Joined: Jun 2012
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We have problems with pine martins getting into our fish holding pen. The pen is used to keep the fish alive and fresh till we want to clean them all up together.
Pine martins are tuff mean little buggers. Mink are just as crafty.
Cheers Don. So tell us more about the Pine Martins. I was always under the impression they were associated with forest habitat. Was I wrong or are they just adaptable? I was amazed when I found out woodchucks climb trees and even more so when I saw one swim across my trout pond to access an open field next to it. I took it out as I don't want them doing any damage to my pond dikes. These buggers at our cottage will run the shore line looking for any kind of free lunch. I can tell you this they can hold their breath for half a day and still run away. We have two stainless shopping cart bins welded together with a door. They will open the door and clean up the fish. Caught him in there one day and locked him in. Thought he was a goner. Opened the door and like a jack in the box out and gone. Needless to say I needed a change of shorts. They are mean mean cridders and it would take a heck of a dog to take one of them down. They will take down a snowshoe rabbit and eat them like a weasel would. I have not had any around my new pond at home here but I do have weasels and muskrats around close by. The muskrats will not like the rock shore of my new pond. Don.
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John,
What kind of dog was it again? Can you post a picture? Quite a hunter there! I've had my last dog and my present one kill a muskrat. For some reason they really hate them or they bring out the hunting instinct in them.
Cecil, did your dogs attempt to eat the muskrat? It's been my experience that dogs LOVE 'rats. I once watched one of our dogs swim underwater and grab one, bring it on shore and devour it. And when we had Huskies they would go wild for one that had been trapped in the ponds.
"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"
If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1)
And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1)
Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT?
PB answer: It depends.
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Joined: May 2009
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Lunker
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I need a muskrat dog. What breed is good?
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Joined: Jun 2008
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Ambassador Lunker
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The one that swam underwater and grabbed a rat was a Border Collie. My Grandfather was a trapper from way back, and that was where I first heard about dogs eating muskrats. He always used to say that anything and everything would eat a muskrat..... I've since seen all types of dogs eat them many times, myself.
"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"
If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1)
And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1)
Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT?
PB answer: It depends.
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 28,534 Likes: 842
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 28,534 Likes: 842 |
He always used to say that anything and everything would eat a muskrat..... Humans too. In the early 1900's they were sold in restaurants as Marsh Rabbit or Maryland Terrapin. I've trapped 1,000's of them and cooked a bunch. They are pretty good. Just don't have an image in your mind of what they look like without their fur coat as you're eating them. 
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Joined: Jun 2002
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Cecil, Sparkplug, Essup is the person that clued me in on what kind of dog Dolly was since it looked a lot like his in his avatar photo. I then looked it up and it is a short hair Field Bred English Springer Spaniel (different than Show Bred). She came to our door when she was just a small puff of fur in 4 inches of snow. We live 350 feet back from the road in a woods, so I have no idea how she got here. But lucky for me I got her. A great walking dog since she hunts as we walk. She hunts anything. Birds, rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, mice, frogs, snakes even some small deer which I hated to see. She will bite the heads off of mice and eat it. I've seen her eat the rabbits also. At my age I need to walk a lot for exercises and she makes be do that in spades. Roughly ever hour on the hour usually starting about 3 in the morning she comes to me and lets me know it's time to go. We walk year round reguardless of the weather. She is the best dog I have ever had and I have had great dogs since I was a kid. I tried to get a recent picture but I am having problems with photobucket. This picture is when she was about one year old.  This picture is when she was about two years old. She is four now and more filled out weighing in at 45 lbs. 
Last edited by esshup; 07/25/13 09:12 AM. Reason: clarified what ESS it was
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Joined: Aug 2002
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Hall of Fame Lunker
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John,
What kind of dog was it again? Can you post a picture? Quite a hunter there! I've had my last dog and my present one kill a muskrat. For some reason they really hate them or they bring out the hunting instinct in them.
Cecil, did your dogs attempt to eat the muskrat? It's been my experience that dogs LOVE 'rats. I once watched one of our dogs swim underwater and grab one, bring it on shore and devour it. And when we had Huskies they would go wild for one that had been trapped in the ponds. No. Just killed them instantly and let them lay. A possum made the mistake of greeting us at the door when we were going out for a walk with my last dog. My dog grabbed it by the neck and snapped it.
Last edited by Cecil Baird1; 07/25/13 08:37 AM.
If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.
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Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 20,043 Likes: 1
Hall of Fame Lunker
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Hall of Fame Lunker
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 20,043 Likes: 1 |
Cecil, Sparkplug, Essup is the person that clued me in on what kind of dog Dolly was since it looked a lot like his in his avatar photo. I then looked it up and it is a short hair Field Bred English Springer Spaniel (different than Show Bred). She came to our door when she was just a small puff of fur in 4 inches of snow. We live 350 feet back from the road in a woods, so I have no idea how she got here. But lucky for me I got her. A great walking dog since she hunts as we walk. She hunts anything. Birds, rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, mice, frogs, snakes even some small deer which I hated to see. She will bite the heads off of mice and eat it. I've seen her eat the rabbits also. At my age I need to walk a lot for exercises and she makes be do that in spades. Roughly ever hour on the hour usually starting about 3 in the morning she comes to me and lets me know it's time to go. We walk year round reguardless of the weather. She is the best dog I have ever had and I have had great dogs since I was a kid. I tried to get a recent picture but I am having problems with photobucket. This picture is when she was about one year old. This picture is when she was about two years old. She is four now and more filled out weighing in at 45 lbs. Thanks John. Nice dog!
If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 28,534 Likes: 842
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 28,534 Likes: 842 |
John, the only thing that I see different between her and my dog is the length of her tail. Typically they dock the last 1/3 on the Field Bred ESS because they'll beat the ends bloody when they are out hunting if the cover is heavy. Other than that, she looks just like any other Field Bred ESS vs. the Show Bred ESS. On the Show Dogs, they dock about 80% of the tail, so that when an adult there will be 3"-4" of it left. That is usually done at day 2 of age, and the dew claws are done at the same time.
AKC says they are the same dog, but the show dogs need haircuts every month or so to keep their coats looking good, while the Field Bred ESS don't need haircuts at all. If you DO trim them, it takes a year for the hair to grow back out instead of a few weeks. Show dogs have narrower hips and shoulders. They are used to running in a straight line, vs. turning or "quartering" all the time like the Field dogs.
The Show Dogs are predominately Liver with a little White or Black with a little White vs. the Field Dogs which are predominately White with Liver or Black. Occasionally you'll see a "tri" dog, which has Liver, Black and white on it in the Field dogs.
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Thanks for all the information Essup. Very interesting. I will print that out so my wife can learn more about Dolly. As I set here at the computer 2:15 am Dolly just came to me to let me know it's time to take our first walk.
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