Stoat

Scientific name: Mustela erminea

How weight is recorded: Whole weight

Field notes

Appearance

Stoats are elongated mustelids with a distinctive dark brown dorsal coat and white underside; the tail is notably long (one-third of body length) with a black tip. Males are noticeably larger than females, and winter coat in northern populations may turn white (ermine phase).

Size and weight

Males: 20–34 cm body length, 280–450 g; females: 17–27 cm body length, 140–230 g.

Habitat

Stoats occupy diverse terrain from sea level to alpine zones, including grasslands, moorland, woodland edges, and scrubland with good ground cover. They favour areas with rabbit or rodent populations and use stone walls, hedgerows, and burrow systems for shelter and denning.

Distribution

Found across northern Eurasia and North America; in Britain and Europe, they inhabit open and semi-open terrain at lower elevations, avoiding dense forest, with populations tied closely to rabbit and rodent abundance.

Diet

Stoats hunt primarily rabbits and small rodents (voles, mice), with diet varying seasonally based on prey availability; they will also take birds, insects, and carrion.

Behaviour

Stoats are mainly diurnal and crepuscular hunters with high metabolic rates requiring frequent kills. They are solitary except during breeding; movement is rapid and bounding, often covering large territories in search of prey.

Hunting tips

Look for tracks in soft ground (four toes visible, typically in paired prints) and dark, twisted scat often deposited on stone or log markers. Approach upwind through rough ground or hedgerows where stoats hunt; they are curious and may pause to investigate disturbance calls. Glass open moorland and grassland edges at dawn and dusk; stalk slowly with frequent stops to spot movement.

Whole weight

This species is logged by whole weight — the animal weighed entire, as taken.

Where it is hunted

Listed as huntable in 10 countries in Huntify.

Names in other languages

These field notes are general species knowledge, not legal advice. Always check the current seasons, quotas and firearm rules where you hunt.