Good answers here. I think you, Theo, and JHAP are all correct in your posts. Yes, the pond did cause a disturbance in the natural ecosystem that was there, and yes it also brought in new species. However, the species who live in dry woodland environments are all the same as those who live in or near water. In a sense, you made a trade. You don't need to feel like you effected the former residents in a terrible way. A small woodland area like what you cleared for the pond can only hold so much wildlife. I believe woods have a much lower biomass/area than ponds and the area imediately around ponds. The amount of wildlife which you effected will likely not be noticeable in the overall picture. There are advantages on both sides of the argument. Trapping and hunting in moderation will not negatively effect your area. When animals of a certain species are removed, the percentage of young that reach adulthood generally increases. Over trapping or hunting can be very negative. Generally, an area will fill up with all the wildlife it can handle. You can try to control what moves in, or you can let nature decide. If you do let the man trap other furbearers while he is taking care of the muskrats, you may want to ask him to be mindful of leaving a good population behind. For example, he could trap for the other furbearers for only a week or two. This will probably leave a good broodstock to replenish the population for the future. As long as you trust him to be responsible, he will probably be mindful of that on his own because he will want some left to replenish future possibilities for trapping on your land.
Jeffrey, what did you mean 3 legged deer? Is that literal or am I missing something?
I better go before I start to ramble.
