Muskrat traps, methods, and tricks

This post is for those of you who are absolutely new to trapping, or have recently started setting for muskrats. First things first: muskrats, just as many other animals, are animals of pattern. They have simple routines, and habits that are not hard to recognize.

The first trap that we muskrat trappers utilize is the conibear. This is a kill trap. The muskrat will swim through the square trap, setting off the trigger, making the square jaws snap on the animal. These traps are to be used mainly in two locations. As I described earlier, a muskrat run is a path that muskrats will often travel. Conibear traps are meant to be set in the exact paths that muskrats will travel. Another way to set this trap is entrance to a muskrat den, or hut, also submerged in the water. This is often referred to as "plugging" a hut or den. Any muskrats inside will be trapped as they exit, and vis versa. 

The next trap is my personal favorite. It is a foothold trap. The size you need is called a #1, or possibly a #1.5. These are the smallest foothold traps. These traps are not a kill trap, they are a foot trap. A muskrat will often be drown by the weight of this trap, or still alive sitting on a hut. These traps are the best traps to use above water. Placing a foothold on a muskrat hut is an easy way to kill rats who are coming from the water to bathe in the sun on top of a hut. You can find where rats are climbing up the onto any type of hut by the mud left behind. They will make obvious mud slides when they climb up on their hut and slide down them. This is a great place to set a successful trap. For information on other animals, and wax/dying traps, look out for my next post.