not for the pot, dear rat

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not for the pot, dear rat
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Downsizer Forum Index -> Shooting and Trapping for the Pot

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sgt.colon

Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 7380
Location: Just south of north.

Posted: Fri Oct 02, 20 9:51 am Post subject:
Great tales there DPack. MR, I've felt their pain.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46207
Location: yes

Posted: Fri Oct 02, 20 10:49 am Post subject:

a few hints re nocturnal critter watching.

get in position in a comfortable manner in daylight if possible, if after dark very stealthily(see blind man stick), comfy matters and is part of stealth

many places the ambient light will be adequate after about 1/2 an hour for your eyes to adjust.
big hole binoculars can help

use the soundscape, do not add more than you need to it(see stealth)

if you must use a torch a tiny led with red and one with blue is ideal, blue looks like natural light to observers while moving and once your eyes have adjusted to low light the red one wont mess too much with that if you need to see something
ps close one eye whenever using a torch, that way you retain at least 50% night vision
better still learn to work in darkness(see blind man stick, things on strings etc)

playing in daylight with a blindfold is a steep and funny learning curve

night vis kit opens up a whole new world, my gen 4 cobra night sight is amazing, ambient light is usually enough but it has an adjustable IR tac light which can subtly illuminate a target or floodlight a 5 acre field
on a weapon tis ace, handheld tis very ace for wildlife watching

much uk wildlife is nocturnal, i would quite like gen 5 goggles but i have what i have

ps
blind man stick can be cane or staff, staff is good as it is a third leg and every ready handrail as well as a feeler

stealth includes no washing powder, toothpaste and similar stuff as well as silence in clothing, kit and movement, tread lightly but securely and make every step deliberate, take time, stealth and speed is difficult.
dont focus on the target, focus on a convenient position. some things "feel" the attention

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46207
Location: yes

Posted: Sat Nov 07, 20 10:53 am Post subject:

here we go again, rat

i have bacon, i have cheese, i have a fenn trap

it has been a wee while rat free, i did hear the words nest and babies from the builders over the back and thought it was a bit late for birds.

i guess they may have disturbed it when they laid the parking area tarmac on thursday, i heard it last night under the shed but eyeballed it this morning

afaik it is one female but.....

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15966

Posted: Sun Nov 08, 20 8:32 am Post subject:
Need to get rid of it or persuade it to go back from whence it came double quick, or it will upset the Sammisons again.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46207
Location: yes

Posted: Mon Nov 23, 20 12:35 am Post subject:

this one is clever, a chink of key turning=gone, it can dine from a dangeroos table and so far has evaded hound or big screwdriver,
however, the amount of Camembert it is eating might well do for it via any of a variety of obesity related morbidities

i need to up my game with this one, perhaps two traps at the holes of the box of doom so it has to cross them rather than gently nibble fine foods off the treadle and putting the bait in the middle will get it

it has got to go

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15966

Posted: Mon Nov 23, 20 7:56 am Post subject:
Yes, definitely. Apart from upsetting the Sammisons, the last thing you want is a clever rat breeding.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46207
Location: yes

Posted: Tue Nov 24, 20 12:37 am Post subject:
i wonder what it will do with peanut butter? maybe i should make it a full elvis in the middle for when i am brave enough to set them as a pair. once bitten, never again not my first or last broken finger but getting one out of a fenn was not fun. one needs care, two is a bit edgy

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46207
Location: yes

Posted: Tue Nov 24, 20 12:38 am Post subject:
ps i am getting to know its ways and demeanour quite well

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46207
Location: yes

Posted: Wed Nov 25, 20 1:55 pm Post subject:
first insight is this is a clever and skilled one, last night it was levitating unless it was eating peanut butter with a long spoon i am very loathed to give it indigestion but a war crime does have some appeal and perhaps practical merit.

sgt.colon

Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 7380
Location: Just south of north.

Posted: Fri Nov 27, 20 9:59 am Post subject:
I'm sure you'll enjoy the battle of wits DPack and that you'll get your quarry in the end.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46207
Location: yes

Posted: Sun Nov 29, 20 1:03 am Post subject:
the clack sounded rather metallic, it was. this one is clever

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46207
Location: yes

Posted: Tue Dec 01, 20 1:08 pm Post subject:

in best ninja mode i have 3 times failed to open the door and contact the enemy this morning

hyperaware and jumpy, it will beat me on that

it has new but awkward cheese and is on second trigger

a short while back full "caddyshack" seemed rather appealing, mechanical or electrical command detonate with jellied flame fuel was a consideration but

A i am fairly kind
and
B a blazing rat running off could have consequences involving fire

C the bang and flash might upset folk

the poison thing is ugly on several measures, shooting seems "antisocial" if noticed

area denial is high on the list of remedies

grrrr rats, love em as pets loathe em as vermin.

Shane

Joined: 31 Oct 2005
Posts: 3467
Location: Doha. Is hot.

Posted: Wed Dec 02, 20 4:32 am Post subject:

dpack wrote:

shooting seems "antisocial" if noticed

Use a PCP, then - no-one will notice

GrahamH

Joined: 23 May 2015
Posts: 523

Posted: Wed Dec 02, 20 6:38 am Post subject:
If he is taking the bait you've done the hard part. Now the trap is the problem. Keep feeding him then introduce the trap. I used to use a very large wire cage with a sprung door. Caught lots of 'tree" rats that use to eat the green coconuts. Dispatched them by putting the cage in the duck pond for 10 minutes. My preferred bait was fish. The hardest part was not to catch the cats!

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46207
Location: yes

Posted: Wed Dec 02, 20 2:24 pm Post subject:

Shane wrote:

dpack wrote:

shooting seems "antisocial" if noticed

Use a PCP, then - no-one will notice

it is tempting as i have one and a night sight, it would be illegal(distances etc) and would need to be a high seat shot from upstairs in a very neat nest to have a hope of not being noticed or by having the downstairs window open and the gun on the desk ready, it would be in through the window the moment i was distracted

i am minded to caution on that

i know what you mean graham, i will try adjusting the trap/bait /bricks positioning and trigger setting.
this one seems very capable of not setting the trap off, i recon it got last nights cheese by bridging along the jaws of the trap to get the bait at the far end

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