muskrats

[meade kampe]

My husband and son saw a pair of muskrats in the creek in the woods behind our house.  This made me nervous, as we have a pond.  My husband didn't think it was anything to worry about, until a week later.  I awoke one morning to find a dead muskrat on our front porch, compliments of our German Shepherd.  My dog can only access a corner of our pond, closest to our house- so I know the muskrat had to be close and in the pond.  How in the world do I get rid of these little beasts?  I don't know where to set up traps, my pond is an acre, and the creek bottom surrounds 2/3 of it!  Any ideas or tips, please?

[Keith13]

sounds like to me your dog took care of half the problem already, give him a little time he might solve the other half as well.

Keith

[G3farms]

Need to trap or shoot them, they will dig holes in the dam wall of your pond. Neighbor had them at one time, he would set the traps just under the surface of the water, can not remember what he used for bait. I do remember him using some old chain link fencing and staking it out over the dug holes, they were too big to get back through the openings in the fence. Also seems to me that he kept the grass mowed short so they could not hid as good and the hawks would help out also.

I am with Keith, give the dog a little more free range.

[Shawn]

A snare works best to catch the muskrat. Place the snare in a well water travled area for the muskrat or place it in front of their hole. Check the trap daily or even twice a day. Once they become established its hard to get rid of them. 

[harvey]

we keep a .22 sitting right beside the living room doors,  end up shooting eight or ten every year.  If you want to use traps a conibear trap is one of the best and easiest to use.  once you set them you set it right in their run.  The trap will actually kill the mushrat.  That way you arn't messing with a live one.  They are very vicious little critters.  Never reach for a trap that has a live on in it.

[AllenF]

Ya, you have to shoot them.   A .22 or a shot gun.   I have used both on them.   Wait right before dark to get them. 

[JP]

Let a bunch of nutria loose, they will displace the muskrats, like they did here.  :-D Bigger targets!  ;)


...JP

[annette]

Let a bunch of nutria loose, they will displace the muskrats, like they did here.  :-D Bigger targets!  ;)


...JP

What are nutria??

[JP]

Let a bunch of nutria loose, they will displace the muskrats, like they did here.  :-D Bigger targets!  ;)


...JP

What are nutria??

http://nutria.com/site5.php


...JP

[doak]

Nutria are big edible water rats. Also good fur.

Make sure you don't have any river otter. Your German Shepperd will have a problem. :)doak

[meade kampe]

Thanks for the feedback!  I'd love to let my shepperd get them all, because I know he'd enjoy doing it-lol.  I'm just afraid of him getting sick or injured.  Guess I'll just have to play gunner chic next week off of my back deck when I am on vacation (sigh).  Maybe I'll get lucky enough to see some Northern Lights during my muskrat irradication.  There is supposed to be better chances for my area to see them since there has been alot of recent sun storms.  Thanks, again.

[annette]

OH they are cute!! Thanks for the info. We don't have them around here, thank goodness.

[wayne]

  Keep in mind they can bring $10 each in season, have great fur for crafts, and are good to eat.

[danno]

they sold for a high 8.00 last year at the NAFA auctions.   The easiest way to catch them is to set footholds under about 3"s of water and bait with a half of apple on a stick above the water and behind the trap.  Stake the trap in a ft  or more of water so when caught the rat will drown.  I make platforms on 4ft stakes that I pound in just off shore in deep enough water.  Pound the stake until the platform is 3 " under.  Nail the apple on the stake just above the water line.  Wire the trap chain to the stake.   The rat will swim in after the apple and step into the foothold then just pull it off the platform and drown.   You dont have to hide the trap when under water just set it and lay it on the platform

[meade kampe]

Thanks for the details, Danno.  Might try it if I can tolerate the thought of drowned vermin in my drinking water......blah!

[patriot9878]

If you want to trap them you use a 110 conibear and set in the hole. But if they aren't undermining your property they really can't hurt anything.
But they are good to eat. Boil them in sage for 45 minutes take out and sprinle some flour and fry them in onions in olive oil for about 10 minutes on each side. They are the best tasting dark meat there is. I've eaten everything and nothing compares to them. They only eat roots. They are not rats. You fry potatoes and asparagus with them and you will love them.

[danno]

If you want to trap them you use a 110 conibear and set in the hole. But if they aren't undermining your property they really can't hurt anything.
But they are good to eat. Boil them in sage for 45 minutes take out and sprinle some flour and fry them in onions in olive oil for about 10 minutes on each side. They are the best tasting dark meat there is. I've eaten everything and nothing compares to them. They only eat roots. They are not rats. You fry potatoes and asparagus with them and you will love them.

I have to agree!!!   They are soooooooo sweet

[Mtn. Bee]

I would get a local trapper to take of the problem for you!
Also agree they are fine table fare, like the hind legs beer battered and deepfried.
Use to sell them to a Doc for eating back in my younger days!

[meade kampe]

My dad said to roast them on a seasoned board over a nice fire.  Then throw 'em away and eat the board-lol!

[AllenF]

 :-D

[Countryboy]

The simplest way I know to get rid of muskrats is to put a 110 conibear trap over the entrance until you have them trapped out.

