RATS❗ — How to Attract Them — How to Light Them Up

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JungleShooter

JungleShooter

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RATS❗ — How to Attract Them — How to Light Them Up


❓ How do I attract them to come to a certain spot?
I understand that peanut butter is a favorite bait, but in the country where I currently live a small jar of peanut butter costs a small fortune: 14oz [400g] for 6 (six) US dollars.
So — what alternatives have worked for you?


❓ How do I light them up so I can see and shoot them?
Yes, I the temptation to buy an NV is huge.... — but it will be half a year in any case till the NV gets to me....
So, what has worked for you? Red ambient light? What kind of light?
Flashlight with a pressure switch?

My shooting scenarios are chicken farms in the country side (actually, desert) — plasticfoil roofs with wiremesh fence or plasticfoil walls.



❓ Any other advice? 😊
Would you have a rat anatomy diagram to see the vitals?


Thank you! 👍🏼

Matthias
 
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If you are after them at a chicken farm then they’re already attracted to the feed there. You should scout until you pattern their activity. You’ll be surprised how effective a red light paired with an optic can be. Also, no anatomy diagram needed, shoot them in the head or vitals…
 
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I tried for a while to just do headshots, but they can move suddenly. Now for rodents at night I just put one in the body just behind the front legs. They might run 20 feet, but they die. 16 gr going 650 fps. 15 fpe.

IMG_8399.jpeg
 
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AmosBurton said:
I agree with L.Leon that a red light and scope is sufficient. I used to shoot mice in a barn with a red flashlight and an old Daisy pump gun. They don't seem to mind the red light and it's just enough for you to see what is going on and make the shot.
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+1, that was my setup in the "year of the rat". Red bicycle lights are usually cheap, globally available and can be clipped to shine on the rat run. Multi-pump power can be adjusted to the shot and backstop. 4x32 AO scopes are cheap, light and relatively bright in low light, or just use the open sights or some kind of ghost ring and a white dot on the front sight, but _practice at night_ so you can make the shots!

You might want to try some kind of bait, and if peanut butter isn't available, try any high-fat smearable butter, including milk butter (manteca). Try salted butter. The smear of bait isn't to attract them but to get them to stop running and sniff/lick for a moment so you can take a good shot. Place bait before you set up just to the side of the run(s), and remove before you leave.
 
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Florida_Man said:
I tried for a while to just do headshots, but they can move suddenly. Now for rodents at night I just put one in the body just behind the front legs. They might run 20 feet, but they die. 16 gr going 650 fps. 15 fpe.

View attachment 418536
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Seeing your pp700sa brought back memories. Before the BRKs, it was my main ratting gun with hundreds of rat killed, for me it was a deadly pistol/mini carbine. All kills with a red light attached to the scope.
 
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Florida_Man said:
View attachment 418536
Click to expand...


Thank you all for your input so far. 👍🏼

Also for the encouragement not to bother with headshots — I won't. These are infectuous feed-stealing stinking PESTS for crying out loud! 😆


And Florida_Man, your rig looks very similar to mine — your Tatsu is my Sumo,
and your Vector 3-12x is my Discovery 3-12x....! 😆

So far it has been busy taking hundreds of rats with wings. Let's see how it does with those with paws....

Matthias
 
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I think your setup will depend a little bit on what you're dealing with. If you are in a target-rich environment the above suggestions are all great.

But when you're close to eliminating the population they can be quite a bit more timid. I know elimination is almost always impossible but I have my rat population down to "almost nothing". In that situation I've found the pricey thermal option to be worthwhile, as I can find the "rats in hiding" and kill them before the population has a chance to become significant.

I think most everything you can do with a thermal unit you can do without, plus some patience. So it's not a big deal. But if your time is precious it sure helps.
 
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JungleShooter said:
Thank you all for your input so far. 👍🏼

Also for the encouragement not to bother with headshots — I won't. These are infectuous feed-stealing stinking PESTS for crying out loud! 😆


And Florida_Man, your rig looks very similar to mine — your Tatsu is my Sumo,
and your Vector 3-12x is my Discovery 3-12x....! 😆

So far it has been busy taking hundreds of rats with wings. Let's see how it does with those with paws....

Matthias
Click to expand...
It has actually worn a Sumo for most of its life! haha.

 
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We have chicken so I use chicken scratch for bait. I put a cheap ($10)harbor freight motion detector to monitor the bait, then I go about my business. When the red light flashes “we have a visitor “. I use my p-rod with a Sightmark Wraith Mini. The rat population is down to a couple timid few. Last night the click of my safety scared him away. I always go for headshots. The last thing I want is a dead rat in the wall or attic.
 
