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Muskrat Floats revisited #7285430
06/13/21 06:18 PM
06/13/21 06:18 PM
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 25,386
williams,mn
trapper les Offline OP
trapper
trapper les  Offline OP
trapper

Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 25,386
williams,mn
Does anyone use these ... do they work? [Linked Image]
Lol, just making conversation


"Those who hammer their guns into plowshares will plow for those who do not."
Re: Muskrat Floats revisited [Re: trapper les] #7285455
06/13/21 06:41 PM
06/13/21 06:41 PM
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 9,780
St. Cloud, MN
trapperkeck Offline
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trapperkeck  Offline
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Posts: 9,780
St. Cloud, MN
They won't work in Minnesota. No open water spring season. South Dakota, North Dakota and Nebraska. Heck yeah!


"The voice of reason!"
Re: Muskrat Floats revisited [Re: trapper les] #7285473
06/13/21 06:52 PM
06/13/21 06:52 PM
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 25,386
williams,mn
trapper les Offline OP
trapper
trapper les  Offline OP
trapper

Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 25,386
williams,mn
I know...I have just 60 of them, and I need another 150 or so...but they dont work here...unless you use them in a certain scenario. Super secret, apparrently


"Those who hammer their guns into plowshares will plow for those who do not."
Re: Muskrat Floats revisited [Re: trapperkeck] #7285479
06/13/21 06:53 PM
06/13/21 06:53 PM
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 25,386
williams,mn
trapper les Offline OP
trapper
trapper les  Offline OP
trapper

Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 25,386
williams,mn
Originally Posted by trapperkeck
They won't work in Minnesota. No open water spring season. South Dakota, North Dakota and Nebraska. Heck yeah!

Yeah, but I hear all the NE guys move here for the great trapping. What's up with that ?


"Those who hammer their guns into plowshares will plow for those who do not."
Re: Muskrat Floats revisited [Re: trapper les] #7285481
06/13/21 06:54 PM
06/13/21 06:54 PM
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 25,386
williams,mn
trapper les Offline OP
trapper
trapper les  Offline OP
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Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 25,386
williams,mn
I should get my lifetime liscense here, and move to NE, now there's a plan, and take them floats with me.


"Those who hammer their guns into plowshares will plow for those who do not."
Re: Muskrat Floats revisited [Re: trapper les] #7285484
06/13/21 06:55 PM
06/13/21 06:55 PM
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 9,780
St. Cloud, MN
trapperkeck Offline
trapper
trapperkeck  Offline
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Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 9,780
St. Cloud, MN
Those crappy long springs are no good. You have to use 1.5 coils or you will lose half your catch. #2's are even better. More weight to get them down fast, don'tcha know.


"The voice of reason!"
Re: Muskrat Floats revisited [Re: trapper les] #7285493
06/13/21 07:01 PM
06/13/21 07:01 PM
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 25,386
williams,mn
trapper les Offline OP
trapper
trapper les  Offline OP
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Posts: 25,386
williams,mn
I've heard that before, but these tiny rats I have up here die in the 1 1/2 longs easy. We aint got them 6lb rats you are accustomed to. But, that was a demonstration float in the pic, I use them longs for that, but prefer duke coils in the 1 1/2, and or any trap that floats in a pinch...weak 2s and 3s too.


"Those who hammer their guns into plowshares will plow for those who do not."
Re: Muskrat Floats revisited [Re: trapper les] #7285502
06/13/21 07:09 PM
06/13/21 07:09 PM
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 4,820
Frazee, MN
B
backroadsarcher Offline
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Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 4,820
Frazee, MN
I use floats in the fall Les. They work, of course in the right areas. I bait mine with apples and put the floats out before season and let them get eating on the apples. When the season starts I just add the traps and hope we dont get to cold of weather to fast.

Re: Muskrat Floats revisited [Re: trapper les] #7285506
06/13/21 07:12 PM
06/13/21 07:12 PM
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 25,386
williams,mn
trapper les Offline OP
trapper
trapper les  Offline OP
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Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 25,386
williams,mn
Me too, I use apples, parsnips , and or squash. Parsnips shine on a float.


"Those who hammer their guns into plowshares will plow for those who do not."
Re: Muskrat Floats revisited [Re: trapper les] #7285507
06/13/21 07:13 PM
06/13/21 07:13 PM
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 25,386
williams,mn
trapper les Offline OP
trapper
trapper les  Offline OP
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Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 25,386
williams,mn
Floats work good in areas where water levels rise and fall regularly.


