As the snow begins to melt I can see that the muskrat have been wreaking havoc on my pond banks. I was able to kill one via shotgun. I've set the type of trap that lays in their hole and they walk into but can't walk out of. I'm sort of against any type of leg hold trap since I enjoy walking my Golden Retriever all around the pond. The last thing I would want is to catch him on accident. Is there any product or poison that can be put into the holes? What is everyone doing to control them?

KRM1985, I use a colony traps (that may be what you are using now?). I don't use poison because I worry too much about secondary or unintentional poisoning.

There are some good web sites about trapping muskrat. Check your state laws for seasons, limits and approved methods of control.

I do hate those little buggers.

I bought a starter kit it had a cd , couple colony traps ,wire, stakes attractant ,a couple foot holds . pliers and two 110 body traps for just under $100. Take a walk around your pond and see if you can find which tunnels they are using. Set up the body traps in those tunnels and stake it down. Check out what they have for videos to use the body traps. They can be a bit daunting to set but it will instantly kill the animal if caught in it and with it being in the tunnel there is less chance of your dog getting into it.Well worth the money in my opinion.

I will have to give it a try. I suppose if I use a tall stake the trap will be visible.

It would be difficult for a dog to get a paw caught in a properly set 110 conibear trap. Put the stake thru the coil on the spring to keep it from accidentally falling over.

For easy and proper set up of the 110 traps I suggest using the stabilizer brackets. I works quite well.

https://www.amazon.com/Deep-Water-Body-Stabilizers-Traps/dp/B072DY88DS/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=Deep+Water+Body+Grip+Stabilizers+for+%23110+Traps&qid=1552658629&s=sporting-goods&sr=1-4-spell

Hard to beat a 110 for them. Should be able to get them for $4-5 locally and it doesn’t take many to out a hurt on a muskrat population. Put them in front of den tunnels or in places you see their trails coming up on the bank. Stabilizers are good, you can also find a couple of sticks and place them in an upside down V just inside the jaws (hope that makes sense).

Got 3 110' set on Friday of last week and one live trap. As I was setting them I watch 2 muskrat swim by.. Of course I didn't have a gun on me...... Checked the traps on Sat, Checked again Sun.. nothing... Sunday I saw a large snapping turtle sunning on the banks... Normally I would remove the turtle... then I thought, maybe this turtle can help with the muskrat problem. He was sitting on the same bank as the muskrat holes

Odd that you wouldn't have had action yet if the 110s were in front of active den sites. Can you see a "path" in front of where you have the traps set? Active holes will commonly have a 4-6" wide lighter colored path in front of them where the muskrats swimming by have removed some of the mud/debris from the bottom. Water will quite often be cloudy right in front of an active den also. May want to look around to see if you see any other holes with signs of activity in front of them. Otherwise a slice of apple might tempt them into a spot they wouldn't normally go