Got a call about a client having a small muskrat problem in a pond. The problem is, there are no rat dens to be found and the pond has a pr of swans on it.
What would you use to catch the rats and to not catch the swans?

Cages or colony traps set under water. Look for bank dens/runs.

Did he just NOT say there were NO DENS TO BE FOUND ?

What good is a colony trap then?

No You best bet is a 'covered float set' with a cage or colony trap on it.

You must be careful with waterfowl with traps, even 110 kill traps.
A 110 can in a bank den under water can still kill a Canada goose!

I took that to mean no MOUNDS or HUTS.

Vinke, show us your version....and please don't use a Havajunk...I hate it when you use them and are successful!

Avoid the 110s and bodygrippers. Foot caught geese will beat the snot out of you and swans could only be worse. Don't ask me how I know. LOL
Covered floats or something similar to the floating colony that WCS sells would be possibilities.

This one is at A small feed pile......

I run muskrat maintenance programs on a bunch of subdivision ponds. A couple have pairs of Mutes on them. What i do is, and i've never had a issue yet is. I 4+stake them (creating a barrier)so the swan can't get over the den hole/trap.

You beat me to it Blackdog. I was about to post that I use 120's and longer stakes so I can bring them a slight distance ahead of the trap and cross them. So far so good; been doing it that way for several years and we've got ducks, geese, mutes, and trumpeters to contend with.

A pond with no runs? hrmm... Where are they coming from?

Warrior, myself and Tom Morelock were trapping beaver one winter and the state fur bearer biologist came down to meet with us to pick up some carcasses for a bobcat study he was doing. That morning he went with us to check traps and I caught a goose in a number 4 longspring, the goose was still very much alive and I wasnt crazy about taking it out so Bruce asked me what I was going to do? I have learned to think on my feet to get out of stuff so I said "im gonna shoot it in the head and pitch it in the weeds and reset the trap", he looked me in the eye and said "thats illegal Travis" so I replied "I aint gonna tell nobody about it!". Before I could say I was joking he rushed over and took it out for me! I love it when a plan comes together. Tom, I have a couple of floating cages but they are set right now, if it can wait a few days you are more than welcome to use them just let me know.

there you go acting big and tough Travis... lol good to meet you! My wife thinks your girl Katie is sweet!

Travis give me a call.

The pond will have dens, just not accessable.
A den 5 ft down in murky water is almost as bad as done.
I do like the float set idea.