I tried to find my old thread on this topic, but couldn't. TO bring those up to speed that didn't get to see the other tread, I have been trapping a golf course where the muskrats are collapsing the pond banks. I had to build rafts to put the traps on and cover them so the few bunny-huggers in the neighborhood would not be alarmed by seeing a muskrat gagged in a trap.

Here's the problem. I have had rafts out since last Sat. and have not cuaght a single rat. I have shot a couple as toting an airgun was part of the deal, but with VERY limited cover around most of these ponds, I very often have to wait 'til next time to get a closer shot. As everyone knows, a swimming muskrat doesn't present very much of a target. I have been successful, but I have to be very precise as to when and where to shoot. Most of the time I only have one spot if I'm lucky that provides enough cover and is close enough to the pond to get a shot, even then they have to be within a very small area for the shot direction to be safe. I have been quite lucky with my shot oppurtunities, but they do take time to develope and to get close enough with the air gun to make the kill (about 30 yards) I have to be VERY still. Any movement and these critters are gone, almost like some one has already been shooting at them.

I have had trouble finding dens as I think they are making them, then it falls in, then they move down the bank a few yards and make another. It's been hard finding which ones they actually use. These ponds are all full of grass carp and they have been spawning all week. I don't know if the rats are shying away from the edge for that reason or not, but I cannot find a single hole that appears to have any runs coming from it. All I can see in the water's edge are fish beds. I have only seen 1 muskrat in each pond where the rafts are, except for one pond, where I have seen none. In that pond there are 2 rafts and neither had been touched.

I think I have located the den in the pond I was shooting over this morning. I do not have a raft in this pond. I'm pretty sure I got one of them, as he seemed to be struggling when he resurfaced, but I can't be sure.

I want to trap this pond, but I'm not real sure where the den is. I put out some carrots, potatoes, apples and a little cilantro that my wife had in the fridge for bait along the edge this morning. This is what I need to know:

1.)Can anyone tell me how to make a setup and what kind of bait to use that will draw them into the trap on the bank that will be more effective than the floats? I want to do a conibear setup on the edge of the pond (120's & 160's).

2.)Will taking the tops off the floats so they can see the bait help?

3.) What is the best bait?

Any help this would be greaty appreciated. I need to send them a bill next week and I don't want to do it unless I can get rid of the 2 I've been seeing for certain.

Thanks.

if legal in your state use colony traps and set one in every hole you find. baited 110s with a slice of apple on the triggers work well. also on your floats use some muskrat gland lure also with a food base lure.. that should help.

thanks, I'm already using a lure I bought on this site as well as apples on the traps. It's muskrat #1. I have not tried a gland lure.

Do you dig a hole or just set the trap on the edge and run the apple through the trigger wires???

By the way, what king of colony trap??

THanks

no just place the 110 at the waters edge in a stabalizer, you can also put the trap in the water fairly shallow, for colony traps try a square one, those seem to work better for me. yes just run the slice of apple on the trigger wires.

thanks a lot, I like your ides with the 110! I'm goin gto do that this weekend as I have lots of spare 120's and 160's on-hand. I'll have to order the colony traps.

Ducks like apple...............

thanks for the heads up. Luckily I have not spotted a duck on this entire place. There have been some geese sitings, but I have not seen any yet.

i like apples

I like duck.

Parsnips work great and I believe there better than apple or carrots.

Leftler style stabilizers,110 and Cattail roots.
rats often have deep runs out in deep water.
boat and good sun glasses may help you find them?
good luck
bob evans

For a pond set I use Melby style floats with 1.5 sleepy creek ls traps. About a week before the season I'll go to the pond and toss apples that have been cut in half in the pond. As soon as the season is under way no more free apples, I cut them in half and stick them on a nail on top of the float. When they try to climb on "got ya" right on the foot with a longspring, the weight of the trap will pull the rat down and dispatch them quickly and no one can see them one foot under the water. Works for me I've nabbed a pile of rats that way.

I'm baiting right now. Gonna surprise them this weekend. Got a little more alone time with the air rifle yesterday and tweaked it a little. Put on a camo fase mask and rain fly this morning and set up 20' from the edge. Sat still for 1 hour before they came by. Missed 1 (barely-I mean his chin whiskers are probably gone) and got one right in the eye. I'm putting out 120's & 160's tomorrow baited with apples, but I'm going to look into the cat tail roots and parsnips. I'll keep you all updated.

By the way, I did not go with leg hold originally because I did not want the floats to become floating gator buffets. I went with 160's in order to try to keep them on the floats. I'm going on the edges now anyway, I guess it's going to be 6 to one, half-dozen to the other.

