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Re: MUSKRAT WIRE STRETCHER VS. WOOD STRETCHER [Re: GFW - GROENEWOLD] #7132569
01/11/21 09:49 PM
01/11/21 09:49 PM
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 3,971
WI
N
nimzy Offline
trapper
nimzy  Offline
trapper
N

Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 3,971
WI
Wire.
Yup, winter rats are hard to beat. Around here they gain weight and size all winter. Once the ice raises its go time and they lose it all incredibly fast.

Re: MUSKRAT WIRE STRETCHER VS. WOOD STRETCHER [Re: GFW - GROENEWOLD] #7132627
01/11/21 10:17 PM
01/11/21 10:17 PM
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 3,972
South Dakota
R
Rat Masterson Offline
trapper
Rat Masterson  Offline
trapper
R

Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 3,972
South Dakota
Nice looking rats Nimzy, sure are fat. Good recruitment from last year?

Re: MUSKRAT WIRE STRETCHER VS. WOOD STRETCHER [Re: GFW - GROENEWOLD] #7132669
01/11/21 10:35 PM
01/11/21 10:35 PM
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 2,116
Washington
C
cat daddy Offline
trapper
cat daddy  Offline
trapper
C

Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 2,116
Washington
Wood. Period

Re: MUSKRAT WIRE STRETCHER VS. WOOD STRETCHER [Re: GFW - GROENEWOLD] #7132692
01/11/21 10:42 PM
01/11/21 10:42 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 41,592
Northern Maine
Bruce T Offline
trapper
Bruce T  Offline
trapper

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 41,592
Northern Maine
Have used wood on alot of critters but always used wire on muskrats.Simplily all I ever had.


Nevada bound
Re: MUSKRAT WIRE STRETCHER VS. WOOD STRETCHER [Re: Rat Masterson] #7133168
01/12/21 08:15 AM
01/12/21 08:15 AM
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 3,971
WI
N
nimzy Offline
trapper
nimzy  Offline
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N

Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 3,971
WI
Originally Posted by Rat Masterson
Nice looking rats Nimzy, sure are fat. Good recruitment from last year?


IMO the area I cover is in upcycle. Several high water years has helped expand colonies. However a spot or two of which I looked forward to trapping were disappointing. One spot where I photographed rats last spring (after season) had none. We did have a very dry stretch last summer which I believe creates vulnerability towards disease.

Re: MUSKRAT WIRE STRETCHER VS. WOOD STRETCHER [Re: GFW - GROENEWOLD] #7133180
01/12/21 08:28 AM
01/12/21 08:28 AM
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 546
NY
whartonrattrappe Offline
trapper
whartonrattrappe  Offline
trapper

Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 546
NY
Nice rats !

Are you trapping in the Great Lakes Basin? Through the hut or are you trapping under ice?

Re: MUSKRAT WIRE STRETCHER VS. WOOD STRETCHER [Re: GFW - GROENEWOLD] #7133192
01/12/21 08:37 AM
01/12/21 08:37 AM
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 3,971
WI
N
nimzy Offline
trapper
nimzy  Offline
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N

Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 3,971
WI
East central Wisconsin. And yes we have a fine, big rat. We trap under ice Wisconsin does not allow us to molest the structure.

Re: MUSKRAT WIRE STRETCHER VS. WOOD STRETCHER [Re: GFW - GROENEWOLD] #7133280
01/12/21 10:17 AM
01/12/21 10:17 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 23,797
Wisconsin
T
The Beav Offline
trapper
The Beav  Offline
trapper
T

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 23,797
Wisconsin
We can legally sleeve the push ups.


The forum Know It All according to Muskrat
Re: MUSKRAT WIRE STRETCHER VS. WOOD STRETCHER [Re: GFW - GROENEWOLD] #7133294
01/12/21 10:30 AM
01/12/21 10:30 AM
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 17,785
MN
1
160user Offline
trapper
160user  Offline
trapper
1

Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 17,785
MN
I thought the advantage of wood was to ensure the skirt came down to maximize the size. I know you can do the same with cloths pins on wire but many people don't. I could see why the buyer would suggest wire as they may be getting a larger rat that was not properly stretched.


