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Post by thebeav2 on Dec 5, 2005 17:10:53 GMT -6
Any advice On trapping push ups.Trap type and size? And any other advise would be welcome. Got a marsh full of rats but no clear ice to be able to find the runs so It's push ups or nothing. Can't disturb or molest the huts or push ups, so that means we can't open them up.
Gary
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Post by conibear on Dec 5, 2005 17:33:15 GMT -6
Gary We are allowed to trap through the house here. But would a 110 coni on a long piece of wood lath set under the ice by th push ups with a piece of white Styrofoam on the triggers work. I never tried it, so I can't say it would work but maybe?
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Post by rk660 on Dec 5, 2005 18:55:06 GMT -6
Man, thats a tough one Gary, never any real good runs coming to them, they just have a hole coming up out of ice covered with a little tent of debris many times. Sometimes if there was any kind of base to them and the entrance hole into the base was found, I used to use 220 (better yet 210's the old single springed one) in front of that wide hole. 220 where a pain even with one spring wired down or zip tied. Even when I could cut into them it was never very easy trapping, as i had trouble with them avoiding uncovered leghold set on landing. Heres a probibly worthless idea for what its worth, a 110, better yet 160 single spring holder in H type style that had long legs going each direction, and have floats of styrefoam on each leg, cut outside pushup and slide under exit/entrance and hold trap parallel with ice, or should I say perpendicular to hole, floats would hold it up at ice surface next to hole coming up from bottom of pushup, like I said, pretty much worthless idea, but never know what fruits and nuts can come with at times. This brings back memoirys of being 18 w/o job and 6 months to kill till going into army, thought I could be a pro trapper for a spell. Got to marsh with 3/4"-1 1/2 clear ice, i would kick them pushups and watch the rat come out, they would usually suface flat against ice 5-10' away, make a lightning dash w axe and smack ice above their head with blunt end, stunning them just long enough to chop through that thin ice and grab the rat. I took 79 rats one day and over 25 of them where "axe hunting". $4.25 on carcass in '82 money. I crashed through i dont know how many times doing this on that thin ice, but life was good. Needed gas money, hambuger money, cigarette money and beer money. Not another care in the world if weeks worth of cash in pocket. If rent wasnt paid, truck or buddys house till tired of me was home. "Oh to live on, Sugar Mountain"!
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Post by JLDakota on Dec 5, 2005 23:32:33 GMT -6
Gary, You might take a couple feet of 14 ga wire and tie each end to the ring in the spring of a 160. Put something white or orange on the trigger. Bend the springs up about 60 degree. Chop a hole big enough to drop the trap under ice. Grab wire in the middle and lower trap down into the water. Use a lathe or stick to put between the wire to span the hole in the ice. Pull the wire up til trap is 6" below surface of ice and put a couple twists in the wire to hold it at that level. Rats will be attracted to the white on the trigger and will get caught when they attempt to get it. I have used 120's but 160's work better. Same concept can be used on baited 330's for beaver under the ice. I got the beaver idea from Brian Poncelet, Meacham, Sask. and adapted it to 160's and rats. JL
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Post by Bogmaster on Dec 6, 2005 0:06:34 GMT -6
Gary,some states practice what is called sleeving.They cannot cut into the house like we do. They chop a hole in the ice, next to the house or push up.They then reach with their gauntleted hand,under the ice,and place a foothold into one of the entrances. I often place a trap in the entrance chamber from the inside,so I know it would also work from the outside. Best bet though is to set in pushups built as the ice first forms,or the small feeder houses. Good luck,let me know if this works for you. Tom
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Post by thebeav2 on Dec 6, 2005 7:57:25 GMT -6
Thanks guys. We have about 2" of ice.When it was clear we couldn't get out on It. Then it rained and then it snowed so you know what happened to the ice. This was a drought year so we have a situation with very little water and a whole buch of mudd. So hanging a 160 or even a 120 may be diffacult but It may work around some of the larger huts where there Is more water,will give It a try. Made a test run yesterday, chopped out some holes up close to the push ups, felt around Inside and yep your right Tom found some nice platforms Inside. Some will be perfect since there Is a bit of water over them and then they get higher and are dry. It will be a bit of a job placing traps but I think It can be done. I will try and convince my partner to stick his hand up In the obvious rat houses no way I'm going to get bit LOL I can just picture 3 or 4 rats just waiting to pounce on my hand when it breaks Into the house. Will post later today on how It goes.
Gary
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Post by trappnman on Dec 6, 2005 8:25:36 GMT -6
Thats tuff trapping gary. One tip that has not been mentioned- is to use the houses as the center of the wheel so to speak, and look for pushups in a radius around them, and set conibears between the pushups and houses. In clear ice you can see the runs- in snow/ice you can't- but if all is equal the rats take the shortest way to the pushups.
if the water is that shallow beneath the ice- you can sometimes find run indentations on the bottom.
