muskrat sets

   

Some of the best sets are the easiest sets. #110 Conibear in runways, where they are legal; you can put a trap in their house. I would use a #1 Stop-loss for this. My favorite is; I pull apart the house a little and set a trap in front and when the rat comes up to fix it, he will step in it. Use a Stop-loss. I also use #110's baited with apple on the trigger; put this by a log that they are going on top of.
    You can also make a little pocket in the bank where muskrats are digging or feeding. Put a piece of apple in the back with maybe a little lure, and place a #1-½ long spring in front. Make sure you can drown them by wiring the end of the chain to a stake and then put the stake in deeper water. The trap is heavy enough to take any muskrat down.

 

Muskrat Float Set

    I like to use #1 or #1-1/2 long springs for this setup. What you need for each setup is a large can - (You can get industrial food cans for free from most restaurants) or anything else that is about the size of a half gallon of milk.
    Then you need to make a raft. I cut up used pallets for mine, again these were free. Make your raft out of four strips of wood about 20 to 24 inches long, with two shorter pieces nailed across at the bottom.
On the top, in the middle of the raft, put in a couple of finish nails that stick out about 1/8" that are just the size of the traps frame. This keeps the trap from getting knocked off, but lets a snapped rat jump off easily. Put in a fence staple at the front of the raft and another at the back. You can staple your trap ring on directly or wire it to the shore line so you won't lose it.

  Hook up your shore line to the front staple and trap ring and stake it out. I like about seven feet of wire. Hook up your anchor wire to the back staple and then the can. Where I trapped five to six feet was plenty but you will have to adjust based on your water level.
Here is the great part of this set- set your trap and put it into position held by the nails. Put your can (filled with rocks) on it. It should float, more or less. Now push it out to the end of the shore wire and push the anchor can off with your trapping stick that is about nine to ten feet long. You are now in business. You can check these in a flash, when you see no trap on the board you have a catch. Obviously, we didn't have trap thieves where I lived!!!
    To reset- just pull in the anchor wire and do it all again.
I don't know why, but every rat that cruises by will get on the board. No bait, scent etc. I have watched and seen it happen many times. I was also surprised to see that the average rat caught this way was drowned in under 30 seconds.