Anyone ever see or hear of people hunting muskrats in the dead of Winter by spearing them?
I never gave it any thought, but can see how that would have been the way to get a mess of them in the days before traps were invented, or had become a popular way of catching them.
Apparently, they used a spear that had a barb, or two on the end, and jabbed it into the huts until they hit a rat, then tore open the hut to retrieve them. Sort of like spearing fish through the ice up North I suppose.
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I have heard of the natives spearing rats. Also as a side note there was some old guys in the 30s or 40s around hear that had gigged rats dont know if it was native inspired or not though. Just remember the olds guys talking.
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I’m glad you mentioned that!
I have heard older guys talk about how they used to hunt for mink during that same time period.
Most of the time, it seems like they would work in 2 man teams, and often with a dog. The one guy would take a long willow, or limber sapling and run it up under the banks, and into holes hoping to flush out a mink or muskrat . If the dog acted like it smelled something, that area got worked over hard ! The other guy would stand by with a gun, and if something flushed out, it was his job to shoot whatever the dog didn’t catch! I’m sure that was long stretches of not much happening, followed up by sudden chaos, yelling, barking and shooting! LOL!
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My great great Greta uncle had a mink dog named three toes my pap use to go with him and hunt. He said he packed a sawed off gun if three toes didn’t catch him he’d shoot him. Only takes one or two shog and a mink will fight it hard enough the dog would catch him.
Them guys that gigged rats was mostly eating them use to be lots of rat eaters around hear still is one for sure.
Colt
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If I were truly hungry I’d value the meat much higher than the pelt.
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Yep! I bet a muskrat, some cattail roots, a little water cresses , and a few crawfish thrown in the pot together would be pretty good after a cold day on a frozen Marsh back during those times !
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