My question for you guys that trap open marsh for Muskrat do your muskrats make tunnels under the marsh for long distances(20-90ft). So this season while walking the marsh I noticed small 3-4 inch holes under the water with fresh clippings floating in each hole. I reached into these holes and found tunnels going in two directions. I gather this would be a breathing hole for the rat to come up to breath. Now directly under the hole in the tunnel there is a ramp up to the breathing hole. Would you a set a foot trap at the base of the ramp, top of the ramp where the rat would push off to come up to breath or set a 155 Coni parallel to the water but submerged a couple inches from the surface of the water.(Note-This is private properly 40 miles from civilization with no chance of incidental non target species. For the people questioning safety of pets). Ive been trying to catch rats off of this place for years but can't catch one. And yes there are rats. In a 1 mile stretch at my place there are on average 10-15 large huts. Ive tried opening the huts(Legal in LA) and setting traps in them. Any time you disturb the area around the hut the rats just build another hut 20 foot from the previous one. There are trails from the huts on top of the marsh but never caught anything. So I'm thinking during the winter months they strictly use the under marsh tunnels. These rats do not make feed mounds, do not make toliets, and do not respond to any scents/glands/or baits. Also to add that these tunnels are too small to get colony traps in due to the size of the hole and the angle at which the tunnel meets the hole.

From all the little things I know it seems like your missing a piece to the puzzle. Try looking away from the hole for runs. A colony trap in set path will work.

Well the colony trap in the runs don't work either unfortunately. These things have been driving me crazy for 4 years. I have exhausted everything I have read on T-Man.

i have been trapping spring rats at college this year and i find a spot where they have been eating roots, i take a carrot and i dip it in mark stecks highwater muskrat lure and either put it up against the preexisting backing or i make one. try setting foot holds on the feedbeds attached to the houses. what lures and baits have you tried so far?

Like I mentioned before you cant disturb the huts at all because they will leave it and build a new one. So the marsh we have here is what we call floating marsh. it moves up and down with the water level. The rats dig from underneath the Floating marsh to get the roots. Nutria do the same thing here. They dig upwards. Most of the "Breathing holes" do not have trails or ground disturbance around them. As far as lure and bait ive tried-Sweet Flag (Oils= *), peppermint*, anise*, cherry*, banana*, apple, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, carrots, Corn, dobbins#1, Marsyada's food and call, Hawbaker #1 &2, O'Gormans Rat Call, Junes-Frenzy, and others.....

you could try to make a fake feed bed on the edge of the bog in a area they frequent a lot. i did this just a few days ago and got some rats.

I will give that a shot next year. Seasons over here. Once the water comes down after the spring flood ive been thinking about setting out a game camera with some cut saplings and different scents/lures and see what that respond to better if any lol.

that sounds like a good idea. good luck

Just a heads up, trapperroscoe, the season is over here in MN too (beavers only right now). It has been for about a month and a half.

I know I am going to college in south dakota

I' m sure we would all love to see a few close up and wide ranging pics of the area your trapping to understand it better?
Is that possible.

This is how I would set it up .like stated with the fake feed bed set up.It always work with rats around. Also the natural feed beds. Then you will have slides that is small that they go up the bank and down ,Also the toilet set with they go on a rock or wood that you find there droppings on, then like stated a channel in the weeds that is about 3 to 5" wide. Set a 110 or 160 or 220 and if it looks deep set colony trap. Also look for cutting along the shore will show you where to set your traps if you able to float in the marsh look for floating feedbeds and set a foothold on it. Just to give you the main places to set up beside look for worn entrance going into the dens. You will not see weeds or mud or dirt that is not worn down going at the front .

I think I have similar situation as you are describing in some floating bog areas. M'rats come up from open water under bog thru small holes to rest/feed above. Made some stabilizers that hold a 150(SS BG) horizontally over exit hole with circle triggers. Only problem is that caught m'rats are held very exposed to the nowover abundant bald eagles that crack open skulls like peanuts.

Fur Fish Game Muskrat Video with Tom Miranda was partial filmed in the LA swamps. I believe he mentioned the floating bog issue. My memory says he stacked 3 colony traps on top of each other in a run. No matter what depth the water, he had a functioning colony trap. He also used a lot of stop loss in that segment.I had a book put out by LA DNR that dedicated pages to muskrat's, muskrat dive holes and the floating bog. LA use to produce more rats than any other state, some old timer down there knows the answer. Maybe a Maryland rat trapper may have an idea.

I wish i would have taken a picture when the grass was down to explain it better, too late now as the marsh is 3 foot tall and THICK. Im gonna try the fake feed bed idea, theres a small pocket of them buggers on the opposite side of my place that holds maybe 1 or two family groups, i may just rob the hut to make my feed beds so its more natural and different family group odor. I have a few more traps for next year to do more experimenting, didnt want to dedicate to much of my equipment to a loosing enterprise. Ill keep these ideas on my mind till next november

Have you tried HAGZ clips on a support pole with a potato, tuber or carrot for bait?

Ive never gotten any reponses to any baits what so ever, theres feed for them everywhere you look.