Muskrats

[Rab1515]

I have a some muskrats on my property (5.5 acres) in St. Mary's that are causing damage to the embankment. There are at least 2 active dens that I have found so far. What are my options for getting rid of them? A quick read of last years hunting and trapping guide tells me they do have a season which is already passed, and that they can only be trapped. I also see that a furbearer permit is not required for a landowner to "destroy" a muskrat that is damaging a embankment, but i am unsure if that would be an exception to the trap only requirement. I am looking into the nuisance wildlife permit as well, but unsure if that would allow me any more options than trapping them out of season. I would rather not have to get and check traps to only then have to dispatch it without shooting it. Several people of suggested dropping a smoke bomb down the holes, but not sure that would be legal method of removing them.
Releasticly, what are my legal options? Any muskrat trappers in somd looking for some more land? I would potentially be willing to trade hunting rights as well, there are also lots of fox, racoon, deer and turkey on the property.

 

[TheBert]

My uncle used to flood their tunnels when he found them on his embankment on the lower Potomac,

 

[Bullfrog]

I used to trap them decades ago when I was a teen. One of my first real jobs. I think I got $5 per carcass?

They usually have multiple holes. You can often see their runs in the water and trace them to their feeding areas and secondary den locations. At least where I lived, the banks were soft and often collapsed. They always seemed to have a new home ready to go just in case... so I don't think smoking or flooding them out would make them leave a 5.5 acre property, they probably would just move to another location not far away.

And they would promptly start building a new den, so you would potentially be causing them to increase the damage to the banks.

 

[Rab1515]

I used to trap them decades ago when I was a teen. One of my first real jobs. I think I got $5 per carcass?

They usually have multiple holes. You can often see their runs in the water and trace them to their feeding areas and secondary den locations. At least where I lived, the banks were soft and often collapsed. They always seemed to have a new home ready to go just in case... so I don't think smoking or flooding them out would make them leave a 5.5 acre property, they probably would just move to another location not far away.

And they would promptly start building a new den, so you would potentially be causing them to increase the damage to the banks.

I looked for their runs, didn't see them despite the water being only very shallow. One of the dens has multiple entrances that i found, didn't look too hard for the second den. I only have a relatively small section of the "tidal" pond, so likely that any muskrats i remove will be repopulated from other sections of the pond. I could always drop a paving stone over the holes after the smoke, but i still don't know if thats legal.

 

[John from MD]

SSS is the usual solution.

 

[welder516]

I hear they are good eating

 

[wilcam47]

SSS is the usual solution.

Seconded

 

[teratos]

I hear they are good eating

They can taste a little "muddy". I like a lot of things, but not such a fan. My FIL loved it.

 

[Harrys]

I have a some muskrats on my property (5.5 acres) in St. Mary's that are causing damage to the embankment. There are at least 2 active dens that I have found so far. What are my options for getting rid of them? A quick read of last years hunting and trapping guide tells me they do have a season which is already passed, and that they can only be trapped. I also see that a furbearer permit is not required for a landowner to "destroy" a muskrat that is damaging a embankment, but i am unsure if that would be an exception to the trap only requirement. I am looking into the nuisance wildlife permit as well, but unsure if that would allow me any more options than trapping them out of season. I would rather not have to get and check traps to only then have to dispatch it without shooting it. Several people of suggested dropping a smoke bomb down the holes, but not sure that would be legal method of removing them.
Releasticly, what are my legal options? Any muskrat trappers in somd looking for some more land? I would potentially be willing to trade hunting rights as well, there are also lots of fox, racoon, deer and turkey on the property.

Good luck with a nuisance wildlife permit. The nutria (the muskrat's cousin from South America) can be hunted all year as a non-native invasive species on the eastern shore. Are you sure they are musk rats? They look similar however the nutria is larger.

 

[teratos]

Nutria is supposed to be good eating, too. I’ve never had it.

 

[RRomig]

I called dnr once to get a livestock damage permit and it was no problem. The method used to remedy the problem was up to my discretion.

 

[Bullfrog]

 

[Harrys]

Nutria is supposed to be good eating, too. I’ve never had it.

Yup they are I lived in southern Louisiana for several years.

 

[Antarctica]

I thought Muskrat damaging a bank could be trapped without a permit?

 

[steves1911]

We had a problem with muskrats tunneling through the dam in our pond. They almost drained the pond out once. Dnr told us once they start doing something like they are considered a nuisance and can be removed. We used a combo of dukes #2 coil spring traps and we also flooded out their tunnels with a gasoline powered water pump. It was kind of like playing whack a mole only the muskrats were the moles and instead of a hammer we had 12gauges.

 

[madmantrapper]

If you want to wait for trapping season I could probably find someone to handle the job for free. Fur is no good now.

 

[teratos]

If you want to wait for trapping season I could probably find someone to handle the job for free. Fur is no good now.

Are people still trapping for pelts? From the prices I saw a few months ago, otter may be the only thing worth your time.

You seem like you might know…

 

[madmantrapper]

There are quite a few still fur trapping. There is a lot more money in nuisance wildlife control though.

 

[slsc98]

…There is a lot more money in nuisance wildlife control though.

Til the DNC finds a way to count them as voters. Then they’ll ruin that too, just like they did the NFL, BLM and Antifa …

 

[eruby]

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Daryl Dragon approves.