ermine/stoat/mink

[Rod Caster]

Caught it crawling around atv's today. Up until a few weeks ago I called it a mink, but then I saw a real mink swimming in my river... apparently this is an ermine or stoat, but many people call it a weasel. 

[chris.brock]

Cute little bugger, looks mischievous too like he's gonna chew some wires and poop in the airbox 

[cheaptackle]

Chad if I didn't know better (maybe I don't!) I'd almost bet it was an albino ferrett, can't see red eyes for a start and most ferretts I know of are domesticated pets.  Great picture!

 

Michael

[OhioFisherman]

Cool! maybe it wants a ride?

[dave524]

We hated weasels as kids, they would get into the rabbit hutches and a single weasel would kill a half dozen rabbits just for fun as how much can an animal the size of a red squirrel eat? We'd shoot them on sight as teens, got  chickens as well when we had them. So much for predators killing only what they can eat 

 

edit: they turn white in winter just like a Snowshoe Hare, made for easy picking if we lost snow during the January thaw 

Edited December 4, 2017 by dave524

[DRIFTER_016]

Yup, that's an ermine.

Seen them quite a few times up here in the NWT.

[chris.brock]

yes, ermine in it's winter garb

[DRIFTER_016]

2 minutes ago, chris.brock said:

yes, ermine in it's winter garb

I've only ever seen them that colour.

Even in the summer. Saw one on Great Bear in July one year that was white.

Have seen them in that fall on my lake that colour too.

[Rod Caster]

Guys around here claim they are good to have around the house because they eat squirrels and mice and (apparently) don't cause damage. I have a mouse issue (my vehicles) like you wouldn't believe so I hope they are right. 

 

Now, for the 10 rabbits I lost to some predator this year, I figured it was a fisher, but I wouldnt trust these guys either. 

[OhioFisherman]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoat

There is a pic of one killing a rabbit on that link, it doesn't look like they could drag it away?

[Joeytier]

I know people trap them this time of year in Ontario, don't think I've ever spotted one.

[DanD]

11 hours ago, cheaptackle said:

Chad if I didn't know better (maybe I don't!) I'd almost bet it was an albino ferrett, can't see red eyes for a start and most ferretts I know of are domesticated pets.  Great picture!

 

Michael

Back when I was a kid, my dad and I would go out with our "Pet ferret" right after a fresh snow fall. We could track the rabbits to their holes and then send the ferret down. I would then kneel down in front of the hole and wait and listen. As the rabbit came running out (with the ferret on his ass) it was easy to grab the rabbit with your bare hands. A lot of the times. the rabbits had a second or third escape route; that's where dad stepped in with the 16 gauge shot gun. Sometimes the ferret would catch the rabbit and there was no way of getting the ferret out; not until he had a belly full and a good long nap. When that happened, we'd plug up all the rabbit holds we could find around the one we put the ferret down and leave him there for a day or two. When we went back to the hole we'd have a mixture of bread, warmed milk and brown sugar; if he was still in the hole, he couldn't resist the smell and temptation of having a taste. Yes I now know it is illegal to hunt with a ferret; but at the age of 8 or 10 we were bringing supper home. Now before anyone condemns my dad, it was the early 60s; you know the same time era where there is hundreds of picture of string lines of Muskies hanging.   

Dan. 

Edited December 4, 2017 by DanD

[Rod Caster]

That's awesome Dan. I had an outdoor cat for one day before it ran away and never saw it again. Meanwhile you guys manage to use a pet ferret to catch dinner in the wild and somehow not lose it on the first try.

Did the ferret look almost exactly like the ermine in my picture? They are about the same size aren't they?

[lunkerbasshunter]

Wow its pretty cute, never seen one before.  

Cheers!

[Sinker]

That little guy will wipe out a hutch of rabbits in no time....or chickens. If there is one, there is more. They are sneaky little buggers. Set a rat trap, and wire it down. 

 

S. 

[Rod Caster]

They are everywhere here. I see their tracks all the time. 

[Sinker]

Also, are you sure its mice in your vehicles and not this guy? They are terrors. I have had quite a few dealings with these little buggers!! I can almost guarantee this is what killed your rabbits. A mink will too though.....

 

S. 

[Rod Caster]

DEFINITLY MICE! I ripped out my headliner, it was a ffffffff mess in that thing. I could still catch 4+ per week in the one vehicle if I kept setting traps. Unbelievable. I pulled 5 dead ones and 4 live ones that day. Look at the pictures.

