Muskrat Down.

[nastygunz]

My technique today was to sit by a swamp and watch the shoreline for activity with my spotting scope...I spotted this little beauty about 100 yards away and stalked him until I was about 20 feet away then nailed him with my Thompson Contender .410





Good fun on a great day afield...put the move on another one but got busted and he was gone!

[Bills Custom Calls]

Here in Ohio they are a fur bearing animal and we have a 3 month season on them
Is your season longer then ours

[nastygunz]

You can hunt Mink and Muskrat until April 10th:

New Hampshire's Offbeat Hunting Seasons

New Hampshire's deer hunting season is winding down... but wait there's more! New Hampshire has the distinction of having some unique hunting seasons that may not be shared by our sister states.

Take, for instance, the fisher. Yes, you can take fisher by trapping during the December trapping season only, but hunters have an extended fisher hunting season. Beginning a couple of years ago, the fisher hunting season was extended through the month of January, with the current season running from December 1 until January 31. The bag limit varies by WMU, so consult the Hunting Digest for the area you hunt.

And the fisher is not the only furbearer with a hunting season in good old New Hampshire. While you certainly would expect other furbearers, such as coyotes, foxes and raccoons, to have a hunting season, but did you know you can hunt muskrats and mink, too? Sure you can. For these species the hunting season runs concurrently with the trapping season, generally running from late October or November 1 until April. But beaver and river otter may NOT be taken by hunting. Again, consult the Hunting Digest for specifics for the WMU you hunt in.

-- Eric Orff, Wildlife Biologist

I grew up hunitng muskrats along the Connecticut River on the VT and NH sides:


Vermont Furbearer Hunting  

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Mar 20 2010  - Apr 19 2010  Muskrat Hunting Season  

[FinsnFur]

Sweet!
We get caught shooting those boys and we get a pretty heavy fine and lose our hunting rights.

[KySongDog]

I've seen quite a few of those guys.  They always seem to hang around fuxpro ecallers.   

[Coulter]

Our trapping season ends on them in early to mid January. There is no hunting season here in PA for them. Just like Jim said you get caught shooting them here, you'll be paying a fine.

Steve

[pitw]

Not supposed to shoot them here either.   Trapping is fine and they sold good this year on NAFA.

[Bills Custom Calls]

Yeah we aren't allowed to shoot them here either
They are destructive lil buggers though

[Todd Rahm]

Thats cool Gunz. I had a buddy shoot enough one spring a few years back, to have a blanket made for his wife. His weapon of choice was a .22 pistol.

We can shoot all fur bears here under a trapping license, except for beaver (Can even do that in some of the northern units I think). Some places rats run in to mid to end of may.


So gunze, since ya shotgunned him and there doesn't seem to be a lot of damage, are ya gona have him mounted?

[FozzyBear]

 

[nastygunz]

I was actually thinking one would make a good mount...but I have a buddy whose been wanting one to try for eating and also he wants to try tanning the hide using natural tanning methods he said so thats where he went...Todd, I am a big fan of handgun hunting and I have taken them with my reddot .22 six gun..I had my .17 HMR with me also but it was a flat water shot so I went with the .410 and light shot to make sure there were no ricochets off the water...along the river there are usually high banks so I prefer the .22 or .17 rifles for some longer shots...its alot like aquatic ground hog hunting...I scope and stalk em just like a woodchuck....I really wish we could go after beaver...they are big game !...I usually try to catch em on or close to shore to avoid water retrievals...but for that I have a heavy weight collapsible fishing pole with 30 pound test...and I saw a 1 inch dowel into 3-4 inch lengths then screw in a big treble hook and a big snap swivel...if I have to I just cast over them and snare them and haul them in...works like a charm...a dog would work good too as long as the rat is dead cuz they r pretty fierce fighters...heres a pic of my plug..works good on ducks also:

[Todd Rahm]

Yeah, that seems it would be a lof of fun.  


Plus, I was admiring that lil .410 ya have there. 

[nastygunz]

That T/C .410 is too much fun for small game...I also have a Super Comanche .410, they are only about $200.00 new and may even have a better pattern then the T/C:

[Todd Rahm]

Well that might be worth looking into. Thanks. 

[Todd Rahm]

Well if all goes well, I brokered a deal tonight to pick me up one of those Super Comanche's on Thursday morning.  Only difference is this one is stainless.  Can't wait to check'r out.