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Post by SteveCraig on Jul 25, 2008 12:31:10 GMT -6
Beav, I like the jug/bottle idea. But use 1/16 or 3/64 cable instead of string. Avoids the string cutting for sure. Simple to roll the cable up into a tiny tight roll with a slider and weight already attached to the trap.
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Post by trappnman on Jul 25, 2008 12:48:44 GMT -6
I think I'd talk to someone that has used jug type floats a bit before I'd count on them.
Never used them, but I can think of many disasters in the making.
things I'd consider
1) sinking- that plastic deteriorates quick- cold weather, ?
2) how far would the rats take them- a long ways I'd think. in a marsh would be nighhtmare checking traps- what went where also-
3) how about if they take them down? I have no doubt, that a rat could take a laundry jug under- gets caught in stuff.
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Post by billmeyerhoff on Jul 25, 2008 15:29:43 GMT -6
Easy enough to find out. Attach a spring scale to the jug and see how many pounds it takes to pull it under. Some mignty big catfish get caught each year with jugs and they don't have a trap with added weight on them. You need enough length and it needs to be heavy enough so that the rat goes to the bottom, if he's going to pull it under he'll need to be a very fast swimmer. Unless it's very windy I would think that the rat would anchor the jug.
I only trap the river and there is very little still water so I will need to leave it to others to experiment.
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Post by trappnman on Jul 25, 2008 15:32:27 GMT -6
you could be right- like I said, never tried them.
have done catfish, and they do pull thme under- not for long though-
10 foot chain would pulle them down- so it would have to be cable.
a big marsh- I'd think mobility would be a problem-
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Post by thebeav2 on Jul 25, 2008 15:57:39 GMT -6
I rat with a 1 1/2 or 1.75 Or a #2 on his front or back foot Isn't going to be doing much swimming and I would bet He won't be able to keep It's head above water for maybe several seconds If that. But there could be a problem with them drifting away and getting lost In the cat tails.
Or you could wrap 20' of parachute cord around the jug and as the rat goes off the hut he un wraps the cord as he goes to the bottom and acts as the anchor. It would be just like those marker buoys they use to mark structure. Would another rat chew off the cord?
I could break down and cut 20' willow stakes but 20' stakes are a real pain to find and haul. They would probably have a 4" butt end. There has to be a easy way. 800 rats at a $4.00 average just can't be over looked.
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Post by billmeyerhoff on Jul 25, 2008 16:47:52 GMT -6
I'd use the lightweight cable. I would think the biggest problem would be the cable getting tangled in the cat tails. No matter what method you employ, give it a shot and let us know how it works.
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Post by Vanmeer on Jul 25, 2008 17:27:28 GMT -6
What about three long stakes wired in a triangle then set opening over top or house and use long wires. Could wire as many traps as you want that way.
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Post by northof50 on Jul 25, 2008 18:23:23 GMT -6
At all cost; advoid using white styrophone as a floater, rats seem to have an attraction to it and chew the living daylites out of it. Learned this one because we used some snow goose decoys with floats as white styrophone as the float, left them in one night and came back to a white disaster floating in the marsh. Watched as they climbed up and dug/chewed the foam, they swam back to, their dens, dropped it off, and came back for more. ANYONE WANT 36 HOLY DECOYS ? If you have old used snares, ie power snares use them for lenght, just coil them 1 ft lenght and the rat trap jaw closes them and holds them in a bundle when moving from site to site. Parachute cord seems to be a white becon under water saying to passing rats,,,CUT ME>>>CUT ME>>IF YOU DARE....
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Post by northof50 on Jul 25, 2008 18:36:26 GMT -6
ps to JWR64 if you can get the ski doos out the first day or so you usually don't have to drain the oil etc. You make some hoist systems on the ice, usually 3 point system and winch it up. Just have to remember when you are bailing out and jumping off the back end as it is going under to chock it, so water is not taken in the cylinders and creates motor problems. I was the only person that they knew that had a wetsiut, or was dumb enough to do a polar bear swim.. This last winter one fellow up at Waterhen Mb put his machine through and got it out by climbing up trees attaching lines and felling them, thereby winching the machine out slowly.tree # 4 and his machine was out..... now that was resorceful when he was 40 miles in the boonies, by himself.