"Those who hammer their guns into plowshares will plow for those who do not."
Re: Muskrat Floats revisited [Re: trapper les] #7285509
06/13/21 07:14 PM
06/13/21 07:14 PM
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 9,780
St. Cloud, MN
trapperkeck Offline
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trapperkeck  Offline
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Posts: 9,780
St. Cloud, MN
Slap some cattail roots, stems and water grass in the middle of that float and they will come.


"The voice of reason!"
Re: Muskrat Floats revisited [Re: trapper les] #7285512
06/13/21 07:19 PM
06/13/21 07:19 PM
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 4,820
Frazee, MN
B
backroadsarcher Offline
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backroadsarcher  Offline
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Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 4,820
Frazee, MN
Originally Posted by trapper les
Floats work good in areas where water levels rise and fall regularly.

I agree, I trap a small creek in one area and if we get any rain traps can be put under water a long ways before a rat will get there.

Re: Muskrat Floats revisited [Re: trapper les] #7285514
06/13/21 07:20 PM
06/13/21 07:20 PM
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 25,386
williams,mn
trapper les Offline OP
trapper
trapper les  Offline OP
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Posts: 25,386
williams,mn
The big lake near me affects all the bays for miles around, by about 9 or 10" at the most, and when ever the wind changes.


"Those who hammer their guns into plowshares will plow for those who do not."
Re: Muskrat Floats revisited [Re: trapper les] #7285517
06/13/21 07:23 PM
06/13/21 07:23 PM
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 4,820
Frazee, MN
B
backroadsarcher Offline
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Posts: 4,820
Frazee, MN
I suppose you get any wind it is just like tide water up there. Can rise and fall quickly.

Re: Muskrat Floats revisited [Re: trapper les] #7285524
06/13/21 07:29 PM
06/13/21 07:29 PM
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 25,386
williams,mn
trapper les Offline OP
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trapper les  Offline OP
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Posts: 25,386
williams,mn
Yes, that is the nice thing about the float, and unless you are at a rat house, it is a lower percentage set. But, a percentage is a percentage. I see it as viable. I may change my design a little , not much, by making the float as short as possible and still floating the two traps . The rat will climb to the highest point, which is evidenced by what happens when you set a trap on a pile of rat turds.


"Those who hammer their guns into plowshares will plow for those who do not."
Re: Muskrat Floats revisited [Re: trapper les] #7285526
06/13/21 07:30 PM
06/13/21 07:30 PM
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 25,386
williams,mn
trapper les Offline OP
trapper
trapper les  Offline OP
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Posts: 25,386
williams,mn
A feed bed out in the reeds might be there for a day or two until the water rises or the wind comes up, but a float still works.


"Those who hammer their guns into plowshares will plow for those who do not."
Re: Muskrat Floats revisited [Re: trapper les] #7285548
06/13/21 07:48 PM
06/13/21 07:48 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,293
East-Central Wisconsin
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bblwi Offline
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East-Central Wisconsin
We don't have hardly any open water spring rat trapping so floats are not really effective here. I had 30 that I put in specific spots for two fall seasons and did OK, so I set them again and got those and my coon line out and it rained a lot and lost all my other open water rat setting. Paid too much attention to a less efficient system and put them in my son's outdoor wood burner and that got me out of that system.

Bryce

Re: Muskrat Floats revisited [Re: trapper les] #7285566
06/13/21 07:59 PM
06/13/21 07:59 PM
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 10,421
mn north of blakely
S
Steven 49er Offline
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Steven 49er  Offline
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Joined: May 2010
Posts: 10,421
mn north of blakely
I've got about 250 of those floats laying around here somewhere. Considering the price of lumber I'll sell them to you Les, for 20 bucks a piece. What a bargain.


"Inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon". Milton Friedman.
Re: Muskrat Floats revisited [Re: Steven 49er] #7285577
06/13/21 08:03 PM
06/13/21 08:03 PM
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 25,386
williams,mn
trapper les Offline OP
trapper
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Posts: 25,386
williams,mn
I have a sawmill, I can make lumber, lol


"Those who hammer their guns into plowshares will plow for those who do not."
Re: Muskrat Floats revisited [Re: trapper les] #7285770
06/13/21 10:32 PM
06/13/21 10:32 PM
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 8,116
Manitoba
N
Northof50 Online mad
trapper
Northof50  Online Mad
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 8,116
Manitoba
It's the blue high density Styrofoam that is expensive, Les pay him in Canadian money, by the time the boarders open it will be par.

Make your nail to fit in the base hole and have the traps on the outside edge.

Rally's poles look good.

Get a pool noodle and cut 5-6 inches and insert in the top of the pole, keeps the top floating and highly visiable

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