No question about that... for sure.

Ttt

Would floats work better in spring or fall?

Spring.

They are up on everything In the spring leaving their scent.

austinp Dosen't have a clue. Last time he was going to go to the Dakotas he was going to use nothing but 160s and drag a canoe back to all those sloughs and set the world on fire. Then he got all his traps stolen from behind the shed. LOL

Never did 500 In a check but did 300 a few times with a partner.
Set 10 stools In a 30 yard location and It only takes minutes to check them. Weaken the trap springs and It speeds up things. Checking twice a day at the peak Is what you need to do.
I can remember setting 40 some traps on this dead end road and when coming back already having 28 rats In those traps.

Perfect Thanks
Any idea on good float idea that is conpact light and effective. need to make lots of them. Did review this thread and got a few ideas but just seing if anyone has a new idea

or you can buy some single coil traps.

Ive been wanting to try floats out for spring rats for a while . I pulled this post up about a week ago and decided to get to work on it . I have a few spots that hold rats but it is very difficult to find bank dens or runs but every log , hump , rock etc sticking out of the water has rat droppings on them . I figure floats and / or stools would work . I decided to try floats first . I paid close attention to what Beav and Calvin had to say about floats being too wide etc . I figure that know what they are talking about so I tried to make a narrow float that would just fit my BMI 1 1/2 and also make the rat stand up for the bait .

I ripped a 2X8 down to 6" , added wire sides and two posts to attach bait to with a few extra holes for lure etc. The wire and bait posts come right out for portability . It didn't work . Its too narrow and wants to tip over too easy . I had to add stabilizers . After experimenting a little with length for stability I found that they had to be about as long as the float itself .


This is what I came up with . It floats and isn't tippy . It forces a rat over the trap if he wants to get up on it and makes him stand up to get the bait . I don't have big numbers of rats . Im concerned about misses as Beav stated . I haven't put it out yet as I just finished testing stability and we have a big noreaster coming . I will try to get it out on saturday and report the results

I make mine similar to trapper les,40" long 8" wide trap close to the end bait on both sides of trap,i want to catch them by the front foot,they drown eaisier I like 1.5 long spings.

Try some without the wire and some with. But I don't think you need the wire.
The rats will be all over that float. And as long as you have the traps close to the bait you should be Ok.

Will do Beav . I added the wire to force the rats over the trap if they want on or to get the bait . I don't have a big rat population so I don't get a shot at multiple rats and I don't want them to have many options .

This is all you need. Nothing fancy, or time consuming to build.

Simple , efficient and effective , where the heck is the fun in that Les ?? LOL . I need to channel my OCD ! But I will try that also .

We aint taking them to the county fair, lol. It's not a Stratevarious .

The muskrat just has to climb up with not too much room to spare, and for me, the trap doesn't have to be under water. The rat climbs to the highest perch while attempting to eat the bait, which is usually parsnip or apple. It's just that simple.

I just banged out a no fun version of the rat float . It was quick and simple = no fun except for the spike sticking up from the middle . THAT has potential for a few memories to be made ! Nothing that won't heal I hope ! . I'm loading up now to check a few beaver sets and if we're not in flood stage i'll put these floats out .

I'm affirm believer the bait should be at least 8" above the surface of the float.

A rat can access that bait and never get In that trap. With the bait being up high the rat has to get on the float and stand to get the bait. The more It moves around the better your chances are of catching It. The other thing Is a rat can get caught and the next rat comes along and finishes off the bait. And never make contact with the second trap.

But even with no bait you may catch some rats. I pile of rat dropping placed between those traps Is even better. And don't forget to use a bit of lure. It won't hurt your odds.

I like it maybe hang the bait on a stiff wire

I make my muskrat floats with root beer.

Floats out . Not exactly where i wanted them . The water is very high . My beaver traps are under two feet of water . I have seen rats swimming in both these spots though . I think I will elevate the bait on Les's style of float though . Beavs observations make a lot of sense . I have a bunch of old closet rod and a 1 1/4 inch spade bit . Ill drill a partial hole into the center of the float like I did with the complicated float and put in a 10" piece of closet rod . A couple of screws to hold bait and a few extra holes to hold Qtips dipped in lure and it should be good to go . The rod can be easily pulled and reinserted for stacking .

Parsnip , apple , Hudson Seal and Mark Junes muskrat frenzy .