My Rats

[trappnman]

I think that the color indicates freshness to an underice rats. I think the white slash on a willow pole triggers the same response. Bright veg colors aren't the norm under ice where veg gets somewhat stagnant. or my guess anyways.

[bblwi]

Arnie Groehler is a rat trapper from southern WI that traps extensively on Horicon Marsh and has made very large catches over time in the excess of over 3K in some years.
Arnie gives a great rat demo every year at our WTA rondy. Arnie covers, open water, through the ice and the spring break up as well.
He and a friend of his have designed what is called a Hockey Puck that they use as imitation bait for under ice rats. They use white and green and now make several that are half and half. Arnie states and notices that early in the season under ice that white is much better than green and that from say Mid February on Green is by far better than white. He talks about the spring "green pole set" and he attributes the change to green under the ice as the rats looking and searching for fresh food and not the more sour roots and shoots. Your observations mirror is findings. Arnie also notes that rats are really active during early ice and then seem to become much less active in mid January to mid February and then get active again with breeding season now right around the corner.

Bryce

[Deleted]

I don't usually trap rats through the ice unless the snow is shallow and ice is thin enough where the rat activity is to give me either bubbles or "thunk-thin" ice so I can find the locations.  So Im normally trapping coyotes that that time whenever the qualifiers line-up as with a Mid-Jan thaw.  Years ago I used parsnips(white) regardless whether it was Christmas or the end of Jan when our rat trapping season use to end.  I found over the years though carrots(orange) seemed to do a lot better.  When I started using the green tape I was already using carrots so I just continued and catch ratios shot up significantly for me.  Maybe the difference lies in his marsh being cattails and mine 100% phragmites?

On another note, I'm finding 2 out of every 3 huts dead but still had a 70% day from the active ones.  Only occasionally do I find a mink track though yesterday I caught a very large male in a colony trap which was a 1st on that marsh.  There was something wrong with that mink!  I've skinned quite a few mink and that's all I trapped for 3 years for MSU but I have never come across one as tough as this one.  I seldom have to do if any knife work but this guy was ALL knife work.  If I hadn't used the knife as much as I did he was going to come apart.  His hips were giving as was his neck and forelegs so I had to use the knife on his entire neck and head!

[bblwi]

Rats really move from area to area within their habitat. My friend and I prospected an area in early January on a large marsh that probably had say 200 houses in an area of about 40 acres. We found only about 10 pushups in the whole area. Those rats built those houses in the fall and December and were moved out by the time we got there.
We did not do well on this marsh with all the sign. What we did find out is similar to your findings. When we found a hot pushup we got multiple rats. I had one area I set up with about 20 traps in 20 pushups with about 30-40 houses and got 20 rats but 12 came from 4 pushups.

Bryce

[Deleted]

When I set the marsh Sunday I had 4"-5" of good ice where there was no rat activity.  Where there were active runs and within say 8'-10 of a hut, the ice was down to 1"-1.5" so I had to be careful.  Well Sunday and yesterday the temps got up touching 40 and last night we got about 2" of snow with temps around 30.  This morning I decided it was time to check under-ice rat traps with my waders on.  The marsh has some armpit depth water but those areas don't have the rats, it's the waist deep stuff that does.  

The wife ask me why I was wearing my waders so I told her the truth, that near the huts the ice will possibly be bad and I'll have to wade.  What I didn't tell her was that to wade meant I was going to take an elevator ride hopefully straight down.  I took that elevator rode down 4 times this morning but only 3 took me straight down!  The 4th got me as I was kneeling to check a colony trap and the ice let me go.  Even though I found where I went in only crotch deep I was in that kneeling position so even at 69 I was JUST ABOUT quick enough to throw myself(more like flounder) partly onto the hut and some nearby phragmites.  Soaked both arms but never got a drop inside the waders.

I'd rather be coyote trapping!

[RdFx]

Ditto never on the green tape.... easy to put on and it stays on....plus WORKS !

[trappnman]

you guys with your waders! As kids, we just wore hip boots if not knee highs- came home more then 1 day walking stiff legged.

Today, would not water trap without them.

I think the key is a "fresh" color.

