# Another day ... another rat



## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

Bow only deer season opened here on the 25th. A friend has a small acerage out in the country, and gave me permission to hunt there. I went out late in the evening and sat by a small meadow. It finally got so dark that I decided to go home ... but of course just then a deer stepped into view on the far side of the meadow. I thought I had a pretty good shot, so I lined up with my crossbow and let fly. What I could not see in the failing light was that a wire cage had been placed around a small tree to protect it from deer. Although I was clear of the tree, the arrow hit the wire cage and was deflected. Naturally the deer bolted. I could not see any blood, but it really was too dark. So I went out with Zeno the next morning. We found nothing of interest ... not even my lost arrow. Bummer!!!

Today another friend wanted to go for lunch, and he met me here at the house. As we were leaving, a rat ran across the front of the yard into the hedge. But he was pretty brave and came back out rooting in some weeds. My friend was in front on the walk, and I told him to be still. I dug out my slingshot and some 3/8 lead. The rat was focused on my friend, facing away from me, head down behind the weeds, but I could see its back plainly. I let fly and hit it right between the shoulder blades, breaking its back. It squeaked, thrashed around, and skittered up into the hedge. But I got Zeno out there, and he quickly reefed the thing out of the hedge.









Here the dark spot between the shoulder blades is the entry wound.









And here is the exit wound right at the front leg, where it broke the leg bone.









If I do not have better luck with deer, I may well have to use rat for my winter meat supply!

This afternoon my neighbor asked me if I had seen any rats or mice. He said his cat has killed half a dozen rats in the last week. I told him I had killed three recently. Don't quite know where all the buggers are coming from, but at least there are fewer than there were ...

Cheers ..... Charles


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## Gunnar (Dec 30, 2013)

Nice i'm still waiting for bambi season to come around


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## calinb (Apr 4, 2015)

Charles said:


> This afternoon my neighbor asked me if I had seen any rats or mice. He said his cat has killed half a dozen rats in the last week. I told him I had killed three recently. Don't quite know where all the buggers are coming from, but at least there are fewer than there were ...


I don't know why but this seems to be the worst year for rats in my 20+ years in the Pacific NW, Charles. I've trapped three in our house. In the past, they have not been much of a problem. I never seem get a shot at them with my airguns or slingshots though. I did rid a squirrel pest from a friend's garden recently, but she tossed the carcass down the hillside when I wasn't looking and I didn't get any photos (thus, it didn't happen). However, what didn't happen was my first kill with a slingshot, nonetheless--a headshot with mere 3/8" steel, because it's what I had in pocket and I had been shooting pine cones off trees when the varmint showed-up.


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## wll (Oct 4, 2014)

Charles, I think I'm voting you in as official rat killer of this forum....it is a big responsibility but I think you are up to it ;- )

wll


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## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

Them rats don't stand a chance with a bearded sharpshooting predator on the tail all the time . :battle:


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## jpjfire (Jul 4, 2015)

Nice shot! Was that with single Theraband gold per side? What did you use for ammo?


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## Can-Opener (May 11, 2013)

Rat Man


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

jpjfire said:


> Nice shot! Was that with single Theraband gold per side? What did you use for ammo?


Yep, single TBG, as in the photo ... and the ammo was 3/8 inch lead ball.

Cheers .... Charles


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## calinb (Apr 4, 2015)

Oh yeah--it was late and I forgot to mention that you made a great shot on the rat, Charles! I enjoyed your deer hunt story too. Every hunt has a story, right?


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## mr. green (Nov 3, 2012)

Sent all the rats to you, Sir Charles. I haven't seen any rats this summer, only raccoons and skunks.


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## GHT (Jan 22, 2013)

Your rat mojo has well and truly returned, nice shot. I saw one today in my chicken run grrrrrrrrr, i was unable to take a shot through the fine mesh, and had to watch it scurry away, I was infuriated that it was comfy enough to go about its business in broad daylight, cheeky so and so, to take it will be most rewarding.


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

Thanks for the kind words, everyone. Those buggers are really annoying, and I am trying to keep them from building up a population in the immediate vicinity.



GHT said:


> Your rat mojo has well and truly returned, nice shot. I saw one today in my chicken run grrrrrrrrr, i was unable to take a shot through the fine mesh, and had to watch it scurry away, I was infuriated that it was comfy enough to go about its business in broad daylight, cheeky so and so, to take it will be most rewarding.


With chicken wire, I would just take the shot anyway and hope for the best ... you might just slip by the wire ...

