Muskrat nuisance questions.

GilesG

GilesG

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Location
Brantford, Ontario
Hello,

I have a friend who knows a farmer who is having trouble with muskrats. This farmer has a pond in which he keeps fish, mainly bass. He has discovered that muskrats have taken up residence in and around his pond and they are killing off all of his fish. I have been asked to take care of the problem.

While I don't have my hunting license, I did the hunter education course the same time as my PAL and I have all the paperwork to go get it in Hamilton if need be.

Is it possible for me to go and shoot them while remaining within the law? I could use the three S's, but the gunfire would be audible from a nearby road and I want to be safe if I am visited by police or the ministry.

This would be in Brant county. Are there any bylaws preventing the discharge of firearms?
I own a shotgun, rimfire and centerfire rifle. Is there a specific type of cartridge I need for pest control? My memory of the classes is fuzzy at best. Would I be able to keep the pelts even though I am hunting them as pests?

Thank you for your time.
 
Check with the province's hunting and trapping regulations. You might want to help, but be required to show more certificates than you have right now. The MNR might be able to recommend a properly equipped and papered trapper in the area. He might be willing to show you how to do things, and if you offer to check his traps every day he won't have to drive so much ....

Shooting at or near standing water is never a good idea, whether rifle or shotgun. And a muskrat is a very small target. Any chance of finding their dens and driving a few stakes in and around the holes or stuffing the channels with chicken wire?
 
I have never heard of a muskrat killing fish. Is he sure it is not a mink?

If the muskrats are being a nuisance animal the landowner can kill them or retain an agent to do if for them. 110 conibear in the tunnel entrance is most effective. Otherwise a shotgun will work. Pelts are not worth anything this time of year so just bury them.

P.S. they are quite tasty if you are so inclined.
 
Muskrats play holy heck with diked up water enclosures. I've shot a fair few from a canoe. Mostly standing up, poling the canoe around the pond, finding a good spot, and backing into the reeds and waiting.

It's generally headshots, or, of they are close enough to get the shot angle down, a body shot.
.22 is very effective, and 308 Win is definitely overkill! :)

Really, if they are a pest, on agricultural land, chances are there are regs in place that allow some form of control.

If allowed, a drowning set, with a leg hold trap, or a conibear set would be the best way to go about it. Quiet and no neighbor issues.

Cheers
Trev
 
Pelts are usually most valuable in the spring as the ice is coming off the water. Pelt with holes are less valuable than pelts harvested in a trap.
 
Muskrats, being a rodent (look at the teeth) are mostly vegetarian...... kinda like the vegetarian that I used to date who ate the odd hambuger or hotdog!! :rolleyes: They will eat small fish but rarely.

I'm x2 on the mink being the problem and you usually see a muskrat 100 times before you see a 1 mink- those little buggers are sneaky. Upside is muskrat are easy to trap and drown and a joy to skin after. Takes two seconds and is kinda like turning a sock inside out.:runaway:

Smart money is call a CO and/or get a licenced trapper. Odds are the cops won't appreciate your 'fuzzy memory'.
 
Most provinces will classify the muskrat as a furbearing animal and hence a trapping licence will be required. Muskrats don't eat fish. The legs are pretty tasty but a summer or fall pelt is worthless. If you have the energy for it spring "rat" trapping can be lots of fun. Contact tour local Natural Resources office and inquire about some trapping courses, if you're interested.
 
its been said, but I'll confirm, probably not a muskrat but a mink. call the mnr an ask them if there are any trappers in your area that do nuance calls. Many of us do, sorry I'm pretty north of you
 
maple_leaf_eh said:
Shooting at or near standing water is never a good idea, whether rifle or shotgun. And a muskrat is a very small target. Any chance of finding their dens and driving a few stakes in and around the holes or stuffing the channels with chicken wire?
Click to expand...

Then every time a guy swats a crippled duck it would be considered dangerous?

Perfectly safe with a shotgun and birdshot provided there's nothing important within a couple hundred yards behind your target.

They die just hunky dory with small shot. Just aim a tidge below the water line and you'll bracket them with the pattern. Check to see if its legal though.
 
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