# Nutria Rat destroying wetlands old turkey hunter blamed



## Turkeydoghunter (Mar 2, 2010)

i saw a hunting show where these boys were in a air boat chase N these giant rats shoot N buck shot and 22s at em ...kill N a hundred of em and saving the fur and eat the back straps.....so i did some research and found th E.A. mcllhenny the tobasco guy let em go in 1938 for  the fur trade...thought he could make a buck....these thing multiply at an alarming rate and are destroying the wet lands in louisiana...mcllhenny wrote a famous book on turkey hunting...and was an old master turkey hunter in his day.....read this info ....cause they could end up in GA wet lands if they havent already ....Ron.....www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080306094624.htm


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## trkyburns (Mar 2, 2010)

That is very interesting... 

But also disgusting... who the heck would eat a giant rat?!?!?!


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## ryanwhit (Mar 2, 2010)

Yep, they've wreaked havoc over there.  Still an active fur market from what I understand - they don't sell for much, but they're caught in large quantities.  I also understand they're shot by police on sight, and there are full time gov employees dedicated to their control.  We don't have much nutria habitat in GA -- I guess there's a few places they could live, but not like LA and MS.

Didn't know the tobasco guy was responsible.  also didn't know he was a turkey hunter...


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## BPR (Mar 2, 2010)

ryanwhit said:


> Yep, they've wreaked havoc over there.  Still an active fur market from what I understand - they don't sell for much, but they're caught in large quantities.  I also understand they're shot by police on sight, and there are full time gov employees dedicated to their control.  We don't have much nutria habitat in GA -- I guess there's a few places they could live, but not like LA and MS.
> 
> Didn't know the tobasco guy was responsible.  also didn't know he was a turkey hunter...



Was flipping channels one night and that Steven Segal lawman show was on.  They were going up and down the canals picking em off.


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## Skinin&Grinin (Mar 2, 2010)

Their all over in NE Florida...they can swim very well, so don't think their not already in Georgia.


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## KY Red (Mar 3, 2010)

*Interesting subject.*

I've always heard that Mcllhenny had a zoo like enclosure on Avery Island where he grew the chili peppers. It became flooded and the nutria escaped. Texas has them, as well as Florida, my guess is, so does Georgia.


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## 01Foreman400 (Mar 3, 2010)

I seen a few in MS. but never could bet a shot.


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## big country rnr (Mar 3, 2010)

Osceola Forest is eat up with um!


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## Turkeydoghunter (Mar 5, 2010)

has any body killt one???


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## goblr77 (Mar 5, 2010)

Turkeydoghunter said:


> has any body killt one???



I went duck hunting in MS and saw several. The guy I was with shot one but we didn't eat him.


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## The Arrow Guru (Mar 5, 2010)

they eat the wet land plants at the root and kills the whole plant. They are a very big problem in Las Vegas where they inhabit the canal systems. DNR snipers ride the banks at night with 223 sniper rifles and shoot as many as they can. There is a very big concern that at the rate they breed and thier feeding habits they candestroy large area of wet lands by destroying the vegitation. From what I understand that there is no fur value in LA but there is actually a bounty on them, so much per rat. These are Nutria and are a large rodent. Do your self a favor, if you see one, kill it. I think that the envorments they perfer are full of floating vegetation. They were killing them on Berettas Wild and Raw television show. On that show a LA chef cooked them for a dinner party where all these upscale wemon were muchin down and he held one up at the table to show them what they were eating. It was funny cause it didn't happen to me, but gross for them.


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## theTomWhisperer (Mar 5, 2010)

is it just me or could someone who doesnt know alot about em, if anything, easily mistake one of these things as muskrat. i know i probably would


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## dorkfish (Mar 5, 2010)

*nutria rat*

Killed one in telifaro county,ga (spelling) about 20 yrs ago.
when I asked my buddy many years after he told me what it was. He was from lower LA.


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## TK1 (Mar 5, 2010)

They were established long before the tobasco guy let any go..he wasnt the only one who had them during that time period..


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## wmahunter (Mar 5, 2010)

Was fishing in a cypress pond in Brooks Co a few years ago and there were lots of them in there. 

No they could not be easily mistaken for a muskrat because of the size difference.  Looks more like a beaver until it gets out of the water and you get a look at the tail.


