Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Help Muskrat bait

Need some suggestions on what bait to put in a Hav-A-Hart trap to catch a muskrat.

Thanks for any suggestions,
Larry

Larry, I've taken a lot of muskrats out of my pond, but never with a live trap. I don't see where the bait would make a difference...I've had good success with a slice of apple, slice of potato, 1/2 ear of corn. Depends on what type of habitat you already have in your pond. All time favorite muskrat food is tender young cattails, of which I have a lot, so it's a little harder to get them to leave a good thing and go for the bait. After they are in the trap....then what?
Dan

I don't have any cattails. I am trying to establish a bed of eelgrass for fish cover and the muskrat is eating the plants before they can start growing. The live trap is the only trap I have and if I catch him I am going to kill him.
I don't have the time to sit and wait for him to come out to where I can shoot him. I will try the apples first and see what happens.

Thanks,
Larry

Larry - a Conibear (killer) trap is relatively cheap, yet very effective for muskrats. You don't even need bait. Simply place the set trap underwater, in the path of an active shoreline slide. Place a branch over the top of the rectangular jaws to force the rat to pass through the trap. Size 110 should do a nice job on muskrats and other unwanted small rodents that set up shop in attics and barns.

KMDuffie,
Thanks for the info, I believe that I will get a couple of foothold traps and some muskrat musk lure. I haven't had any luck with the live trap. As far as I know there is only one muskrat in the pond now. I haven't seen any slides and I can't find his hole. I will have to attract him to the trap and I believe that the musk will be my best bet.

Larry

I have trapped muskrats all of my life. I can tell you that apple slices will work well in a have a heart trap.

Martin,
I have had the Hav-A-Heart trap set for 4 days now with apple slices. No luck.
I couldn't find his hole so I placed the trap near the place that I planted the eelgrass with the trapdoor end in about 2 inches of water. The other end was out of the water. Any suggestions you can give me will be welcomed.
How long does it usually take for the muskrats to find the apple slices if not placed near their hole?
Have you used musk lure? If so, how well did it work?

Thanks,
Larry

Maybe your rat prefers your eelgrass to apples! I have usually caught them the next morning when baiting with apples. Musk lure should get him near the trap if not in. The apple slices should bring him the rest of the way. If this doesn`t work and you can`t put a 110 conibear in a hole, setting up with a .22 would be my next step if the area around your pond is safe to shoot around.

Martin,
You are right, he does prefer the eelgrass to the apples. I placed a bunch a apple slices around the edge of the pond and he hasn't touched them. Maybe when he eats all the eelgrass he will start eating the apple slices and I can catch him. Then I can plant more eelgrass.
Does the type of apple make any difference?
It is safe to shoot around the pond, but I have only seen him one time during the day. He is doing all his feeding at night.

Thanks for your help,
Larry

Larry - one other option to bait, and if a slide cannot be located... In the area of you val plantings, build a 10' to 20'-long "brush fence" that runs perpendicular to the shoreline. Leave a small gap (8") in the fence, located a few feet from the shoreline. In this gap, set a 110 Conibear (hinges oriented up and down) with its jaw-bars mostly submerged.
Rats would rather swim than walk along the shoreline. Forcing the rat to travel through the gap (and Conibear) might give you better results that trying to bait or lure him into a live trap.
Good luck.

I finally caught a muskrat in the live trap. I baited the trap last night with a half ear of sweet corn and he was in the trap this morning. Only thing is that this was a small one and the one that I had seen was a very large rat, so I may have a bigger problem than I thought I did. But at least I know now that they can be caught.

Larry