Easy, fast to catch, muskrats provide introduction to trapping

Unlike most kinds of trapping, you don't need bait or smelly lures. You don't need a lot of time or patience. You don't even need much in the way of skill. All you need are a few small traps, an iced-over pond and some rats.

Because muskrats are relatively easy to catch, they are considered a good way to get familiar with trapping. Youngsters often learn to set their first traps at a muskrat pushup. And unlike more demanding species such as coyotes, wolves or land otters, muskrats are practically a sure thing.

"I always call it 'taking eggs out of a chicken coop,'" said Bob Green, a local trapper and owner of Fort Green, a Wasilla trapping supply and gift store.

Along with the season for most species, muskrat trapping opened Nov. 10 in the Mat-Su Valley, and there is no limit on the number a trapper can harvest. While waterways in the core area have yet to freeze, there is ice in the northern corners of the borough and inevitably it will arrive in the Palmer-Wasilla area as well.

Muskrats have thick, soft brown fur which can be used for hats, mitten linings and trim. But don't expect to make a lot of money -- untanned muskrat hides are selling for around $2 each.

Trapping muskrats may not be about the money, but it does offer some valuable experience, from learning how to set the trap to skinning and caring for the hide.

If there are muskrats in a marsh or pond and a trapper puts out a few sets, success is almost inevitable, and fast. Green said trappers who set out as many as 50 traps on a large waterway can go back and start checking them as soon as they've set the last one.

Because of the speed of the catches, and the threat of having traps freeze into the ice, muskrat trappers check their lines the same day or, at the latest, the following day.

While freeze-up isn't a requirement, it does cut down on the work. Rather than having to load up a boat, paddle around a pond and find muskrat trails or "runways" through the marshy habitat, all you need is a pair of warm boots and maybe some snowshoes, although not even those so far this winter.

Once lakes and ponds have frozen, muskrats give themselves away by their "pushups," mounds on the ice where the rodents shove up piles of vegetation to feed on. The muskrats bring aquatic plants, such as the roots and stems of cattails, sedges and grasses, to these openings in the ice where they nibble on them.

The small hills of vegetation also provide a shelter where the animals can get out of the water to rest and breathe. Typically, the more pushups in a marsh or pond, the more muskrats there are in the water beneath the ice. Because the rodents also build bank dens, however, even one large pushup in a small pond can be used by many muskrats. Green said he recalls trapping as many as 20 rats from one pushup.

To catch the muskrats, cut a branch a couple inches in diameter and long enough to span the hole in the ice and the pushup. Carefully remove the clumps of vegetation from the top of the mound, until you can see the open water below.

In the hole, there is usually a small shelf or ledge where the muskrat sits. This is where you want to set the trap. Green and other local trappers recommend using a No. 1 leghold trap. While some people use conibear body-grip traps, Green said he prefers legholds because they more easily fit through the hole in the ice.

Secure the chain of the trap to the center of the stick using a strong wire, set the trap on the ledge, and place the stick outside of the pushup. It is important that the wire and chain be long enough that, when trapped, the muskrat will be able to dive into the water. It won't be able to pull the stick in with it, and so will drown.

Be sure to cover up the muskrat pushup with the clumps of plants you removed and some snow to keep the hole from freezing. Even after you've caught your rats and are leaving the pond for the winter, rebuild the pushups so those muskrats that are still in the pond will be able to use them throughout the winter.

According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, especially during winters with cold temperatures and little snow, frozen pushups can contribute to large numbers of overwinter deaths of muskrats.

Once you've caught your rats, bring them home to skin. The hide is relatively thin so prone to nicks and holes, so skin carefully. Muskrats also tend to have a fair amount of fat and flesh on the skin that will have to be removed. Place the inside-out hide on a wire stretcher until it is dry. They can then be home-tanned, or sent off to a commercial tannery.