30 HUNTING DOGS. 



the den during the day. If the den has more 

 than one entrance, is not very deep in the 

 ground, the animal will often run out by stamp- 

 ing or striking a few licks with a mattock. The 

 mink generally comes out at the entrance neat '^st 

 the water (quite often under water) when it 

 can be shot, if you are quick enough, or if the 

 dog is an active one, caught. 



When hunting at night along streams, or 

 places frequented by both mink and 'coon, it is 

 sometimes difficult to tell, at first, which your 

 dog is after. These two animals travel about 

 the same along streams. Some dogs will not 

 run mink unless especially trained while others 

 take naturally to mink hunting. Unless a dog 

 is not afraid of water, he will never make a good 

 mink dog (or 'coon dog either for that matter), 

 as mink go into a great many dens both on the 

 bank and in the water. 



Where the hunting is done in woods, con- 

 siderable distance from streams or ponds and 

 mink seldom travel, your dog may "pass them 

 by" but if you should catch one in a trap and let 

 him kill it, the chances are that you will have a 

 mink dog. 



Again l)y hunting certain stretches of creek 

 where mink frequent, your dog will soon learn 

 that you wish him to hunt these animals. A 

 mink holed is far from caught, especially after 