I have nothing clever to put here.





Re: MUSKRAT WIRE STRETCHER VS. WOOD STRETCHER [Re: GFW - GROENEWOLD] #7133301
01/12/21 10:40 AM
01/12/21 10:40 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 23,797
Wisconsin
T
The Beav Offline
trapper
The Beav  Offline
trapper
T

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 23,797
Wisconsin
You may think you can square off a skirt with clothes pins but It's not happening.
If your fur buyer Is measuring with a wooden scale then he's measuring from the nose to the shortest part of the rat. And If I remember right groney was doing that In one of his flicks. So a perfectly squared off skirt Is going to measure longer.

But of course you can't see what the buyer Is doing when you go to the rat wagon.


The forum Know It All according to Muskrat
Re: MUSKRAT WIRE STRETCHER VS. WOOD STRETCHER [Re: The Beav] #7133358
01/12/21 11:38 AM
01/12/21 11:38 AM
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 8,459
Henderson, N.Y. Jefferson Co.
W
walleyed Offline
trapper
walleyed  Offline
trapper
W

Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 8,459
Henderson, N.Y. Jefferson Co.
Originally Posted by The Beav
You may think you can square off a skirt with clothes pins but It's not happening.


Don't know what planet you are living on, Beav,
but here on planet Earth I have no problem with
clothes pinning the edge of the rat skirt straight
& square on the wire form.

All my wire forms are roughed up on the galvanized
wire so the pelts don't slip when clothespins are
put in place. I sometimes use two or more per side.
Also I don't pull down on the stub of rat tail until
after the sides of the skirt are pinned, and then
only enough to provide slight tension.

You need to get out more, Beav. laugh

walleyed


"Provisional/Interim" member of NYS Trappers Association
Jefferson Co. Fur Harvesters

I Support Non-Resident Trapping



Re: MUSKRAT WIRE STRETCHER VS. WOOD STRETCHER [Re: walleyed] #7133366
01/12/21 11:47 AM
01/12/21 11:47 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,293
East-Central Wisconsin
B
bblwi Offline
trapper
bblwi  Offline
trapper
B

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,293
East-Central Wisconsin
So putting on 2 or 3 cloths pins per side and hooking the hooks is still way faster than pinning on wood? Maybe for you. I know a trapper who does several hundred per year on wood. he keeps them at 65 degrees for two days and does not need a wedge and then in the freezer. I help sort those the other day and they are nice full and heavy rats.

Bryce

Re: MUSKRAT WIRE STRETCHER VS. WOOD STRETCHER [Re: GFW - GROENEWOLD] #7133390
01/12/21 12:14 PM
01/12/21 12:14 PM
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 6,323
se South Dakota
NonPCfed Offline
trapper
NonPCfed  Offline
trapper

Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 6,323
se South Dakota
Quote
We can legally sleeve the push ups.


How do you "sleeve" a push up? My ax doesn't really care what size of a mrat structure it is, although a push up is harder to keep plugged compared to a "hut". This winter it may not matter much. You guys with the DNR types, man, they must be busy beavers thinking up all the rules you guys have to jump and crawl through. Do you think they are taking orders from quasi-peta huggers to basically harass trappers into doing double somersaults for compliance or do they think these things up mostly on their own...?


"And God said, Let us make man in our image �and let them have dominion �and all the creatures that move along the ground".
Genesis 1:26
Re: MUSKRAT WIRE STRETCHER VS. WOOD STRETCHER [Re: GFW - GROENEWOLD] #7133392
01/12/21 12:15 PM
01/12/21 12:15 PM
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 253
NY
J
Jc Fitzy Offline
trapper
Jc Fitzy  Offline
trapper
J

Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 253
NY
I agree with wally,have always squared my rats with clothes pins

Re: MUSKRAT WIRE STRETCHER VS. WOOD STRETCHER [Re: GFW - GROENEWOLD] #7133400
01/12/21 12:23 PM
01/12/21 12:23 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 23,797
Wisconsin
T
The Beav Offline
trapper
The Beav  Offline
trapper
T

