Nutria experience?

Whoops! Thanks for the clarification. I probably won't get up to Halsey until spring, and most likely during the day, but upsetting the ODFW isn't my idea of a good idea. Thanks again. Todd
 
apologies if i missed it, but how big are they? i thought they were beaver-like critters, except they were paying ppl to shoot em cuz they contribute to erosion or something?
 
We don't have any nutria this far north. I don't know that they could handle the cold climate. They appear to me to weigh about 30lbs. Is that a pretty good guess. I'm not certain. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal
 
i thought they were beaver-like critters, except they were paying ppl to shoot em cuz they contribute to erosion or something?
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Yeah, they were doing so much damage to marshes and wetlands in Louisana that the federal gvt was paying folks to get rid of them. There were some stipulations surrounding that, but I guess they are causing quite a mess down there. Sounds like a great oppurtunity for those boys down there in Loosi'ana.

I don't know that they could handle the cold climate. They appear to me to weigh about 30lbs. Is that a pretty good guess. I'm not certain.
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Close. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif They're probably about half that weight. Check out www.nutria.com That's where I'm getting this info. Kinda interesting.
 
We have them in coastal Texas also. These 'water rats' destroy a lot of canal banks and eat small animals and birds. Good thing the alligators like them so much ! We float a small flat bottom boat downstream quietly and trolling motor back up. They float most of the time if hit in the head (for a little while). If you have any kind of cane breaks- they like to eat them and den there also. We eat squirrels and rabbits (also rodents), but I wouldn't eat something that smelled as bad as they do (just open their mouths). Good luck, GC. P.S. They grow to over 20 lbs. here.
 
I had no ideal that nutria rats ranged so far north . I thought they were pest only along the gulf coast . I've hunted them here in east Texas and Louisiana . It is easy to warm up a barrel of a .22 simi auto because there are an abundance of them and often takes more than one shot to anchor them . .22 Lr. hollow points kills better than solids . A 22 mag is by far a much better killer . They also present a difficult target when they are swimming because you can only see the tops of their heads . You need to be sure of your backstop when shooting across water .

Nutria rats are pest to the rice farmers around here because they dig through rice field levys and crawfish ponds .
Seen a news program on tv a few years ago that showed New Orleans Louisiana policeman riding in the back of pickup trucks shooting nutria rats with silenced 22 Ruger 10/22 rifles in the city limits of New Orleans . Looked like a hell of fun job to have .
 


We have nutria here on the eastern shore of Maryland.
Once the marshes freeze up they are out on the open fields, looking for food. They don't take the cold to well
and a lot of them die during cold winters.
They don't move to fast on land, every year while I'm rabbit hunting my dogs will run up on nutria.
The federal government put a bounty on them and they have
just about eradicated them from around the Blackwater national wildlife refuge area. They are fun to shoot, and
I sometimes watch them from my tree stand, coming out of
the marshes on to the fields to feed. I've shot them with
everything from a shotgun to a 22 rifle.
The traditional archery society has a shoot every year
for them, they go out and shoot them from Jon boats with
traditional archery equipment. I"ll have to try that next.
 
Quote:
The traditional archery society has a shoot every year for them, they go out and shoot them from Jon boats with traditional archery equipment



PS... what light can you shed upon this shoot for us?... I tried to find out about that several years ago when I was living in Md and it seemed to be a big secret... sure would like to give it a try sometime...
 


It occurs sometime in the spring, I will try to look on the Maryland traditional archery website and find out exactly when. I will be going out this summer to do
some nutria shooting, myself it's a little easier to
shoot them in the winter when the marshes freeze up
though.



PredatorSniper37
 
How about slowly coming down the waterway in a canoe and jump shooting them? Are they numerous enough to make it worthwhile? From what I've heard the fur doesn't command a very good price. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal
 
Quote:
From what I've heard the fur doesn't command a very good price.



your western fur is a lot better then ours here in the east... these salt/brackish water animals are only going for a buck or 2 a piece... not enough to make it worthwhile skinning'em...
 
I hunt coyotes at night near Brownville, but tough to do this side of the cascades (lot of cover). But I know they changed some of the rules this year with decoys but coyotes and bobcat can be hunted at night. It might be wise to call into the County PD before you do, it up to the officer discretion whether you're spot lighting or not. Right or Wrong you still have to go into court and Lynn County doesn’t like having to go out and try and find someone in the dark with a gun just because someone complains. Another thing don't be close to a vehicle.
 
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they're as far north on the east coast as Maryland... have seen them on the eastern shore... hides are worthless coming from salt water though...



Nope: They're further North than Maryland! I saw 6 of them about 5 years ago right here in Northern New York!

They came out of the river early in the morning when the sun was just coming up! They went into a hole under an old church and stayed there during the day and worked the river at night! I only saw them twice! But, I absolutely know that they were Nutria Rats!
I spent quite a few year in the South when I was in the Air Force, so I know what they look like!
 
It's utterly amazing how fast and far they've spread in a relatively short time. I don't think they have many natural enemies to keep them in check. They're destructive litle beggars as well. It's my understanding that almost the entire west coast population, centered in Oregon, results from a single farm that was raising them for the pelts originally. To me they look like a beaver but without the paddle tail. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal
 


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