stillkickin
Well-known member
Nice batch! I really like the photo of your "rat" hunting partner........A pup of many talents!
February - Muskrat month
- Thread starter Big Fin
- Start date
Foxtrot1
Well-known member
Nice haul. Now mtmiller has some competition with the dog photos.
Ever try eating the muskrats? Of all the non-game animals I've always thought they would be the most palatable. They eat them in Louisiana, but then again that really doesn't narrow it down, haha
Ever try eating the muskrats? Of all the non-game animals I've always thought they would be the most palatable. They eat them in Louisiana, but then again that really doesn't narrow it down, haha
huntin24/7
Well-known member
Awesome! I grew up in ND and we trapped a lot of rats. We always dug a small shelf into the bank and set the trap there with a carrot of piece of apple above it and attached to a couple small bricks out in the water. It worked great but I definitely need to try this.
Hunter&Huntress
Active member
Are you putting a carrot on the trigger of your body grips?
Yup.
Never have. They have a very high incidence of tularemia in some areas, and I have been told you cannot "cook it out of 'em." I suspect you can cook it out of them.
Also, Scott Layseth, who has a cooking show on Sportsman Channel, did a segment on cooking and eating muskrats in the Chesapeake Bay area. I asked him how they tasted. He furled his brow and kind squished his tongue around, then told me he would eat many other road kill items other than muskrats. He claims they have a "dirty" taste.
Rinella tells me that some guys really make a good meal of the hind legs, or as he called them, hams. That guy will eat anything, so I do not use him as my indicator as to palatability of anything.
So, for now, the magpies get the carcasses.
This morning I was joined by crittergetter and his enthusiastic side kick, Braden. This is a partial load of the 13 rats that got hauled in this morning.
Fishermen (I assume, given there were wader tracks along the river) pulled two sets, tossed my stakes up in the brush and no traps to be found. So, I just pulled the entire batch, even though you need to cross private to get to this part of the river. Those have always been good for 4-6 rats on each check, but just not worth the headache anymore. That is a dozen fewer traps to check.
Fishermen (I assume, given there were wader tracks along the river) pulled two sets, tossed my stakes up in the brush and no traps to be found. So, I just pulled the entire batch, even though you need to cross private to get to this part of the river. Those have always been good for 4-6 rats on each check, but just not worth the headache anymore. That is a dozen fewer traps to check.
shoots-straight
Well-known member
You can freeze their body and use them next year for cats, or K-9 variety.
BlakeA
Well-known member
Nice work and great pics!
recon6036
Well-known member
Great post. Sure wish I would have learned how to trap.
L. I. Yankee
New member
Thanks for sharing Randy.......
Well done. Thanks for the pics of the setups. Trapping is something I have always wanted to try, but I have never had the time, given where I've always lived, to give it a try. I'm thinking of picking up a few and putting them out next fall while deer hunting. I think it would be a great learning experience to share with my boys.
sbhooper
Well-known member
Our rats had a die off when dry conditions hit a couple years ago. Rats are great fun to trap and I hope that ours rebound soon. It is too bad that the prices have plummeted so badly. Great job.
MNHunter
Well-known member
Thanks for sharing Randy. I recall my Dad trapping rats when I was really little.
mn taxidermist
Active member
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2010
- Messages
- 176
Looks like fun Randy,I wish there was something to trap here now. I guess I'll have to wait for spring beaver trapping, always one of my favorite times of the year
shoots-straight
Well-known member
I think for those larger ones he'll average around $5 each.
HSi-ESi
Well-known member
Great sets - and congrats on a good haul.
Sorry to hear about the fisherman conflict. It sucks when people don't realize that there are other LEGAL users participating in the great outdoors.
Sorry to hear about the fisherman conflict. It sucks when people don't realize that there are other LEGAL users participating in the great outdoors.
huntin24/7
Well-known member
I can't quite tell from the pic. Is that white pole PVC or what? Definitely going to rig a few up.
MThuntr
Well-known member
http://wildlife.org/cat-disease-detected-in-minks-and-muskrats/
Bad news! As with most animals these days it doesn't hurt to wear gloves.
Bad news! As with most animals these days it doesn't hurt to wear gloves.
