catchin muskrats in a 55 gal. drum

[trapperfern]

i've heard of people sinking a 55 gallon drum in ponds before, leaving it just barely above water and having some kind of trap door with bait that muskrats swim up onto then fall in any pictures and information on how to make on would be helpfull i just picked up another pond to trap and would like to make one just to try it out and see if it works season ends in 2 days but this is property has a damage permit
any help is appreciated
thanks John

[Varminteer]

I used to have an A.R.Harding book that described such a device. Was going to build one til I found out mutiple catch traps must be submerged. Might want to check your State regs.

[bobwendt]

might want to see how much force it takes to sink the titanic without a hole in it. as a 55gallon drum is about the same. I`d say drum trapping is right up there with air hose skinning and hi pressure water fleshing. all the guys that have never done it can tell you how it works, just ask `em! lol.

[rk660]

Bob, i know Pestka up here fleshes coons w/ hi pressure water, and then has problems selling them because of it. Has a crew of wetbacks in rain suits and goggles, so he can get done cheapest way possible w/o paying experienced labor for the task. you forgot to mention chicken coop fleshing, put skin out on stretcher one night in chicken coop, fleshed as clean as can be come morning

[SgtWal]

Barrel is weighted with rocks so it sets on the bottom with water a foot or so below the top inside, and an inch or so below on the outside.
Boards are attached to the outside to act as ramps to alow the rats to climb up.
The old books say to use heavy paper or hide that is wet down and stretched across the top. When dry the top is slit with an X cut. Rats crawl up to sun and dry and as they start across the top the covering gives and they fall into the barrel. The top is supposed to come back into place after the critter falls.

[foxman]

i wus thinkin u could take a drill to it and make lil 1/4 holes here and there and it would sink with no problem.also not affecting ketches.

[furman]

Chicken coop fleshing

I am going to have to try that one in the morning. Believe it or not I thought that before.

If I do that, does that make me a redneck?

[rk660]

Nope, chicken coop fleshing is the domain of hillybillys with crooked teeth, so stop chasing your sister. ;D

[td]

Might have to round their beaks off first. Keep them from pecking holes.

Guy in Kansas does, or did?, the hi pressure fleshing on coon. Guess it made the leather pretty white after drying and would be hard to see bad spots. Should have tried it on those scab necked, orange bellied late coon, but don't have a wet suit.

[trapperfern]

well to address the problem of sinking a 55 gal. drum i could use a 30 gal. drum and i wonder if plastic would work instead of heavey paper or maybe some sort of hinged board

[steeliekingfisher]

sounds like a ton of work, why not use a colony float trap?

I used them this season and they treated me well, and alot easier to carry than a 55 gal drum

[rk660]

also if you got a bunch of live rats at same time in barrel, theyd' prolly be chewed up pretty bad.

[k9]

Just remeber to send all those rats to Bob Wendt.

No fur
No beer lids
No cigarette butts

Just guts and carcass.

Sheesh RK.. ya up late?

Sinking barrels sounds like more work than it is worth, when there are so many other methods at your disposal. Is this a huge lake with dens that are impossible to get at??

[trapperfern]

it was just something that i had heard about and wanted to see if it would work and this seemed like a good place to try it because i can drive right to the lake

[ohiyotee]

Better check ohio law, i think that is not legal here? greg

[bobwendt]

and no sawdust, coon fat or camophlaged mink carcases hidden in the bottom. I do know what a mink foot looks like ya know. you guys wouldn`t believe the chit some fur buyers smuggle into the rat buckets . and then act like "who-meee" when I call them on it. you`d think a "dead rat minus the fur" would be pretty self explanatory and easy to comprehend. like 5 gallons of beaver feet no , is not worth anything. nor 5 gallons of beaver guts, no not 5 gallons of coon guts and heads, the list is endless. I`m holding off buying new shoes figuring there is a bucket in the freezer with a matching pair my size in with the rats . just havn`t got to that bucket yet. anyone need anything at all, auto parts, clothes, playboy magazines,whatever, let me know as I`ll find it. model t parts, anything.

[mmwb (Andrew Parker)]

"I`m holding off buying new shoes figuring there is a bucket in the freezer with a matching pair my size in with the rats . just havn`t got to that bucket yet. anyone need anything at all, auto parts, clothes, playboy magazines,whatever, let me know as I`ll find it. model t parts, anything."


;DROFLMAO!!! ;D Wished I'd known a couple of month ago when I needed an ignition module for my Explorer...

[bobwendt]

I saw one in a coyote turd under the cages when scraping poop this morning. what year you need? musta been smuggled in, shoved in the guts. like they do lead weights in those heaviest coyote contests.

[rk660]

yea K0, its called coon scraping night, and wasnt gonna quit till all on floor thawed out where done, LOL.