Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Small Game Muskrats

The South Dakota GFP now allows land owners to shoot Muskrats instead of having to trap them. Since we have a reservoir with more than a few of them in it I have been thinning them down. I have to keep my shot direction to certain areas in case of ricochet but it has been an interesting excercise the last few days. A .22 seems to be the most effective. Shotgun is a bit to short in reach at times and centerfires are overkill.

Around here a cloudy evening right before dark is the best time, year around, but they do kinda go crazy in the spring. miles

Almost like shooting beaver on a damage permit. The best time is dusk with the sun set to your back, or the full moon and use the wind to your advantage.
I use Remington 22 Sub-Sonics in my CZ 452 Ultra-Lux the 28" barrel makes it quieter than a pellet gun. A Leupold 3-9 x 40 with a German #4 crosshairs.
I've shot 3 on the same pond in a couple minutes.
Would work the same for rats, I've seen plenty of them shooting beavers.

That has been my experience as well. Yesterday evening they started coming out in numbers about an hour before sunset. For thirty minutes or so there were usually a couple in sight.

I can't shoot the beavers so I have traps set for them. I have a couple of boxes of sub-sonics but my 10/22 won't feed them so well. Where I live noise isn't an issue and the rats don't seem to pay any attention to it, at least so far. I have had the best shooting the last hour of daylight too. I just sent a couple of scopes to Leupold to have the No. 4 reticle installed and am anxious to get them back.

Blasphemy!!!

I have been told that the rules for taking muskrats with .22's and other approved means, while passed into law, isn't in effect until the GFP makes rules and sets dates for their taking. I was told it was passed and signed but didn't check with the local conservation officer about it. In South Dakota you cannot take them with .22's or other means contained in the legislation at this time. I hope they hurry it up.

I killed close to two dozen with a Ruger 77/22 Mag. Just aimed in front of the V in the water and I ended up with a dead muskrat.

Man that was fun.

Long before the GFP condoned it, muskrats were spring entertainment in NE So Dak - our version of "prairie dog" shooting. Centerfires are NOT overkill - 55 gr. 6mm at 4000 fps sends them airborne! And the swimmers were great for learning how to shoot moving targets with a rifle.

Holy bouncing bullets, Batman. Water is very good for ricochets which I'm guessing is why centerfire ammo is not permitted under the new law. Granted there's not much to hit around here. You're lucky, the current and last conservation officer here would gladly upped their citation count at your expense.

Another oddity, you need a furbearer license to shoot opossum though they are hell on pheasant nests and just plain nasty. Probably could get away with that one.