Keeping Muskrats Out Of My Boat.

[CWB]

I keep my boat in the water during the open water season. When I went to take it out for the last time, I uncovered it and noticed weeds and pieces of carpeting sticking out from the cover. After uncovering the boat I saw the bast@@d jump into the water. I tried to get him and wring his neck but he got away. The damage was devastating. Large sections of the carpeting were chewed up and nearly every wire he could get at was chewed on. The trolling motor is ruined an both transducer cables were chewed through. This all happened in one week as I was there the week prior. Question is how do you keep these things from getting in the boat. He got in under the cover at the transom. I did some research and it does not appear anything repels them, not mothballs as I know some will recommend. Anyone had this problem and find a solution. Thank God this is covered by ins.

[Goose21]

d**n youre bells are way bigger than mine. I would have wet my droors if I saw a muskrat in the boat after taking the cover off.

[Glenn]

#1 Get a better cover

#2 Get a pet cougar

[CWB]

I like #2 better. I have a feeling this was because the water was so low. Boat is usually in 4-5 feet of water but was in about 1 foot at the end of the year. I did notice more than usual swimming around later in the year. Usually you see them near dusk. Cover was fine till he chewed a little hole in it. I will be investing in a high powered air gun or get a silencer for my 22. He started a war but I will prevail!

[aavery2]

I hear they are allergic to lead... if you get my meaning.

[wnybassman]

[slonezp]

http://youtu.be/KgCk3bnvO5Y

[slonezp]

I'd still try to get rid of it. He'll be back in the spring and if it smells his phermones in the boat you're screwed

[scaleface]

Muskrat fun for everyone.

Sorry about your boat. Is it insured?

edited: sorry, your last sentence said it was insured.

[CWB]

Yep, it's insured. Only positive is it happened at the end of the season. I wanted a Maxxum trolling motor anyway. Slone, your video doesn't work. Could be me as I'm on the wifes I-Pad. Loud and clear on the lead. This is now personal. Remember Caddyshack with the gopher? You can bet I'll be on the dock at dusk with air rifle in hand. Hope to send as many of them to meet their maker as possible. Still haven't found any prevention for the though.

[slonezp]

Best info I could find is animal traps baited with apples and peanut butter. They also are detered by coyote urine, cayenne pepper and garlic pepper. Maybe you could put a few tupperware filled with pepper in the boat, and poke some holes in them. Trying to get a urine sample from a coyote might be difficult. Otherwise aerating the water and getting rid of the vegetation they feed on, but I'm not sure how feasible that would be..

[Michael DiNardo]

Better be careful before you go on a random "muskrat extermination spree". They are a furbearer and may fall under game laws. You may not be allowed to just kill them like flies.

Mike

[Ratherbfishing]

It stinks about your boat (glad you have insurance) but it is their home waters after all. You may have to trailer and bring your boat home every so often. The longer it sits in one place, the more likely it is that a critter is going to become accustomed to it and take up residence.

[Bluebasser86]

Better be careful before you go on a random "muskrat extermination spree". They are a furbearer and may fall under game laws. You may not be allowed to just kill them like flies.

Mike

Unless they're a nuisance animal doing damage to personal property.

I see a few options other than killing them though (I do understand the desire to kill the thing though, I know I'd want to if it did that to my boat!) You may be able to use chicken wire or rubberized mesh fencing around the dock or boat area. I would think a boat lift would keep your boat high enough to keep them out. Might be able to build something that would work similar to the wire guards on bird feeder posts to keep squirrels out along the edge of your boat. Taking your boat out of the water each time would also fix the problem. I did a little research and one of the more interesting ones I found was to use bubble gum. Apparently they love to eat gum but can't digest it and it blocks their digestive system and kills them? Might be worth a try anyways.

If you decide to take the extermination route the air gun would probably be the safest way, a .22 bullet will skip a long ways off the water. I've taken out my fair share of them that were destroying a pond dam with my bow too.

[CWB]

Some pix of thje damage:

[Dwight Hottle]

Ken after seeing those pics I can well understand your frustration. Hope you get that guy one way or the other.

[RyneB]

this would help. Might cause some collateral damage though

[CWB]

this would help. Might cause some collateral damage though

Can you get a silencer for that?

[slonezp]

Can you get a silencer for that?

How much money you got?

[RyneB]

you can get one, it will cost you a lot and there really is no way of silencing it. Just taming it. Ammo isnt cheap either. By the time you buy the gun, silencer, .50 cal rounds, you have more invested in muskrat extermination than you do what the boats worth. But you would have the most bad**** muskrat killer in your neighborhood.

[Brian Needham]

get you the trap pictured.........bait with apples or lettuce.

I battle these critters on the golf course every day all day, trapping works to thin out the herd but you never can get all of them. I have trapped over 100 in a week.

right now is PRIMETIME, muskrattin' !

[CWB]

you can get one, it will cost you a lot and there really is no way of silencing it. Just taming it. Ammo isnt cheap either. By the time you buy the gun, silencer, .50 cal rounds, you have more invested in muskrat extermination than you do what the boats worth. But you would have the most bad**** muskrat killer in your neighborhood.

I could just mount it on the bow and drive around like in Apocalypse Now. "Lance- Get on the 50!"

Now we're talkin'

[slonezp]

LOL this should do it

http://youtu.be/dSp7CipN1pw

[Long Mike]

LOL this should do it

You're going to need a bigger boat.

[Fishing Cowgirl]

That looks like a cross between Caddy Shack and Apocalypse Now..

I've used a product called "Fresh Cab". It's main ingredient is Balsam Fir oil and smells a little astringent, but not terrible, but apparently rodents don't like the odor. It's been keeping these huge rats out of my house and the boat. Especially when we had lots of rain and they were looking for the "high and dry".