I also think that the extras such as boards, came about because of the increased usage of coils- because I do think the old willow pole worked as well as anything, but hard to use (or at least harder towards PIA category)compared to longsprings. To this day, although I do use lots of coils in water I do prefer the 1.5 or 2 ls and set them first- although coils weigh less when walking

[Deleted]

Well I've got to retract what I said to Bryce, the spudding and lugging for rats on the ice got the best of me in the end!  It's now official, Yup, I visited with the owner of the rat marsh this afternoon and told him I was done trapping rats and that he should go to his list of trappers that have been waiting for a chance to trap it and pick one. I ask if I can continue to trap coyote and fox and he said of course and he’d tell the new trapper. Too tough on me and even though my heart rate was steady, so it's probably the heart meds but it could also just me getting older, I had to stop a lot and rest on the ice the last few days and was very tired when I got home.  So, I decided enough of this bs and though I hate to give away property, I called it quits with rat trapping and now will only trap canines. This marsh was the last place I had to trap rats on so I really I'd quit a few years ago, it’s just that it’s official now. LOL.

So, I caught my 1st rat in 1954-55 and my last in 2016.  I don't remember how many rats I caught in 1954 but this year I boxed-up for the freezer 79 from the ice and I'm OK with that.

Wife is VERY happy!   My wife is my trapping bookkeeper and records all catches and locations.  This year I knew something was up with the rat trapping because she was either seeing or sensing someing because she was coming out into the garage as soon as I pulled in, asking what I caught.  This wasn't normal and she didn't do that with my coyote trapping!  Frigin smart women! 

[trappnman]

boy, not too far behind you- I caught my first rat abut 1957.

I thought of ice and cold yesterday- thinking glad I wasn't out busting traps-

I have to admit, that the time I spent water trapping this year w/o lots of ice and snow, might have been one of the most enjoyable waterlines I've run in many years. Back to my beginnings as a hobby trapper-

so does this mean you will trap canines longer next year?

[Deleted]

Feb 13, 2016 7:46:40 GMT -6 trappnman said:

so does this mean you will trap canines longer next year?

Yup!  I've found with a "normal" year I can trap coyote just into the 1st week of February and they'll be rubbing a little but they're still sale-able.  This year though, no way!  They were rubbing way earlier then I'd ever seen and the last 3 I caught I felt were borderline sale-able so I pulled.

I should give an opinion on two new items I used canine trapping this past season.  
First the Jake traps.  I bought 7 doz and though the pan tension is a learning experience, I'm glad I bought them and though I love my super modified Bridgers and Dukes, the Jakes are now my "trap of choice".  I've sold all of my MB650's now and use the Bridgers where I feel there could be thief issues.
Secondly is the Honda quad.  I should have bought one years ago!   Dang did that ever make it easier on me.  I already had a real nice tilt-bed trailer that I use for the sled so it worked great for the quad.  On/off is literally just a few minutes.  With the quad I just pull right up to the set locations and with all of my equipment on the back, I just worked within feet of the rear of the quad.  Most of the time I didn't even have to lay anything on the ground.  It just added to my enjoyment of coyote trapping. 

The only "new" thing I'm doing this year is find out what all the hype with wax dirt/sand is all about.

[9wire]

Hard to beat those Jakes... I'll dig through a whole pile of MBs, Bridgers, etc just to get to a Jake to put out first... They are a pleasure to bed and work great with screen IMO...

[Deleted]

Folks might find this video I made interesting of my Bridgers and Dukes since I've referred to them in some of my posts as "super modified".

youtu.be/_YCxoa3_mZs

[bblwi]

Wading the mud is why I went to the canoe so I don't have to get stuck in the muck. I do get out in places where the footing is better but then there are not as many rats.
I will continue to learn more about through the ice rat trapping. I have done this only 4 years now and each year has been very different so there is something new to learn every time one is out there. Yes it is work and hard work, but I lose quite a bit of weight doing this and that in itself has value. Need to really keep hydrated when working hard in the cold. I get lots of Charlie horses at night when I don't.

Bryce

[blackhammer]

Bryce that water help much for cramps? I been getting then bad with no ryhme or reason for years. Tried water, bananas and a few other things but still have trouble. I'm in decent shape and get lots of exersise but get those darn cramps and charlie horses way too often.

[bblwi]

Not as much as I thought. I take a quart bottle of something like Power Ade and that works much better. I don't know if is the calories or the minerals but 8 a couple sips every couple hours say 4-6 ounces really helps out a lot.

Bryce

[cyaukey]

Gatorade helps with cramping to.

[northof50]

Quit the coffee and it being a diuretic removes the potassium, ie banannas. The cramps are from salt sortsages and nerve messages being sent.
A good phisiotheriapist of years back told me some advise, " being a man, just think of sex or such and tuck in the tummy, this will pull in those mussles and give a break for the back mussles and will releave the gluteus maximus or ham string. As usual everything revoles around sex

[northof50]

Even under the ice the cattail roots start to grow come 1 Feb, and show green, bright green colour