 

there's no way it was the ermine that got my rabbits. They were nearly 4lbs and whatever killed them dragged 9 of them over a 4ft fence. Only the fat 15lbs mom was left dead and decapitated inside the pen. That had to be a fisher or pine marten, or fox. 

Isn't a mink semi-aquatic? I saw one at my river just the other day. The only other place I've seen them is along the rocks at the Barrie waterfront.

 

Edited December 4, 2017 by Rod Caster

[DRIFTER_016]

7 minutes ago, Rod Caster said:

 That had to be a fisher or pine marten, or fox. 

I was thinking pine marten too.

When I first got my cabin property there was pine marten sign around and no bunnies.

Now I don't see any sign but crap loads of bunnies.

I guess they'll be back soon.

[Sinker]

Could still be a mink getting the rabbits. I've seen them drag whole chickens out of a coop, over a 4 ft fence. 9 out of 15 of them.....just killed them and hardly ate any of them.  I got him though, and haven't had a problem since. 

 

S. 

[Rod Caster]

I'm a bit confused because the names dont seem to be universal...

When you say "mink" do you mean the one in the picture I posted (the ermine) or do you mean the semi-aquatic brown ones that are bigger? I can't imagine mink would be this far up from the river 0.5 kms.

Pretty crazy to think the ermine would lift 9 - 4lbs rabbits up a spruce tree then over the fence and then out of sight. He's so small

[Woodsman]

Rod Caster mink have many different colour types.

Escaped/set free fur farm mink have made the other colours more common.

 

 

 

.

[DanD]

On 12/4/2017 at 9:38 AM, Rod Caster said:

That's awesome Dan. I had an outdoor cat for one day before it ran away and never saw it again. Meanwhile you guys manage to use a pet ferret to catch dinner in the wild and somehow not lose it on the first try.

Did the ferret look almost exactly like the ermine in my picture? They are about the same size aren't they?

I've had a few all white ferrets; not albino (black eyes) and yes the one in the pic would have passed for a ferret if its not one?

Dan.

[misfish]

On 12/4/2017 at 7:02 AM, DanD said:

Back when I was a kid, my dad and I would go out with our "Pet ferret" right after a fresh snow fall. We could track the rabbits to their holes and then send the ferret down. I would then kneel down in front of the hole and wait and listen. As the rabbit came running out (with the ferret on his ass) it was easy to grab the rabbit with your bare hands. A lot of the times. the rabbits had a second or third escape route; that's where dad stepped in with the 16 gauge shot gun. Sometimes the ferret would catch the rabbit and there was no way of getting the ferret out; not until he had a belly full and a good long nap. When that happened, we'd plug up all the rabbit holds we could find around the one we put the ferret down and leave him there for a day or two. When we went back to the hole we'd have a mixture of bread, warmed milk and brown sugar; if he was still in the hole, he couldn't resist the smell and temptation of having a taste. Yes I now know it is illegal to hunt with a ferret; but at the age of 8 or 10 we were bringing supper home. Now before anyone condemns my dad, it was the early 60s; you know the same time era where there is hundreds of picture of string lines of Muskies hanging.   

Dan. 

Very cool old day story. Enjoyed Dan.

 

Is a very cute looking varmint though.

Edited December 6, 2017 by misfish

[Tom S]

On 12/4/2017 at 7:02 AM, DanD said:

Back when I was a kid, my dad and I would go out with our "Pet ferret" right after a fresh snow fall. We could track the rabbits to their holes and then send the ferret down. I would then kneel down in front of the hole and wait and listen. As the rabbit came running out (with the ferret on his ass) it was easy to grab the rabbit with your bare hands. A lot of the times. the rabbits had a second or third escape route; that's where dad stepped in with the 16 gauge shot gun. Sometimes the ferret would catch the rabbit and there was no way of getting the ferret out; not until he had a belly full and a good long nap. When that happened, we'd plug up all the rabbit holds we could find around the one we put the ferret down and leave him there for a day or two. When we went back to the hole we'd have a mixture of bread, warmed milk and brown sugar; if he was still in the hole, he couldn't resist the smell and temptation of having a taste. Yes I now know it is illegal to hunt with a ferret; but at the age of 8 or 10 we were bringing supper home. Now before anyone condemns my dad, it was the early 60s; you know the same time era where there is hundreds of picture of string lines of Muskies hanging.   

Dan. 

Cool story. Didn't know that anyone still hunted with ferrets in modern times. 

Did you ever go Ferret-legging?