[drake23]

hey i was out today at the marsh i hunt and i seen this guy walking around on the ice wheen i was out there so i ended up walking over there and i started talking to him and he was traping muskrats and he was telling me how they are really overpopulated in that area so i was wondering if they eat duck eags and ducklings and if soo how should i go about exterminating some of them???

 

[portahunter]

I don't see why they'd be bad for the duck population. The only things they eat are mussles, vegatation, and sometimes frogs. The trapper is just probably after their fur.

 

[drake23]

yah he is trapping for fur i was just curious if they even got int the duck nest?

 

[duckbuddy]

i was watching the travel channel and they say muskrats are becoming a part of everyday american diet. people in michigan love that stupid thing. personally if it taste like squirrels i dont mind but a muskrat has to smell of something fowl and undeserving

 

[VTduckman]

they are pretty much vegitarians and eat the same things as ducks. i shootem but have never eaten em. they are good for ducks i think. the nest on top of there houses. so go geese sometimes. also they help keep open water by eating cattails and other vegatation that can take over .

 

[badabing1997]

muskrats eat vegetation...?????
i dont think so
they are a rat..i am not sure...but i would bet they eat eggs
just my personal unsure two cents but i am pretty sure they dont eat vegetation

 

[Tack in NJ]

Muskrts are indeeed vegetarians. They are actually cousins of the rabbit family. As far as eating them parbooil em with lotsa onions then dredge em in flour and fry em up not alot of meat on em but darn tasty.

 

[Daisycuttin]

:smile: Ill take your wor for it.

 

[Ducxprt]

i dont know a whole lot about the darn things, but if you whant to thin out the population take good aim with your 22, thats what i do to the ugly things. :getdown:

 

[pennsyltucky]

or you could just leave them alone. if you arent going to eat them, or ur not trapping for furs, let them be. they are a real benefit to the ducks and other waterfowl. they provide sometimes hundreds of nesting mounds in a swamp. they clear intruding vegetation that makes hiding places for predators. they help beavers in blocking up areas to create more wetlands. and not least of all, killing "cute, cuddley" "baby beavers" for absolutely no reason other than "i hate those stupid rats" is VERY HARD ON OUR REPUTATION!

 

[Wld Fowl]

Muskrats are vegetarians and do not eat eggs. They do eat the new shoots of the aquatic plants that grow where ducks take refuge.

If they are left alone the marsh grass will slowly die off and then there will be no where for the duck to hide and lay eggs.

Trapping them is a good thing to keep the population in check. Plus trapping them is just plain fun.

Later,
Ryan

 

[Surmarshman]

Muskrats will not hurt the ducks, however they dig holes in dikes if the banks are too steep. This can cause water control structures to wash out. We had trappers come in and trap them out last year. There are still some around but they arent heavily populated like last year. We have repairs to make to our dikes this spring due to the damage.

I agree that if you are going to shoot it or trap it that you should use the animal.

Good Hunting!

 

[maddiedog]

This sounds like it could hurt a duck population really quick!

FOOD HABITS
Muskrats are vegetarians, but if unable to secure plant foods, they will feed on carcasses of fish, frogs, and other muskrats. Nearly all plants growing in and near their water areas are eaten, but cattails are the backbone of their diet.

Food is not stored for winter use, so they must dig roots and tubers from beneath the ice, returning to their house and burrow to feed. If food sources are too far from the house, a feeding shelter called a "push-up" is built on the ice. A similar feeding platform - a raft consisting of discarded plant food - is constructed for summer use.

A dense winter population feeding on roots and bulbs in a marsh or small lake may consume nearly all the roots. Upper parts decay the following spring, turning the water and soil sour so that few plants will grow in that area. This is called an eat-out, and if little water moves through it, this portion of the marsh may be unproductive for several years.

 

[BurnZ]

:withstupid:

That sure doesn't sound like it would help the duck population. :thumbsdown:

 

[Jim Broadbridge]

My understanding is, muskrats are benifical to maintaining a healthy marsh, they assist greatly in maintaining natural water flow. Trapping them, if the population is healthy is fine, but marshes in Ont. without muskrats would be in trouble. Shooting them, without harvesting the fur doesn't make any sence to me. In Ontario, the only way to harvest them legally is with a trappers permit. If you would like to kill something just for fun, then shoot some crows and leave the muskrats to the trappers.

 

[Boomn4x4]

:withstupid:

They are beneficial and should be apart of the marsh system.... Obviously an over population would pose a problem like the one mentioned above, but an over population of anything would do that. An over population of ducks would cause the same thing.

If you are trapping them for their hide or hunting them for food, by all means kill 'em. But if you are killing them just to kill them, I say let them be.

 

[drake23]

yah sounds good i was just wondering if they were negative for the duck population i more than likely wont shoot them.

what do all you guys think about varmit hunting because for most of that you dont use the animal like crows and coyotes etc.

 

[Boomn4x4]

As far as varmit hunting, well they are pests. They damage fields, and yards and are overall problematic. It its legal.... kill 'em

 

[WIDGEONATOR]

KILL ALL MUSKRATS!

MUSKRATS DIG HOLES THAT CAUSE LEVEE'S TO BREAK! BROKEN LEVEE'S MEANS DRY PONDS, LOST MONEY, AND LOTS OF WORK!

KILL ALL MUSKRATS
KILL ALL MUSKRATS
:hammering: :hammering: :hammering: :hammering:

 

[Shotgunmikey1]

Just watched a muskrat kill one of the young ducks on my pond. Vicious little bugger just latched on and dragged it into his burrow. Mamma was pretty upset. If I see him again, he's done for.

I know it's just nature. But yes. Muskrat is bad for Duck!!