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## DUCKAHOLIC86 (Mar 5, 2010)

Great info! I'm blasting if one of those things comes my way!


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## Carp (Mar 5, 2010)

Saw one killed back when I was in my early twenties off the Ocmulgee River.


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## Turkeydoghunter (Mar 5, 2010)

BIGRNYRS said:


> they eat the wet land plants at the root and kills the whole plant. They are a very big problem in Las Vegas where they inhabit the canal systems. DNR snipers ride the banks at night with 223 sniper rifles and shoot as many as they can. There is a very big concern that at the rate they breed and thier feeding habits they candestroy large area of wet lands by destroying the vegitation. From what I understand that there is no fur value in LA but there is actually a bounty on them, so much per rat. These are Nutria and are a large rodent. Do your self a favor, if you see one, kill it. I think that the envorments they perfer are full of floating vegetation. They were killing them on Berettas Wild and Raw television show. On that show a LA chef cooked them for a dinner party where all these upscale wemon were muchin down and he held one up at the table to show them what they were eating. It was funny cause it didn't happen to me, but gross for them.


thats the show i saw dude it was wild man...nutria...means its full of nutraients...anyways hope they hate the snow  and stay south .....I hate the regular size ones couldnt immagine them monster rats...but i would like to go on a rat hunt on a air boat , that one dude grabed a small gator by hand....RON


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## BMCS (Mar 5, 2010)

Turkeydoghunter said:


> has any body killt one???



Probably killed over 200 when I was a boy living on Iatt Lake in Grant Parish Louisiana. Used to sell the hides for 3 bucks a piece. Meat I would give away, never even tried it.


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## Miguel Cervantes (Mar 5, 2010)

theTomWhisperer said:


> is it just me or could someone who doesnt know alot about em, if anything, easily mistake one of these things as muskrat. i know i probably would


 
Nope, they are much much bigger.


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## silvestris (Mar 5, 2010)

Mcilhenny was ranching them for their fur and some escaped during a hurricane.   They were very prolific and took over the marshes of south Louisiana.  Perhaps others were attempting to ranch them during the same period.  I am pretty certain they were imported from South America.  My father probably bought more Nutria from individuals and local fur dealers than any man alive.  They were a very popular fur in northern Europe.  I have two Nutria coats made during the late 70s to early 80s.  They are some kind of warm.

BMCS, did you sell them at Peck, Louisiana?


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## rip18 (Mar 5, 2010)

Caught & killed a bunch in MS & LA & FL.  Radio tracked them in MS.  And seen lots of them in NC.

We had a bunch of them radio collared in south Mississippi (and Georgia has a LOT more potential nutria habitat than Mississippi).  We found out that we didn't even had to tranquilize them to hold them & put the collars on them - though it was pretty frightening with those big orange teeth right there at your hand.

They stay in burrows in the bank a good bit, but are able to hide in/under clumps of grass/rushes AMAZINGLY well for such a big rodent.  We would get locations on those critters every 4 hours for a 48 hour period each month.  We used a Yagi antenna (like the tracking antenna used by dog hunters) to help locate them directionally.  Once we would get so close, the directional capability of the antenna was irrelavant.  We'd take of the antenna & use the bare antenna cord to try to find out exactly where they were at - more than once they were literally UNDER our feet in the clump/tussock of grass we were standing on.

And yes, nutria are not good for the native plants/animals in our ecosystem.  The competitively exclude some of our native wildlife (muskrats, waterfowl, etc.) by eating too much native plant material while surviving on lower quality plants than some of our native wildlife can utilize.


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## The Arrow Guru (Mar 5, 2010)

They were useing plugless shotguns with extended mags. They would get on a group of ten and all heck would break loose. It looked like as much fun as a south Georgia dove shoot. I love to help them with thier problem. But it is much like wild hogs, I think they are fighting a loosing battle. I hope not though.


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## MudDucker (Mar 6, 2010)

Skinin&Grinin said:


> Their all over in NE Florida...they can swim very well, so don't think their not already in Georgia.



They have been in Georgia for MANY years.  Used to shot them regularly at a duck pond I hunted.


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## ratlird (Mar 6, 2010)

Have a big problem with them in Texas, there all over any place that has water, even the city parks. Joe Pool lake between Dallas and Ft. Worth is full of them.


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