# Question for under Ice Muskrat Trappers



## Anita Dwink (Apr 14, 2004)

Moved some sets around. All of them blind due to no visibility through Ice to determine direction from hut. I have rotated the position of the trap after each check. I ended up with 12 sets out. So far I have picked up 5 muskrats.
4 in 160`s , 1 in a 110, 10 misses. (Traps may need tuning). A couple catches were back half of rat or leg catch. Also all just under ice. 4 using green/orange flagging tape. 1 carrot with green tape. 4 had the trap 2 ft from hut or push up and at 180 degrees from edge of hut. The other was based on straight line between hut and push up. Not a big sample size but hope it helps if anyone can use it to help catch in the future when you can't see through the ice . Pulling sets Thursday. Playtime is over . Will do again next winter for sure if conditions are suitable.


----------



## danboe (Jan 13, 2018)

Seldom said:


> This "misses" business still bothers me because that's way too high. It brought to mind when I was using a bunch of single spring BMI 160's and had a similar problem. I had no problem setting the traps UNLESS I got careless with the trap while setting it. It dawned on me that I'd adjusted the trigger for mink which was pretty light. Once I added the weight of the bait, the triggers REALLY got touchy and took very little movement of even the trap, not only the movement of the triggers, to fire them. I reworked all of those traps and my misses disappeared with rats in the traps.





Seldom said:


> This "misses" business still bothers me because that's way too high. It brought to mind when I was using a bunch of single spring BMI 160's and had a similar problem. I had no problem setting the traps UNLESS I got careless with the trap while setting it. It dawned on me that I'd adjusted the trigger for mink which was pretty light. Once I added the weight of the bait, the triggers REALLY got touchy and took very little movement of even the trap, not only the movement of the triggers, to fire them. I reworked all of those traps and my misses disappeared with rats in the traps.


Seldom how do you tune up body grips triggers for muskrats. I watched your video maney times to see if there was a pattern where the dive hole bubble trail came of the house appears to come off the bottom of the ramp. Do you have any thoughts on this? DanBoe


----------



## 9 (Jan 17, 2000)

I should have also mentioned in my reply you quoted that those 160’s were tuned very light for trail setting for mink. In my opinion there is no reason to “tune” a rat trap. All they need is to fire with a reasonable swing of the trigger, nothing fancy at all especially for baited, under-ice trapping. The one thing I will mention is that I found long ago NOT to have my *baited* triggers in the vertical position. I had too many misses and flipped-out rats (actually found dead rats just under the ice off to the side of my trap hole dead, firgured they got clunked on the nose when jaw flipped them out) in the vertical so I went horizontal and misses became a non-issue.

As far as bubble trails, I set the trap just under the ice if I was in a bubble trail 8’-10’ away from the hut. If I was within 1’-3’ of the house I set on the bottom. Remember, you want the rat to *see* your bait because you’re not run/trail-setting as if you had open water so you put the trap where the rat is going to be.

***Oh ya, wear waders when on the ice. Every year I'd take the broken-ice elevator to the basement floor at least once. NEVER a good thing!****


----------



## 9 (Jan 17, 2000)

The round bodygrip is 160-size and one of 2doz that I built.
Notice how deep the water was using 6' stakes.


----------



## danboe (Jan 13, 2018)

Anita Dwink said:


> Moved some sets around. All of them blind due to no visibility through Ice to determine direction from hut. I have rotated the position of the trap after each check. I ended up with 12 sets out. So far I have picked up 5 muskrats.
> 4 in 160`s , 1 in a 110, 10 misses. (Traps may need tuning). A couple catches were back half of rat or leg catch. Also all just under ice. 4 using green/orange flagging tape. 1 carrot with green tape. 4 had the trap 2 ft from hut or push up and at 180 degrees from edge of hut. The other was based on straight line between hut and push up. Not a big sample size but hope it helps if anyone can use it to help catch in the future when you can't see through the ice . Pulling sets Thursday. Playtime is over . Will do again next winter for sure if conditions are suitable.


----------



## danboe (Jan 13, 2018)

Anita I have a question on your blind set under the ice when you set the trap 180 degrees from the edge of the hut relative to the ramp on the hut what does that mean? You said you put some sets 90 degrees from the edge of the hut, relative to the ramp? I have looked at Seldoms video when he is setting on the ice looking for a repeated position the rats use relative to the ramp, is there one? I assume when you said you set relative to a push up you meant a feeder house? Pushups are rare on a marsh more likely on a small lake 50 feet out in open water? Any one have a thought on the most likely point the dive hole comes out and away from a large house?


