diy-muskrat

Trapping tip

Do not create a platform larger than 12 inches square. Other animals, such as ducks and geese, will want to use the platform and may be accidentally trapped in the process.

Win the muskrat race

Muskrats can be a constant source of irritation whether you are managing a fishpond or a water source for a cattle operation.
The persistent little buggers will quickly colonize almost every permanent water body and do what they do best — dig holes.

Muskrats dig holes, usually on the deep side of a levee or dam, to expose roots for feeding and create dens and nests. At first, the holes are just an unsightly irritation, something to watch to avoid twisting an ankle. But left unaddressed, the tunnels will leak and lower the level of a pond or levee or breach them completely, costing thousands of dollars in bulldozer time to restore.

If a fishpond loses too much water, it encourages algal blooms, resulting in pH spikes and low oxygen that may result in a fish kill. A livestock pond risks completely drying up during a drought, forcing a rancher to turn to pumping water from a well or storing it in tanks.

Instead of spending thousands of dollars and losing hair repairing muskrat damage, trap the muskrats as soon as they show up. Be wary after the first round of trapping, because muskrats learn to avoid a standard trap set. Extra measures are needed to catch the educated ones.

Take advantage of the their behavior. Muskrats like to climb up on grass clumps, logs, branches, islands, whatever is available.

Try this technique that capitalizes on their perching habit.

Make a perch-based muskrat trap set

Cut a 12"x12" piece of ¼-inch plywood.
Center the platform on a 3-foot-long 2"x2" wooden post.
Nail the platform to the post.
Cut the bottom of the post in a sharp angle so it drives easily into the pond bottom.
Push the platform into shallow water, 2½ feet or less, until nearly flush with the water level.
Hammer a roofing nail into the side of the platform, leaving 1⁄8-inch of nail shaft exposed.
Place the trap, preferably a #1 single long spring or #11 double long spring , on the center of the platform and secure it with wire to the roofing nail.
Pack mud and plants around the trap to camouflage the platform, leaving jaws and pan exposed.
Take a glob of algae and pinch it into a thin wafer, slightly larger than the diameter of the pan and place it over the pan to hide the trigger.

Muskrats seem to be slow at avoiding this set. Once the trap is sprung, the muskrat falls off the platform and drowns — leaving no visible evidence on the platform. — John Burk, NWTF regional biologist

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