The trapping regs say that "you can not Physically damage or destroy any mink den, muskrat house, muskrat feeding house or beaver dam." so that means that I can't cut a hole in the muskrat house to trap, but I could find the hole that they are using to leave the house and set a 110 on it, correct?

That is correct unless you are trapping on the federal refuge along the Mississippi River. In that case you have to stay 3 ft. From a house.

Absolutely! On a hut there is usually two or more entrances that you can block with a 110 conibear. Colony traps also work well in the runs to and from the huts.

Chris

I’d reach up in there and use a coil spring before I tried a 110. It’s called sleeving. Might want to wear gloves though….I got bit doing it bare handed. I’m talking about the feeder huts…not the hut itself.

If your noodling muskrats- spray paint your index finger orange and hold it in the hut very still

If you're going to chop through the ice to reach into the house, you'd be better off to just set a board with a carrot. You'll keep catching as long as there's rats and you won't have one destroy the hut.

Sleeving pushups is not that difficult. a lot of houses have the entrances quite deep so that makes things much more difficult. For me I would find bubble trails and set those right unter the ice. Especially when you are further out from the house where they are in the runs. Lots of bubbles around a house can mean activity but many times harder to narrow down.

Bryce

I’ve captured several muskrat below ice. Never used a board set. Can you give some details on hot spots and percentages. I have dabbled with bait in late February/ March time.

Sleevin is an easy and effective method. As long as you don’t cut into the house. Practice makes perfect. Can take years so pay attention.

Sleeving is illegal here. My method is simple, set a baited board with a #1 long under the ice where the rats are working/traveling. My percentages are pretty good. I've had nearly 100 percent and as low as 50. Sometimes less if they're just not biting. Some days they bite better than others. Sometimes I miss a lot of rats, other times nearly every trap has a rat. I've been doing this for a long time, and I still ain't got it totally figured. I've seen it where they all hit in one part of the marsh, and hardly any bites in another. I do know that if you keep missing a rat or are missing a lot of them, it's small ones. When we get into a fresh marsh with a lot of good rats, we hardly miss and most traps get bit.

Sjc, do you have any pics of the set/setup.
Thanks

As stated never used one. Is there a general distance from pan to bait? How bout board size and angle in water. A couple pics would be awesome. Thanks sjc

I don't have a good close picture of the board, but it's pretty simple. Piece of plywood with a nail for the trap, a drywall screw for the bait and two holes for wire to wire it to the stake. Some guys nail them, but the water depth varies where I trap so I need to be able to adjust. I usually put it in at a 45 or so but it's not that fussy. I like the bait almost touching the trap.

A better description of sleeving please. I assume the words means your shirt sleeve......jk

Here you go...

SJC,

Do you set so the board is just under and close to the ice OR,

do you put it a ways down under the water ?

walleyed

I like it just under the ice. Obviously, if it's making lots of ice you should set a bit deeper.

Thank you sir.

I'm liking all this muskrat talk.! Move over coyotes and beaver!!!

I have tried the board system and had little luck with It. I had better luck with a submerged baited 160.

You find a push up and locate the most likely side for the entrance. If there is clear ice that’s super easy. When there is snow and milk ice is where the experience and skill comes into play. Chop a hole in the ice beside the push up and reach around to find the entrance. Once found, there is a spongy feed bed in the push up. That’s where the trap goes. I use 1 1/2 coils.

It’s called sleeving because most guys where shoulder gauntlets.