# Mass pic upload, muskrat and beaver trapping



## someone11 (Mar 15, 2009)

Hey everyone, I figured I'd share some pictures of this season so far. Took 263 muskrat and 6 beaver in 3 1/2 days for their opener. Just pulled my muskrat line here at home and took 208 muskrat in 8 days (lot more area to cover). Season total is sitting at 473 muskrat (2 were given to me), 14 beaver (doing some private land beaver stuff), 9 ****, and 2 mink. Enjoy the pics.

U.P.-


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## someone11 (Mar 15, 2009)

Northern Lower-
































































Two rats one foothold, first for me lol


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## David G Duncan (Mar 26, 2000)

Good job!


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## Spade (Feb 20, 2007)

Holy crap, that is a real nice load of fur, and great looking critters. Congrats, If I ever need some beaver or muskrat carcasses for bait now, I know who to contact. LOL


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## someone11 (Mar 15, 2009)

Spade said:


> Holy crap, that is a real nice load of fur, and great looking critters. Congrats, If I ever need some beaver or muskrat carcasses for bait now, I know who to contact. LOL


Yeah I'm selling my carcasses to Jeff Dunlap this year, but can always save a few if someone needs some 👍


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## jscheel (Sep 3, 2008)

Great pictures, thanks for sharing. Just thinking about all that skinning though is making my arthritic hands ache.


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## Scottygvsu (Apr 19, 2003)

Holy cow!!!
Great haul and thanks for sharing


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## someone11 (Mar 15, 2009)

jscheel said:


> Great pictures, thanks for sharing. Just thinking about all that skinning though is making my arthritic hands ache.


I'm sure it'll catch up to me one of these years. Luckily I'm still 32 years young and have a lot of life left 😂


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## Matt3ddsteel (Jan 10, 2002)

someone11 said:


> Northern Lower-
> 
> View attachment 865678
> 
> ...


Holy crap dude..nice work! With fur prices being so low what do you do with all of them? No way you skin all those and put them do you?


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## someone11 (Mar 15, 2009)

Matt3ddsteel said:


> Holy crap dude..nice work! With fur prices being so low what do you do with all of them? No way you skin all those and put them do you?


Yep, I dont do it for the money, I just love trapping rats. The money is just a bonus and it all goes back into traps/trapping supplies


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## Spade (Feb 20, 2007)

someone11 said:


> Yep, I dont do it for the money, I just love trapping rats. The money is just a bonus and it all goes back into traps/trapping supplies
> 
> View attachment 867202


That sir is one heck of a bunch of nice put up fur. I can tell you take pride in your work. I like the set up you have for hanging fur also. Beaver castor drying on the first hanger?


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## Seldom (3 mo ago)

Matt3ddsteel said:


> Holy crap dude..nice work! With fur prices being so low what do you do with all of them? No way you skin all those and put them do you?


Yes, it is a nice rat catch Matt but the skinning & put-up isn’t so bad once you’ve gained some experience & a system. 10 years ago when I actually trapped rats I would do 20 rats, skinned/fleshed/ boarded/hr and not hurry. Nobody hurries when they’re in their mid-60s! LOL That 20/hr is nothing compared to the trappers who have 100s to skin & put-up regularly. I’m sure they’re in the “rip & tear” league and make a 3 minute rat look like kindergarten work! LOL

Someone11 says he likes rats so he’s probably quite fast with the skinning & put-up whereas I disliked rats. They were no joy just $$ to me! I’d finish skinning, fleshing 2-3 canines and look over at a pile of 20 rats and shudder having to spend another hour doing them. On top of that Matt, you have to consider in the “muskrat farts” factor! Bending over 20 is enough to get that rat bacteria working in your guts! IMHO, rat farts are worse than coyote farts!!!!

Remember, you heard it 1st from Ol’ Seldom


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## nichola8 (Oct 7, 2013)

I've been pulling beavers out of the freezer to skin, pulling out rats too. Man the beavers arnt horrible, but when I get to the rats it's a sigh of relief.

Did 2 coyotes for friends yesterday.....seldom it must be what your comfortable with....I spent forever on those. Bring on the rats, beavs and otter for me.

Side note, got the whole next week off, ready to get some good lines going on Sunday after the snow settles!

