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Rats got smart

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bowopt

Member
Jun 14, 2020
125
22
Centra java, Indonesia
Hello,

I have permission at a dog kennel. The first time I went ratting there, the rats weren't afraid of me; I was just 10-15 meters away, it didn't seem to bother them at all. I placed a red torch directed to where the bait (dog food). In just minutes, a few went for the bait, I managed to shoot 2 of them. The 3rd time I went there with the same red torch and bait, none of them came for the bait. I went there a couple of times after that, and I waited for hours, but the rats didn't come out, and the bait was untouched. However, in the morning, the bait was all gone.

What's happening? what can I do?
 
Thermal, with the wind in your face. At least 30 yards from bait. Be still Be quiet.

Do not shoot the first rat you see. Sit for at least an hour and watch them. Try to figure out which rat is running the show and kill that rat first.

Also, the rats use the dogs just like we do. If one is barking its head off, a rat knows to pay attention to it and stay hid.

Opening and closing a gate will mess things up if they are onto you.

1 night a month. Try to pick a calm night. Don't return often.
 
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Ricochet said:
Thermal, with the wind in your face. At least 30 yards from bait. Be still Be quiet.

Do not shoot the first rat you see. Sit for at least an hour and watch them. Try to figure out which rat is running the show and kill that rat first.

Also, the rats use the dogs just like we do. If one is barking its head off, a rat knows to pay attention to it and stay hid.

Opening and closing a gate will mess things up if they are onto you.

1 night a month. Try to pick a calm night. Don't return often.
Click to expand...
@Ricochet The dogs were so used to the rats that they didn't bark. They did bark when I first arrived but that died done after a minutes.

I was 12 meters away, I will try to get about 30 yards as you recommended.
 
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dv8eod said:
Even though you're using a red light, turning it on only when you are shooting will tip them off. That's why they won't touch the bait while it's lit up, but the bait is gone after you leave. Having it on a timer that comes on at the same time every day will help to calm them down as they become used
Click to expand...

@dv8eod I had my night vision on. The reason I used the red light was that I thought rats couldn't see the red light spectrum, and it helped me see movement before I turned on my night vision scope. The light was at the dimmest it could be. Looking through the night vision scope all the time was tiring.

Is it true that rats can't see red light? I also have green and blue filters. Should I change the torch filter to a different colour? How do you guys with night vision do it when there's no light? Do you look through the scope constantly?
 
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All good tips, guys. Thanks so much, and please keep them coming.
Ricochet said:
Thermal, with the wind in your face. At least 30 yards from bait. Be still Be quiet.

Do not shoot the first rat you see. Sit for at least an hour and watch them. Try to figure out which rat is running the show and kill that rat first.

Also, the rats use the dogs just like we do. If one is barking its head off, a rat knows to pay attention to it and stay hid.

Opening and closing a gate will mess things up if they are onto you.

1 night a month. Try to pick a calm night. Don't return often.
Click to expand...
once a month? Is it common for rats to become skittish after a couple of consecutive nights of shooting?
 
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bowopt said:
All good tips, guys. Thanks so much, and please keep them coming.

once a month? Is it common for rats to become skittish after a couple of consecutive nights of shooting?
Click to expand...
In my experience yes. Night 2 will be less productive, and by night 3, your wasting your time. Unless your dealing with a major major infestation
 
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bowopt said:
@dv8eod I had my night vision on. The reason I used the red light was that I thought rats couldn't see the red light spectrum, and it helped me see movement before I turned on my night vision scope. The light was at the dimmest it could be. Looking through the night vision scope all the time was tiring.

Is it true that rats can't see red light? I also have green and blue filters. Should I change the torch filter to a different colour? How do you guys with night vision do it when there's no light? Do you look through the scope constantly?
Click to expand...
Light is just that, light. The colored lights work because they aren't as harsh as plain white light which closely resembles sunlight. Rodents know that they can be seen by predators in that white light, so they tend to avoid it. The softer light colors don't normally trigger the usual response until they start to associate when they see that color something bad is going to happen to them.
Remember, they were used to it being completely dark and they felt safe. You added light and then started picking them off, so now they are skittish. Either take a month off or get a dim red light on a timer set to come on at night and layoff for a couple weeks til they get used to the light before hitting them again.
Another option would be to get an IR illuminator and set up before dark. If you are using night vision, that would probably be your best bet. Then you wouldn't need the other light, but you would have to keep your eye to the scope. You might be able to get away with listening for them scurrying around while giving your eye a rest.
 
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bowopt said:
Do you look into the scope all the time? Isn't that tiring? How do you overcome the eye fatigue?
Click to expand...
It can be very tiring to stare into the bright light of the NV scope. I try to rest in between, but my vision got distorted nevertheless. Something I had to endure and get used to it. But NV scope is the most effective way to target these rodents. I got to shoot them from 5 yards out to 50 yards. But I mostly get them within 30 yards.
 
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