Rat traps

[Machias]

does it not grip the body?
Run what you brung.
I dont care to go tit for tat, but your not the only one that has been around this topic (Trapping).
You will talk till your blue in the face trying to sell me on the use of a rat traps on the trap line for anything other than rats.
Peace..OUT.

No need to talk till we are blue in the face, we just need to read the law as it is written.  Rat traps are legal to use.

[Bigshooter]

does it not grip the body?
Run what you brung.
I dont care to go tit for tat, but your not the only one that has been around this topic (Trapping).
You will talk till your blue in the face trying to sell me on the use of a rat traps on the trap line for anything other than rats.
Peace..OUT.

I'm right because I know I'm right doesn't always mean you are right.

[Humptulips]

does it not grip the body?
Run what you brung.
I dont care to go tit for tat, but your not the only one that has been around this topic (Trapping).
You will talk till your blue in the face trying to sell me on the use of a rat traps on the trap line for anything other than rats.
Peace..OUT.

All that needs to be said is that rat traps are specifically exempted from the law and therefore not considered bodygripping traps in the legal sense. Read for yourself, http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=77.15.192
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=77.15.194

[whitey]

and common rat and mouse traps are not considered body-gripping traps.
OK then.
Good luck trapping this season.

[Humptulips]

Well, I had to axe a couple things. First time for me in this forum.

Please try to keep things civil. No need for a minor disagreement on wording to drive a wedge in the trapping community.

[whitey]

Your right, Just no need for a bunch of lip.
Thanks Humptulips.
I always play well with others till they start insulting me.
Good Call.

[bob maier]

Well you guys have me interested in trying rat traps. I have a dozen I painted black and dipped in polyurethane floor finish, I'll put a 4 ounce fishing weight on each trap to help drown the rats. I'll make regular sets w lure on the trigger, so we will see if they hold rats. Wish me luck!

[Humptulips]

I spoke with Milt Brownell about this. Milt is a very good rat trapper from California. He told me he had experimented with victor rat traps for muskrat and found them to be lacking. I think the problem is the jaw is so small the rat cannot get far enough into the trap and it whacks them on the forehead instead of the neck. Milt said he had a lot of empty sprung traps.
I know I tried to make them work for civets and didn't have any luck. Civets are a similar size to muskrat. You can power them up all you want but the jaw needs to be bigger. I don't see a way around that. If you modify them too much they are no longer going to be considered a rat trap. Changing out the jaw would be going to far.
Someone's going to have to get more innovative then me to make them work.

[winslow]

I spoke with Milt Brownell about this. Milt is a very good rat trapper from California. He told me he had experimented with victor rat traps for muskrat and found them to be lacking. I think the problem is the jaw is so small the rat cannot get far enough into the trap and it whacks them on the forehead instead of the neck. Milt said he had a lot of empty sprung traps.
I know I tried to make them work for civets and didn't have any luck. Civets are a similar size to muskrat. You can power them up all you want but the jaw needs to be bigger. I don't see a way around that. If you modify them too much they are no longer going to be considered a rat trap. Changing out the jaw would be going to far.
Someone's going to have to get more innovative then me to make them work.

As usual, Bruce, nicely said. I'd add that there are two definite downsides to experimenting with rat traps for muskrats given what you said:

1. A good hunter wouldn't hunt an animal with an underpowered weapon knowing he could injure it, possibly mortally, without being able to recover it. Trapping should follow the same guidelines, in my humble opinion.

2. I don't know that muskrats get trap shy, because I don't think there are too many muskrat misses with your typical colony trap, but if they start getting smacked in the forehead I wouldn't rule out the possibility. Colony traps aren't legal in a lot of states, we should be happy that we are allowed to use them in spite of all the crazy laws we do have!

Anyhow, I personally won't be putting out any rat traps for anything but Norway rats and weasels.

Winslow

[Luna butte]

I'm new here but it seems to me that it shouldn't be all that hard to use rat traps on muskrat paws. Maybe back the "kill bar" up under the swingarm. Maybe?  I don't know I just saw the picture from earlier and thought that it might work.