Rats?

[wormbobskey]

I plan to use any muskrats I catch this upcoming season for bait and was wanting to know how to go about it. Should I debone the rats or just gring them up bones and all? What would be some good additives to make them more appealing to fox and coyote? thanks, Worm.

[Newt]

Muskrat is usuly used "fresh in chunks" for bait. Cut the muskats up into 6 pieces.cut off the head,cut just behind the front legs and split then in half through the back bone, Cut the tail off, Cut the hind legs off and split them through the back bone.Now you got the head ,2 front 1/4's,the back and 2 hind 1/4's.Thats 6 baits Freeze and use fresh.

[Woodsman]

I use all of my small & kit muskrats for a change up to fish for bait. I do just as newt described and then take out a few bags as I need them when setting traps. I fasten mine to a bait stick with a rubberband and cover it with a pc. of burlap cloth to keep it from drying out so quickly. The burlap also acts as a lure holder. Tony

[jim-NE]

I generally had very decent and consistent success when using rat carcasses for bait. I caught everything on them from coons to mink to coyotes and fox. I seemed to have better luck using them in much cooler weather than I did when it was very warm, for some reason.
Jim

[wormbobskey]

I was looking for a way to bolster the drawing power of the rats. I want to grind them up and preserve them so I can use them whenever I need a change up.  I like the idea of grinding them up because it makes it harder for a critter to steal the bait all at once. The longer it takes to get the bait out the greater the odds are of catching the critter. I also figured that if I let them get slightly tainted they would make a better bait in the late season with more drawing power. Thanks for the replies, Worm.