A Muskrat Floats Digest

[Jonathan]

The earlier version of this post/thread originally appeared on the Trapperman Forum and was lost during a repair by that site's servers. I have reconstituted it, and, with permission, posted it on this forum to extend it as an educational document for members here who may be interested.

"Over the past two years, I have commented on them when asked, and have assembled an album of various designs for my personal Trapping Reference Library - and to share with all trappers who may have an interest in making and using them.

Let me preface this commentary with the fact that I am by no means an expert, authority, or long term muskrat float trapper, although I have used them. My interest in them has been more out of curiosity to catalog the ingenuity of designs through research and to compliment my Trapping Library for the benefit of younger trappers who wish to explore their use as a methods option.

Here is a compilation of several different muskrat float images taken from internet resources and cataloged for this ongoing library. None of them are mine! Every attempt was made to credit and cite the individual makers and owners of those illustrated - many with permission through personal contact. I made a few "floats" as a kid 50 years ago - very crude, and not near the caliber of these. And, a couple over the years since then. I will continue to catalog additional muskrat float variations as they show up to add to this journal, including those that surface as they come in response to this post.

These floats can be anchored from the unit to the bottom using a weight, or stake, with wire , cable, or chain for attachment - a personal preference dependent upon the substrate and water depth in a given location, and the ease of installation.

An often asked question is if floats can be used in rivers. In my opinion, yes, if you can keep them out of the heavy currents, along the edges, or in backwater areas. The biggest concern for using them in a river environment would be the potential for extreme fluctuations in water levels from heavy rain in the watershed, or from hydroelectric operations between dams and navigational locks, if that may be the case in your situation. Anchoring where wide fluctuations in water levels is a factor, a slip noose of some configuration is used on a solid, tall enough stake for the depth to the float to a accommodate that variation.

Tidal marshes undoubtedly have their own unique water level considerations. Maybe some of the larger river, or tidal marsh trappers here have made extensive use of them in their unusual trapping environments and can elaborate on their utility and how they anchor them in those conditions.

I used them many years ago in the quiet waters of wide ditches, farm ponds and in cattail marshes just to see if they "worked." They have their little niche in the muskrat trapping drama, but are cumbersome to handle, transport and anchor. They would not be a desirable consideration for my rat trapping methods, but I have a couple in case I may ever want to use one for that rare application.


The use of brand new wood for floats often arises. For the "wooden" framed floats, it would be best to use "aged" wood if you can locate some scrap lumber already in that condition. To weatherize it from scratch as new wood may take longer than you think. If new wood is your only option, get some cheap black, brown, or dark green spray paint at the "dollar" store and dust it after construction. Or, you could get a wood stain with a color of your choice and swab it down to cover the light wood.

Another major consideration is their high visibility for potential theft. With the thoughts of minimizing a float's visibility, reducing theft potential, and increasing attractability for the rats, camouflaging could easily be incorporated into to them. Although, some trappers using those with the colorful flotation foams, claim the bright colors are actually a bonus as a sight lure for the rats to check out the float. Experiment, observe and learn!

Any of these designs could be readily adapted with camouflage, using a little ingenuity, to accommodate a natural looking covering from local vegetation, or shoreline debris to match the surroundings as much as possible if so inclined. Possum Skinner's float is a prime example of "hiding" the structure with a reed mat, as well as providing a more natural look that may be more attractive for muskrats to investigate and to minimize visibility as a deterrent for theft.

Your comments, suggestions and photo contributions to enhance this portfolio and thread's revisions are invited since the earlier comments were lost during the the period of the server corrections.

The dimensions for these can be estimated by using the traps as a reference for extrapolation to measurements."

Jonathan

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#1 - "Mingo" Rat Floats - Canada



#2 - "Mingo" Closeups



#3 - "ADC" Rat Float



#4 - "CJ" Rat Float



#5 - "Animals Only" Rat Float - #1



#6 - "Animals Only" Rat Float - #2



#7 - "Freeburg Trapper" Rat Float



#8 - "Keith French" Rat Float



#9 - "Fishguts" Rat Float - #1



#10 - "Fishguts" Rat Float - #2



#11 - "Fishguts" Rat Float - #3



#12 - Unknown 4-Way Rat Float



#13 - Unknown Rat Float - #110's



#14 - "Youngcoon" Rat Float



#15 - "Possum Skinner" Rat Float - #1



#16 - "Possum Skinner" Rat Float - #2



#17 - "Possum Skinner" Rat Float - #3



#18 - "Bak2trappin" Rat Float



#19 - "Northcountry" Rat Float - #1



#20 - Northcountry" Rat Float - #2



#21 - "trapper_max" Rat Float - #1




#22 - "trapper_max" Rat Float - #2



#23 - "pigtrapper" Rat Float



#24 - "Sprytle" Rat Float - #1



#25 - "Sprytle" Rat Float - #2



#26 - "WalkonWater" Rat Float - #1



#27 - "WalkonWater" Rat Float - #2



#28 - "WalkonWater" Rat Float - #3



#29 - "madtrapper" Rat Float



#30 - "Cumbtrapper" Rat Float - Canada



#31 - "Riley Johnson" Rat Float



#32 - "Casey" Rat Float



#33 - "Ketchikan" Colony Float #1



#34 - "Ketchikan" Colony Float #2



#35 - "Ketchikan" Colony Trap Float #3



#36 - "Ketchikan" Colony Trap Float #4



#37 - "Ketchikan" Colony Trap Float #5

[Sunshine]

ty so much for postin this here.

ive been looking forward to seeing it. i have gotten permission to trap a large area for muskrats and my son canbuild some of these easily..ty again.

