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Post by mole on Jan 21, 2014 5:45:45 GMT -5
well below zero here this morning. Rat houses are not that large and water not really that deep. Ever see them freeze solid. cant get out what ever.
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Post by bearman60 on Jan 21, 2014 6:03:49 GMT -5
i have had them move out of houses and go into old beaver lodges,it is 0 here in watkins glen this morning and i have 20 rat sets under ice to check this morning. gotta love it!
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Post by andyt on Jan 21, 2014 6:04:09 GMT -5
Yup its cold -10 here. Gotta let the truck run a few extra min this morning.
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Post by Itrapny on Jan 21, 2014 6:24:44 GMT -5
Have seen when it's very cold that shallow water marshes will freeze solid.....don't know where the 'rats go? But they were back the next year so they didn't go far
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Post by whartonrattrapper on Jan 21, 2014 7:31:20 GMT -5
i have had them move out of houses and go into old beaver lodges,it is 0 here in watkins glen this morning and i have 20 rat sets under ice to check this morning. gotta love it! I saw the same thing this sunday. As I was driving to a area I trap, half a dozen rats had crossed the road then tried to get in a pond, crossed another road then went to a larger beaver flow. When I followed the tracks back to the small pond a couple mink had burrowed in the bank dens and the one lone House/feed house. This area has 14 seperate ponds. If we could ever get some open water between them the trapping could get real good. Glands have been starting to swell for a couple weeks so it needs to be soon. The rat that was in the coni at the small pond was headless. He was stuffed in the back of a box and I was rewarded with a female mink on monday. Hopefully the male on his next time around. -9 here this morning
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Post by saquelie on Jan 21, 2014 8:34:47 GMT -5
well below zero here this morning. Rat houses are not that large and water not really that deep. Ever see them freeze solid. cant get out what ever. Good morning Sir Ed -6 this am, as for your question i have seen were 1 rat dug out of a very large house in very shallow water on champlain. i followed its track through 2" of fresh snow heading in the direction of the open river maybe a hundred yards away. The tracks stopped twenty yards from house were the rat then grew a set of wings and promply took flight as i observed this magical feat by the three foot long wing impressings in the snow. Tight chains to ya.
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tmc
#2 Newhouse
Posts: 2,447
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Post by tmc on Jan 21, 2014 8:41:29 GMT -5
I know it happens all the time but it still amazes me that it's -12 an hour before sunrise, then the temps start dropping as sunrise approaches; by sunrise this morning, it dropped to -17, right now (8:38 AM) I'm back from checking the orchard line and it's back up to -12. It's not too bad, the humidity is relatively low and the wind isn't screaming like it was. The little bitty "streams" that I trap aren't flowing, it's just thick slush until you make a boot mark and then it's ice a moment later. I haven't any muskrat houses anywhere that I trap, they make bank dens around the lone pond and use the streams for feeding and travel. No sign of them now of course.
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Post by ratlvr on Jan 21, 2014 9:24:57 GMT -5
Yes,rats Either get froze out and die or get displaced and search for greener pastures.many don't survive the journey . Usually these rats have zero fat on then and are skin and bones.
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