Mink hunting is a country sport involving the hunting of

American mink The American mink (''Neogale vison'') is a semiaquatic species of mustelid native to North America, though human intervention has expanded its range to many parts of Europe, Asia and South America. Because of range expansion, the American mink i ...

with

scent hounds An odor (American English) or odour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences) is caused by one or more volatilized chemical compounds that are generally found in low concentrations that humans and animals can perceive via their sense ...

along the waterways which make up their habitat, in a manner similar to

fox hunting Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase and, if caught, the killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds. A group of unarmed followers, led by a "master of foxhounds" (or "master of ho ...

."Mink hunting on the rise"
BBC, 15 June 2003 Mink hunting took place in the countryside in the UK and Ireland, but since 2005 traditional mink hunting has been banned in England and Wales.

Origins

When the sport of

otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includes wea ...

hunting was given up in the British Isles in the late 1970s due to otters becoming endangered, many packs of Otterhounds converted to hunting the invasive American mink, which had become established in Britain from 1950 onward, from fur farm escapees. Unsuccessful efforts to eradicate the mink led to it being widely viewed as an invasive pest in Britain and in Ireland (where a bounty is paid per Mink killed).

Hunting

There are 22 packs of Minkhounds in the UK, registered with the Masters of Minkhounds Association, and four packs in Ireland, registered with the Mink Hounds Association."Irish Mink Hounds Association"
Hunting Association of Ireland Mink hunts meet once or twice a week over the Summer, from April to October, and draw waterways searching for mink. Followers try to keep up on foot, which may involve wading across a river. When a mink is found, a chase will ensue, with hounds hunting the scent of the mink until they catch it. It is estimated up to 1,400 mink were killed a year by mink hunts in the UK. Since the 2005 ban, mink hunts in the UK have adapted to the new legislation by undertaking legal

trail hunting Trail hunting is a legal, although controversial, alternative to hunting animals with hounds in Great Britain. A trail of animal urine (most commonly fox) is laid in advance of the 'hunt', and then tracked by the hound pack and a group of followers ...

and other forms of exempt hunting (such as hunting rats). The hounds used for Minkhunting are usually elderly foxhounds, drafted from foxhound packs, though some packs also use the historic

Otterhound The Otterhound is a British dog breed. It is a scent hound and is currently recognised by the Kennel Club as a Vulnerable Native Breed with around 600 animals worldwide.

breed.

References

{{reflist Hunting with hounds Hunting by game Hunting and shooting in the United Kingdom

Origins

Hunting

See also

References