——NUTRIA:: Locations, Sets, Gear, and More

Nutria are invasive in Louisiana, and they can cause extensive damage to our wetlands by overgrazing coastal marshes, as well as by causing levees to fail due to their burrowing. They’re responsible for many acres of our coastline being turned into open water, and they’ve been responsible for many ponds being drained when they created deep tunnels. They reproduce very quickly, and it doesn’t take long for their numbers to explode under ideal conditions.

Nutria meat is clean and delicious, and there can be money to be made catching them through bounty programs and potentially even through sales. I call nutes water rabbits, because they taste so good. I save fresh nutes for meat anytime I can and it’s legal.

There doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of information online about nutria trapping, sets, and so on, so I decided to make a thread to share some of the sets that I make. Nutria and muskrats are similar in many ways, but there are differences. Hopefully others will also contribute, because there are some very accomplished nutria trappers and hunters in Louisiana, up and down the East and West Coasts, and almost certainly around the world where they’re also invasive and causing extensive damage.



This is what I call a push-up. It’s a small mound of gathered vegetation and mud that they will climb on to get out of the water. If there is a lot of vegetation around, bodygrips can be used in their trails. If it’s more open around them, I’ll use footholds. If the water is shallow and the mound is pretty solid, staking away from the mound is usually okay. If the water is deeper and the mound is at a higher risk of being destroyed after a catch, it’s a good idea to try to get catches away from the mound by using submersion or slide rigs.

The second photo is of another push-up with 2 main trails approaching it. I blocked one approach with a 280 on a 24” stabilizer driven at a slight angle, and the other with a submerged 160. I placed vegetation over the 160 to get them to swim through it.


The third photo is a substitute for setting the crossovers. Nutria are visiting adjacent ponds by crossing the levee butts. Typically, I set at the crossovers, but in this case I didn’t. Since the crossovers were pretty bare, I set 2 submerged bodygrips with dive sticks where the run was a single column. Notice the run splits beyond the traps.

All look good, I haven't trapped nutria since the late 60's, mostly in rice field canals. Trails and dens mostly. Make it down to the Cameron parish fur and wildlife festival, usually in January, for a great time. Muskrat, nutria skimning contests, trap setting ,dog trials and much more. One of the coldest festivals in LA but a good one to hit.

Sheared and dyed nutria is a nice skin

They’re also starting to use them for hats. One of the largest buyers of beaver in North America came down from New York to Woodsworth, La last weekend to talk to us about his intention to buy tens of thousands (wasn’t it 100,000?) nutria pelts to use in his factories.


I’ve seen and touched hats made with nutria, and I wouldnt have known it wasn’t beaver felt if I hadn’t been told.

Good luck. They are an ok fur, but market has been poor for decades.

The money is sometimes in catching them. A person in the right location and equipment could turn over hundreds in a day, guaranteed. At $6 a pop bounty, people make money. I was told they shot 5,000 in a day on marsh island once. I wasn’t there to confirm, but the trail could be followed for details. After what I’ve seen, I absolutely believe it. When they get thick in a location here, it’s like an infestation. Seeing 100 or more in a short boat ride isn’t even a big deal in some areas. Selling them is a way to add value.


In my honest opinion, they’re one of the best wild meats there is. If you can tell it apart from rabbit, I’d be surprised. I cook it with smoked pork ribs, and it makes as fine of a sauce as I’ve had.


Then there’s the people that’ll pay good money to get rid of them because they’re tired of losing thousands pumping water and fixing broken levees.


There’s plenty reasons to catch nutes down here

Aix, did the fellow saying they wanted to buy nutria give any indication of a price point? Here in Oregon there is no bounty so it's just what you can get for fur and skull. Combining the two is around $5 so I don't mess with them. If the fur was up above $5 I'd think about it.

$7 per pound dried fur was my understanding.

I've never weighed a dried nutria pelt. Any idea how much an XL nutria pelt weighs?

As far as sets for nutria go they are super easy to trap. In open water situations they are suckers for an apple on a stick just back of the trap. Golden delicious or any yellow skin apple being the best.

I asked Fur Harvesters not even a week ago and they said there was zero interest and that they have asked every year. I hope the gentlemen follows up, certainly would help the situation here in Louisiana. I know one of the guys that get in the 5000-7500 every year, they shoot them, cut the tail and ditch the body. The main issue right now is getting permission to where they are abundant and in the Nutria bounty zone.