I don't have much luck with bait this time of year when catching muskrats. You really have to wait until that first big cold snap; then put out the bait. And the colder it gets the more the bait draws them in.

It can be very frustrating. This time of year I just look for travel ways and pinch points and then put a trap there. Make your own pinch points and runways with a shovel; understanding there are limited areas to get away with this on a golf course. But there are usually some.

If it is in a highly visible area, put the trap on a drowning wire. It is a lot more work but when you catch a rat you can simple reset the trap and replace it in the bed; still attached to the drowning rig. I've had some drowning rigs that produce a rat five out of seven days consistently. No bait.

thanks for the info. THis is all very useful. I know it seems logical to me that bait wouldn't do much good this time of year when they have so much natural forrage. I think it's the only option I have left though. I'm not sure how to make a pinch point in a pond on a golf course. There are one or 2 ponds where there is a little ditch between them. I know I could do it right there. However, I don't know about the regular ponds. THey are manicured right down to the water's edge and there arent many features. It's pretty much a pond in the grass. I'll let you guys know how this turns out nest week. It looks like for now, I'm going to have to keep at them with the air rifle to make any headway.

If you can see fresh feed piles it is simple....

Dig a 9"x11"x18"-24" into the feed bed area so it is flat and stable
Cover the top of the trap using what is available (nothing fancy and not to much cover...I believe they want to see the predators coming while feeding/ yet still be hidden)
Move the feed bed into the trap...
Install some fresh bait of what the were eating
Add a very small amount of Lenons Muskrat lure
Scratch away algae and other debris in the water leading to the trap making a "fresh" clear path to the trap that is set on the edge of the water

Wait..
If you can not see feed beds.....

Shooting is the best thing i have found for summer rats...
Food is every were so there is no reason to go to your set...
Most often they are feeding up under the bank were you can not see...


This also gives you the opportunity to see where the den and Primary feeding areas are located..... so that traps can be placed

That's good info. You're right about them being under the edges. They dig some tunnels right down the edge of the bank, parallel to the water line.

I've been baiting with apples for the last couple of days. I set some traps in the edges of the ponds and baited them with apples. Problem is, all the apples are gone, but the traps aren't tripped. I'm using conibear 120 & 160's. I am having a difficult time even seeing muskrat whereas a couple of months back, when I went for the initial visit, it seems like I saw them at every pond. I have only seen 4 this week and shot 3. I saw another one on sat., but did not have a safe direction.

I had a friend go with me and was telling him that the rats were overly skiddish. I've never ahd them run from me at the mere sight of a human. These rats are super spooky and I have to hide and dress in full camo. As soon as I move or they spot my profile, they're gone. I told my buddy that it was like they had already been shot at. This adds to the level of difficulty getting them to come near me, not to mention there is almost never any cover. Lots of the homeowners were stirring around Sat. morning and we talked to 2 that had been shootng at the rats. We also talked to one of the head grounds keepers that said he had been shooting at them as well. I thought AAARRRRGGGGGHHH! I knew it! These rats have learned that humans are a threat. If I'm not real careful, they split at the first sight of me. I mean, come on folks, give me a break. The problem I'm having with them now is that people have been shooting at them and missing. They need to leave it to someoone who can actually shoot.

These rats are really starting to get the better of me, though it's only been a week. I'm going to make myslef a huge bait pile in one corner of the pong, stick it off jsut like I would a dam set for a beaver and set it up just like a beaver set.

I can't get one in a trap on the float or in the traps at the pond edge. I have blocked all the pinch points with traps and the buggers won't go near them. Is there something going on with them this time of year?

Thanks.

if your not catching them in your traps youve missed some pinch points... your gonna have to get in the water and feel around for their runs and get some 110s. they seem to work better, for me anyway. good luck!

Back when I first went to check out this gig for these people, it was, I think Early May/late April. I had no problem identifying runs. These rats dig holes and when they fall in they move down a few yards and dig another, so there were/are holes everywhere. Back a couple months ago, I could easily see runs coming from the holes they were using. Well, after getting some other quotes, settling on me, then a bunch of him-hawing around and finally getting it in the budget, It was late July before they finally let me get started. Sat. makes 1 week that the traps have been in the water. Not only am I not seeing any rats, I can't tell which holes they are using becuase the carp are spawning like crazy. There are literally fish beds on top of fish beds, erasing all signs of runs on a daily basis. I just started using carrots for bait, and finally had 1 trap tripped this morning and the carrotts missing off of the rest of them. I'm going back this evening to rebait and set my dogs a little lighter.

thanks for all the help. By the way, I'm using 120's and 160's. There are some nutria out there.