As a youth, I trapped. Doing so, gave me a strong respect and liking for mink, fox, and other critters.

Per an internet search, mink eat muskrats, voles, rabbits, fish, birds, frogs, salamanders, crayfish, clams, and insects, chipmunks, crayfish, birds, waterfowl and rodents. I'm personally more than willing to trade some small fish or birds to have the mink around and keeping my muskrats under control.

While mowing down some tall weeds around my lake last summer, I saw three different mink. Only later when an owl flew over did it hit me that I just eliminated their cover and made them a lot more vulnerable to predation by owls and such.

[Linked Image from i108.photobucket.com]