# Okay, who knows the recipe???



## Dargo

I need the recipe for making poison bait for muskrats.  I'd heard people talk about it so many times in the past but had always just used conibear traps, but the breeding fools have completely gotten out of control and are destroying my island!  I have no desire to buy two dozen traps nor to set them all.  Besides, I took a bit of a swim yesterday setting one trap from the boat; sans my wetsuit. 

Two old guys I knew who taked about how they mixed up baits for unwanted raccoons or muskrats have both died, along with their secret recipe.  One of them lived up close to where my other property is and he said that they had raccoons that were so aggressive that they would not only get into any outdoor trash cans, but would kill outdoor dogs to get their dog food.  He told of killing 9 'coons in one weekend.  His mixture worked so well he found them dead within 50' of where they ate the bait.  I'd sure love to find out what works like that.  I can reach 3' or so into the muskrat dens and place the bait in them.

I did buy mole poison and crawled around with a spoon, opening the top of main mole runs, putting poison down for them.  I have a lot more work to do to get all of them.  Rather than a few runs, they have some 8 lane super highways in my yard.  Fortunately, I found that if you use a spoon, you can lift the top layer off and open up a very clear round underground tunnel into which it's easy to place the poison bait.

So, I'd be very appreciative if someone knows the secret mixture of making the bait that muskrats will eat and will kill them.  I did discover that, although they are North America's largest rodents, they don't seem to have a taste for D-Con.


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## Doc

Pump some gas in the holes and fire it up.    (watch caddyshack for more details).  

Sounds like good target practice for a golf ball cannon.  

...serious now, wouldn't rat poison work?  You wouldn't even need it in the hole just around the island should work.


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## BoneheadNW

Just for you Dargo- play this for the critters.  Sure death!
Bone


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## bczoom

Dargo said:


> I need the recipe for making poison bait for muskrats.


The best recipe is approx. 180 grains of lead applied at a high rate of speed.

2nd best option is the conibear traps.  You may want/need to get more.

In general, most poisons don't work well (if at all) because of the amount of grass and roots the muskrats eat.  They also don't have a "taste" for poisons and will avoid them.  There are poisons that will probably work (e.g. chlorophacinone) but secondary poisoning is a concern.  Many of these poisons will kill aquatic life and any animal that may eat a poisoned muskrat carcass.


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## XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq

Be careful with the Mole poison if your dogs are around.  My stupid dog actually dug into the ground and ate some poison once.  He wasn't happy for a few days - I think he lost a year off his life for that and I hold myself responsible.

I think someone like you would find the sport in taking a few out.  Sounds like a good excuse for that Night Vision Scope you always wanted.


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## pixie

I believe that a beaver is the largest native rodent.

Good luck


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## mak2

Coons get very big here in southern Indiana.  When I was about 9 or 10 years old I wathced a full grown German Shepard chase a full grown racoon into its doghouse.  The dog got a serious azz whuppin.  Wouldnt go back into that dog house for a long time.


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## DocHaley

there is no secrete.
mix d con, as much as you can afford (I use $40 worth each time I put it out and I only have to do it twice a year. Spring and fall.) and sprinkle it with parmesan cheese. Mix it together real well so everything is touching. I then put it in a microwave and heat it up so the parmesan sticks to the d con and put it out in a big bowl that cannot be tipped over. I use a gallon stainless steel bowl that is screwed down to a wooden plank under my home. they can't tip it over.
Thats it. your work is done.
In a month monitor how much is gone, write it down.
In another month monitor how much is gone, compare it with the previous months.
You'll soon run out and need more or see it slow down.
You'll be getting close to a total kill when you see some left all the time. 
But, don't get cocky! keep putting it out even if you feel nothing is coming around any longer. They will return!
My stuff kills mice, rats, muskrats, chipmunks, ground squirrels, etc, etc etc.
I just make certain my dogs and grand kids don't get access to it.


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## Snowtrac Nome

bore a hole in the top of their lodges than pour in muriatic acid not only does the gas kill but it will leave the lodge uninhabitable for three years


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## Melensdad

Small quantities of Automotive anti-freeze will kill any 2 or 4 legged creature in North America.  Its sweetly scented and is very attractive to most dogs so make sure you keep the dogs away from it, but I've used it on an exploding raccoon population a few years ago, made a major dent in the population that kept them in check until the coyote population rebounded and now nature seems to control them pretty well.


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## JimVT

antifreeze and insecticide forgot what KIND they will be dead a few feet away after drinking. a ranch owner in montana told me he used it for wild dogs.
 never done it  myself


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## Snowtrac Nome

I have yet to see any of my dog's attracted to antifreeze they work on job sites with me and never have they been attracted to a drain pan.


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## Doc

Snowtrac Nome said:


> I have yet to see any of my dog's attracted to antifreeze they work on job sites with me and never have they been attracted to a drain pan.


I wonder if that is due to it being used anti freeze?   I've read warnings for both fresh and used but once it's been used the smell is different and it has crude in it, especially if it was well used.


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## Adillo303

Ummm - Muskrat traps? The pelts are worth money.

