Hi all. I have several frustrating muskrat jobs going right now.
Job 1: 2 acre retention pond, homeowner sees the general areas where the rats are coming and going. The pond banks have many, many holes and much of the bank is undercut. Lots of large fish and turtles also using the holes. 3-5ft of algae muck making it difficult to see runs.
Set two 110s on a point where the owner has seen them. Also put a floating trap w/apple and lure in the same area -- nothing. Across the pond I've fenced off a 12ft area w/chicken wire and colony traps under a willow tree where a muskrat has been seeing going in and out of. Again, nothing.
I'm at a loss, not sure what else to do.
Job 2: This one really sucks. 1/4 acre pond filled w/arrowhead plants and 2' of anti-erosion fabric all the way around. One side has a block wall now choked with trees and vegetation so no way to it from the bank. The bank drops off to 8-10' just past the fabric out so pretty much impossible to walk in the water. Didn't see any dens along the open side, but the arrowheads are thick. Short of trying to set traps from a kayak on the wall side, not sure how to approach this. I've trapped here before successfully, but it's very overgrown now.
Job 3: Also really sucks. Rats are denning under an old willow tree stump that creates a point right next to a 3' culvert. No easy way to set traps as the bank drops off making the water too deep and the den is in the tree roots. No obvious runs to and from the water, and 3-4' of algae bloom. I have no clue what do to here.
Again, I've never had luck with any sort of floating trap in the summer, no matter what I put in it or where I set it.
With an abundance of natural food right now, is there anything that will entice them into/onto a trap?
I'm just losing money every day on these jobs..........thanks for any ideas!