Sometimes in
Michigan the only time we can trap muskrat, mink, raccoon, otter and beaver
in open water that is not frozen is during the Month of November. Please
check the Michigan Hunting and Trapping rule book to see when your water
trapping season opens in your zone, I believe all zones are open to water
trapping by the end of November. One can catch water animals after the
lakes and rivers freeze however I’ve always enjoyed running a canoe or boat
line prior to the deep winter freezes. Of course in the last decade we have
seen many a December or January with open water, but to play it safe if your
going to plan a water line, November or the first part of December are
usually a safe bet for open water trapping.
Most of this
article will focus on sets to catch Muskrat, Mink and Raccoon, as most, if
not all counties in Michigan have some of all three of the previously
mentioned furbearing animals. The nice thing is, usually the same gear and
trap sets can be used to capture all three furbearers. Toward the end of
the article I will mention a little about catching Otter and Beaver.
When water trapping
you should try to focus your trap sets close to where you see animal sign,
i.e. tracks in the mud at water’s edge, muskrat or mink droppings on logs
and rocks, or close to the cuttings that muskrat make of roots and
vegetation. The raccoon tracks are some of the easiest to identify and the
back foot looks similar to a baby footprint in shape. A lot of the time
raccoon will start running the streams and waterways more after corn fields
and other upland crops start to be exhausted in November and December and
the water still provides them a good meal when preparing for semi
hibernation.
The big three
“Muskrat, Mink and Raccoon” can all be caught using size number 1 ½ or size
number 1 foothold traps, my preferred would be the 1 ½ size Long Springs or
Coilspring Traps. Mink and Muskrat can be caught in #110 4” X 4” body grip
traps placed in trails, dens and holes along the water’s edge. Raccoon can
be caught in #160 and # 220 body grip traps. When using body grip traps,
make sure to check the rule book as some areas have size and baiting
restrictions.
Body Grip type
traps usually dispatch the catch quickly, still wire all body grip traps to
a stake or sapling. The foothold type traps require the trapper to use a
drowner wire or other type of drowning system. A good drowning system can
be made by driving a long hardwood stake in knee or deeper water and running
some 14 gauge wire to a stake at shore. A drowner lock is added or already
on the end of the trap chain and is attached to the wire prior to tying off
at the shore stake. The drowner lock should be put on in a fashion that the
trapped animal can take the trap toward the deeper water but cannot go back
toward shore. All of the Big Three furbearing animals will quickly be
dispatched in several feet of water.
A lot of the Big
Three are caught in blind sets. A blind set is any set where the trap is
set where the animal is naturally traveling. A good example would be
placing a foothold trap under a few inches of water where a small trail
enters the water from the bank. Those small trails are usually traveled by
Muskrat, Mink and Raccoon. Even when blind setting for furbearing animals I
still use a small amount of lure. The lure can make them spend a little
more time around the trap and I find that the catch is better when using a
good lure. Lenon’s Muskrat Super All Call Lure is my lure of choice and is used by
thousands of successful trappers catching lots of the Big Three.
In addition to
setting a lot of good blind sets on hot animal sign, my favorite water trap
set is a pocket set at water edge. Think of a pocket set as a dirt hole set
at waters edge. One locates a pocket set where the bank is kind of steep
and the water is a couple of inches deep at the edge. I usually wear hip
boots and construct the set while standing in the water. I find the set
produces more mink and other critters if I do not leave tracks all over the
bank and keep it natural. I dig a hole in the bank 6" to 8" in diameter and
8" to 12" back into the bank. My foothold trap is set in front of the
pocket set. By setting in front of the pocket and not inside the pocket one
can catch mink, raccoon and muskrat that might be just cruising the water’s
edge. By adding a piece of Muskrat meat or fresh fish and some lure, one
hopes to make some furbearers want to check out the eye appeal of the whole
and scent and attraction of the hole. Always remember to stake in deeper
water to quickly and humanely drown the furbearing animal once it is caught.
When I was a school
boy trapper back in the 1970's, Michigan trappers could not use muskrat
colony traps, now we can and they are extremely effective at catching
muskrats. These traps have two one way doors that allow a muskrat to enter
but not exit. For many years I saw the pictures in ads in trapping
magazines about this trap, so when it became legal to use in Michigan I
quickly put them to use. The muskrat colony traps often catch two, three
or more muskrats on one check. Simply place the muskrat colony trap under
the water in narrow spots of ditches, den entrances or trails through the
marshes and streams that the muskrat frequent. I usually place vegetation
or a branch on top of the colony trap to force the muskrat to dive into the
trap entrance. A trapper should take special care to make sure he marks
the location of this type of trap since if it is not removed after muskrat
trapping season it can and will continue to dispatch muskrats. A great U.P.
trapper of the past, Mark Spencer, taught me at a demo the importance
respecting this type of trap and its use.
In practice, when
I'm trapping water animals I usually take advantage of making some
traditional dirt hole sets on the high banks along whatever body of water
I'm trapping. First it is kind of nice to get a few fox and coyote while
checking water traps, secondly it is really nice to still have some traps in
working order when we get the occasional flood during trapping season that
can knock out our regular water sets out of action for days. Those high
bank dirt holes sets also pick up an occasional mink or otter. I also
usually place my stake for my drowner wire on the high bank so I can easily
adjust my trap for water fluctuations. I have real good luck trapping
streams that are controlled by dams as I find less fluctuation in water
levels. Also when possible try to locate your open water sets in areas of
current or rapids when possible as this can keep the sets working some time
longer when ice first sets in.
I also have pretty
good luck using floats for trapping muskrats. The obvious advantage is that
floats keep working during water fluctuations. I have some areas I trap for
muskrat where the water is quite deep for some of my regular favorite sets
and I can easily set a muskrat float just about anywhere. My floats work
the best when set with trees over hanging or in thick vegetation. Just
make sure there is a foot of water so any muskrat or mink will drown. I
place vegetation and Lenon's Muskrat Super All Call Lure on my floats
usually guarded with two foothold traps.
In my December
article I will cover in detail how to trap otter and beaver in our great
State. For now if you are setting foothold for other water animals and know
you have beaver and otter in the area you are trapping the Big Three you
might want to incorporate 11 Gauge wire for your drowners. 14 Gauge wire
can hold beaver and otter but occasionally can break with large beaver.
A final tip is to
carry some newspapers with you in your boat or vehicle and wrap any muskrat
or mink caught during the day. When you get home the fur should be dry and
rats and mink ready to be skinned. I usually put up rats and mink
immediately after skinning and freeze raccoon after skinning for put up on
boards later in the winter when not as much is going on. Hopefully you
shoot your ten point buck early in the season this year and have a little
time left to enjoy harvesting a few of the Big Three.
I always welcome
calls from fellow trappers at (989) 569-3480 ext. 225