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Post by trappnman on Jul 25, 2008 18:55:36 GMT -6
beav- why would you need 20' poles? push the poles into the houses at an angle below te waterline-- the houses have to be anchored- and there you go- 4-5 foot poles should be more than sufficient. typical marsh rat trapping, really
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Post by northof50 on Jul 25, 2008 19:32:28 GMT -6
The 2 litre pop bottles go on top of those poles so when the rat pulls them off the house, everything sinks to the pop bottle marker. Cut some old lisence plates and bend in squares and put on top of the poles then you can see reflections from house to house with flashlights at night. The full moon befor freeze up is when those houses are being up-graded for the winter. A NC trapper taught me always set 10 traps per house, for 3 days and move. Come back in a week for more action.
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Post by Bigfoot on Jul 25, 2008 20:56:55 GMT -6
if you are worried about the pop boottles being chewed up by the rats put some spray foam in them just paint the inside with a visable colorbefore you spray the foam in . or use brightly painted lenghts of light weight firewood . with the fire wood you could wrap the whole rig around the wood then the rigs would stack neetly in the boat ,well like firewood .put a big sinker on the trap chain so it takes the rat straight down and anchors the rig to the bottum . another thing you might use here are two foot lengths of 2" PVC pipe with end caps ,makes great jugs and the rig would wrap around it neetly . I have not used these things to trap with but have tried all of them for jugging catfish they will standup to abuse and float some big catfish . I've settled on the water noodles for catfish but I think the rats would eat them .
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Post by coalking on Jul 25, 2008 21:18:37 GMT -6
The article I mentioned used bambo stakes. Coalking
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Post by thebeav2 on Jul 25, 2008 21:45:26 GMT -6
Bamboo would give me the length and would be very light. BUT would the rats chew off the tops? I know when I pre staked the big marshes the rats would chew off all the exposed bark at the water line on those willow stakes, but never cut them off.
I like the Idea of PVC and I can get It free. But It would probably be cheaper to foam them Instead of putting caps on them. Lead wheel weights would work as anchors. And by placing them up on the hut they would act as eye appeal.
How much does one of those cans of foam cost? You would probably need It for buoyancy.
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Post by trappnman on Jul 26, 2008 14:47:05 GMT -6
I still think you are making a routine situation difficult.
Cut your willows now. Dry them. We did that every summer-
You have houses. Houses aren't free floating- so just stake into the houses.
common technique, really.
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Post by lumberjack on Jul 26, 2008 15:43:24 GMT -6
Yea Beav, if I may ask, why arent you staking to the hut?
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Post by mountainman on Jul 26, 2008 16:47:26 GMT -6
If the houses can be staked into then it should be easy to carry a bunch of 6-7' stakes. 1.5s, 1.75s and 2s will do a great job there.
I used to cut a bunch of 4'-5' willow stakes to use on mud banks when floating a big river with john boats. I cut the tops square so they could be driven with an axe and put them in deep enough water so the catch would wind up on the stake w/ a straight tie off. That worked good for coons, mink and rats. Some coons pulled out of #1 ls in rat sets.
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Post by northof50 on Jul 26, 2008 17:10:50 GMT -6
If this is a floating peat bog lake there is NO bottom to the houses, they are built onfloating fenn even when you get on the house some times they start to go down fast, i presume that's why it has to be trapped by boat. Bamboo stakes are something rats seem to want to sharpen their teeth on, been my experience. When you cut you stakes TOMMORROW, befor they are dry, if you have not let a thumb branch on the bottom, then put a 4 inch nail sideways in the green base. This prevents any slip offs of trap rings. If you wait till they are dry then the branches shatter. Use tree loppers to cut the flags, longer is better. Drying them is important because you would be surprised how many beaver are out there looking for fall fresh twigs.
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Post by mountainman on Jul 26, 2008 17:37:46 GMT -6
I always cut willow stakes in summer and let them dry good so they wouldn't split. The days of using green stakes in water are long gone in my area. I might use a peeled green beaver stick once in a while but thats about it for me now with green stakes. Used to be there weren't any beavers and not many coons in most places. I miss the days when a trapper could use 16 ga and put mink and rat traps in by the bushel. For a good while I carried a machete and made long slide wire poles about as quick as I could find places to put them in.
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Post by trappnman on Jul 26, 2008 18:16:38 GMT -6
the houses aren't free floating- While I haven't trapped 10' water, I've trapped plenty of 4-6 foot water and while yes, the house will sink if stood upon- then are still fastened down. And the "solid" part of the houses, extends well below the surface. We used to push stakes into the underwater part of houses as a matter of course.....trappnman
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