The only really way to hunt Mice/Rats is to catch em' in a 5gl. bucket.....take it out to the yard....and let it go, and start blastin' away with the BB gun. Fair Chase is the only way! Just gotta get the little thing in the bucket first.
I put one more trap out last night, so I had 2 out, well guess what happened? The little bastard(s) stole the bait from both traps and didn't set off either one! What am I doing wrong? Did I finally meet a mouse smarther than me?
I'm going to try using a lot less peanut butter. Hopefully he'll work a little harder at getting every last bit and will then set off the trap.
Muleyslyr, how do you catch them in 5 gallon buckets?
WH- Not saying that this is Mslayers trick but the neighbor used a 5 gal bucket about 1/3 full of H20 and had a little bridge on top that looked like a paint stir stick, except that it was drilled into the sides of the bucket in such a manner that it would spin (tip) over if weight was put on it.
Kinda hard to visualize but he'd set the bucket next to the wood pile and the mice would (try) to climb out on the top of the "stick bridge" where he'd smear peanut butter and the thing would spin over, drop Mr. Mousie (not Moosie) into the bucket, and he'd drown. This guy would stack up 5-6 mouse martinis a night in the spring when the critters were active hump
That's great Marv. Thanks for the tip. I just might try that, if I can find a bucket to use. Isn't mouse trapping great? Year-round season and no license required! hump
The part of Seattle I live in, is known as "Rat City" ...because of the large populations of warf rats, so I have become a very good mouse/rat trapper myself.
When mouse or rat trapping always back your "set" into a corner, so that the mouse cannot jump away from the bail (the part that smacks em).
It also helps to set something (about the size of a pack of cigarettes) against the trigger bar end, because smart (or lucky) mice can trip the trap from that end, then eat the bait. I have even bent small sheet metal "shields" to guard the trigger bar and sides, and to "guide" them in.
I can tell by the "catch" your mouse lept straight up, that's why the bail caught him so high on his back.
Bucket traps are very effective too. The "tumbler" can be a stick, or a soup can, or just about anything else. Some people pin the tumbler in place for a few days, to train the mice to use it.
Without a doubt though, if you want consistant catches of the trickiest quarry, glue traps are the BEST.
You can bait them, or just use them in high traffic areas.
You can get trap glue, by the gallon, from a trappers supply, or I even see it on e-bay sometimes.
Then you take pieces of cardboard and coat them. This way you can "custom fit" the boards to the runways the mice are using and thumbtack them in place, or you can make whole zones in a room "dead zones" at night with large sticky sheets (as long as pets don't have access to the area).
You can use a rubber glove to pluck the day's catch off the boards, and set them aside til the next night (the boards, not the catch), by tacking them to the wall in an out of the way place.
You are lucky the lil woman is down with your "killing sets"... for a long time mine had a "live trap" rule. What a pain, for me.
I'd hear the little live trap go clunk, as the door dropped, then I'd leap up from whatever I as doing and rush in there, because they could free themselves fairly quickly.
Good trappin'
Krusty
P.S. If the trigger is hard to fire you can "soften it" by crimping the bar catch down a VERY TINY bit... it's the little tab that the trigger bar hooks under. If you crimp it too much just pry it back open a bit.
This is a very fine adjustment but if you bump the bottom of a set trap with your thumb (like flipping a coin) it should fire... I like mine so light I have to be careful setting it down.
Krusty (not that I would ever be a proponent of the idea ) my wife used to work at a restaurant where the kitchen manager would set out glue boards out back around the dumpster. Caught SCADS of mice every night and then got the "bright" idea to take the board and mouse and put it in the (had it in a plastic bag first...."semi" contamination free LOL) flash freezer.
Then when the assistant manager came into work he'd find these little mouse statues posed all over his desk Didn't sit too well when the owners of the place found out though!
Very cool, I have a huntable population in my wood pile in the back yard. My cat with the amputated paw and I go shoot them (BB gun) a couple times a week.
POACHER....LAW BREAKER..And above all MEANIE...Didn't we pass a law that outlaws the use of body gripping traps??? And just think,, your a "STATE EMPLOYEE"
(Note to self; check the mole,mouse and other traps in the morning )
Tony, haha...very funny. I'm pretty sure mice are exempt from the law. If not, oh well! I was very happy, when I got home from work tonight I had another one of the little diseased vermin in my trap. hump The other trap I put out last night had the bait stolen off it again, without tripping it. :BLEEP: I'm hoping for another kill tonight. I'm gonna really put a hurt on 'em! That'll teach 'em to leave little mouse turds all over my garage!
Another trap that is some what like the spin style trap above is to use a garbage can, hinge, and board that is long enough to go reach to about the middle of the garbage can.
Connect your hinge to the side of the can and balanced the board so it is is set to look like a bridge to the center of the opening of the can.
Attach hinge to board, when the rat walks out to the end of the board to get the bait, the board tips down and dumps the happless rodent into water that is in the bottom of the can and drown, then when the weight is off the board, it tips back up and is basically reset for the next little monster...
The traps above with the turning spindle is about the most effective though.