Cheers .... Charles


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## bigron (Nov 29, 2012)

Charles the PIED PIPER i mean (pied sniper) of Canada


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## Deadeye Dick (Aug 31, 2015)

Good shot, better luck with the deer next time!


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## GHT (Jan 22, 2013)

Got the twat last night, not with a sling I'm afraid, despatched with air rifle at point blank.


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

GHT said:


> Got the ** last night, not with a sling I'm afraid, despatched with air rifle at point blank.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Good job! I have taken several that way myself. What bait did you use?

Cheers .... Charles


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## calinb (Apr 4, 2015)

Charles said:


> What bait did you use?


I usually glue a small chunk of apple down on the trigger paddle using sticky peanut butter, myself. It ensures they'll have to work for it! The mainstream peanut butter brands are not the best for stickiness. You want the stuff that separates in the jar and you have to stir it each time you use it.

A very wary rat might also need to become acclimated to the trap. One false trigger and they can be frightened away from it for life. Sometimes I'll tie the door actuator and acclimate the rat progressively, by moving their "free food" from front to back, over a few days. In the end, the rat learns that nothing comes for free.  It takes patience, but I've never failed to get a house pest this way.

I also have a theory that they release a pheromone when frightened so I wash my trap well after each success to try to preclude their future signalling of other rats.


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## GHT (Jan 22, 2013)

Charles said:


> GHT said:
> 
> 
> > Got the ** last night, not with a sling I'm afraid, despatched with air rifle at point blank.
> ...


Thanks Charles, I used a few grains of the food I'm feeding the birds, a mix of corn and layers pellets.



calinb said:


> Charles said:
> 
> 
> > What bait did you use?
> ...


Interesting theory on the pheromone release calinb , Ive been told to never clean, touch as little as possible and leave exposed to the elements, I've not been at it long enough to make judgement either way, but will observe more keenly from now on, cheers.P.S saw another of the lil ****ers today grrrrrrrrrrr.


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## calinb (Apr 4, 2015)

GHT said:


> Interesting theory on the pheromone release calinb , Ive been told to never clean, touch as little as possible and leave exposed to the elements, I've not been at it long enough to make judgement either way, but will observe more keenly from now on, cheers.P.S saw another of the lil ****ers today grrrrrrrrrrr.


That's very interesting too! Perhaps, if my theoretical pheromone even exists, a "no clean" policy can mask or degrade a pheromone message. I know how the consequences of animal odors can be impossible to mitigate sometimes. If a cat pees on the carpet, there can sometimes be no way to keep another cat from constantly "covering it up." You can shampoo the carpet all you want and even treat it with specialized pet products, and the site will still be marked by the competing cat. Of course a metal trap is not an odor sponge like a carpet, but I still wonder about odors, given some wary rat behaviors I've witnessed.


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## GHT (Jan 22, 2013)

Thanks for sharing your experience calinb, your theory makes sense, it is something I hadn't thought ofof myself, as I just went with the first advise I was given. I have caught on consecutive nights in the same trap, and on occasion more than one rat at a time, but more often than not there will be empty days/weeks between catches.


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## Chuck Daehler (Mar 17, 2015)

I'm surprised the rat had enough beans left in him to skitter off...that was a very nicely placed shot in a vital zone too...musta been a Super Rat....oh well, one less is one better.

Sorry about the cross bow incident...you'll nab one this season, I've a feeling. What crossbow do you use? I've got a self cocking recurve Barnett, 125lb, not a compound... but funny thing is, I can shoot my Bear compound bow better...dunno why.


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

I have an old Barnett recurve ... must be 25 years old at least. And I have an old Browning compound that is about 20 years old, or more. This year I picked up a Barnett Jackal, and that thing really puts out speed ... something over 300 fps with 400+ grain bolts. I also broke down and just got a Mini Vertical crossbow by Hickory Creek:






But I find it a B!TCH to cock by hand ... maybe I am getting too old. Anyway, I need to figure out a cocking aid. I have tried a rope and pulley device:

http://www.amazon.ca/Carbon-Express-20811-Lightweight-Comfortable/dp/B003VUOX9K/

However, using this device, I find it almost impossible to get the D loop onto the catch. And the pulley hooks tend to force the D loop on the string together so that a knock will not fit on the string. So I am trying to figure out something that will work better for me.

A number of things attracted me to the mini. It is very light weight, compact, and it easily and quickly takes down. Also, the bow string is completely free, as there is no rail for it to slide along. That makes for much longer string life. But of course it will be useless until I figure out how to cock it more easily.

Cheers .... Charles


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