When I’m in the bait shop, I arrive early and take care of what needs to be done before I open. At this point, I’ll sit on the deck overlooking the lake having a cup of coffee until customers start to come in. Depending on the weather, there are mornings the lake is a sheet of glass or there could be a light mist rising from the waters. I have seen the small ripples on top of the water from fish feeding on insects, eagles soaring above and my favorite sight, seeing loons and hearing those awesome calls.

Most mornings there is what some people would believe is a small tree branch floating in front of the piers. Well that little branch is actually a muskrat and it almost is like it’s there for my amusement. I watch this animal laying on top of the water, then flip over and float on its back. Every morning, I see this Muskrat, at some point, it will curl up, dart under the water and reappears with a piece of vegetation hanging out of its mouth (they also will eat small fish). Who wouldn’t want to watch this on a daily basis?

I’m not sure of the location of its housing as some build lodges (they are the smaller cousin of the Beaver) while other Muskrats live in shoreline burrows. The picture for this topic is a muskrat’s lodge. Another thing I don’t understand is, Muskrats have mutable litters and can produce 8 to 10 kits in a season, so why do I only see that one every morning?

Here are a few Muskrat facts for you.
* Mark their territory with bodily secretion called MUSK. This is why they are called MUSKRATS.
* Have reddish brown fur but their belly is a grayish brown.
* Have two layers of fur to protect them from the winter weather.
* Including their tail, they are around 20 inches and can weigh 2 to 5 pounds.
* Little muskrats (KITS) are weaned off mama’s milk around 3 to 4 weeks and are introduced to vegetation.
* Use there webbed rear feet for propulsion and their tail as a rudder.
* Can close their ears while under water and can stay under water for over 15 minutes