Also- and this was a old set that did work- you can make artificial pushups- take a big bucket or a wooden box (the box worked better for me) and cut a hole in the ice- I tossed in a can full of sawdust to bed the trap- bait it with roots, apples, whatever you think will work, set a couple of traps on long chains in the sawdust wired to the box, and cover up the box with snow- or today I guess your could use modern insulation techniques- but deep snow works- and there is your set. I'd have the hole about 4 inches smaller than the box- with a trap on each side on the ledge. placed next to the houses- they worked but it turn, was a lot of work to make and use-
but when nothing else works.....
fyi- Tom- there is a movement down here, starting with some folks in Wabasha, to make setting in the houses illegal. The warden that checked me asked my opinion on it and I told him that setting in the houses was not the reason rats were down on the marshes, etc, etc and said that in many areas- such trapping was the only way the rats could be harvested. Gabby is involved, whether pro or con I couldn't guess.
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Post by trappnman on Dec 6, 2005 8:29:36 GMT -6
traps- we always used #1 ls in houses and pushups. When I made a few boxes, I like a 1.5 ls.
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Post by thebeav2 on Dec 6, 2005 9:29:48 GMT -6
In WI we can't place any artifical hut like you mention. If we would have had the clear Ice I would have cleaned out the rats In about 3 days with 160s placed In the runs.When I tried to get out on the THIN clear Ice I could see every run leading to the feeders It would have been like taking candy from a baby. was attemting to mark the runs so when it did snow or if the ice turned bad I could still find the runs. But with 1" of ice and a foot of water and 3 feet of loon nuts I didn't get It done. I'm just bored I got 4 fox/ coyote sets out and need to stay busy untill I had south,and It's just to dam cold to set In my deer stand just need to get out of the house and away from this computer.
Gary
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Post by trappnman on Dec 6, 2005 9:39:57 GMT -6
you cannot place an artifical hut? I suppose dynamite is out too?
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Post by primetime on Dec 6, 2005 9:55:06 GMT -6
It's to COLD. I'm not sure If you would be able to get the Dynamite to ignite. About 10 years ago my Dad took me out Muskrat Trapping and we had clear ice. There was snow on top, but once we swept it away it was crystal clear underneath. Man was that easy trapping. I've also heard that potatoes and/or Styrofoam on the triggers will work. I tried it earlier this year and caught 2 on potatoes and 2 on the Styrofoam. That was in open water. Would think it might work even better with Ice. Come January I'm going to head out to some private land I've got that is loaded with Muskrats, but froze. I'm going to try using white twister tails (Fishing Jigs) on the triggers of some 110's under the ice. I'll post up if it works. It's just one of those things I want to try. I'm waiting till later in the year in hopes to get more prime fur. Later - PT
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Post by thebeav2 on Dec 6, 2005 10:18:11 GMT -6
We use to use carbide to blast trout holes but yes dynomite Is out to LOL. Gary
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Post by Clyde Isaak on Dec 6, 2005 17:57:14 GMT -6
Since I can trap rats in their huts I have not used the following set under the ice but I do use it in open water at ends of culverts and have had very good results with it. Like some others have mentioned about using bait on the trigger of a 110 I would do just that. Make a hole big enough to slip a 110 thru so it hangs just below the ice. I would use a lath or something similar as a cross piece above the ice to stake the trap. I have had the best results using small carrots which I impailed on the trigger wires. I would recommend putting these sets near the push-ups so you would be assured the rats will see the set. You don't need much water depth for this set as you will be trapping just be low the ice. Greenhorn
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Post by thebeav2 on Dec 6, 2005 18:25:53 GMT -6
Well I chopped about 60 holes and then reached In to find the resting shelves.Most of them were pretty easy to get the trap in. My partner did the trap place ment I just chopped and made sure you could get In. Sometimes you couldn't get In and had to chop several holes to find the open space, but it was do able. I think we put In about 40 sets. Time will tell If we place any more. We used #1 jumps #1 long springs #1 1/2 coils and 1 1/2 long springs. I'm not to sure If we are going to run Into wring off problems.
The water clarity Is so muddy that there Is no way a rat could see a baited body grip,In fact I don't see how they can find the push ups other then swimming In the runs. Willl up date you wed as on how we do.
Gary
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Post by Bogmaster on Dec 7, 2005 12:01:44 GMT -6
Gary,Mike and I have tried several trap types.Longsprings,jumps and coils----Stoploss traps ,put mors rats in the shed than any other type. Wring offs were a problem with the other types of traps. I know some will say--this aint so--cause they plop right into the water and drown. Not all do,some stay within the confines of the hut,some actually exit through the side of the hut---I guess they figured a new side door was in order. Some also wait patiently at the waters edge---they are waiting for me to stick my hand all the way down the exit hole. It is at this time,they like to partake of my fingers and gauntlets---oh yes they have bloodied me more than once.It is snake tongs and cat graspers now. Tom Olson
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Post by BK on Dec 7, 2005 13:07:47 GMT -6
Sounds kind like I suggested to you Beav? ;D LOL Push ups are just feed beds with a roof. ;D
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Post by thebeav2 on Dec 7, 2005 13:13:45 GMT -6
Push up trapping part two We pulled today to much work for the return. 3 rats one wring off. We did have about 50% of the traps filled with debris. I figured the rats didn't like the traps In the push ups and just covered them up. There were times we didn't come up through the dive hole but just broke through Into the cavity.I think that was a mistake. But It was a adventure and probably won't do it again LOL. But we did find a real honey hole with open water and full of geese. Will make a stalk on them tomrow.
Gary
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