A little help with a drainage ditch dwelling critter

[Viking]

I deer hunt in the Isanti area. My tripod stand is about 5 feet from a drainage ditch, on on an old grown over potatoe field. I keep hearing this splashing behind me, and see the path down the center on the ditch, where these things try to keep open water year round. They are very paranoid, and duck under water, at the slightest movement. I thought they might be beavers, and the landowner wanted me to shoot them, because water is not draining correctly. I put a scope on my shotgun this year, and was able to get a quick close up look. I was amazed. I have never seen a critter that looked like this. It is not a beaver, not a muskrat. It is about the size of a small rabbit, black on the top, light colored underneath, and a long, about 2 foot very skinny whip looking black tail, that they use to keep the water from freezing.

anybody have any ideas ?

[cloyd]

?..small rabbit with a 2' whip tail?

say muskrat

[Viking]

all the muskrats I have seen, have been brown in color, and the tail is much thicker.

[Viking]

After googling it a little bit, and looking at the variety of pictures available, I found one that is black and white, with the long skinny tail. It is just not like the muskrats I usually see, which are brown with a thicker tail.

I see they have recipes available too. ouch, bet it tastes like woodchuck. Person would have to be pretty hungry.

[Surface Tension]

Definitely a Ditch Gouger. Be skard, be very skard.

[Viking]

well, my scope seems to be right on, 2 for 2 at 40 yards with slugs

[gunflint]

ST, are those part of the Sidehill Gouger family?

[Surface Tension]

Gunflint, yes right along with the Tasmanian Devil. Its also the 1 of 2 marsupials that live in the USA. The Ditch Gouger can swim, has webbed feet, can jump and climb and has the temperament of a wolverine.

[Steve Foss]

They especially like to climb tripod stands. No other American mammal can do it, but the Gouger has been known to.

[gunflint]

Yeah, it sounds like it's from the same family. Sidehill gougers are extreemly nasty and their left legs are 2 inches shorter than their rights. This helps them hunt their prey on hill sides, where they are very fast.

[Northlander]

Man Im glad I dont have these on the river! LOL.

[Green&Gold]

I was chuckling to myself reading this post until I got to Gunflint's last reply. Then I blew my diet dew all over my keyboard. Coworkers are wondering why I'm LOL all by myself. That's some funny stuff right there!

[Viking]

WOW, that would explain the little turds on my seat every morning.... Today I saw a normal browm looking one. It was not a very good swimmer. it sank.

[Bobby Bass]

Quote:

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Yeah, it sounds like it's from the same family. Sidehill gougers are extreemly nasty and their left legs are 2 inches shorter than their rights. This helps them hunt their prey on hill sides, where they are very fast.

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now that's just plain funny..excellent observation

[JAR JAR]

All I can say is "wow"

Jar Jar.