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I remember seeing someone post a picture of a cage trap on a muskrat float a long time ago.
Well tonight I had to set a couple myself.
I have never been a fan of floats and never had any luck with them but this job left me with no other options.
Lake house with a concrete sea wall. Muskrats are going under the wall and tunneling through the yard. Water is about 5 feet deep on other side of the sea wall and the rats are going under about 3 to 5 feet off the wall (I would estimate its about 6 to 8 feet deep where they go under).
I was going to use parsnips and apples for bait but the grocery store didn't have parsnips so I used apples only.
Just put your colony traps along the seawall for a bottom edge set . Theres no need to set the runs because they will run along the wall . I've caught rats better that way then setting on the runs when there going under them old wood seawalls . Your not going to catch many rats in floating live traps Vinke will tell ya the same thing .
This is how you set on seawalls . It doesn't madder how deep it is ether . Normaly the runs coming off from under seawalls are kinda hard to set anyway
Going to need a long stake or some way to keep them stable . You could wire 3 side by side together then use a rake to place and retrieve them just to keep them from flipping over . Bottom edge setting rats makes up about 50% of my total rat catch per year . Seeing its on a lake there could be a problem with wave action working your stake loose so wiring 3 together mite be the way to go .
Vinke, that was obviously my mistake. ( I won't make the same one next time ) I have a whole bunch of Havaharts that customers gave us and they look like they would only be strong enough to hold a muskrat.
take a look at www.nongriptraps.com I have the best results with carrots and cherry oil lure You will have to set the trap where the muskrat is on the surface and is most often where the muskrat has cover
We just set a job last night, not sure how this will work but here's a description, I will take pictures when we check this morning
We wired colony traps just under the surface right to the floating dock, the rats are getting under dick and using it as a feeding bed, we covered traps with weeds hoping they will dive just under and go into colonies. Will let you know if it works
Good luck
Every day is a gift from GOD, don't waste it!!
If they have plenty of food, give them something interesting to smell
Didn't work yet. Found where they were climbing up inside the floating dock and using a cavity for a feeding bed, set two #1 foot holds in cavity and a couple 110 under the dock near the entrance
Every day is a gift from GOD, don't waste it!!
If they have plenty of food, give them something interesting to smell
That statement that the trap has to be a Havahart is...lol...not true of course. But it's good for a laugh anyway. We prefer a drab colored 8X8X24 size cage, wired to a plank however and bait it with carrots. Moss over the top adds to the appeal. We've caught many muskrats in ponds in town using this humane method !
* Credit should be given to Dave Vinke for the original concept.
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