[mixedbag01]

This is a great post.I have been looking for difrnt types of float sets.I have tried 2of them a couple of yrs a go.1 of them was a3x3 foot sqr 1 inch wire screen. The big problem i had was wood became water logged.I sprayed foam out of can i got at home depot to help keep float on top of water,and it worked.

[wheelers]

Good post

[deerhunter65347]

Jonathan thats a very enlightening post of all available information on these floats. It will definitely come in handy for alot of young trappers because pictures say more than words could ever do. Thanks for your time and effort to put this together. You are a one of a kind and a great credit to the trapping community!!!!!

[blueduck]

Great post. Do you guys use lure on these as well as bait? I set out a couple last year and didn't do very well with them. Still trying to learn a few tricks. Do they need to sit out for a while to be accepted or should they work the first night?

[deerhunter65347]

My experience with float are they work first night. I bait them with apples and bananas. Some rat lure doesnt hurt a thing.

[mixedbag01]

Do you put out your floats a head of time?If so how long? Then how far from the bank do you go? I have not had to much luck with floats.Iuse apples some roots and even lure with no luck.

[Red Fox 4]

::)What a nice post,,newbies ,,,kids,,should look close...,,,,,,i have used floats for years,,they work great,,,,used one like #25, bait hidden in weeds,,with HB #1 lure,,,,but ALL floats need to be covered to protect birds & ducks,,,i like the idea in#17 ,,,,,try adding a little chunk of weasel bait((liver soaked in pg & a drop of anise oil) in the baitpile,,,,you might have a surprize.....Ron

[cajunbill2]

use lures....
mixedbag
you done right because the only way to learn is to ask questions ....i put mine out two months before season...were legal...i have noticed that i do better near the current because this gives the rats a place to rest also helps a lot when the water is rising and falling...works good in dikes and ponds as well

[rossshooter]

great post. never used floaters before and been trapping for 12 years. have the perfect marsh for this now so i dont have to let my 110's go to rust .

[younggrasshopper]

great post! now ive got my work cut out for me!

[Jonathan]

I have added a few more float designs to this collection. Where legal, the floating colony trap may be of interest to some of you. Here is the narrative that goes with it:

The last Colony Trap Float pictured here was submitted by "Ketchikan," a young trapper from South Dakota. He and his father built this float from modified plans originally found in a FF&G Magazine article.

For those who may be interested in constructing one, here are the dimensions for your reference:

The platform for this unit is 13"X32", the hole is 4" in diameter, and the wire is 1"X2".

The cage dimensions are recorded as "LWH" - length, width, height.

Upper Cage: LWH= 24"X13"X10"

Lower Cage: LWH= 18"X13"X22"

Regards,

Jonathan

[Sunshine]

This post is a great post nd eventually will be archived, but its still a viable thread so itll stay on the active forum. Thanks again Jonathan for taking the time and efforts to make this post,so that we may all benefit from the information youve collected. I kow alot of time went into this post.

[Earl8656]

Very nice thread. Thanks ;D

[Sunshine]

i wanna keep this thread up cause the info on it is amazing. thanks again Jonathan

[powerhouse]

Thanks Jonathan.

[firewalker]

Thanks Jonathan this thread has been very helpful.

[Sunshine]

i think it got deleted on another site and im glad to have it here.

[Jonathan]

Thank you to all for your kind words. Now that I am retired, I have had a little extra time to extend and share my experiences as a life long trapper, writer, teacher and wildlife research biologist.

This was a labor of love to condense and summarize information on a subject of interest in one notebook.

Kind regards,

Jonathan

[blackswampwalker]

Thank you, Jonathan. I always enjoy and learn something new from your posts. i especially liked this one and your one on the fleshing beams. ;D

[muskrattrapper]

gonna have to try some of those

[trapper7]

Wow! Every muskrat float imaginable! Well done, many thanks.

[trapper82]

My 1st day here... This post was great... I got some ponds that these will be great in.. Now I got to pick which ones to make.. I liked the note about keeping out the ducks.. Here in my part of NY we got geese coming out our ears!!! Gotta keep them away..

[Jonathan]

I have made an edit and revision to this thread to update it with additional photo entries, including dimensions for a unique floating colony trap (not legal in all states) and a unique four-trap floating rig, along with to commercial floats.

Because of the nature of what was involved to compile this edit over the past two months, it was easier for me to put them in my thread on the Trapping Archives Forum where I am a moderator rather than attempt those gymnastics here.

The update is here for your reference:

jayme220.proboards53.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=archive&thread=21&page=1

Take note that the "open" design of float #45 may make it attractive to waterfowl if they happened to be in the same waterway where muskrat trapping. If the floating platform was covered and concealed, it may discourage waterfowl.

Regards,

Jonathan