By Joe Kosack the creek, where the drag snags. That's makes resetting easier. Another favored use of the blind set is along highbanked creeks where bank-runners are forced into the water. This set works best along a sand bar that ends at a stump and resumes after it. Most aquatic furbearers will ford the water - so long as it's shallow - around the stump to continue along the shoreline, rather than scale the bank. A 1½ coil spring trap should be set so the furbearer walks between the jaws, not over them. The jaw closest to the creek's shore should be about 2 inches from the obstruction that forces the furbearer into the water. This set also works at bridges, preferably those with abutments - walls - that are right up-against shallow, moving water. Place that 1½ coil spring trap the same way as you would alongside the stump obstruction. For mink-specific sets, I prefer an extension wire tied to a 5- to 10-pound rock - in case you catch a raccoon - in deep water. Adding a tangle stake about 3 feet downstream of the rock usually keeps the mink in deep water. Minks usually head into the water upon being caught. For raccoons, use a drag. The important thing about blind sets is they all but eliminate non-target catches. There's no bait, they work in freezing weather and can take trap-wise furbearers. Consider them one of the best sets you can add to your trapline. FEBRUARY 2019 35