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Post by lcknload on Dec 29, 2014 23:06:20 GMT -5
Dear Friends, Are muskrats only found in freshwater? Can they be found in grassy wetlands of saltwater or possibly streams of brackish water emptying out to saltwater? I ask this because I live on Long Island where we have plenty of marshland.
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Post by mrlongbeard1 on Dec 30, 2014 0:32:13 GMT -5
They catch a lot of them in Chesapeak bay so I told.
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Post by lcknload on Dec 30, 2014 15:25:00 GMT -5
Thank you for your help
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Post by Rick on Dec 30, 2014 16:37:09 GMT -5
I once bought a giant box of conibears sight unseen from a gentleman who supposedly caught a lot of rats from brackish water swamps in New Jersey.
The traps were mostly shot from the saltwater. Something for you to consider, but yes, rats live in brackish water.
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Post by lcknload on Dec 30, 2014 19:26:33 GMT -5
Thank you for your input. I'm planning on giving it a try next week.
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Post by Rick on Dec 30, 2014 19:31:47 GMT -5
Good luck. Let us know how it goes...and throw a good coat of rust-oleum on your traps. If you're using foot traps, I would wax them.
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Post by lcknload on Dec 31, 2014 15:41:47 GMT -5
I'll keep you posted.
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Post by kirkwooder on Dec 31, 2014 19:13:38 GMT -5
I'd like to see some photo's of a tailgate full of big, fat, prime, winter salty rats!
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Post by lcknload on Jan 1, 2015 19:54:27 GMT -5
Yes, me too. Can't wait to catch something other than my fingers!
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paintedpaw
Retired NYSDEC Lake George Ranger
Posts: 688
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Post by paintedpaw on Jan 6, 2015 11:22:23 GMT -5
I grew up trapping muskrats in the tidal marshes. Techniques are different than in fresh water, and you have to watch the tides, but they certainly do inhabit coastal marshes.
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Post by lcknload on Jan 8, 2015 15:09:02 GMT -5
Thank you for the input. Can you give an example of the different technique? I have none at all. I'm a new trapper.
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Post by traphead2 on Jan 8, 2015 22:49:40 GMT -5
get ahold of newt sterling he can help you for sure
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Post by proratman on Jan 9, 2015 10:41:48 GMT -5
I have trapped a lot of salt water marshes. The big difference are the tides. Traps have to be set and tended at the low tide period. This will occur around 45 minutes to an hour later each day. For example, if the low tide is at 11:25AM today, tomorrow it will be around 12:15PM. You will have around three hours before low tide and about an hour and a half of rising tide to work your traps. Be carefull with the rising tide that you don"t get stranded out there. Some of the marshes that I have trapped are big mud holes. You can wear "Mudders" on your feet to stay above the mud. But I find that they are too rough on my ankles. I lose a lot of muskrats to sewer rats, coon, fox, hawlks, and owles. An inexperienced tidal trapper may take a couple of seasons to understand the tides.
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Post by lcknload on Jan 12, 2015 15:32:15 GMT -5
Thank you for all the info
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Post by kwilliams on Feb 1, 2015 0:33:49 GMT -5
Dear Friends, Are muskrats only found in freshwater? Can they be found in grassy wetlands of saltwater or possibly streams of brackish water emptying out to saltwater? I ask this because I live on Long Island where we have plenty of marshland. I've seen their lodges while waterfowl hunting in Suffolk (Timber Point Tidal Wetlands).
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