Muskrats!

[dhcmca]

Thanks for all the great replies. I don't have any cattails in my pond, but, my property sits adjacent to an old railway line that has a large marshy swale running next to it and this area is full of cattails. The tracks are only about 60 feet away from pond and I have seen muskrats making running across the open grass between them. My old dog can catch muskrat quite well on land, but she doesn't stand a chance in the swale or the pond. I live in Canada, and have been told that I can trap or shoot muskrat on my property if they are doing damage. I'm not too concerned about other hunting laws as I am in a rural area. I wasn't aware that muskrats could be dangerous to children. My 7 year old daghter fishes in the pond regularly and loves to swim in it when she can convince dad to go in with her. I guess I'll have to get out the 12 guage and set up a camp. I'll keep you posted if I get one of those rascals.

 

[Dozernut]

Go to Google. com and type in Muskrat. You will find more information on them then you will care to know about. Thomas is correct about the males being territorial during mating season. The havahart.com/nuisance/critters/muskrat.htm site has a lot of info. on baits for traps. Hope this helps.

 

[EdKing]

Thanks to the animal rights activists, not many animal pelts are worth much any more. When I trapped when I was still in high school, I could get any where from 20 to 30 dollars for a racoon, 35 to 50 for a fox, and about 10 to 15 for muskrat. I used to be able to bring in from 300 to 500 dollars a season. Now you are lucky to get 5 dollars for a really nice fox pelt. The other bad result is the explosion of the racoon population, causing much higher incedences of rabies in my area.

 

[pennwalk]

There is nothing like a good dog. Except maybe two good dogs. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif My two loved to run off and hunt muskrat or ground hogs or rabbits or squirrels. Two dogs hunting together could be pretty effective. They have been gone for quite a few years and still I miss them.

Chris

 

[Soundguy]

Without my dogs and cats around my farm, we would have plenty of trouble with nusiance animals.

Soundguy

 

[Slamfire]

If old style leg hold traps are legal in your area, use them in a drownding set. Put the stake in water deep enough to keep the trap under the surface. Set it at the bottom of a slide. It is the only humane way to use these traps.

 

[MDNY]

I don't see how leg traps are humane. If your intent is to remove the animal and relocate then an enclosure trap is the better way. If it is to just get rid of it regardless of the outcome then I don't know what you would use?

I don't mean to come across as rude, but trapping is not very humane at all. Use catch and release traps, that is what I suggest.

 

[EdKing]

<font color=blue>I don't see how leg traps are humane.</font color=blue>

Slamfire, MDNY
That is the reason I recomended the Conibear style traps. They kill the animal instantly. They are also much less likely to catch other animals. I feel it is more humane to kill them instantly than to drown them. If interested in live trapping (not very effective for muskrats) a box style trap would be the proper approach. Despite what you may think, leg hold traps are not as inhumane as you suppose. The animals foot will go numb after a very brief period of time. They do not mangle the limb as most people think, I have released many animals from leg hold traps with no lasting ill effects.

 

[Slamfire]

I guess y'all missed the part where the muskrat drowned when caught in the leg hold trap. That's what I meant when I said it was the only humane use of that type. I used them when there were no others like the conibears available. You did lose some animals that chewed there leg off. Not all of them but some, that's why I went to the drownding set.

 

[Old_Wanker]

<font color=blue>I don't mean to come across as rude, but trapping is not very humane at all. Use catch and release traps, that is what I suggest. </font color=blue>

I have to take objection at that last paragraph. Trapping can be done humanely. As for catch and release, why would you want to send your problem to somebody else? Besides - catch, relocation & release (which I assume is what your suggesting) is illegal in many states.