Mink

When was the last time you managed to get a good look at a mink? For me it had been a long time until recently when I happened to be checking water levels at the dam on Lake Metigoshe. Something caught my eye among the rip-rap near the dam, and it was a mink. It ran and sniffed its way around the rocks and then dove into the water apparently looking for a meal among the bullheads and bluegills in the shallows. It came up empty, only to repeat the hunt. When it came out of the water the second time it must have got a whiff of my scent. At any rate, it straightened up, looked, and sniffed around, and then promptly headed off into the brush.

These semi-aquatic members of the weasel family can be found over much of North America. As you may expect, they are at home near most any body of water, from marshes and lakes to creeks and rivers where they prey on a wide range of animals including muskrats, fish, amphibians, and birds.

Art Bailey, in his A Biological Survey of North Dakota (Mammals) from 1926 stated that mink were never numerous in the state, but were common along most streams. No doubt they were also common on the Missouri Coteau, Glaciated Plains, and Turtle Mountains where wetlands were abundant. Bailey also noted that Prince Maximilian of Weid reported that a few thousand mink pelts were brought to the Fort Union trading post each year.

As many of you may know, mink are ferocious predators that can occasionally develop a fondness for domestic poultry, which, after all, tastes like chicken! Bailey recorded a report from Willows in Griggs County during 1886 where in one night a mink killed all but one chicken on the farm, returned the next night and tried to get at the carcasses that the farmer had placed up on the house, and promptly returned the third night and killed the last rooster.

But mention mink to most people and they probably think of coats. Mink coats may not be as coveted as they once were, but they certainly set the standard for luxury and style. I took a quick look online for the price of mink coats. You guys can score some big points with your special lady, and it will only cost you around 3-4 thousand dollars.

Chuck Lura

Natural North Dakota is supported by NDSU Central Grasslands Research Extension Center and Minot State University-Bottineau, and by the members of Prairie Public. Thanks to Sunny 101.9 in Bottineau for their recording services.