# Favorite winter muskrat sets?



## Lardy (Oct 15, 2007)

Sorry for another one of these "new to trapping posts" but I'm having a hard time getting good info on this topic. Ive done plenty of open water trapping but have never went out during the winter time. Id like to try trapping in the huts but I want to make sure I know what i'm doing so I don't mess up the huts. Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

Its pretty simple.

Cut a hole just big enough to get a trap in and the trap and 'rat out (tile spade works well, an old hay saw works even better if you can find one). I always pulled some of the wet vegetation out to plug the hole back up with.
Stick your arm in there and locate the entrance tunnel. I always placed the trap right where the water started (chain or wire extensions are almost a must......4' is usually more than enough). I staked with full length lathe on the outside of the hut.
Plug the hole back up well and check often. I used to check 2-3 times a day. 'Rats are pretty active under the ice all day and a full trap isnt doing you much good.

In ND it is unlawful to leave the hut in any condition other than what you found it in, so be sure to check your state regs, they may be similar. The hut must remain usable while your trapping it (duh) and after you leave. MAKE SURE you plug em well, especially during these real cold snaps.

Oh yeah, the ********* tail about one side of the hut being thinner and thus easier to cut into is :bs: , ive cut into more 'rat huts than id care to admit and never saw any evidence that the 'rat that built it knew NW from W from his posterior exit.


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## Lardy (Oct 15, 2007)

Thanks for the info bareback, as for finding the entrance tunnel im assuming that the location is pretty obvious once you start digging in there? Also, what size huts do you target when doing this?


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## moneyshot27 (Jan 13, 2009)

if you don't want to risk freezing the hut up because of a poor plug or an unforseen cold snap, you can find the entrances through the ice pretty easy. i personaly prefer to do things this way and i don't like to open up their lodges. once in a while i'll set a feeder hut but i won't risk freezing them out with their main huts.

anyway, to find their entrances through the ice... if the ice is relatively clear you can look for bubble trails. set coni's at these trails on the bottom. you can use a spud to find the true entrance(s) to the hut. where they come in and out frequently the ice will be worn and more thin than the surrounding area. a spud can be as simple as a piece of rebar. start next to the hut tapping on the ice (tapping being relative to how thick the ice is, for instance if the pond is frozen over a foot you'll probably need to do a little more than 'tap') working around in a circle, expanding outwards until you find the weak spot. that will be the entrance. entrances can be anywhere from a couple inches to 10 feet from the hut.

you can also find under-ice trails by looking at the cattails sticking above the ice. they'll look just like trails you see on land, except without tracks (usualy). an easy way to think of it is: whatever you see above the ice, that's pretty close to a mirror image of the other side. if trails are hard to see you might try going to your spot at night and shining a spotlight over it. trails will jump out at you like you wouldn't believe.

if you set these trails it might be worth it to double stack your coni's, one on the bottom and one at the bottom edge of the ice. you've already cut a hole in the ice so you might as well try for a double, right? good luck!


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

Lardy said:


> Thanks for the info bareback, as for finding the entrance tunnel im assuming that the location is pretty obvious once you start digging in there? Also, what size huts do you target when doing this?


Ya, the tunnel is pretty obvious once you get in there. Some of the bigger huts will sometimes have several, in which case you can gang set the hut. I liked a 1 1/2 longspring here (the spring makes a nice "handle" for hut work) as it catches a bit higher. If you set down in the tunnel, and give them enough chain/cable/wire, theyll usually go right back down and drown. Some will be alive still, which is why I liked the 1 1/2.

Id target any and all huts. The bigger huts can be a pain to get into, but like I said, you could often gang set them.

Id also target the little "push-up" breather huts in the early winter. These freeze out pretty early, but can really stack up some numbers quick as their just little "rest stops" to get a breath of air or quick bite on long runs. Great place for a 110.

The under ice method described above is really effective too, if theres not much ice like early in the year. Anything over 4-6" of ice IMO though gets to be a real pain the you know what.


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