Fourteen to eighteen bucks a pelt.

http://ohiooutdoorjournal.com/2013/...-report-price-forecast-the-muskrat-gold-rush/


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## bczoom

bczoom said:


> The best recipe is approx. 180 grains of lead applied at a high rate of speed.
> 
> 2nd best option is the conibear traps.  You may want/need to get more.
> 
> In general, most poisons don't work well (if at all) because of the amount of grass and roots the muskrats eat.  They also don't have a "taste" for poisons and will avoid them.  There are poisons that will probably work (e.g. chlorophacinone) but secondary poisoning is a concern.  Many of these poisons will kill aquatic life and any animal that may eat a poisoned muskrat carcass.





Adillo303 said:


> Ummm - Muskrat traps? The pelts are worth money.
> 
> Fourteen to eighteen bucks a pelt.
> 
> http://ohiooutdoorjournal.com/2013/...-report-price-forecast-the-muskrat-gold-rush/



Traps are the way to go, whether you sell the pelts or just bury the varmint.


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## Adillo303

I just eliminated my groundhog problem that way. Everyone said I was nuts, I wanted to make mittens and a hat for winter (There were three of them).


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## gADDget

Poisoning muskrats, IN ANY WAY is a BAD idea.  I say this after I almost used a "secret recipe" recommended for raccoons (fast acting, resulting a retrievable kill), on my muskrat problem.  I even came up with a method to introduce the "poison pops" (insert in active dens) to insure that no other critter or pet would likely access them, nor would they poison my pond (because a poison is not actually involved).  A little research indicated that because muskrats are aquatic dwellers, denning in numerous locations, there's a big problem; retrieving carcases.  If you don't find every kill, you will contaminate your pond or stream.

Believe me, trapping or shooting seemed to me like a protracted, hit and miss process--but it's the only way to go.  Search YouTube for a wealth of ideas.  I have found that trap development and placement is becoming an enjoyable, rewarding though challenging activity.   Good skill (and luck)!


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## ki0ho

JimVT said:


> antifreeze and insecticide forgot what KIND they will be dead a few feet away after drinking. a ranch owner in montana told me he used it for wild dogs.
> never done it  myself



We used to use antifreeze and malathion ...works fast.......

another one...parathion...is deadlyer....but if you dont know what you are doing...dont even think about parathion.....get it on your skin and you have about 30 min to live.....and it isnt a nice way to go....probably have to have a class a ticket to even buy it now days....


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## baldy347

Golden Malrin flybait; one tablespoonful to a half can of cola.EXTREMELY TOXIC any thing that drinks it WILL DIE! no known antidote either! Wear gloves and discard all containers and utensils carefully - cheap plastic works fine. Just keep it away from kids and pets..


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## Snowtrac Nome

may have to try this out on beavers. and I wont miss a bear or 2 if they decide to eat the dead beaver.


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## dicksauce

Dargo said:


> I need the recipe for making poison bait for muskrats.  I'd heard people talk about it so many times in the past but had always just used conibear traps, but the breeding fools have completely gotten out of control and are destroying my island!  I have no desire to buy two dozen traps nor to set them all.  Besides, I took a bit of a swim yesterday setting one trap from the boat; sans my wetsuit.
> 
> Two old guys I knew who taked about how they mixed up baits for unwanted raccoons or muskrats have both died, along with their secret recipe.  One of them lived up close to where my other property is and he said that they had raccoons that were so aggressive that they would not only get into any outdoor trash cans, but would kill outdoor dogs to get their dog food.  He told of killing 9 'coons in one weekend.  His mixture worked so well he found them dead within 50' of where they ate the bait.  I'd sure love to find out what works like that.  I can reach 3' or so into the muskrat dens and place the bait in them.
> 
> I did buy mole poison and crawled around with a spoon, opening the top of main mole runs, putting poison down for them.  I have a lot more work to do to get all of them.  Rather than a few runs, they have some 8 lane super highways in my yard.  Fortunately, I found that if you use a spoon, you can lift the top layer off and open up a very clear round underground tunnel into which it's easy to place the poison bait.
> 
> So, I'd be very appreciative if someone knows the secret mixture of making the bait that muskrats will eat and will kill them.  I did discover that, although they are North America's largest rodents, they don't seem to have a taste for D-Con.


When theyre in their lodges they're impossible to get to, I don't have time to wait around so I discovered you can get a 1" x 6foot metal conduit from home depot and pound it into the lodge with a hammer, then you just pour gasoline down the pipe after you feel it enters the cavity.  Once inside fill it up with a couple gallons and drop a firecracker down that bitch. 

if they dont come squealing out immediately, I like to buy a bunch of cheap insulin needles and fill them with rat poision and bleach and then fill the inside of the home with shaving cream through the hole you made and then drop the needles in.  the needles are light and get stuck in the shaving cream, the beavers will try to crawl their way through the shaving cream blind and impale themselves a bunch of times.

Another option is to fill the pond with water softner salt and rig a car battery to the water and shock different spots till you get one stunned, then shoot.

As far as poison goes, water hemlock does the trick if you can trick them into eating it.  or you can cultivate it into a paste and paint the trees they are knawing in it.  I've found that the insulin needles ziptied to sticks filled with various atrocious chemicals all pointed at the entrances to the beaver lodge work better, you just need a lot of needles, but its only like $6 for a pack of 50 on amazon.


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