I love to see posts like this. I'm a big proponent of "non-traditional" table fare. Beaver is excellent, especially the back straps. I liken beaver back straps to dry aged beef. Porcupine is surprisingly good as well. I may have to bust out some traps next year and get into some muskrats. I think I would coat my muskrats in seasoned flour, brown, and then braise for a couple hours. Thanks for sharing!
Muskrats - It's what's for dinner
- Thread starter Big Fin
- Start date
sbhooper
Well-known member
Several years ago when the prices shot up, my bil and I shipped around 700 muskrats to NAFA. I had heard so much about eating them, that I figured I had better do the mountain man thing and try them. They were actually not bad and you could sure live on them, but it was real hard to get my mind around the fact that I was eating one. I probably won't eat any more, but I can say that I at least tried the meat!
Springtime muskrat trapping is gobs of fun, but now, unfortunately, it will not pay the freight.
Springtime muskrat trapping is gobs of fun, but now, unfortunately, it will not pay the freight.
Walkathon
Well-known member
I'd eat one if I didn't have any other options, otherwise I'd pass.
Poke 'Em
Well-known member
Randy, how/where can you find muskrats when the water is hard? Everywhere that I see them around here in the spring/summer/fall is frozen solid this time of year.
Look in any marshes. You will see their huts. Either trap in their hunts (if legal in Reg 7) or set conibears in front of the entrances. You can also use baited conibears under ice or find their travel routes by seeing the narrow paths through cattails and set in those. Much more work when the water is frozen.
troydave
Member
Back in Wisconsin along the Mississippi river a lot of the bait shops and bars would have smoked muskrat. Right along side the pickled eggs and blind robins!
Laelkhunter
Well-known member
I'm thinking that they are related (if not the same) as the Nutria we have here in Louisiana. They sure tear everything up, eating everything and causing heavy soil erosion along the water-edge. One local Sheriff's Dept had such a large problem with them, that the SWAT team Snipers used to go out at night using suppressed .22's to thin them out. They would shoot several hundred a night. Some locals eat them in a sauce Picante, but I haven't tried them.
recon6036
Well-known member
That's the number one reason why I haven't tried trapping yet.
Laelkhunter
Well-known member
Might I dare ask what a blind robin is ???
Here is the video of checking the traps that we set the day before, the trap setting shown in the first video.
[video=youtube_share;Dzwgh2tsHaM]https://youtu.be/Dzwgh2tsHaM[/video]
[video=youtube_share;Dzwgh2tsHaM]https://youtu.be/Dzwgh2tsHaM[/video]
And after you watch the video of what we catch, here is the video of a quick skinning, fleshing, and stretching exercise that wraps up with how we prepared them and eventually grilled them. Pretty good stuff, especially for a buggy-eyed little rodent with a scaled tail.
[video=youtube_share;CIe9RWSeJ_w]https://youtu.be/CIe9RWSeJ_w[/video]
[video=youtube_share;CIe9RWSeJ_w]https://youtu.be/CIe9RWSeJ_w[/video]
troydave
Member
It's a piece of smoked fish that comes in a wrapper like a piece of beef jerky. I don't know why they were called that. After having a couple of beers and eating eggs, smoked fish and muskrat or even a limburger and onion sandwich you were ready to go home to mama!
troydave
Member
It is a piece of smoked fish that is sold in a wrapper like a beef stick. I don't know why they were called Blind Robins. After a couple of beers with eggs, smoked fish and muskrat or even a limburger and onion sandwich you were ready to go home to mama!
Laelkhunter
Well-known member
Thanks-
RobG
Well-known member
Nutria is different and not from US. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coypu
As RobG noted nutria are not native, imported from South America. They are bigger than muskrats and effectively displaced them in much of LA. When the fur trade collapsed decades ago the nutria population exploded, causing much environmental damage. I believe the state of LA even has (or had) a bounty on them, just bring it the tail. If I recall correctly the state was also trying very hard to establish a market for nutria meat, and had some success in Asia (Korea in particular), but not enough demand was generated to solve the problem.
AvidIndoorsman
Well-known member
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- Dec 9, 2015
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Loved this set of videos I'm assuming the process for beavers is the same? Also after you dry them do you salt them?
Similarly, what would be the biggest difference with fleshing/salting a bear? My last 3 bears I have had a taxidermist do but I'm looking to flesh and salt #4 by myself.
Similarly, what would be the biggest difference with fleshing/salting a bear? My last 3 bears I have had a taxidermist do but I'm looking to flesh and salt #4 by myself.
nope nope nope nope nope....the muskrats around here swim in shallow streams fed by farm chemicals and the overflows from septic tanks that sit usually within throwing distance of the ditch. Maybe a Montana muskrat in a spring fed stream, but not in my neck of the woods, no way...
JonathonJEB
Active member
great videos
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