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 23,797
Wisconsin
They may be square when you place the pins but when the hide starts to shrike as It dries you going to lose some of that squared off area.
I can store 1000s of push pins In a small container Try that with a 1000 clothes pins. LOL


The forum Know It All according to Muskrat
Re: MUSKRAT WIRE STRETCHER VS. WOOD STRETCHER [Re: bblwi] #7133401
01/12/21 12:24 PM
01/12/21 12:24 PM
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 8,459
Henderson, N.Y. Jefferson Co.
W
walleyed Offline
trapper
walleyed  Offline
trapper
W

Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 8,459
Henderson, N.Y. Jefferson Co.
Originally Posted by bblwi
So putting on 2 or 3 cloths pins per side and hooking the hooks is still way faster than pinning on wood? Maybe for you.


The current discussion wasn't which method was faster.

The discussion was whether or not you could clothespin
the rat's skirts down straight & square to increase length.

Myself and many others contend that;Yes you can.

walleyed


"Provisional/Interim" member of NYS Trappers Association
Jefferson Co. Fur Harvesters

I Support Non-Resident Trapping



Re: MUSKRAT WIRE STRETCHER VS. WOOD STRETCHER [Re: NonPCfed] #7133404
01/12/21 12:28 PM
01/12/21 12:28 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 23,797
Wisconsin
T
The Beav Offline
trapper
The Beav  Offline
trapper
T

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 23,797
Wisconsin
How do you sleeve a push up?

Well you cut a hole through the ice and then with a shoulder length glove you punch a hole Into the push up entering It below the water line. Place the trap In the void and then plug the hole. Don't try and find the entrance It's a waste of time.

I'm just saying we can legally trap In the push up. I didn't say It was very effective.

Last edited by The Beav; 01/12/21 12:29 PM.

The forum Know It All according to Muskrat
Re: MUSKRAT WIRE STRETCHER VS. WOOD STRETCHER [Re: walleyed] #7133470
01/12/21 02:06 PM
01/12/21 02:06 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,930
iowa
bankrunner Offline
trapper
bankrunner  Offline
trapper

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,930
iowa
Originally Posted by walleyed
Originally Posted by bblwi
So putting on 2 or 3 cloths pins per side and hooking the hooks is still way faster than pinning on wood? Maybe for you.


The current discussion wasn't which method was faster.

The discussion was whether or not you could clothespin
the rat's skirts down straight & square to increase length.

Myself and many others contend that;Yes you can.

walleyed

Post up some pictures then.

Re: MUSKRAT WIRE STRETCHER VS. WOOD STRETCHER [Re: GFW - GROENEWOLD] #7133482
01/12/21 02:14 PM
01/12/21 02:14 PM
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 3,972
South Dakota
R
Rat Masterson Offline
trapper
Rat Masterson  Offline
trapper
R

Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 3,972
South Dakota
Having done rats both ways and trapping in the same area for years when I switched to wood my average size increased.

Re: MUSKRAT WIRE STRETCHER VS. WOOD STRETCHER [Re: GFW - GROENEWOLD] #7133514
01/12/21 02:42 PM
01/12/21 02:42 PM
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 2,581
Muskrat Lake,Saskatchewan
S
saskbone Offline
trapper
saskbone  Offline
trapper
S

Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 2,581
Muskrat Lake,Saskatchewan
Same argument for the last 10 years. Lol

I use wire. Have t caught a rat for the last two years. Waters gone and so are big rat numbers. They are making a comeback now with all the push-ups I’ve been seeing

I don’t use clothespins on the side. If you know what a binder clip is I suggest you pick them up for wire. 1/4 clip(office supply company’s will have them) and use them on the sides. Pull down the skirt clip both sides and gently pull down the tail and hook on. The binder clips hold a bigger portion of the skirt and THEY DO NOT MOVE ON THE WIRE. For 10 years straight I was over a 1000 rats a year. Lots of top lot rats all on wire. Way quicker to do a hundred rats a day and no pins. Everybody has their own preference. Just my two cents


Best picture I have of rats drying. If you look closely you can see the binder clips
[Linked Image]

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