it is now late October in Michigan. It looks like I have two muskrats at the pond (two holes in the bank on opposite sides). Have they started to bed down for the winter, or are they still very active? I am planning on trapping them, but never see them out and about. I do see evidence of them eating (lots of clover in the water and mowed cattails). Any advice?

IME muskrats stay active all Winter long. One of the tells for spotting is bubbles under the ice near burrows.

Advice: Conibear 110's.

Never to late to get rid of them! In fact if you wait too long they will have babies and then you have more!

Back in the 1960s I did a lot of muskrat trapping in the winter -- in Northern Wisconsin. Ice or not, they keep eating all winter. I usually baited with apples.

Esshup is a muskratter. He'll check in soon.

I thought that was "muskrateer".

Hey CoachB,guess what?Its late October in Texas too.

I didn't chime in because there wasn't anything good to add. 110's are the best choice if you can find their dens, or colony traps if you want to get all of the inhabitants of that den in one night. It's not too late, trapping season in IN. starts the 15th of Nov.

Late fall to early spring is when muskrats get their "good" coat. It's when trappers seek the rats for their "valuable" (relative term) fur.

It's the perfect time to trap.

Weissguy:

Relatively speaking, "valuable" coat is correct. The estimations for 'rat prices (we're talking large to extra large size, properly skinned and dried ones) are $2.50-$3.00 each tops.

IIRC they might have brought $4.50 last year around here.

My daughter's highly valuable muskrat pelt is in storage, perhaps awaiting incorporation into a fur coat some day.

That sounds about right around here too esshup. It wouldn't be something I would be interested in doing for those prices, but I know of some folks that gladly do. I guess if you are setting out hundreds of traps and checking daily, even at $2.50 a pop, you might have a somewhat profitable season.... but that's a LOT of work for $2.50 a piece.

Most of the guys that I've known that have been hardcore muskrateers have seasonal type regular jobs - mostly construction. So when that slows down in the fall they have tons of time to run traps. One guy I know of trapped 4,500 muskrats last fall in a 3 state area. By the time he figures in gas/vehicle miles and other costs he says he loses money, but almost breaks even. He does it mostly for fun and to get/stay out of the house.

Great info. thanks guys. I will check around here and see if someone wants to trap them and get the pelts.