# Winter Trapping Muskrats



## RocknRollHunter (Feb 27, 2009)

Im heading out this weekend to do some last season rat trapping and i was wondering if anybody knows any methods of trapping them when there is 4 inches of ice on the slews.


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

Find the huts.

Cut into the hut (tile spade or old hay saw work great). Feel around for the tunnel leading down into the water. I always tried to place the trap right where the water started. I always ran 3-4 feet of wire off the end of the trap chains. A piece of lathe for a stake stuck into the outside of the hut and your good to go.

Make SURE you plug your hole up well or else the hut will freeze up rendering it useless to you and the 'rats, not to mention you could possibly loose the trap to the ice. (State law requires you to leave the hut usable to the 'rats at all times). So even when your done in that slough, be sure to plug your holes up well.

If its somewhat warm, the little breather "pushup" mounds were good too. Id chop em open and dangle a 110 conibear in there. Once it got down to single digits I stopped trapping these though as they were to tough to keep from freezing up. You can rack up alot of 'rats in these as they are frequented often as the rats use em to get a breath of air on long swims.


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