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Post by happersilderness on Apr 18, 2011 6:44:48 GMT -5
Anyone got any tips on catching critters underice?
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Post by mark572 on Apr 18, 2011 9:13:11 GMT -5
This is for both muskrats and beaver.. slide a leaning pole under the ice set trap so its no more then a foot under the ice now put your bait right under the ice on the leaning pole,I have done this with apples and have very good luck on beaver and rats.
Another good way to catch them under ice..when the ice is clear look for air bubbles in the ice around beaver and rat houses when you find thses spots set up a fence and put a 110 or 330 close to the bottem and you will catch them.
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Post by lyonch on Apr 18, 2011 15:28:47 GMT -5
When i trap under ice beaver, i take the tip of the chain saw and cut straight into the ice going around the lodge about 2' apart at most. When i find a spot (the ice will be a lot thinner) where they are going in and out, i then cut an opening there. I take a long piece of closet rod and feel around the bottom to find the run. Once i find the run, i try to hang the trap so that it just hits the bottom of the run. I then fasten the wire to a piece of wood and just let it hang there vertically. There is no bait needed, and when they enter or leave the lodge through that entrance, you will nab them.
Another tip is to make baited sets by the feed pile. There are a couple ways to do this. you can wire a piece of poppler or willow to the triggers and and hang the trap about 2' below the ice. You can also just pinch the piece of poppler between the jaws that do not have the trigger and dog. Make sure you mark up the wood to make it look like another beaver has started chewing on it. This will entice them to start chewing there first. A tip for this, is that when the feed pile is a ways from the lodge, there is typically a breathe hole somewhere in the ice around the feed pile. Be very careful around this area because the ice can be extremely thin and without a moments notice you will be swimming with the beavers. However if you place your trap in the area of that breath hole, they will frequently see your set and increase your chances at a catch.
Rally Hess (i think that is his last name) has a very good post on trapperman on how he uses a bait pole with snares. Rally has caught a lot of beaver in his day!!
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Post by happersilderness on Apr 18, 2011 20:41:59 GMT -5
Mark when I trap underice I usually have snow on the ice
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Post by bigtwinhd on Apr 18, 2011 20:55:27 GMT -5
Get out early in the season if you can Hap, before the snows pile up. And as lynoch mentioned the ice in the travelways is thinner. Somewhere I have an SD card with a picture of a snare pole I use but I can't find it..... Why must they be so small?
Anyways, I have found they key is fresh bait. Feedbeds go stale when beavers are locked up for 5 or 6 months straight. Cut a young poplar, about 2" around, and chip the green bark up some. Make it look like a beaver was eating it and dropped it.
On rats I failed miserably with my baited conis. Though it was early season when I used them. Parsnips hold their color and stay firm fairly well. Using apples they turned brown and mushy quick. Too quick for a lazy fella like myself. Take that info with a grain of salt, as mentioned, I had little luck!
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Post by happersilderness on Apr 19, 2011 7:17:08 GMT -5
Yeah I always have had trouble with underice rats.
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Post by walleyenut on Apr 26, 2011 14:30:58 GMT -5
trapping under ice rats is the best and most simple way to get rats get out right at first ice 1inch thick will hold ya good just make sure its not too deep where you are standing . anyways all the boy and i do is look for the air bubbles and take a 110 and set it right in the trail . put the trap right under the ice not touching though because it will freeze to the ice i like mine about a 1/2 inch below the ice when setting also when you make the hole make extra sure that all the ice is cleard out that you chopped open or they will swim around the ice and the trap and u will miss them. sure is alot simpler to walk on the ice rather then push through all the mud all day long saves on ya and time .
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