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Post by Dutch on Mar 19, 2013 17:23:53 GMT -5
Over the years, muskrat populations have declined a great deal. My brother was telling me that a friend of his now living in Kansas, and works in animal control, has spoken to many farmers out there. All of their stock ponds were loaded with rats 30-40 years ago, now, none.
Around here it seems there are few rats as well. The ponds at our club have a few, and last year, we found 2, dead on the pond banks, only the head remained of both. Obviously a predator of some sort killed them. There was no sign of feeding on the rats, just a small part of the head laying on the ground. I also found a dead rat floating in the one pond.
Where did the muskrats go? What is effecting their populations? Predation? Water quality issues? What is it?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2013 17:44:37 GMT -5
Fisher's have to eat too...and the yotes. We keep introducing new predators and protecting predators (eagles, hawks, etc) it won't be long before us hunters won't be needed.
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Post by Dutch on Mar 19, 2013 18:10:56 GMT -5
You are not very far off in that statement.
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Post by longbeard2372 on Mar 19, 2013 18:23:25 GMT -5
Fisher's have to eat too...and the yotes. We keep introducing new predators and protecting predators (eagles, hawks, etc) it won't be long before us hunters won't be needed. This and all the sprays and poop they spread on the fields have done thier damage. If you find clean water you'll find muskrats. A lot of mountain creeks and beaver ponds hold good rat populations. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2013 18:36:17 GMT -5
not many around I have seen a few already found one while bunny hunting one time that was dead and wasn't touched so I picked it up and turned it in for 6 bucks at the fur buyer.
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Post by bushmaster on Mar 19, 2013 19:05:59 GMT -5
We've got numbers in the waters flowing into the lake at my club. Trapper did quite well this season. My buddy got a cool video of one running on the ice while he was ice fishing this winter. It ran right in front of him then into the overflow of our damn.
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Post by wentzler on Mar 20, 2013 7:09:03 GMT -5
Years ago, guys..YEARS ago...I read a research paper indicated there was a pathogenic condition of some sort affecting Muskrats. I do not remember if if it was viral, fungal, bacterial..a combination thereof, but the bottom line was an expected fairly dismal outlook for the muskrat..and those who enjoyed the lil critter for whatever reason. Seems maybe a simple question posed of the small mammals/furbearer biologists might shed some light on the question?? I'm not much one to always be pointing an accusing finger at predators, either. There have always been predators in any healthy ecosystem. Not all that long ago, a heck of a lot more of them, in a lot more variety than now. Usually, if there is either a real imbalance or even just a 'perceived' one...the large two-legged predator..is usually to blame  |
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Post by bawanajim on Mar 20, 2013 8:05:56 GMT -5
I don't think we have a healthy eco system any longer,where are the frogs that covered out highways on a rainy spring night, the gardener snakes in our gardens or the ruffed grouse that once flourished in my woods?
We have avian predators in numbers unheard of 20 years ago and prey numbers at all time lows.
No its not healthy at all out there.
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