Rodents & Vehicles

[ericm979]

Poisoned rodents get eaten by predators including your cats and dogs. The poison can kill them too. I want the coyotes and bobcats to take as many rats as possible.

I have tried just about everything for pocket gophers. Even a cat- she got bored and hunted rabbits instead. The only thing that works for me is cinch traps. I have to be diligent setting and checking them twice a day. It sometimes takes a few sets before I get a gopher but I always get them.

 

[oosik]

Eric - that was my big concern on poison. Secondary killing of pets and valued predators. Until this last month I've NEVER had the coyotes come into the yard. So while I had no pet for about two years - I used poison.

However - an old fart, like me, gardens and sells his produce half way into Spokane. Stopped in and was talking to him about all the pocket gophers and that he did not have even one visible gopher dig on all his five acres. He uses a granular poison. He has taken a two and a half foot chunk of 3/4" rebar and welded a cross bar on the top - T . He pokes around with this "T" and locates a run. Pulls the T out and puts a tablespoon of the granular poison down into the run thru the hole created by the T. The PGs eat the poison and die underground. Never come up - so no secondary killing.

Look at my previous post #58 regarding PGs. I got to do something or just shallow rototill my entire lawn and go that way. My side lawn has become somewhat dangerous to walk in - easy to have a shallow run collapse and twist an ankle.

This has definitely become the year of the mouse, chipmunk, pocket gopher and now the dam pack rats.

 

[bcp]

Lawn fix:





Bruce

 

[ultrarunner]

Mom's property with gophers is a city lot... in a city for 440,000 people... it just happens that she also owns the open space behind her city lot...

Not any worry of predators coming in as the fence has a hot wire and the gophers perish underground...

 

[oosik]

bcp - that is a thought. My walkway is already green colored concrete pavers.

 

[oosik]

Yesterday there was a small chipmunk caught in one of the big 'ol rat traps. But - I've not seen hide nor hair of any rats since I caught #5 on the evening of 8/23. If this continues - I will be able to transfer my efforts to control of the hoard of pocket gophers that have made my side lawn like a practice field for a mortar brigade.

The mice and chipmunks will just have to swing for themselves for a while. Rats and pocket gophers are a much larger concern.

 

[oosik]

This morning's check of the trap line has no rats. No evidence - nests & tunneling - of rats in or around any of the outbuildings either. However - later when it warm up a bit - I'm going to refresh the bait on all the traps.

 

[hawkeye08]

When we had big outside dogs and plenty of cats, minor issues with mice and rats. As soon as the old dogs passed, then the cats soon disappeared and we had problems. We have 2 inside/outside cats and one mostly inside dog. Minor problems this year. Too many cats and they venture too far for food and are easy picking for predators.

 

[oosik]

No question about that - hawkeye. Over the years - up until about five years ago - I've always had barn cats. I alway fed and watered them too. But with age the cats got bolder and bolder and their undoing - going out beyond the influence of the big 'ol yard light - at night. The dog and I go out around 11 pm so he can do his thing before we hit the sack. Its common to see - eyeballs in the dark - just out beyond the yard light circle - out there in the dark. It isn't Mother Nature out there waiting to shake your hand either.

Coyotes - also barn owls and great horned owls. Everything eats something or some body. I keep saying it, but I absolutely need a sac of barn cats.

 

[dfkrug]

This morning's check of the trap line has no rats. No evidence - nests & tunneling - of rats in or around any of the outbuildings either. However - later when it warm up a bit - I'm going to refresh the bait on all the traps.

Yeah, my traps are stuck at 20-count of wood rats. Nothing more for nearly a week. I just got a glimpse of a big mountain lion on my game camera, 100' from the house. I guess I won't be resetting it (with memory card) after dark....

 

[dfkrug]

Here is a photo of some wood rats in my ATV. These are not babies. I had to shoo them out of the luggage box. The only way I have found to keep them from nesting in there is to eliminate most of the horizontal surfaces, such as the skid plates and the A-arm protection plates.

I recently fixed a Suzuki King Quad that was stranded in a vineyard for several months. The rat damage was the worst I have ever seen: large chunks of the wiring harness not just chewed. Missing. Big holes in the air box and some body parts. Carb corroded from urine. There was even a discarded gopher snake skin in there.

 

[oosik]

dfkrug - that picture(post #70) - that's not the end you need to be worried about. BTW - I use chunky peanut butter with salted sunflower seeds smushed into the peanut butter. What does the trick for you down there.

Geeze - I would imagine that 20 has pretty much cleared out your immediate area - for now. The "pack" is right now out in your bushes - drawing straws - who is next to - "COME ON DOWN".

You are probably in a situation like me. I'll never get rid of all of any of the rodents - mice, chipmunks, pocket gophers and now wood rats. I'd just like to reduce their numbers to a low, dull roar.

OK - your picture ( post # 71) - - those are definitely different than my type of wood rat. Mine are 2X the size of those - mine are light tan - white feet and very bushy white tail. Mine are all adults and either dumb as a post or brave beyond reasonable.

Week ago - one on the side of my house - shine my big 'ol Makita flashlight on him - he blinks - I go back in the house - get my 22 pistol - load it - back out - he is still sitting there - down off the porch - walk up to about six feet from him - blow is warm, stinking guts all over the side of my house. He never moved a muscle.

