Spring muskrats?

I just got my first nuisance muskrat job. I'm in Missouri and have never trapped rats in the spring. It's a 14 acre lake with lot's of big boulders around it with just enough space for a rat to fit through. The water is murky so I can't see any runs. I have six colony traps, four #1 step ins, 30 110's. There is a narrow feeder creek I thought about colony traps in it. I have 5 two foot sections of sewer lateral pipe rigged to hold a 110 at each end. I thought about setting them with just a little of the tube under the surface with potato or carrot for bait. I don't have any floats but could make some if those would be good for this. Any input and advice would be much appreciated.

What is the nature of the damage? Start from there and work your way out from there.

In general...slam the 110s in front of any hole that looks like it could of been a rat hole. Around here, after a certain period of time, the mud plumes coming out of the dens goes away but the rats still use them. Only bubble trails under the ice, freshly emptied mussel shells, or a rat in a trap, gives their location away.

SNIPER I figured as far as the holes go I will just have to try covering all I can find with 110's. The damage they are seeing is caved in dens.

The caved in dens is why you got the job. The problem is, that you don't even know if there is a decent rat population left. Make

sure you have that narrow feeder creek trapped properly. That could be a winner. I have two jobs that both look almost the same. The

first one didn't look that good and the second one only looked a little bit better. I caught 12 on the first one and so far the

second one is a complete failure. I'm not sure that there is even one muskrat on the three ponds. You never can tell this time of the

year. In a couple months you'll be able to spot every shallow den that's active.

Right Paul, obviously the caved in dens are not active but is what they see. They did say they see muskrats in their yard but I really wonder how, infested this lake really is. That's the word they used. There is also a culvert pipe just right for a 110 and I havr great success in those in the regular season so I will definitely try that.

Well Paul I tried every thing I know and pretty much all I learned here. Nothing. But I got paid 100 bucks anyway and I will go back in winter when I can see something. They do not have a big muskrat population. A lot of what they thought was rats was actually just erosion between the big boulders they have lining the lake.

I have the same problem on some ponds right behind our house. Apparently the muskrats moved east to a pond with better food and I got

the call and set it up today. We shall see.

Setting a couple 330's in a whistle tube coming from a creek to a lake tomorrow. Checked the lake last week and saw very little beaver sign. A few willow sapplings cut off near the tube. So I'll set for a night or 2 but told the owner I'll be back in the season.

I've been working a muskrat job for the past week. There is old damage from abandoned, caved in dens, but the owner saw one swimming and got excited.

Anyway, after careful scouting of the two ponds I found one active den. Only found it from the clear trail leading into the brush. But set up on it and every other den opening and old trail I could find. Caught two the first night, a male and a female. Since then, all I've caught in my conibears were turtles and fish in my colony traps.

I'm pulling the line tomorrow.

Yea I caught a snapper in 110 glad I had it staked and wired. A bass in a colony still alive and set free

S I wonder if snapping turtles wait at den holes for a nice muskrat meal?