Running the trap line again!

[Captainkirk]

Went out into the (detached) garage/shop last night...it's been hot here the last week, and things have been closed up for several days. As I walked to the back of the garage, I smelled the unmistakable reek of mouse piss, and found signs they have have been quite busy and active. Now, generally I only have these sort of issues during cold winter spells when they seek out indoor shelter from the severe cold. As a result, most of the traps out there were either empty or hard/stale bait. So, I opened up a new pack and reset the old ones with some fresh peanut butter...
Before bed I went out and checked. Three traps were sprung with PB gone and two had fresh kills. This after 2 hours...
I reset all the traps and am planning on buying more tonight. I want at least a baker's dozen running daily until all these little boogers are toast. This means war!

[ShotgunDave]

We get the little bastards here too. Once I opened my BBQ and a damn rat ran out. I think I may have pee'd a little. I set the traps and caught a few. I haven't seen anymore of them.

[Len]

We have a good cat. She keeps our place free of living rodents. She lines'em up on the porch, prolly as a contribution to the household.

[Captainkirk]

We have a good cat. She keeps our place free of living rodents. She lines'em up on the porch, prolly as a contribution to the household.

We are currently petless. Though I miss my cat, I wouldn't have left him in the garage anyway.

I miss my cat...

[Hawg]

We have a few outside cats. I haven't seen any mice inside but sometimes there's part of one on the porch.

[mazo kid]

It would be an endless task here; we have too many detached buildings. A garage, storage shed, machine shed, barn, all in a state of "untidiness".... nests, urine, feces, chewed up styrofoam and boxes, stuff strewn all over, all from raccoons, squirrels, and mice.

[AlaskanGuy]

EM! you need a Jack Russel terrier...  make short work of about any pest, and wired on HI all the time.. the things are tireless and never quit..

[Captainkirk]

Two more little brown corpses tonight. I was so encouraged I ran up to the Jewel and grabbed another 8 traps. Why 8? 'Cuz that's all they had. Every single trap that didn't have a corpse in it was baitless, so I switched from PB to pepperoni. I reckon they can sit there and lick the PB off if'n they're careful. Not so with pepperoni. We'll do another body count in the morning. Hoping for a grand slam. I reckon there's prolly a dozen traps out there tonight...

[Hawg]

Two more little brown corpses tonight. I was so encouraged I ran up to the Jewel and grabbed another 8 traps. Why 8? 'Cuz that's all they had. Every single trap that didn't have a corpse in it was baitless, so I switched from PB to pepperoni. I reckon they can sit there and lick the PB off if'n they're careful. Not so with pepperoni. We'll do another body count in the morning. Hoping for a grand slam. I reckon there's prolly a dozen traps out there tonight...

Put the peanut butter on the bottom side of the trigger.

[Captainkirk]

Put the peanut butter on the bottom side of the trigger.

I did. These guys are crafty.

[mazo kid]

When we run our trap line each winter, we usually have a high success rate. Not so last winter; a lot of times the traps were licked clean, not sprung. Even in the high probability locations.

[DoubleDeuce1]

Many years ago,  I bought a “Mouse Killer” cannon from Dixie Gun Works.  It’s a brass barrel with a percussion firing mechanism.  The thing sits flat on the ground.  The trigger is directly over the muzzle.  The  bore is somewhere between .38-.45cal.  It takes about ten grains of FFFG.  A tightly rolled piece of newspaper,  about the length of the metal eraser holder on the end of a pencil is the bullet.  Chocolate or peanut butter is smeared under the trigger plate.  Those rascals slide under the plate and bang…

I’ve gotten everything from mice,  rats,  skunks and possums.  There is no question about whether the trap has been fiddled with.  It sounds like a .38 wad cutter when it goes off.   

[Captainkirk]

Two more body bags needed for tonight's tally. That brings us up to six. Added two more traps in conspicuous places and will check again tomorrow. Piss in my garage, will ya?!!!!

[mazo kid]

Hmmm, I haven't heard of putting the peanut butter on the bottom of the "trigger" before. I'll have to try that. We had 2-3 places where the traps were almost 100% kill, but last winter....not so much as I said. We know the mice are there because the traps were licked clean and some of them are very sensitive.

[Hawg]

I set them to where they're the most sensitive. I have had them go off just by gently setting them down and sometimes they will still lick them clean. The best thing is to get a cat and don't over feed it.