Sprkplug, That is the strange thing, I"m watching the pond every night at dusk and I never see a ripple. 2 years ago when they were there they were diving, swimming, making noise. I can't believe that all of last summer and fall we never saw them or heard them but maybe they are still active?

I agree, our dog would eat them if he could get to them, makes me wonder if they are there or not. IF their tunnel opening is now about 10 feet away from water edge would i still see the silt in the water as they get in and out?

DonoBBD, I think some of the digging in the grass bank is my dog making the hole bigger and trying to get to them, but clearly some of the tunnels going into the bank are small and are likely past or present muskrat tunnels.

Any way to kill them while in their tunnel/home even if I can't catch them out and active during day? Just fill in the tunnel the best I can and watch for new tunnels like you do with moles?