Muskrat problems!!!

[Fawkinnae]

Wow those floats are really clever. I had never seen those before.

[The General]

My wife heard the dog barking in the back yard yesterday (he never barks unless something is wrong).  She went back there and he's have on point and half barking at the window well.  She looks in and there is a muskrat.  The father in-law goes back there with her and tells the dog numerous time to "get it" and he just barks some more.  Then my kids come around the corner of the house and in a flash the dog jumps in the window well and kills the muskrat.  Funny how Blaze (my dog) knew that is was time to protect the kids.  Plus he probably knew my 4yr old son would have been down that window well trying to make it a new pet. 

[deadeye]

For some reason I hope a skunk or porcupine doesn't come into your yard.   

[Go Big Red!]

So far the muskrats are beating me.  I bought a couple of wire traps and they aren't kicking the step plate hard enough to trigger the door.  May need to utilize FireRanger's conibear and start whacking them that way.

[GRIZ]

So far the muskrats are beating me.  I bought a couple of wire traps and they aren't kicking the step plate hard enough to trigger the door.  May need to utilize FireRanger's conibear and start whacking them that way.

you should try useing a colony trap under water instead of a live trap.

[Go Big Red!]

So far the muskrats are beating me.  I bought a couple of wire traps and they aren't kicking the step plate hard enough to trigger the door.  May need to utilize FireRanger's conibear and start whacking them that way.

you should try useing a colony trap under water instead of a live trap.

I can only find old den trails.  Those are plain as day.  I think I'm going to use and build a #14 floating trap.  Any recommendations for me Griz?  Thanks for your input!

[GRIZ]

The fresh den runs should be more obvious than the old one's as they are being used.

As you can see from all the different floats they can be made very differently by different people. Most people I think build them with whatever materials they have on hand.

 I built mine similar to #14 as they take up less space then someothers and are relatively simple to build when mass producing them. To make mine I use a 2 X 8 cut 30" long. On the sides I have a piece of 1/2" plywood about 1"-1 1/2" higher than the board. Then on the bottom with some large washers I attach a piece of foam insulation. The insulation is not neccessary at first but helps with floatation once the board starts to water log. Then I put an eye screw in it for a place to attach the stake, traps can also be fastened to this. This is how I built mine due to ease and simplicity but use whatever materials you have on hand.

[spear foot 1]

Last night on the news they had a report of menacing muskrats in otter tail county and how they were burrowing under roads. Its on the ksax news web site.

[MTCOMMER]

We've got a cabin in Otter Tail Co. and I would say the muskrats are pretty bad up there.  We have always seen them around.  Usually a .22 works for us, but sometimes they are gone before we can get the gun.  They sometimes hang under our raft but are mostly around the creeks that connect the chain of lakes.

[Go Big Red!]

I have a floating raft out and still no rats.  We haven't seen them in a couple of weeks so we're wondering if they're holed up with newborns?

[lentz]

I have a floating raft out and still no rats.  We haven't seen them in a couple of weeks so we're wondering if they're holed up with newborns?

if thats true catch um fasterr

[Go Big Red!]

I have a floating raft out and still no rats.  We haven't seen them in a couple of weeks so we're wondering if they're holed up with newborns?

if thats true catch um fasterr

More targets to shoot at.....   

[lentz]

I have a floating raft out and still no rats.  We haven't seen them in a couple of weeks so we're wondering if they're holed up with newborns?

if thats true catch um fasterr

More targets to shoot at.....   

ya but more targets to get

[Tyler Rother]

We had a problem with them burrowing under a shoreline tree, well we finally found where they were denning up because the ground gave way and sunk... we piled rocks at the entrance shortly after ice out to block em in during the middle of the night, dug a small hole in the ground where it sunk, shoved a hose attached to our cabin trucks exhaust, kept a 2x4 on the trucks pedal, after removing something to make it smoke like a sob...dad did it whose a mechanic so don't know exactly the correct term, and shoved that tube 4 feet in along their tunnels and let it run for about 2 hours. Haven't seen one yet.

[Go Big Red!]

I have a floating raft out and still no rats.  We haven't seen them in a couple of weeks so we're wondering if they're holed up with newborns?

if thats true catch um fasterr

More targets to shoot at.....   

ya but more targets to get

Thank goodness I have a stockpile of 17 HMR shells.  Practice makes perfect.

[lentz]

do you still have problems?

[Go Big Red!]

Two have been taken out with the .17 HMR.  One kept hitting the duck corn pile and he got smoked...

[lentz]

got a idea of how many there are?

[Go Big Red!]

Nope. When we do see them, it's only been one at a time.

[Fawkinnae]

Wow those little suckers are smart. Sounds like a gang.
They probably send the dumbest ones out one at a time.

Rodents man - they're crazy.

[Go Big Red!]

Wow those little suckers are smart. Sounds like a gang.
They probably send the dumbest ones out one at a time.

Rodents man - they're crazy.

If that's the case, dumb ones are dead ones...

[Fawkinnae]

Wow those little suckers are smart. Sounds like a gang.
They probably send the dumbest ones out one at a time.

Rodents man - they're crazy.

If that's the case, dumb ones are dead ones...

Unfortunately that just means the  gene pool is getting smarter.  :]

[lentz]

you said it fawkinnae

[Go Big Red!]

Just saw another dumb one swimming tonight.... time to add to the body count....

[lentz]

aim small miss small