Took the day to do some yard work and noticed the rats had moved back into my storage shed. This is a reoccurring problem every few months that gives me the motivation to get out and solve the problem with some lead. For this job I used the Brocock Atomic that I turned down to shoot the 18gr jsb's at 560fps, just over 12fpe. At this power level the gun was extremely quiet with the 0dB moderator on. I do have neighbors that are aware of my backyard festivities but I still wanted to keep the noise to a respectful level, especially late at night. I mounted the $300 OneLeaf clip on unit that imo is about the best NV unit on the market now for the money, picture quality is fantastic.
The shed is very old and has many places for the rats to make way inside, the back of this 5x6' building is a block wall with a drainage behind that the rats use as a highway through the neighborhood. Usually depending on the night it can get pretty busy with activity, last time I got seven of them in just about an hour or so. The location that I would be shooting from was only 15/16 yards away so it's extremely close range hunting. That evening I waited till about 8:30 and proceeded out to my lounge chair where I could be comfortable and wait.
It only took a few minutes to spot the first rat moving along one of the wooden shelves, he soon came back and stayed still long enough to make a perfect headshot.
After taking break for a few minutes to rest my eyes and to get myself some coffee I was back at it again. I have in the past used a ding donger driveway alarm but the fact that I have to set up so close, they usually spook as soon as I step out the door. I have had the best luck just sitting quietly and can usually spot activity within about ten minutes. The one issue with being this close is you don't have a very wide field of view so I find myself constantly having to scan. They could be on the floor, shelving, walls, rafters etc, After my second sitting I soon spotted a few more victims, was able to take them both with headshots.
Marley and I did spend a good few hours that night and was able to take down three of the rats, I'm sure I have plenty more to take out in the next week or so. I do plan to head out to one of my large commercial properties where the rat issue is huge. This gave me a great opportunity to test out the gear and be able to have a little excitement in my own backyard, it's kind of nice. Enclosed is a short video that documents my experience as well as a few tips that may help others looking to do this type of pesting. Cheers
https://youtu.be/xHD4NrnrFHY
The shed is very old and has many places for the rats to make way inside, the back of this 5x6' building is a block wall with a drainage behind that the rats use as a highway through the neighborhood. Usually depending on the night it can get pretty busy with activity, last time I got seven of them in just about an hour or so. The location that I would be shooting from was only 15/16 yards away so it's extremely close range hunting. That evening I waited till about 8:30 and proceeded out to my lounge chair where I could be comfortable and wait.
It only took a few minutes to spot the first rat moving along one of the wooden shelves, he soon came back and stayed still long enough to make a perfect headshot.
After taking break for a few minutes to rest my eyes and to get myself some coffee I was back at it again. I have in the past used a ding donger driveway alarm but the fact that I have to set up so close, they usually spook as soon as I step out the door. I have had the best luck just sitting quietly and can usually spot activity within about ten minutes. The one issue with being this close is you don't have a very wide field of view so I find myself constantly having to scan. They could be on the floor, shelving, walls, rafters etc, After my second sitting I soon spotted a few more victims, was able to take them both with headshots.
Marley and I did spend a good few hours that night and was able to take down three of the rats, I'm sure I have plenty more to take out in the next week or so. I do plan to head out to one of my large commercial properties where the rat issue is huge. This gave me a great opportunity to test out the gear and be able to have a little excitement in my own backyard, it's kind of nice. Enclosed is a short video that documents my experience as well as a few tips that may help others looking to do this type of pesting. Cheers
https://youtu.be/xHD4NrnrFHY
