Pest Infested farm

[Lyle]

I went to the farm tonight and only got one sparrow and one starling. I am having a real tought time with the rats. It is almost as if they know I am there. The Farmer has feed the hogs and chickens both last night and tonight around 5:00pm. Both times I was there ready for action but no luck. They will not come out into the open. So my stratagy is to make a night hunt this saturday. I have my night blaster scope light charged and ready to go. I hope this works,It use to when I was a kid and we shot rats at the local dump with just a flashlight taped to the barrel with the lens covered with read cellophane from a fruit basket, but then, the rat population there was ten fold.

[sacshooter]

I have memories as a kid where my father’s good friend put his son and I up on a pool shed roof with a 12volt battery and flash light and one pump up pellet gun to share. The pool shed was near a storage shed they kept corn in for the hogs. He piled corn next to a few trees. We would sit in the dark and every now and again take turns. One would get the gun, and the other would turn the flashlight on and point it up into the top of a tree so as not to spook the rats. Then when the shooter was ready the spotter would follow the trunk of the tree to the base to find rats eating at the pile of corn, then we would blast them, then pump and reload and move to the next tree top and rinse and repeat.
It might work well to pile some of the corn in front of a good backstop at a known range, for a day or two, and then take them on your terms.
Oh yea I think this is called baiting, and it is illegal I think, so DO NOT Do this:’)
Roger

[Lyle]

Hey Rodger:
In the state of Wisconsin we cannot bait Deer, Turkey Or any game animal but rats we can. The only thing is The chickens are free roam and thy will probably gobble it up but I do have a source for some old donuts and bakery. Yeah, baiting them in is a good idea. I called the Department of Natural Resources here and he said I could do it as long as the Farmer didnt mind.

[sacshooter]

Warning graphic:
How about a combo of this: to keep the chickens away:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOHoCAgt9R8

you could dig a hole for the bait so the chickens could not reach through and get it.


and this to get the rats:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTwtPeDQQ9M

or even better but more graphic...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUB06r9MH9I


roger



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[Lyle]

Nice Roger Thanks. I happen to have a milk crate inn my shed and a mixture of corn and sunflower seeds. I will have it set up by Saturday. Thanks again. The vids were great

[sacshooter]

Sorry, been a busy day. I think you need to stake the milk crate in place for a few days so the rats get used to it. I have learned that they sort of build a mental map of paths in their head, and they like to follow walls and stuff. That is why you place rat traps next to walls.
So I fear that if you suddenly introduce something that doesn’t match the mental map, they will be Leary of it or even avoid it for a few days. So if they dart in to get food then dart out, it may take a few days for them to get used to and comfortable with the new furniture. They may not even go in to the crate right away because it may take them a few days to find the new food source.

Along with a crate you could try my favorite Idea (I haven’t tested it on rats, but it has worked on squirrels) First thing when you get there find a wall the rats fallow and take a salting cracker with peanut butter on one side and smash it into the wall about 5 inches off the ground. I bet they will run along the wall then smell the peanut butter . Back track to locate it then stand up nicely for you to take the shot.
The big trick is to smash the cracker into the backstop so the animal can’t just tear the whole cracker of and run away with it.
Good Luck
Roger

[Lyle]

Just looking arround the cupboards I have found a lot of potential rat bait My Wife asked me this morning what I was looking for,I simply told here "Bait". She shook her head and said that this gun has turned me into a little kid. Is'nt that great! I love it.

I have a plan to modify the milk crate into the rat bait station. I know I promised you guys some photos so as soon as I have this thing done and in place at the farm I will have some photos. I took some on my cell phone because I always forget my camera. I will see if I can down load them from my phone.

[Lyle]

Hope this worked. This is one of the photos from the farm. This is the Pigeon I shot off the top of the Silo at 75 yards.

[Lyle]

1 of 76 sparrows. This one head shot at 40 yards.

[Lyle]

Ok Guys here is the layout of the Battle Field.