I'm using some god awful cheese, putting it on with a knife. The rats love it better than peanut butter. At $24/lb they'd better. I'm using it because I can't stand it.
Upvote 0
- The AGN App is ready! Search "Airgun Nation" in your App store. To compliment this new tech we've assigned the "Threads" Feed & "Dark" Mode. To revert back click HERE.
Advice on rats
- Thread starter HogKiller
- Start date
I love rat hunting! I have a Sightmark Mini on my P-rod. I put some chicken scratch out at a safe spot to shoot and a cheap Harbor Freight motion detector. It’s almost always one clean shot to the head.
Upvote 0
I've shot a couple mice this year by pure chance, early summer I shot one rat behind my neighbors house. There's a restaurant and a gas station on the other side of the eight foot privacy fence at the back of his yard. Over the last few years it's the only rat I've seen back there.
Upvote 0
Have I mentioned that I've been hitched to the same woman for 52 years? This old beat up body don't do no small spaces much less ones that aren't vertical.Gal? Make that effort…So you’re not able to setup on them from an upright position? Or maybe a sitting overwatch position? Hope you can get at them…
Upvote 0
You and your sweetheart have me and mine by 10 years. God bless you… I guess the rats in the crawl space are safe.
Upvote 0
Usually the first rat. It leaves a scent trail that others follow. It can last for a long time. A really long time.
If the area provides shelter and protection, they will inhabit it before moving off to find food. It's a plus for them to not have to go very far for food.
Since it's a crawl space, may as well take up residence since all 3 things are in the same place.
Upvote 0
Yep, now if there were up where I could be somewhat comfortable they'd be dead. I've read somewhere that cats cannot keep up with a rat infestation, unless you have enough cats and or dogs. Cat's take their time, dogs will crush them and move on. There is a guy on YouTube that uses dogs, they can get several hundred in a day, even put them in the bucket.
Upvote 0
Well, if it gets lively under there this winter, invite me down; I can't walk well but can still do the worm, that should get me through the crawl space and back. I'll bring a bike-light-helmet and my Diana Chaser pistol. You take the ones that scurry out past me!
My wife and I celebrate our 33rd anniversary tomorrow; we have a ways to go.
Upvote 0
Well, not going to promise rats but..how about ground squirrels? I generally go on weekdays, if my self-unemployed business lets me. Sometimes I go on the weekends but not often. Range is from 50 to 125ish yards. Look up a few of my posts in the Hunting forum.
Upvote 0
Wow, thanks, that would be a blast! But can I shoot accurately that far? Not right now, but when I do I'll ask again!
Upvote 0
I never thought I'd be able to, have to get out there and do it. I generally set up targets to get things warmed up or get sighted in. Never thought I'd be able to shoot off of a tripod and now, doing it.
Upvote 0
HK, thanks for the encouragement, now my airgun life has purpose: to shoot 1moa at 100 yards, maybe with even more than 2 pellets within an inch, even if it is only once. Shelved above the Daisy and all the cheapo springers, I have an Airforce Condor, with the reputation to be "a one moa, once in your life" gun if I can set it up right, with the right pellet.
So, yesterday afternoon I ranged the longest lane I could find in my yard, 55 yards, set up a target and found out that my Condor, while sub-inch-accurate at 27yd, is completely inaccurate at 55yd. I tried 6 types of pellets and I could see they were spiralling inches to a foot. Kinda cool to watch. But that is with two severe handicaps: the gun is running on CO2 with .22 pellets flying in the 700s fps, and I shoot ballistically-challenged unleaded pellets. Great for the backyard, not great for this goal. But I had a great day!
So then I converted the gun back to air. I hand pumped 440 pumps into the bottle (a "good" workout if one goes slowly), and dry-fired the gun a couple times to seat the valves and such. There is a set of orifices for the valve, and I picked the .123 inch one (medium-small) to start with. I'm aiming to get 15-20 grain .22 pellets into the 900fps range, and tune from there with the gun's power wheel. When I start seeing half-inch groups at 55 yards, I'll let you know!
Plan C will be a .25 barrel and pellets.
Plan D will be to go to lead, but at least I would have given it all the hippie try.
Upvote 0
if you are using bait to bring the rats in . i like to use chocolate sauce or any food item they cant pick up and move off with and give you more time to take a good shot . also using red filter on my lamp when shooting at night works great .
Upvote 0
I use bird seed because it's so small they can't get enough and walk off so they tend to stay around and Munch on it. Also less likely to attract ants and as a longer Shelf life.
Upvote 0
Hogkiller- I'm about 40 minutes away from you and would love to get out to take care of some squirrels if you are looking for help/ company. I've taken squirrels and a goodly number of raccoons too. The M3 in .22 does the trick nicely!
Upvote 0