I trap in MN where it is legal to put traps in huts. I tried for the first time last weekend and didn't have the success that I would have expected. I was at about 15% catch rate with at least 25% plugged up and/or set off doing 2 checks per day.

First off, how do you know where to chop into a hut to find the cavity? I had to chop in a few of them in several spots to find the cavity. I was only chopping into them about 15 to 18" and if I didn't find the cavity I would fill it back in and move around the hut.

Secondly, where do you put your trap in the hut? I was trying to put my trap right where one of the runs came into the house. I was getting my trap just under the water by digging out the a nice pad to stabilize the trap like making a little shelf. Is that the right spot to put the trap? Should I be putting my trap in the middle of the pad?

Third, I was using #1 long springs (Only have 2 stop-loss and the rest were normal). Some of them were really hair trigger and I am wondering If I could use my 1 1/2s that I have tuned to use open water trapping on pole sets. I know that the 1 1/2s won't set off with just debris on it but will definitely go off when the rat steps on. Will I have problems with them drowning.

Forth, 80% of the rats were still alive and not drowned. I made sure that I had plenty of chain so that they could go down the holes but for what ever reason they didn't. Is that normal to have that many alive? Is there a way to get them to want to go down the hole? This is partly why I want to use the 1 1/2s because they have at least 6" longer chains.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide. I want to try again in a couple weeks.
Schmattz

we used to use a probe of sorts. Like a long stake. Push down into hut, after you do it a few times you can feel the dead spot where the living cavity is. we used 110's with great success.we would set in hut, right on pad, so as they come up out of water they go through trap. very few rats still alive.

only dig into the small and medium sized huts,,the big ones are too much work.

set trap on feed bed, make a depression for it so its under water.

your light weight traps allow the rat to go down the hole, and return again, thus live rats.

we use all 1 1/2 coils, and they seldom can get back up the hole, so mostly all drowned. reach down the hole and clean it out so the trap has room to go down the hole easily.

Add 5.5 oz weigth to @1 long spring traps, sheet lead wraped around the spring or sinker attached to the chain close to the trap. The #1 trap fits the normal hole much better than the 1 1/2 traps.

Most small winter huts have an uneven profile/shape. With a flatter sloping side, this flat area is usually over exist/entrance holes. Most often thinnest access into house. If it is a "feeder" house or pop-up it may have only one hole with a landing resting platform(some times difficultly small to place a trap). My desired spot place for footholds in house is the landing area between entrance/exit if large enough. I will remove enough vegetation to have trap just under water. All houses are not the same and the best placement is not always, if at all. Pop-ups may have no floor at all and are where rats just go for a breath of air( like a seal), the best set for them for me have become a baited(lime green wedge of pool float foam most productive for me) single spring 160 body grip paced under the ice right next to pop-up(in bubble trail to it if visible otherwise on the to shore side(most pop-ups in my area are in open water one breathe from shore in a ring around the water body and on larger ones early ice as they are very hard for rats to keep open in deep cold). MY favorite house trap is #1 jump stop loss(fit in very small spots). Live rats in houses is hard to prevent IMO. Never had much luck putting BG's in houses(hard to stabilize and above water trap seem to be avoided more). Better to try to put a BG covering entrance and exit under the ice(If possible to stabilize and ice not too thick). MOST important house trapping rule is too reseal them very well between checks and when done trapping(and the legal law) as these structures are as survival important for them as if your own house to make it thru the winter.

I'd usually find the openings on the south or east sides or between there. Look for air bubbles trapped in the ice for the bigger huts. Make sure the opening or plug is sealed tight. Air or light will give away that something is up. I used dark cloth to cover the plug after sealing it when I didn't have snow. Other wise I'd cover with snow.
If I had a certain hut, or rat, that kept covering my trap with debris I'd set a second trap if possible or go to a 110. I also used 110s in breather huts where there wasn't a platform. I also would extend the chains with wire about 16" or so. I preferred "1 traps. But I used what I had at the time.
Most of the time I avoided the big huts because they were a lot of work. Also caught more kits there. Big huts are where to look for air bubbles in the ice and the SE sides. Also the openings to the hut seemed to be towards the open water side of the hut.
ALSO if you have a rat on and it jumps in the water let it drown before pulling out or you may pull it out of the trap. If in the hut and alive use your hatchet or stake to help pull it out or you may pull it out of the trap. Once it happens you will understand why.
I also walk the ice with my hatchet in hand. It helps to pull yourself out when you fall through. Huts, cattails and snow make for bad ice
Most of what I wrote came from my experiences.

As fossil said. 1 1/2 coils should have 2.5 ft of chain. Rats will drown. Have a pair of shoulder gauntlets to reach down for those that get tangled up below ice line. Don’t waste your time on the big houses. Good luck to you

Normally one would only trap pushups, a feeding/resting station with one chamber. The size is about 2ft wide and 2ft or so high. There are also houses which are much larger and will have several chambers. They are both generally constructed out of cattails, reeds and other local water vegetation. Push ups are built on ice AFTER freeze up. Whereas huts or houses are built in open water as needed for shelter and raising young when bank den sites are not able to be developed.

using 1 1/2 coils, and cleaning out the plunge hole, we run 1-3 percent live rats, no more.