Tracks are captured in perfect detail on rafts and mink tracks are easily recognised (see below). We have compiled a photographic guide to animal tracks that might be found on a mink raft. The tracks most similar to mink are those of polecats, and at present we can offer no reliable rule to distinguish the two species from their tracks. Polecats do visit rafts, but not frequently.
Tracks of other species, for instance water voles and water shrews, may also be of interest. Note that water vole tracks are often impossible to distinguish from those of brown rats. Only where droppings are also present can you be completely sure which of the two species was involved. Water voles often use the rafts as latrines, leaving droppings on the raft base, tunnel and tracking cartridge.
Switching to trapping mode
When adding a trap to the raft the tracking cartridge is removed. The cartridge and clay can often be stored somewhere close at hand after wrapping it in a plastic bag to keep it wet. If you leave it in place, it will probably be fouled by the captured animal.
For live-capture traps it is usually simply a matter of sliding the trap into the tunnel. If the tunnel is closely dimensioned to suit your live-capture trap, you may need to remove or loosen it to slide the trap in. When tightened down, it will clamp the trap to the raft, which helps to prevent theft. Small brackets or short lengths of galvanised steel builders’ band can also be used to secure the trap to the raft with screws.
To set a spring trap, the tunnel must be lifted off, and you will need to remove the tracking cartridge and fit a solid base for the trap in its place. With any spring trap, remember to slip off the safety catch before you leave!
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The award-winning GWCT Mink Raft was developed both as a means of detecting mink, and as a favourable trap site.
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