Sent from my SM-G990U using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


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## Seldom (3 mo ago)

nichola8 said:


> Did 2 coyotes for friends yesterday.....seldom it must be what your comfortable with....I spent forever on those. Bring on the rats, beavs and otter for me.
> 
> Side note, got the whole next week off, ready to get some good lines going on Sunday after the snow settles!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G990U using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


It’s the “hoop” of red membrane on the coyotes that I think causes folks problems and it will as long as folks try to push it like a hoop. Break it into strips and a coyote instantly becomes easy, especially the more prime and older ones with the fat underneath vs the yoy and under-prime with only hair roots.

Now that I only trap public lands and I want more prime fur, I’ll wait until 12/1 to start on the beaver. I won’t set a coyote trap this year, 1st time in over 25-30 years! When I trapped rats 15-10 years ago I set the 1st day of deer season in a pit marsh which put me below the deer hunter’s line of sight. I couldn’t trap coyote during deer season so I’d just pick up the slack trapping rats. I’d go back 2 months later and trap through the ice and catch beautiful winter rats while checking coyote traps. Every year I trapped that way and sold through NAFA the difference between my fall rats and winter rats caught from the same location was 25%.


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## someone11 (Mar 15, 2009)

Spade said:


> That sir is one heck of a bunch of nice put up fur. I can tell you take pride in your work. I like the set up you have for hanging fur also. Beaver castor drying on the first hanger?


I take a lot of pride in my put up. I get lots of compliments from my fur buyer. It's a good feeling once all my fur is put up looking nice. I also feel it gives respect to the animal once you put the fur up. 

Yeah thats castor drying, I've probably got about 2lbs so far.


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## someone11 (Mar 15, 2009)

So I took a video of me skinning a rat for the muskrat trapping group on Facebook. Time was 1minute 28 seconds. So I figure I can skin rats at 1-2mins per rat, goes pretty quick, and about the same with fleshing/stretching


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## GWGjr (Feb 1, 2018)

someone11 said:


> So I took a video of me skinning a rat for the muskrat trapping group on Facebook. Time was 1minute 28 seconds. So I figure I can skin rats at 1-2mins per rat, goes pretty quick, and about the same with fleshing/stretching


That's a pretty good clip at 1-2 minutes per rat, at least I always thought so as it's about what I can average myself once I got rolling. I say "always thought" as I was quite humbled in my fast rat skinning abilities after reading an article in a past issue of F-F-G where it noted the record time it took to skin (5) rats during a skinning competition with no damage to the pelts.

63.333 seconds to skin ALL FIVE. Article is in the October 2020 issue of Fur-Fish-Game.

Congratulations on your catches thus far this season and nice job with the put up!


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## someone11 (Mar 15, 2009)

GWGjr said:


> That's a pretty good clip at 1-2 minutes per rat, at least I always thought so as it's about what I can average myself once I got rolling. I say "always thought" as I was quite humbled in my fast rat skinning abilities after reading an article in a past issue of F-F-G where it noted the record time it took to skin (5) rats during a skinning competition with no damage to the pelts.
> 
> 63.333 seconds to skin ALL FIVE. Article is in the October 2020 issue of Fur-Fish-Game.
> 
> Congratulations on your catches thus far this season and nice job with the put up!


That's pretty dang impressive. I know my grandpa skinned a rat in 36 seconds, which would be slower than that crazy speed haha.

Side note, I'm selling my carcasses to Jeff Dunlap this year. Helps keep the money flowing during trapping season when the fur isn't worth much.


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## Mike da Carpenter (Nov 26, 2017)

someone11 said:


> That's pretty dang impressive. I know my grandpa skinned a rat in 36 seconds, which would be slower than that crazy speed haha.
> 
> Side note, I'm selling my carcasses to Jeff Dunlap this year. Helps keep the money flowing during trapping season when the fur isn't worth much.


I know bears like beaver meat, but what will the rats be used for? I can see my retirement years spent trapping as a way to keep moving and enjoying the outdoors.


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## GWGjr (Feb 1, 2018)

Mike da Carpenter said:


> I know bears like beaver meat, but what will the rats be used for? I can see my retirement years spent trapping as a way to keep moving and enjoying the outdoors.


Pretty much everything will eat muskrat when it's used as a bait at a trap set, even muskrats. Variety of ways to use it for the various critters being sought after. I often use the entire carcass in bobcat cubby sets and use pieces in pocket sets for mink and raccoon. Cut or ground up and mixed with a bait solution makes a good predator bait in a dirt hole or post hole set. It's surprising how quick you can use them up once you get to setting traps. Beyond the bait aspect there are also glands that can be harvested that are used in various lures. Most furbearer's have additional value beyond the pelt.


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