There was a place in NOLA that used to take them and make stuff, but too little interest made them stop, a shame really when you think about it. Thanks for the tips and trap sets, I keep trying for good ole Cameron Parish for Nutria, but some of the land owners not real privy to give permission.

The first push-up has produced (2) nutes this week. The second catch all but destroyed the location.

The second push-up has produced (3), and it is still intact. Bodygrips help.


The run between the crossovers has produced (1) this week.


I have picked up (5) more nutes in other locations. (4) in levee crossovers and (1) in a run.


This is a small crawfish pond complex. I expect to catch a few more nutes here this week before pulling traps.

Trapped in LA one winter in early 80's and caught a ton of nutria. I got $7.50/put- up but no one would touch the meat. Sold every possum and coon but could not give the nutria away. I would shoot 4-5 a day when checking traps. Great memories!

They shoot them because it’s so much more efficient. Nutes aren’t shy, and they’ll pile up. Footholds being so expensive doesn’t help. People that haven’t seen serious nutria problems and populations simply can’t wrap their heads around what we mean when we say they’re thick.


I understand what you mean about land access. While landowners want the nutes eliminated, people are worried about being sued as you well know. Having liability insurance would almost certainly help a person get access.

People are funny like that. They’ll turn their nose up at a clean, grass fed animal while consuming chicken and catfish like there’s no tomorrow, which is a shame because they’re so delicious. Rabbit meat sells out in almost every store I see it in. Usually $14-15 each. Nutes should be selling for at least $10-15 each.

It is my opinion that for nutes to have even a chance of becoming a mainstream food, it needs a new name and quality control must be a priority. Fresh meat only. No saving every last one for meat when temps are in the 80s. Treat the meat like it would be getting served in their house. Every time someone calls them a nutria, it leaves the opportunity for someone to finish the sentence with “rat.” I’ve gotten in the habit of calling them water rabbits.

I agree with you Aix that nutria have a bad rep for no good reason. Once I get permission in some of these spots, I think with a concerted effort we can change the opinion. Like the new name you say....perhaps I can share I have been a little successful with Petit Ours(mini bear or raccoon). Im quite sure many are like that, if you said it was a diff name, people wouldnt be so in arms. If you come up with a name, ill start using it...we have a food donation coming up for December that we are doing so. Ill start spreading the word then if you want.

I actually bought like 100+ of the foot holds specifically for the nutria, but like you said people who are shooting them are more efficient. I look forward to the day once we eliminate the nutria, our muskrat can repopulate.

The only nutria I ever seen was at the county fair, as a kid, they called them " Giant killer rats from Paris france" or something like that.
So what size foot holds are you using to catch these " Marsh Rabbits"?

I have always used 1.5 coil springs or long springs either way. 220 conibears being very good too.

BTW, I had nutria summer sausage that a fellow trapper had made up and thought it was the best I'd ever had.

Have any of you guys looked into the legalities in your state for retail sale to the public of nutria meat? I've asked our Dept of Ag about it and the verdict is still out. We farmers can butcher and sell rabbits and poultry small scale without any inspections or licensing but so far they seem to think I need licensed facility for wild meat. I would think a trappers should be treated to the same exemptions that small farmers enjoy.

The 2nd push-up guarded by 280s gave up another double this morning. That brings the total on that location to (5).

I use 1.5 and #11 because it’s what I have. If I could get my hands on enough sleepy creek #2 DLS I’d say they’d be about perfect, but I can’t buy them new anywhere.

For BGs I use 160/220 on land and shallow water. 160s will quickly dispatch even the largest nutes with a good strike. In deeper water I use 220/280. 330s are okay on the large nutes.

Several nutes walking and swimming near the boat just now. Not even a little skittish

A couple of weeks ago I was picking blueberries and turned around and this fellow was about 4 ft away grazing! No fear at all.

I like snaring them. It's so fast and effective.

Thanks for the replies on trap sizes. I'm just wondering if an out of state trapping trip would pay if bounty money was available to help offset costs. Also about opportunity as well?

This is a link to the program. They should be able to answer any questions about it.


https://nutria.com/nutria-control-program/

Do you Louisianans catch any color phases down there?

The nutes I see have all looked the same. That’s a special one for sure. I’d be interested in knowing if any of the coastal hunters that stack thousands per year have seen different color phases.

No fear is right. I’ve never seen an animal behave like nutes. There are times we’ll pull up in an airboat at work and there’s a nute loafing 10 feet away. Not even rabbits behave this way.