running a trap line

[aladatrot]

My boarder and I are running a trap line for rats in my barn. I have puppies right now, so I can't put out a lot of poison like I'd normally do. We have those have a heart traps, and we used old bagels as bait last week with no luck at all. This weekend, my boarder decided to use candy as bait so she took a hammer to some tootsie roll pops and threaded them onto the bait hooks. Three rats caught so far on the Tootsie Roll Pops. Tonight, we have a trap set up in Catch Dog Tyson's place just out of his reach. There are two rat entrances in there under the wall. I'm so excited about catching the rats - it's like varmint hunting but without the cool pelts to sell afterward. Hey, hunting is hunting, right?

M

[Mike]

You need a pellet gun with night vision on it.

[jdt]

yeah mandi, hunting is hunting but before you resort to eating one ( iknow the economy is bad..... but)  let circle c go on another hunting trip for ya. lol


 hey cris im trying to help ya all i can buddy.ha ha

[So Oklahoma Cur Dogs]

 a rat trap line..lol

[matt_aggie04]

Micheal Waddel has a hunting episode where they are hunting antelope and the hunting is a little slow.  They are staying an old farm house that is FULL of mice and they set a trap line like yours and video their daily catch, it is pretty funny to say the least 

Matt

[Circle C]

While Mandi is running her rat trap line, I have been doing a little hunting of my own. We planted a couple of our pens in oats and milo, and the birds think they are at a buffet. Pulled out the 22, loaded some CB's (sub sonic) and I have been dropping the birds. I actually shot my first banded bird yesterday. Called in, and they said it will be 2 weeks before I get a report on the bird.

So between the rats and the birds, we won't be going hungry anytime soon

circle c go on another hunting trip for ya

It's already booked for next month

[aladatrot]

Yeah, I had to google grackles to see if he was exceeding his daily bag limit on them. As it turns out, if they are in the process of damaging my crops or if I perceive them to be damaging to my crops, he can take whatever means necessary to destroy them. That's French for Open Season. Today, I'm getting a trap from the feed store to thin out the local pigeon population as well. I don't mind the pigeons, but their numbers need to be kept in check.

BTW, I know the economy is getting bad and many of you are trying to cut costs. If you end up getting off that duck lease this year, Chris is selling guided hunts in our back yard.

Cheers!
M

[aladatrot]

Got two in one trap last night on Sugar Cubes! Looks like this is turning out to be a great season. Is anyone certified to score rats? I think I have one for Boone and Crockett!

Cheers!
M

[Bryant]

Mandi,

Try baiting with a hunk of peanut butter.  Best bait I ever used for traps.

[aladatrot]

We'll try the peanut butter tonight. Balled up bread caught 4 in one trap last night, but they were shoats or whatever you call juvenile-ish rats. They weren't as big and toothy as some that we've caught that were easy 160 class. I guess you could call the ones last night culls. Got to get home and check the traps - I have a pigeon trap set in the round pen WOOHOO!

Cheers
M

[pig snatcher]

You have way too much time on your hands. 

When are we gonna get to see some trophy pictires? Maybe a guess the wieght.

[aladatrot]

Coming right up.... As soon as we catch another, I'll get photos up.

Cheers!
M

[aladatrot]

Two more down, but my boarder disposed of them before I could get pics. I really wish I had gotten there first, one was a sure enough trophy apparently.
I may start selling guided hunts. Yesterday morning, we hunted them with a pack of dogs. They sniffed one out and staked out his hole for a long time. We didn't get any tied, but it was still pretty cool.
Cheers!
M

[pig snatcher]

M, you are goint to have to get a little jack russel or patterdale to dig him up once your strike dogs get him cornered up in his hole.

I may need you expert trapping services.

Went out late the other nite and my wife's mentaly challenged cat (I hate that cat)was sitting about a foot from its bowl under the garage watching a verry fat mouse eat its cat food.  Instinctivly I yelled "catch him, catch him" but apperantly cats do not respond as well to that as dogs.  Cat hauled tail one direction and the mouse went the other. LOL

Stupid cat.

[slimpickins]

Instinctivly I yelled "catch him, catch him" but apperantly cats do not respond as well to that as dogs.

ROFLMAO

[catchrcall]

my wife had an old tom that would bring live mice into the house if you didn't check him out before you let him in.  we tried having a bird feeder on the porch rail but it turned into more of a cat feeder.  i guess a raw meat diet works on cats too. 

Mandi, maybe you can make a miniature figure 6 trap and keep catching them all night long.  better yet, get them aussies to just heard them into it.  Pups gotta start somewhere!

[aladatrot]

One more down!

It's not any sort of trophy so I didn't take the photo. It's a juvenile (a button buck) - probably the littermate to the four that ended up in one trap a week ago. We had a serious problem in the barn like we do a few times a year. I have Aussie pups right now, so I can't really poison the rats in case one were to curl up and die in my puppy nursery. Anyhow, running the trap line is much more fun.

Cats don't work and I haven't had one in years. I tried every method with cats from keeping them a little hungry to feeding them like an athlete. I have tried both wildish cats and domestic ones with not much luck other than my dogs and one horse occasionally getting attacked by a hormonal kitty in a bad mood. My pack of Aussies have produced more mouse killing than cats ever have for me. Rats, however are another story. I guess these field rats are too big and toothy for my aussies to catch and they're just plain hard to get bayed up so I could send in a bulldog (don't think I haven't thought of this - Meat Head will catch ANYTHING that is bayed). These darned rats are a challenge!

Any ideas on the trap, lance? I don't know what type of trap door mechanism would hold a big rat while still allowing others to come in. The problem is that they can use their "hands" to pry things open, and I wouldn't put it past one to partially open the trap door to free a friend or family member.

Cheers!
M

[catchrcall]

saw an electric trap a guy made one time out of a five gallon bucket and a couple of flat pieces of metal.  the metal pieces went through holes in the bucket, a few inches apart.  hot wire on one ground in the other, bait in the bottom of the top piece.  rat walks out on the bottom piece, reaches up to get the bait on the top piece, completing the circuit and zap, dead rat.  not a pen trap, but it does continue to catch. it's powered by an electric fence charger, bucket has enough water in it to drown what ever doesn't get killed by the electricity.   i think he put it in the internet.  i'll try and find it. 

[slimpickins]

I've made continous catch live traps out of a 5 gal. bucket.

Get a can of beef broth, poke small hole in center of top and bottom, and let drain.
Stick heavy wire through can, like an axle (Fred Flintstone's car), and wire across top of 5 gal. bucket.
Can should spin freely on wire.
Coat can with peanut butter and mash grain into it.
Rat walks/jumps onto peanut butter covered can and the can spins, dropping him into the bucket.
About 4 or 5 inches of water will keep the rat from being able to jump out of the bucket.

Dispatch and dispose.

[slimpickins]

Guess you could also use a taller trash can, if your worried about them escaping.