----------



## danboe (Jan 13, 2018)

Seldom said:


> I should have also mentioned in my reply you quoted that those 160’s were tuned very light for trail setting for mink. In my opinion there is no reason to “tune” a rat trap. All they need is to fire with a reasonable swing of the trigger, nothing fancy at all especially for baited, under-ice trapping. The one thing I will mention is that I found long ago NOT to have my *baited* triggers in the vertical position. I had too many misses and flipped-out rats (actually found dead rats just under the ice off to the side of my trap hole dead, firgured they got clunked on the nose when jaw flipped them out) in the vertical so I went horizontal and misses became a non-issue.
> 
> As far as bubble trails, I set the trap just under the ice if I was in a bubble trail 8’-10’ away from the hut. If I was within 1’-3’ of the house I set on the bottom. Remember, you want the rat to *see* your bait because you’re not run/trail-setting as if you had open water so you put the trap where the rat is going to be.
> 
> ***Oh ya, wear waders when on the ice. Every year I'd take the broken-ice elevator to the basement floor at least once. NEVER a good thing!****


Seldom great post I will be making allot of changes to my ice trapping. Question is there a spot relative to the ramp on the larger hut that the muskrat will use to exit the dive hole and start there run to the feeder huts. After watching your video it looked like the dive hole is more likely to come out on either side of the bottom edge of the ramp. If there was a most likely point the rats come out relative to the bottom edge of the ramp have you noticed it?


----------



## Anita Dwink (Apr 14, 2004)

danboe said:


> Anita I have a question on your blind set under the ice when you set the trap 180 degrees from the edge of the hut relative to the ramp on the hut what does that mean? You said you put some sets 90 degrees from the edge of the hut, relative to the ramp? I have looked at Seldoms video when he is setting on the ice looking for a repeated position the rats use relative to the ramp, is there one? I assume when you said you set relative to a push up you meant a feeder house? Pushups are rare on a marsh more likely on a small lake 50 feet out in open water? Any one have a thought on the most likely point the dive hole comes out and away from a large house?


If my memory serves me right it was not tall enough to be a feeder house. I had a very small sample size to run on and just reported findings. Fuzzy math that day . Should have been 90 degrees from the edge of the house. Unfortunately the marsh I got to play in dropped 3 ft after the beavers finally met their demise. No time to hone my under ice trapping this winter. I wanted to move the traps further away from the huts this year but that will have to wait.


----------



## 9 (Jan 17, 2000)

No Danboe, I never did.
I’m a long way from the expertise of Joe R but one tip I can give.- If a person is serious about trapping rats through the ice, pay very close attention to ice conditions and watch for the initial freeze-up then get out there safely and mark the bubble trails either before a snow fall or immediately after a light one. You don’t have to set traps but you need to mark the runs for when the ice is thicker and more heavily snow covered. Yes, I completely understand that doing this isn’t easy and requires a person taking the time to do BUT if possible, your vigilance and proactiveness will be hugely rewarded!!

Notice in the proceeding photos the color and clarity of the ice on either side of the bubble trails. Because of the constant rat swimming activity, there is a window of opprotunity that allows for identifing bubble trails without totally clear ice! Never assume that the ice won’t allow you to see, go check!


----------



## David G Duncan (Mar 26, 2000)

Here is a photo from back in 1987. Yes this Wes Grant 110 on a stick with Parsnip setup took this Mink.


----------



## danboe (Jan 13, 2018)

Anita Dwink said:


> I've got them swinging side to side with the bait on the top trigger wire. Might need to move the trigger closer to the top. I picked up a lot from your video. Using 3/8 rod with coni holders. Or stakes that are wide enough to lock down on to the trap. Just wish I would have had clear ice to work. Either way I plan to use all of this in the future.


Anita where can I access the video by Seldom on the use of 3/8 rod and conie holder?


----------



## Anita Dwink (Apr 14, 2004)

danboe said:


> Anita where can I access the video by Seldom on the use of 3/8 rod and conie holder?


I saw them when Trent Masterson did a seminar during the MTA Convention. I think Sudden Valley Supply sells the coni holders and I picked up the rod at Tractor Supply.


----------



## shutherdown (Nov 3, 2013)

#1 or 1.5 on a board with carrot for bait. Usually 1-3 traps set at a 45 degree angle about 4 foot from hut. Ice trapping I check every 2-3 days. If nothing move set over a foot until you locate them.


Sent from my iPhone using Michigan Sportsman


----------



## 9 (Jan 17, 2000)

danboe said:


> Anita where can I access the video by Seldom on the use of 3/8 rod and conie holder?


Here's the link dandoe BUT my 110 mod only has to do with *bottom edge sets*, not baited sets.


----------



## 9 (Jan 17, 2000)

I'm getting a little confused with some of these posts. Are we talking about baited, under-ice rat sets or are we talking about unbaited, bottom edge mink/rat sets? If we are talking about baited, under-ice rat sets then look closely at this photo of one of my homemade, RBG 160's (that is seen in previous photos), look at the wedge. Notice how the wedge keeps anything from turning or spinning. The wedge is attached to the trap via a short piece of 1/16" cable and you can see the wedge in the previous photos on the ice.

in my water seldom can/could I use fabricated body grip "H/h-type" stands because most of my bottom edge set locations are tucked back in an undercut at the point of the projection as depicted in my drawing. Fabricated body grip stands will not allow due to their construction to be inserted back under the overhang and into the undercut as shown in my drawing.

It just appears from recent posts that this thread is twisting in the wind due to misinterpretations.


----------

