muskrats in my boat

[hot-tot]

hey was wondering i have my boat docked on the detroit river and when i went to take it out this year i had a family of 4 muskrats that got in my only wiring hole and made my life and my boat ##### does anyone know if insurence will take a claim or how to fix my electricle is chewed as well as my bilge pump??

[TBO/MN]

I had a similar situation with those little buggers. I had an I/O on my houseboat and they chewed the rubber boot around the outdrive so the bilge filled up with water and of course the engine filled up with water. Well, the insurance company didn't want to deal with it, so I LOOSE!!!!!

I wish you luck.......

Good Fishin'
TBO/MN

[CJHughes@Norstan.com]

Just another way Peta has to get at the sportsman.If the price of muskrat fur hadn't went way down in the last 10 years , Due to Peta making it unpopular to wear fur , those little muskrats would of been on someones back or head to keep them warm . But help maybe on the way the Russians don't give a darn about Peta ( they proved that when they dumped their nuclear waste in Japans back yard), they just want to keep warm . So with all of our gas money going to Russia maybe now they will have the money to buy our furs . I would much rather buy my gas from Russia than some goat eating third world sand dune infested bunch of ungrateful towel on top of their head war of all wars kinda of guys . I wonder if they can eat that oil ,cause it doesn't look like you could grow much over there . Plus I would think it would be hard to plow that ground up with all of those land mines buried everywhere,it could be hard on your tractor . Anyways in answer to your question I would hire a lawyer and sue the silk pants off of Peta it is their fault that those muskrats are still swimming and chewing . I hope this helps and feel free to ask for my advise on anything .

[Dutchman]

Maybe you could explain that these where very tough rouge muskrats and they vandalized your boat :)

" Fishing is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope "

[Jawjerker]

Have you considered giving your insurance agent a call to determin your coverage???

[Pitts]

I only had that problem with a permanent ice house on a small lake I used to fish a lot. They built a house on the floor next to the hole when I did not get there for 2 weeks and it must have been 200 lbs of cat tail reeds and mud what a mess and we opened all the holes and while we were fishing one came popping out the hole a friends girlfriend was sitting at what a lively lady she was for a minute:)

Pitts

[vetspet(ind)]

i don't know about the insurance but i will tell you we had two or three dogs that cornered a muskrat several yrs ago and that muskrat tore the heck out of those 40-50 lb dogs...the owner watched the whole thing happen..the dogs would approach the muskrat and suddenly it would spring at the dogs with its mouth wide open...hit the dogs in the chest and twist its head...left several huge gashes in their chest area...the dogs never got the muskrat...after seeing the damage done i have a healthy respect for the little critters so if yu see the muskrat i have two words of advice...dont shoot him since you are in your boat...and second ...run for the hills...steve

[groovymoe]

I just sold 96 coon @ $4.39 average. These were on the carcass. At this rate I almost covered vet bills, feed, wormings, and gas for the first month of season. I hope the Russian's start buying fur in huge quantities so the American fur buyers who have hundreds of thousands of dried coon in storage, have a place to dump what they have, and can stimulate the fur markets. By the way, rats are going for $2.50 for a large dry piece. 1980 sold dried, stretched coon for $21.73 average, and rats for $6.36 average. This Christmas please buy your wife,or girlfriend the finest of furs!!!!!!!

groovymoe

[CJHughes@Norstan.com]

GroovyMoe who did you sell yours to ? When I trapped I sold mine to Lester Ison,Marvin Mallow or Ron Necina .Then I started sending them to the big fur auctions in Canada . I read in Fur Fish and Game mink are going for 2 bucks . The last time I caught some minnows the creek I was on didn't have a coon track on it ,are the coon on a down cycle now ? I saw several that had distemper this squirrel season ?

[groovymoe]

CJ:

I sold my fur to a man in Leipsic Ohio. I talked with a guy who I used to trap with years ago who sold to the same guy a week after me. He averaged $8.75 per coon, but his was put up, and he does an excellent job drying fur. I do believe that next year I'm going to offer him $2.00 a nose to put mine up for me. As for the con population, In Ohio, we have another excellent year going in Northwest Ohio. I'm located in Wyandot County, and I'm having no problem running coon. I don't trap anymore, and only hunt coon with dogs. No spotlighting, no shooting out doubles, or triples, and we are still killing quite a few. The recent snow fall will make them lay-up for a while, but it's only a matter of time before the bores are going to be hunting down those hot sow's. Now is when you find out if you have a coondog, or a yardsh!!!er. Tree my dog !!!!!

groovymoe

[CJHughes@Norstan.com]

2 bucks a coon for skinning and fleshing and drying , I hope he is a young man what a workout ( fleshing ) . You are right the male coons will be out in force soon . Years ago we would just drive around and spotlight the trees for them during their rut . Good luck

[groovymoe]

I know some people will disagree with me, but if you don't have a dog under the tree, you shouldn't be shootin' the coon. I know that in some states spotlighting coon is legal, but look at it this way. If you are a money, and numbers driven kind of guy, you are in the wrong sport. Most people could care less if a guy kills 10, or 100. As for the money end, you will never make a profit. I wish that people would leave the coon for the guys who have to feed hounds all year, pay vet bills, clean, care for, and train, or condition those same hounds.
good huntin'
groovymoe

[CJHughes@Norstan.com]

That was years ago 20 or more ,that we would spotlight them . I omly knew of one guy who went after coon ,he would catch around 500 a season in traps . That was back when they were not so over populated . Since snares were made legal I know of guys catching 75 in a night around one barn and hoglot . They were always just a non target animal to me I would catch them in my mink traps ,anyone could catch a coon in a trap . I would much rather of heard my blueticks run one than to catch it in a trap and when we would spotlight them we always had the dogs with us to turn loose on them when they hit the ground .

[groovymoe]

CJ:

Can you honestly think of anything better on a warm winter night, when the wind is out of the Southwest, hearing a pair of hounds tell you a story as they try to figure out where that ole' coon went, and when they get him figured out throwing a locate bawl and rolling over into that awsome sound of a choppin' tree dog who thinks he's right. God I hope we get a warm front soon, I'm having withdraw!!!

Good hunting
groovymoe