Muskrats; Spring 2016

Marty S · #1 03-11-2016, 09:44 PM

Who's going to chase rats this spring? Prices are down, yes, but it still requires the same amount of excercise as when the prices are high. (If only my cartilage was in better shape!)

Southern Albeta has been wide open for a whole week plus already, I got a few traps out, not going hard tho.

Are you going to go or sit this spring out? What's your game plan?

Tfng · #2 03-11-2016, 09:56 PM

I plan to catch a few if I have the time. I'm not going to go hard or anything just enough to get the kids out for a couple days.

shakeyleg02 · #3 03-11-2016, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marty S

Who's going to chase rats this spring? Prices are down, yes, but it still requires the same amount of excercise as when the prices are high. (If only my cartilage was in better shape!)

Southern Albeta has been wide open for a whole week plus already, I got a few traps out, not going hard tho.

Are you going to go or sit this spring out? What's your game plan?

Would love to but not worth it for me if there was more swamps closer i would think about it
Love rat trapping but to catchh a 100 where im at is alot of travel for little reward we havent had ice for a very long time here probly another early mating season

shakeyleg02 · #4 03-11-2016, 10:04 PM

Some pretty big bodies of water out where you are hey marty are those the ones you hit the most or how far do you travel for 2-5 bucks ?

nube · #5 03-11-2016, 10:40 PM

Not sure how many I will go for but my 7 year old and 12 year old daughters wanted to make some money. I asked them if they wanted to skin muskrats and they said they would. I guess i am stuck taking them out and will gladly enjoy every minute if we do. Even if it costs me money to put a few bucks in their piggy bank it will be worth every cent. We got a while yet till ice is out here in Edmonton area

bill9044 · #6 03-12-2016, 11:00 AM

I will go after some the sloughs are starting to open we had walkable ice 5 days ago. Now it's getting less. Got my first spring rat of the year yesterday.

South west trappin RG · #7 03-12-2016, 05:34 PM

My boy who is eleven got a dozen floats out today. It's nice trapping in a tee shirt. Mabe another dozen tommrow. Ice is starting to go fast the last two days.

Marty S · #8 03-14-2016, 09:51 AM

I'm not going far at all. The first lake that I hit looked like a ton of rats, but had been drained down over the fall or winter so missing all the small rats. Like Nube, I have a kid that really wanted to be out trapping rats. I'm not planning to make a career of it this spring by no means. Our spring happened too quickly, talking to Gary Godberson this morning, he's still ice bound, and meanwhile our rats are starting to get bit up.

waterninja · #9 03-14-2016, 11:20 AM

I plan on getting a few rats while I am out getting some spring beaver for bear bait.

bill9044 · #10 03-23-2016, 11:01 PM

To carry on the thread who has decided they aren't gonna stay away from catching muskrat this year. The sloughs are just starting to open here and I'm seeing more and more. So im gonna get a few but some are looking real springy pretty early.

HunterDave · #11 03-23-2016, 11:24 PM

I really enjoy muskrat trapping in the Spring and Fall but I don't know what I'm going to do until the next auction. Last auction I had a whooping 1 muskrat sell. If the next auction is similar, I may trap some in smaller sloughs that don't winter kill just to keep the numbers at a reasonable, level but as far as trapping hundreds like I'd like to do, I don't think so. I could never make a difference in the population in a huge slough that I trap so if I can't manage the numbers there, and pelts are not selling, there's not much point in trapping there this Spring. I'm hoping for a nice surprise in the next auction and will think it out after that.

Marty S · #12 03-24-2016, 07:52 AM

Currently there is kind of a glut of ranch mink in the world, there shouldn't be, but with Russia's buying power in the toilet, there is quite a number of people who were unable to join in the buying festivities with even $50 mink, but the mink have reached a new low level of about $25 a mink, and compared to last year perhaps the Russians will be able to buy again? It looks like they are all getting bought up at the new levels? Time will tell.

Muskrat follows mink. Mink is the preferred fur, most of the time between the two so if the mink get cheap, rats follow. When mink get cheap, many mink farms go into financial distress, many pelt down to a smaller number of animals as they aren't making money and probably losing, many other less financially secure farms go out of business, in an obvious pelt down as well. When all's said and done, there are suddenly many less mink in the world. Then supply and demand kick in and mink price goes up. This is the normal supply/demand curve thing.

However, we are in an artificial low market in my opinion. Everybody wants the fur, the demand is there for there to be a much stronger market than we have. With a mink pelt down undoubtedly happening, yet massive demand worldwide, I think the mink price should be much higher/stronger than it is, now couple a cold winter or two, should we have it next year or two and suddenly mink price could easily skyrocket, and therefore the rat prices as well.

I'm sticking mine in the freezer, maybe it's stupid, maybe not, but I really see the potential for the market to come back in a year or two. I figure I should be able to stick at least 1000 rat pelts in a freezer, once dry, they keep for years. Just get all the fat off of storage rats.

I sure liked the $10 rats, the $13.50 rats were just icing on the cake. $20 for the 3XL? USD? Wow!!!

Lucky Dog · #13 03-26-2016, 08:57 AM

I'm going to trap a few dozen, mostly just to stay in practice and my 4 year old Grandson likes to go along and get muskrats. He doesn't care if they're at 12 bucks or 3 haha.

HunterDave · #14 04-04-2016, 02:21 PM

Sooooo......Who's trapping muskrats this Spring? 144 of my 257 muskrats sold for enough to pay for my gas.....lol. I sold some labeled L rats but other than them there was no interest in L or smaller sized rats. I'll still trap them this Spring but I don't see any point in catching a bunch of small ones in the Fall.

shakeyleg02 · #15 04-04-2016, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HunterDave

Sooooo......Who's trapping muskrats this Spring? 144 of my 257 muskrats sold for enough to pay for my gas.....lol. I sold some labeled L rats but other than them there was no interest in L or smaller sized rats. I'll still trap them this Spring but I don't see any point in catching a bunch of small ones in the Fall.

Ive got about 20 now just because i was trapping a couple beaver for a landowner first 16 are all nice big rats last 4 tonight are lil gaffers ..give it till tomorrow and ill be done for the year

moose maniac · #16 04-05-2016, 06:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HunterDave

Sooooo......Who's trapping muskrats this Spring? 144 of my 257 muskrats sold for enough to pay for my gas.....lol. I sold some labeled L rats but other than them there was no interest in L or smaller sized rats. I'll still trap them this Spring but I don't see any point in catching a bunch of small ones in the Fall.

The real trappers will keep on trapping Dave.

bill9044 · #17 04-05-2016, 10:58 AM

I was at my local meeting the other day and they mentioned that a needed some rats for the course and kids demos. I'm sure if a couple guys kept trapping them and donated them to the ATA I'm sure A they wouldn't go to waste and B the ATA could use some extra revenue even if it is only 2$.
I'm keeping at them. At about 60 now.
Happy trapping