Modified 110 Duke Magnum - Mink Trapping Machine

A couple of simple modifications and one unorthodox treatment improve the performance of inexpensive traps.

- Todd Strohecker

My favorite set for mink when the water is rising is simply a 110 Duke magnum body grip set blind above the waterline in a tight travelway, such as along a dry bridge wall or at a pinch point in a grassy trail. The same sets work when the waterways freeze in winter.

Duke 110 magnums are relatively inexpensive, yet with simple modifications and an unorthodox treatment, I turn them into mink-trapping machines.

Because mink have a way of slipping through body grips set on land without firing them, the modification starts with making sure the trap will fire quickly with less trigger travel. One of the causes of excessive trigger travel with the Duke trap is that the notch in the dog is larger than the diameter of the trap jaw. This is a problem because when a mink pushes the trigger inward, the top of the trigger can slide up between the trap jaw and the dog instead of immediately pushing the dog upward. Pushing the dog up is what releases the jaw and causes the trap to fire.

The trigger fires normally with outward movement because the jaw is always exerting pressure on the outward side of the dog notch. But that still leaves roughly half of the mink at a blind trail set—those traveling the other way—hitting a trigger with excessive travel.