ok dont laugh at this one guys but i found a shallow marsh with rat huts and so i chopped a few holes to see how much ice i had. its about 10 inches thick with only a couple inches of water under that so how the heck do i set it if im not allowed to disturb the hut?

With the water being so shallow there sholud be trails leading to/from the hut. Trap them. Also, if you find large air gaps/land under the ice bait and trap there.

Happy chopping. It isn't going to be easy or quick.