Pest Infested farm

[Lyle]

The rats found the bait station last night. Tonight I will be waiting for them. I have a red lensed spotlight to flood the area . My hide is 20 yards away,dime sized groups at 20 yards,should be able to get one or hopefully ten or twelve or 100.

[Lyle]

I set up just before dark. 20 yards from the bait station. I put a red light on the bait station and my red night blaster on my gun. sat untill about 830pm and nothing but a big black cat that just sat there and stared at me with its glowing eyes from my red light. I got up and walked to the barn. Checked out the inside of the silo and nothing. I turned around and looked through a crack in the door and my god,rats. I jumped back because the one was about a foot from my face. I moved back about 15 yards and rested the gun on some pallets. I turned on the gun light and waited. On the other side of the door there must be a stack of pallets to prevent the live stock from pushing it open. The crack is more of a gap in the boards of the door,about six inches wide. This was going to be a challenge at night. I trained the red light on the crack and settled in with my eye to the scope. I didnt have to wait long when two eyes showd up twoards the bottom of the door. Smack, I hit him right in the head. I heard him fall with a thud between the door and the barn floor. This went on until about 10:30. Rats kept showing up and sticking their nose out he crack and blam, I would shoot them and they would fall to the barn floor. I couldnt figure out where they landed because I walked around to retrieve them but the pallets were stacked quite high and no space for me to get behind them. I was not about to reach in with all the rats I was seeing. I got six total but like I said I couldnt retrieve them. I am going to set up my bait station next to the door so I can lure them outside.

Thanks again Roger for the milk crate Idea.

[Lyle]

17 rats so far and more around. I work a swing shift so it is sometimes difficult to make it out there at night.

[steveinla]

Try baiting the rats with peanut butter. They cannot resist it. I like the creamy as they cannot remove it. They have to stop for a few seconds to get some.

[Lyle]

I have shot a total of 22 rats at the farm so far. They are getting smarter and have almost learned that when the red light shines on them they duck for cover. The ones that I have been shooting as of late are considerably bigger so I have have come to the conclusion that I must have shot most of the young stock and these are the adults that I am getting. I will post again later with hopefully some more kills.

[wlambert]

75 sparrows,9 starlings and 1 pigeon so far not one rat kill that I can confirm. Took a shot out of desperation as it darted around under the one of the chicken coupes. there was a little blood so I know I hit it but could not confirm the kill.

I read somewhere, I think in a UK forum, that cat food works good for rats. Take a can and punch holes in the top. Set the can close to where you see the rats and you can hide and get a good shot. The rats are supposed to do the rest.

wlambert

[Lyle]

Up to 42 rats so far. I changed shooting location to the east side of the pen and wow,rats like you would not believe. The warm weather must have brought them top side. They still seem a little skittish of the red light but I work around that.

Got permission to shoot starrlings and pigeons right accross the road at a farm and now I am up to 44 pigeons. There must be several hundred. I set up my ground blind and set out some decoys and in they came. I would get two or three before they would spook but the would come right back and land. I put out a little corn and sunflower seed to hold them and once I had four birds I proped them up among the decoys and It seemed to bring In more. Wow what fun, All these pests within a mile of my house. My maurauder is getting a workout.