Muskrat

Muskrat
August 31, 2009

Living on or near any water source will give you lots of opportunities to encounter wildlife you might not otherwise come into contact with. I've lived on the water (back yard comes to water's edge) most of my life and spend a good portion of the nice weather boating, fishing or engaging in other water activities so I think I've come across just about every critter the water attracts in our area. Muskrats frequent the smaller water water ways in our area. Shortly after moving into our last house that was on the water we discovered a muskrat that liked to hang out on the ladder steps of our dock. I'm telling you that made me not be all that interested in swimming there! Pictured is one of a few muskrats that make our marina home so I've spotted and photographed them on several occasions.

I have come across muskrat numerous times. I can't say I like them all that much especially when they pop out of nowhere in a dirt floor basement when I was about 8 years old and was sent down there to bring up a jar of home canned peaches for dessert. Our house backed onto the water and much to my Mom's dismay I learned how to swing over the water on the willow branches. I thought that was a rather fitting trade for having to deal with the muskrat which my Mom called a river rat. Unfortunately she did not see my viewpoint. Oh my gosh, just thinking about the stories I could tell about that house gets me chuckling! Anyway, back to muskrats.

The muskrat is a semi-aquatic mammal indigenous to North America. At one time in our area muskrats actually provided early settlers with meat and still do provide meat. Muskrat 'socials' are held in many of the local French Canadian communities are are extremely popular in the French communities in Michigan especially during Lent. Muskrats are easily trapped for food with many in our area still doing so. We could but we don't. I've tasted muskrat once at a wild game event. These types of public events are getting scarcer here (Ontario) because of health regulations but finding someone who traps and cooks muskrat at home is not all that difficult. Muskrat must be soaked prior to cooking to remove a bit of the stronger gamey flavour. When cooked properly it has a flavour between rabbit and duck with still a hint of wild game. It does lend itself to slow cooking as well.


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