Page 159 - The Lost Ways

Muskrat and beaver will chew off a larger part of a plant and then only eat the choicest
parts if there is a good food supply. When they do this, they leave a food scrap pile that
is easy to see.

If you see tree gnawing signs about 4 to 10 inches off the ground where it looks like it was
done by a small chisel that took out small gouges, then you quite likely have a beaver in
the area.

Both beaver and muskrat never get far from the water, so walk the water’s edge and find
a spot where the grass is pushed down or earth is exposed really close to the water. It
may even appear to be a tunnel in the grass as the grass has grown around it.

That’s where you’re going to want to set your foot hold trap or, depending on the
situation, maybe a body grip trap; we’ll get into how to decide that later.

How to Set the Foot Hold Trap

One of the mistakes people make is wanting to cover their traps with brush or other
camouflage, but beavers and muskrats don’t know what a trap looks like and have no real
natural fear of it.

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