I've so far trapped two and shot three with the pistol.

 

[oldtimer 66]

This is what I use. My JD dealer sells it. It works for me, cab tractor and Gator with cab.

 

[dfkrug]

dfkrug - that picture(post #70) - that's not the end you need to be worried about. BTW - I use chunky peanut butter with salted sunflower seeds smushed into the peanut butter. What does the trick for you down there.

Next I hope to get a video, like the above one with the rat.

I usually just use some peanut butter since it sticks to the bkt trap, and allows it to self-reset. I usually let all my wildlife here alone, but when they are on my deck in my BBQ, that's it. Also yellow jackets....I despise them.

 

[oosik]

A little off topic but - - I don't mind the big 'ol yellow jacket nests up under the eves of the house. Easy to see and up there 14' to 16' above me. What really tares me up - those dam striped/stinging buggers that make nests in all the open ended pipes, tubes & channels on all our implements. Nothing more irritating than to be grunting, pushing, shoving, cursing to get an implement in the correct position to connect up - and then be attacked by an angry group of yellow jackets that just boiled out of some darn tube on your implement.

I've had that happen more than just a few times.

 

[bcp]

A little off topic but - - I don't mind the big 'ol yellow jacket nests up under the eves of the house. Easy to see and up there 14' to 16' above me. What really tares me up - those dam striped/stinging buggers that make nests in all the open ended pipes, tubes & channels on all our implements. Nothing more irritating than to be grunting, pushing, shoving, cursing to get an implement in the correct position to connect up - and then be attacked by an angry group of yellow jackets that just boiled out of some darn tube on your implement.

I've had that happen more than just a few times.

Spray foam in the tube ends.

Bruce

 

[oosik]

Hmmm........darn - common sense. Thanks Bruce.

 

[PhysAssist]

A little off topic but - - I don't mind the big 'ol yellow jacket nests up under the eves of the house. Easy to see and up there 14' to 16' above me. What really tares me up - those dam striped/stinging buggers that make nests in all the open ended pipes, tubes & channels on all our implements. Nothing more irritating than to be grunting, pushing, shoving, cursing to get an implement in the correct position to connect up - and then be attacked by an angry group of yellow jackets that just boiled out of some darn tube on your implement.

I've had that happen more than just a few times.

I've never seen yellow jacket nests up under the eaves- just paper or mud dauber wasp nests- are you sure those are Yellow Jackets?

The tubes and channels sound more like their habitats- they're also called ground bees by a lot of people around here...

I know a lot about them because I have had 2 near-fatal anaphylactic [allergic] reactions to stings by them- despite trying my best to avoid them.

To my credit, the first time I was 18 y/o and riding my motorcycle when on flew into my shirt, and stung me, and I made it all the way to 40 years later before I got nailed again working in my yard.

I didn't have an epi-pen either time, the first time because I had never been allergic to anything stinging me before, and the second time because after paying for 2 or 3 of them only to have them expire, I stopped buying them- I learned my lesson last year laying on my kitchen floor dripping cold sweat and trying to breathe- I'll never be w/o one again, and **** the cost.

Back to thread:

Our [feral front-porch dwelling] cat kills lots of chipmunks and mice as witnessed by the parts she leaves for us to find- but the buggers still keep showing up in our cars each fall.

I just wish I could find the holes they use and plug them up- they're both late 2000's Hondas- a 2007 and a 2011.

Now our 2001 F-350 farm-truck sits unused for weeks at a time, but nothing ever gets in and eats the [stale] pretzels my SWMBO stashed in the glove box a coupla years ago- even though the bottoms of the dang door are rusting out along with the bed and other sheet metal parts.

I guess it's just a tighter envelope than the cars...

We're trying dryer sheets this year.

BTW, we put little pieces of them [like a 1/4 sheet per] in anything we store in our basement- or cedar chests too- they keep the mildew smell, etc away too.

 

[oosik]

Well - you put up those two ID plates. I've got all six of those shown on the left plate and everything on the right plate - except the big 'ol European hornet. The only ones that can really catch my attention are the Bald Faced Hornets. Those buggers can be just plain mean.

BTW - the 12 to 15 Costco dryer sheets stuffed into the Crown Royal purple sack and that I hung from the cross beam member under the hood of my Jeep - smells nice - but does not detract the mice or rats one little bit.

Ever since I opened the hoods on the tractor, Jeep and pickup - two weeks ago - nothing has made a nest nor been in any of the engine compartments. I don't think they would bother the tractor, even with the hood down - its too open. But I don't want to take a chance.

Caught #6 rat in one of the traps last night. Its to the point now - I think I'm probably attracting them and bringing them in from the surrounding areas. I don't mind - the trap line gives me something to do - early every morning. Ran out of salted baked sunflower seeds - I mushed rice crispies into the peanut butter. Seems to work OK also.

 

[oosik]

Well - maybe I got them all - at least for a while. No rats in the traps this morning. No digging, no nests, no turdlets etc, etc. However - the pup and I out for our morning walk down the driveway. My burn barrel is 150 feet south of the driveway. Wind out of the SW this morning - smell of rotting rats in the burn barrel almost brings me to my knees. Whew!!! I would "do a good burn" if it weren't so God awful dry here.