Spring is so brassy …
![Spring is Big](https://www.southridgewest.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/DSCF1210.jpg)
And sometimes, it brings muskrats …
Muskrat signs on the pond bottom – first of the season. The fresh tan dirt on the normally dark bottom, indicates a muskrat has been holing out my bank nearby.
![Tan dirt on pond bottom](https://www.southridgewest.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/DSCF1225-1024x576.jpg)
![Tan dirt from ratty holing out my pond bank](https://www.southridgewest.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/DSCF1223-1024x576.jpg)
I found the hole – after 10 minutes or so of searching – had to bend up a pole to find it. It was narrower than others I’ve found.
![Muskrat Hole Finding Tool](https://www.southridgewest.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/DSCF1218-1024x576.jpg)
So I grabbed a rusting #110 trap, set it, and placed it over the hole. A stick helps keep it upright. And a stake through the ring chained to the trap keeps everything from being carted away by other animals, or an animal wounded in the trap. I think it’s usually fatal though.
![A #110 Muskrat Trap set](https://www.southridgewest.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/DSCF1217-1024x576.jpg)
![Closer look](https://www.southridgewest.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/DSCF1213-1024x576.jpg)
![Some older nearby holes ...](https://www.southridgewest.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/DSCF1215-1024x576.jpg)
I hope it hasn’t already eaten the water lily bulbs I put in earlier this spring.