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Kleezy said:
Gun flat down on concrete hurts my soul.
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That one right there is a tool of death, and it loves its job! All kidding aside, that rifle was my experiment in working on air rifles. You can see the marks where the tube meets the rifle. Those were from taking apart those parts with crude methods. I have since purchased a lot more tools to do things right. Unfortunately I learn best from doing, and sometimes I make mistakes. This rifle has been apart and together more than I can count.

This PP700 has taken the abuse and never skipped a step! It currently sits in a bench under a window in my office, ready to go if something that needs to die shows up at the feeder outside. It's my only rifle not currently in a comfy case. I bought that DonnyFL used with some marks on it.

It's currently on invasive lizard duty with the 177 barrel shooting 8.4 gr at about 10 FPE.

And it has a rusty screw!

 
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rats are smart, theyll figure out anything you do pretty quick, so if theyre in an area, its best to use whatever theyre after as bait and manipulate it to be in a spot that gives you a strategic advantage .. its also best not to be in a hurry and make alot of rucous and noise, just ambush them with precision and let things calm down between 'accidents' so the rest dont get privy to whats going on, like i said theyre smart and pick up on things quick .. as far as rig, well the better you can see the more success youll have, and rats 'can' detect almost any light including infrared, its best to have it stationary and 'always on' vs on a gun and swinging it around, and of course thermal is ideal .. rats also hear well, so theyll quickly associate any regular noise with danger afoot, even ligjt clicking sounds of say a scope turret, so again, its best to go real slow and make every shot a precise 'accident' that doesnt give you away, and get set up early before dark or theyll associate every sound of your arrival to the area and set up with 'Ben' buying the farm lol ..
 
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JungleShooter said:
RATS❗ — How to Attract Them — How to Light Them Up


❓ How do I attract them to come to a certain spot?
I understand that peanut butter is a favorite bait, but in the country where I currently live a small jar of peanut butter costs a small fortune: 14oz [400g] for 6 (six) US dollars.
So — what alternatives have worked for you?


❓ How do I light them up so I can see and shoot them?
Yes, I the temptation to buy an NV is huge.... — but it will be half a year in any case till the NV gets to me....
So, what has worked for you? Red ambient light? What kind of light?
Flashlight with a pressure switch?

My shooting scenarios are chicken farms in the country side (actually, desert) — plasticfoil roofs with wiremesh fence or plasticfoil walls.



❓ Any other advice? 😊
Would you have a rat anatomy diagram to see the vitals?


Thank you! 👍🏼

Matthias
Click to expand...
I started ratting w/ a red spotlight . After a couple trips , I noticed as soon as the red beam hit them they froze for a second then ran off. I have switched to green ( along w/ NV scopes ) now . When not using NV but green light only , the vermin don't seem to notice at all .I agree with the advice given as far as baiting at a spot w/ abundant feed already, they will hit the closest feed from cover , so watch for travel routes and holes . Good luck & have fun . Oh & take spare batteries for whatever light(s) you use !
 
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Contndr35BB said:
I started ratting w/ a red spotlight . After a couple trips , I noticed as soon as the red beam hit them they froze for a second then ran off. I have switched to green ( along w/ NV scopes ) now . When not using NV but green light only , the vermin don't seem to notice at all .I agree with the advice given as far as baiting at a spot w/ abundant feed already, they will hit the closest feed from cover , so watch for travel routes and holes . Good luck & have fun . Oh & take spare batteries for whatever light(s) you use !
Click to expand...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Challenging a Myth and Misconception: Red-Light Vision in Rats

Light substantially influences animal physiology and behavior. Thus, it is a prerequisite to house laboratory animals under optimal light conditions. Different species possess different sets of photoreceptors, resulting in differential perception of the ...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

According to this they can see red light but should also see green light even better. I think the key thing as an earlier post-sided was not to have anything changed in the environment no new sounds and no movement of any light. So constantly on gym red or green light will not spook them but any like this moving will. That is my experience. Note also many trail cams and webcams have IR filters that flip the mechanical lever taking the filter in and out of the camera lens system when they turn on and switch to IR mode. That makes noise which also spooks them.
 
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This sounds really good: Have a permanent light shine (be it red or green) — then it won't scare them when shooting time comes.

I think this would work really well in the backyard.
Or a shooting scenario where I could stop by every few nights.

But mine are at least an hour out of town, in the middle of the desert. So, this might not work.

But clearly, a stationary light is better than a moving light.

Thanks! 😊
Matthias
 
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