You can also raise the level of water in your pond.  Muskrats start digging their hole underwater, but then they dig up above water level to have their den and raise their babies.  If the water level is within 6 inches of the top of the dam, they don't have room to build a den above water level.

You can also line the edge of the pond with several inches of sand.  When they try to dig a den, the sand just collapses the entrance.

[JP]

My dad said to roast them on a seasoned board over a nice fire.  Then throw 'em away and eat the board-lol!

I haven't had them myself but apparently according to many your Dad is mistaken about the taste.

I will ask my neighbor across the street what he used to do with them. I know he used to live in the swamp, trap them and eat them, he said they were very good eating.


...JP

[Countryboy]

My dad said to roast them on a seasoned board over a nice fire.  Then throw 'em away and eat the board-lol!

That's a common recipe for fixing carp.

[AllenF]

Ya'll are making me feel guilty for leaving them in the water after shooting them, and not cooking them.

[kingbee]

... they are fine table fare... Use to sell them... back in my younger days!

Ditto, in my youth there was a certian resturant where the local elite went to meet and eat.  It had a Continental savoir faire.  One of the menu items was "marsh hare."  You had to leave one paw on the muskrat so the resturant owner could be sure you were not selling him road kill.  Now if the DHLS got word of something like this they would waterboard the poor kid.

[Countryboy]

A local sportsmans club has an annual wild game supper.  Muskrat is considered one of the best meats.

Ya'll are making me feel guilty for leaving them in the water after shooting them, and not cooking them.

Just remember to remove the musk glands - they are called MUSKrats for a reason.  Even if you don't eat them, something will.

[AllenF]

Talk about muskrat love.

[IAFF]

Average $7.25 for mine at the VTA fur sale.  Glands will only be found in the spring.  FYI they can carry tularemia.  Apple on stick with foothold  or 110 coni best methods.  Youtube has numerous videos of rat trapping/skinning/stretching fur.  Easiest furbearer to catch IMO.

[JP]

So I have had carp that I bowfished. Heard they were a delicacy in France. The meat was actually rather good, it was the "y" bones that were such a pain in the butt to deal with. And that's even after the fish is filleted.

Anyone else eat carp, what's your best recipe and how do you deal with the "y" bones?


...JP

[Irwin]

So I have had carp that I bowfished. Heard they were a delicacy in France. The meat was actually rather good, it was the "y" bones that were such a pain in the butt to deal with. And that's even after the fish is filleted.

Anyone else eat carp, what's your best recipe and how do you deal with the "y" bones?


...JP

Crab bait and bear bait Coon bait  :-D

[danno]

So I have had carp that I bowfished. Heard they were a delicacy in France. The meat was actually rather good, it was the "y" bones that were such a pain in the butt to deal with. And that's even after the fish is filleted.

Anyone else eat carp, what's your best recipe and how do you deal with the "y" bones?


...JP

I dont but can tell you that a pickled fish recipe that the fish is soaked in white vinegar for 24 hours and in salt water for 24 hours. Then placed in sweet wine brine will taste great and the y-bones all desolve.   I use this recipe for small pike that are loaded with y-bones

[Scadsobees]

So I have had carp that I bowfished. Heard they were a delicacy in France.

That's not saying much,since they consider snails a delicacy too!!

My relatives in SW Minnesota have had carp in the past, they smoke it, smoked it tastes pretty much like any other smoked fish.  And I think they've canned it too.

I just remember my dad getting a fit of the dry heaves as they were cleaning the carp...it didn't appeal to him at all!

Around here freshwater drum - sheepheads gets a bad rap - it has a downturned mouth and looks like a carp so most people won't touch it.  Other than the bones, it is pretty good.

Rick

[oliver]

Scale them and fillet, cut the meat side to the skin in 1/2" squares, deep fry, this usually gets rid of the  y bones, still be careful eating, ate a lot of these growing up,, have a good day

[Keith13]

So I have had carp that I bowfished. Heard they were a delicacy in France.

That's not saying much,since they consider snails a delicacy too!!

My relatives in SW Minnesota have had carp in the past, they smoke it, smoked it tastes pretty much like any other smoked fish.  And I think they've canned it too.

I just remember my dad getting a fit of the dry heaves as they were cleaning the carp...it didn't appeal to him at all!

Around here freshwater drum - sheepheads gets a bad rap - it has a downturned mouth and looks like a carp so most people won't touch it.  Other than the bones, it is pretty good.

Rick

dats a choupiq not a sheephead. A sheephead is a saltwater great eating fish

Keith

[danno]

So I have had carp that I bowfished. Heard they were a delicacy in France.

That's not saying much,since they consider snails a delicacy too!!

My relatives in SW Minnesota have had carp in the past, they smoke it, smoked it tastes pretty much like any other smoked fish.  And I think they've canned it too.

I just remember my dad getting a fit of the dry heaves as they were cleaning the carp...it didn't appeal to him at all!

Around here freshwater drum - sheepheads gets a bad rap - it has a downturned mouth and looks like a carp so most people won't touch it.  Other than the bones, it is pretty good.

Rick

dats a choupiq not a sheephead. A sheephead is a saltwater great eating fish

Keith

You are both right.   sheepshead is a saltwater or brackish water fish if your near the ocean but here in the midwest freshwater drum are also called sheephead even in the dictionary.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freshwater_drum