I was told by a very experienced push up trapper that you just shove your fist through the side of the push up Instead of feeling around for the entrance. Place the trap In the cavity and plug up the hole. Of coarse this Is all done under the Ice.
I always figured that the entrance to the push up or the rat hut was on the side that got the most sun.

We should be able to open the hut like they do in MN.

We call that a slip. Can create a draft. When the hut is disturbed the rats will plug. Plug is filling cavity with vegetation. You can clean and reset but often once it starts it’s futile. In the high entrance is the best set and run your willow off to the side and tuck chain to stake side so rats don’t cross it on the way in a pull trap out of position.

Nice pictorial sjc. It’s fascinating to see effective methods from other regions!

Nah

Why?

Why?

Why?

That's what I just said.

With all the available tools and methods we have today to harvest muskrats, why would Wisconsin trappers need to "open the hut like they do in MN?"

There's your question. Please explain.

I've done both. I can catch rats more efficiently with boards. I've caught thousands with them. I still set some 160s, but it's mainly boards.

My reasons are it’s not always lethal and when trapping through the ice lethal is a must for me. You break the house seal, the seal is the ice crust above the waterline created by muskrats shaking off water inside the dome. This makes them more vulnerable to freezing and loss. IMO they Also have a lower rate of repeaters.

Even if they were legal I would not use them except for very late in the season (March) when temperatures are rising and they are no longer needed/ used for food caches. Generally as the swamp opens the feeders dissolve into mating platforms (chit pads)

Obvious isn’t always best, easiest or fastest. It’s only the most obvious, it may be safe to say that if hut busting was legal here some much more effective methods may never have been tested.

Why not?

Nimzy, thank you for your response.

You can counter

Counter. I asked a question and you answered it. Not sure what more you want.

When I was house busting, weather, snow pack was the criteria. You can move fairly fast under the right conditions.
I have not done the bubble sets minus snow cover, Fossil posted a year or so back if I remember right, setting bubble trails that yielded some good info on it.

I have a hard time visualizing slipping up into the house or feeder, it just seems to be too much. But that is just me with no experience with it.

If you need to pop a hole in the ice in order to set,..minus an auger, accessing the house would seem more efficient, given of course ice thickness.

Do they give an explanation for this and how long has this rule been in place?

I'm sure it is to protect waterfowl that use them for resting spots. No idea how long it has been in place.

Been that way for sure since 1964 when I started trapping Lake Onalaska and the backwaters behind the house on Brice Prairie. The deep huts got slant board sets. There were many, many stumps in that lake at the time and the 'rats used them. #110s in the runs if you could find them.

50 traps max back then, and a leap frogging you'd go.

Thanks guys !

I can see where It may have a slight waterfowl advantage during open water trapping. Otherwise it seems excessive. I’m surprised they dreamt that up so long ago.

Just another adversary that forces creativity.

Our attitude towards muskrat has always puzzled me. Seems we historically gravitate towards protection of a very resilient species though seasons and regulations in comparison to others that are technically less so. Make no mistake I am very partial to muskrats!