From: REMOVE_THISdwilkins@means.net (Don Wilkins)
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.metalworking
Subject: Re: Off Topic: Killing Rats
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1999 16:48:01 GMT

On Mon, 11 Jan 1999 23:59:47 GMT, Bill Machrone <machrone@home.com>
wrote:

>Thanks for the tips. I think I'll go looking for some BF rat traps. I
>figure if I only trap between sundown and midnight, I won't get any
>squirrels. And I'd rather dispose of dead rats than live ones.
>
>Those .22 shotshells sound neat, though. I'm wondering If I'll have to
>resort to both: once one gets killed in a trap, the others may be smart
>enough to avoid traps, despite their hunger. A hail of lead, however,
>isn't something they can sniff out or learn much about--except after the
>fact. Could be a lot of watching and waiting, though.
>
>- Bill
>
>James Harvey wrote:
>
>> CCi manufacturers a .22 shotshell that works wonders on rats.

The CCI shot shells are much better than the old crimped variety but
if you put up a large piece of cardboard and fire at it from about 30
feet away you will see that you could put at least a half dozen rats
within the pattern where they wouldn't have been touched. They are
long rifle cartridges and bark as loud as a regular long rifle .22
shell. I gave up on them for house sparrows because you need to get so
close you could hit them with the rifle butt.

CCI also makes a .22 cartridge called a CB cap. These are the size of
a .22 short but have almost all of the powder removed. They sound like
a cap gun and can usually be fired in the city without raising
suspicions. Now they are lethal in spite of the small charge so don't
treat them casually. The box says the range is one mile.

You need to sight the gun in for them because at a distance you will
get more drop than with a conventional .22 cartridge. Once sighted in
though they are very consistent and will give you a nice pattern. They
can be difficult to find.

If you are going to shoot I would recommend setting up a feeding area
with a bale of hay as a back stop. Rats usually stay undercover during
the day and start moving at dusk. You might need to install some
lights as well.

I am a licensed bird bander and have built a lot of traps. Every year
my sweet gnaedige Frau starts complaining about the chipmunks eating
the tomatoes. I don't have the heart to shoot the little fellows and I
don't want to listen to the flack either so I trap them and move them.

I have found the best solution is a Havahart trap which I place in a
wooden box with an small entrance hole at each end. The box is just
large enough to contain the trap when set. The top is a single piece
of plywood and I have a hole drilled through above the set door. I
place a nail (or an underground line marker flag) through the hole so
that it rests on the raised door. When the trap is set the nail is
visible, when the trap is tripped the nail drops so I can check the
status from a distance without disturbing the scenery.

The little devils can't resist running through the box. There is no
bait in the trap. Last year I moved 17 before the tomato carnage
stopped. This also makes an excellent starling trap if you cover one
of the holes so it looks like a nesting cavity. (obviously in a
different location)

For rats I would get a piece of flexible conduit. It works nicely with
a small gasoline engine. Some people dunk the trap but I just can't do
that.

The old timers would put about eight inches of water in a metal bucket
and drop an apple in. Place the bucket next to something so they can
jump in. The rats and mice can roll that apple only for a limited
amount of time. A somewhat messier bait was powdered grain which
floated.

The Havahart, metal bucket, and flexible conduit are the metal
content.


>> Then again, you could opt for the tried and true BIG F****** Rat Trap baited
>> with Marshmallows or peanut butter.
>>
>> rats live under debris ( in holes ) check woodpiles on the ground and
>> construction debris ( paneling, sheeting, etc.) Vegetable gardens are a big
>> attraction as well.
>>
>> In light of the onerous gun laws in NJ, a .22 with a shot shell would be
>> quiet enough on your property not to attract the wrath of the "Brady Bunch"

I have used a lot of these shot shells and they are too loud for city
shooting.

From: mike@headwaters.com (Mike Graham)
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.metalworking
Subject: Re: Off Topic: Killing Rats
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1999 19:14:28 GMT

steamer@sonic.net (Edward Haas) wrote:

>	1) Rats love peanut butter; I mean really love it. It sticks really
>well to a trap and the gnawing usually sets it off, whereas other less
>sticky or cohesive baits might be pulled out of the trap in such a way that
>it might snap and miss the little buggers.

  This is true; just about every mammal loves peanut butter.  However,
I found that some enterprising mice can patiently lick it off the trap
trigger.  So solve that problem I just made sure that some peanut
butter was pushed inside the roll formed at the end of the trigger.
Once the mouse has licked off most of the peanut butter, it tries to
get at the stuff inside that roll, and that's when he gets caught.
Every time.


Mike Graham    mike at headwaters dot com

Mangler of metal.  User of many grinding disks.
Cut with an axe, beat to fit, paint to match.