You Dirty Rat!

Amahnee · 02-23-2007, 05:13 PM

Came home from work today and let the dogs out and they ran right over under the bird feeder. That's unusual because they never pay any attention to the birds. They're sniffing around and excited so I went over to investigate and I found a brand new hole next to the edge of the concrete with fresh dirt pushed off to the side. I knew it wasn't a mole or a vole by looking at the hole. So I put two and two together, grabbed a beer and the trusty old Benjamin .22 cal pellet gun and sat down and waited. Ten minutes later I scored this piece of vermin with a headshot at 25 feet. This one is young and I hope I don't have many more to go. I don't live in an area that you'd think you would find rats, but I guess rats can be anywhere?

If this is off season hunting at its best than I'm a little disappointed.

The Hole

The Vermin

Trophy photo

stlhdr1 · 02-23-2007, 05:23 PM

Where there's one there's probably many....

Keith

fishboys · 02-23-2007, 05:43 PM

No rats in West Linn? I beg to differ

Oh and when are we going to cook those things up??

FeatherBusterOSU · 02-23-2007, 05:56 PM

Those old benjamin air rifles sure do the trick on them vermin! One of my first guns was an old .20 cal benjamin I got from my grandpa. Glad to see you are still killin stuff!

-Jimmy

Amahnee · 02-23-2007, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fishboys

No rats in West Linn? I beg to differ

Oh and when are we going to cook those things up??

When I get enough for you take home. What's your favorite way to cook'em?

fishboys · 02-23-2007, 06:56 PM

I just breast them out.

Tilla · 02-23-2007, 06:59 PM

I've said it before, keep him out of the clocktower!

Bill Monroe · 02-23-2007, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stlhdr1

Where there's one there's probably many....

Keith

You've got a bunch of them, Dave...especially if they're coming out during the day. good luck.

Amahnee · 02-23-2007, 07:58 PM

I'll have to lay a couple traps but I fear I'll kill birds too. I'll stick with sniper tactics for now.

Bill Monroe · 02-23-2007, 08:17 PM

lay them out at night and pick them up before daylight. set them along the edge of walls and close to whatever they're feeding on.
The other option is poison down the hole and cover it...It's not too bad this time of year if they die under the house, but when it gets warmer....

stlhdr1 · 02-23-2007, 08:32 PM

Just camo up and set the gamecaller (foxpro) out and turn it onto the melting cheese sound and they'll come running....

Keith

Erich_870 · 02-23-2007, 09:12 PM

Spotlighting rats is fun too. A weak flashlight will make thier eyes glow red, but you wont spook them off the bird seed.

Erich

ogrejager · 02-23-2007, 09:44 PM

Heh. That reminds me of my March chipmunk post from last year.

http://www.ifish.net/board/showthrea...it#post1101467

(the pics have expired)

I ended up, by the way, with around 14 of the devils. I finally used the birdfeeders as bait (they would eat the birdseed out of them in a day if I let them). I headshot all but one...he moved as I fired.

cwh · 02-23-2007, 11:33 PM

I love that old benjamin. Excellent "hunting" pic for the offseason.

Ryan Pultz · 02-24-2007, 03:32 AM

wow looks like you took a head shot that is totaly unethical!

rp

Snakebite · 02-24-2007, 08:13 AM

I found one of those INSIDE my bird feeder a couple of weeks ago.

Wreckless · 02-24-2007, 09:02 AM

Nice shootin'

Great photo's

I've got what I call the "sniper tower" set up in the master bed room. I actually shoot from inside the house out the upstairs window at a nice steep angle with my shed as a back stop. My last shot was off by about 1/4 inch, as the critter was quartering away at the "feed station" the bullet went in just in front of the ear

WAY more fun than trap or poison

PS remember to open the window and take the screen off, if you set up like this

D3smartie · 02-24-2007, 09:03 AM

a friend of ours used to have a once a year rat round-up and hunting day at his house. He had pigs and some other livestock that the rats loved. Well they lived down under the pigs and a contrete slab he had there. A bunch of gasoline down the holes, light it, and wait for rats to come flying out the holes. Looking back it might have been a little dangerous but damn it was fun.

nice shooting

WoodShampoo · 02-24-2007, 09:05 AM

I have found that the best place to find rats is on the other side of a door marked "Law Office of..." Those ones usually get angry when you hit them with a pellet, but it's still fun to watch them squeek and run behind a stack of books. Hehe

skybuster · 02-24-2007, 09:47 AM

As long as you put out bird seed you're going to have rats. I used to live in Parkrose and my neighbor raised pigeons. He was also inadvertently raising rats, because the constant supply of bird food meant the rats ate well.

I killed them with traps, poison, pellet rifles, shovels, and my dogs even got a couple. I would go through periods where I would wipe out 8 or 10 of them in a week, and not see them for a few weeks, but then they would be back. I asked the neighbor to figure out a new way of feeding the birds, but he didn't seem to mind the rats.

Hawk · 02-24-2007, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WoodShampoo

I have found that the best place to find rats is on the other side of a door marked "Law Office of..." Those ones usually get angry when you hit them with a pellet, but it's still fun to watch them squeek and run behind a stack of books. Hehe

Now that's funny!!

Amahnee · 02-24-2007, 03:29 PM

Nothing to report today and they didn't touch the dog food I set by the hole last night. I went out several times and didn't see any or have any runners back to the hole. I'll give updates as they transpire. Plans for tonight, but tomorrow's a new day.

Details at eleven...

Rauly · 02-24-2007, 03:38 PM

How many tags did you draw?

This thread may get to fun.

Maybe we should have a Ifish EMERGENCY RAT HUNT. Drawing and all. Unlimited tags. Nothing bigger than 300 win mag. I'm sure everyone would be willing to give a hand.

BrotherWolf · 02-24-2007, 04:13 PM

what no band?

fishboys · 02-24-2007, 10:03 PM

Come on man, Dave's not a bling hunter. I just hope Bill doesn't run a article on this and give the rat huggers any ammo.

stlhdr1 · 02-24-2007, 10:53 PM

Just don't shoot the green collar'd ones, they're protected....

Keith

Steelmeal · 02-25-2007, 07:39 AM

Little suckers can be anywhere

Wreckless · 02-25-2007, 11:20 AM

My wife just looked out the window and yelled "there's one out there".....

Another one bites the dust!!!

Wreckless · 02-25-2007, 11:21 AM

I didn't check for a band

bignate · 02-25-2007, 05:40 PM

Quote:

So I put two and two together, grabbed a beer and the trusty old Benjamin .22 cal pellet gun and sat down and waited. Ten minutes later I scored this piece of vermin with a headshot at 25 feet.

Sweet gun. I got one for my tenth birthday. I wish that I wouldnt have left it at home with dad when I moved out. The .22 cal is enough mass that it will knock down small mamals with ease. Nutria are real fun. The best part is next to no noise

Nice job

bignate

Super Fluke · 02-25-2007, 05:46 PM

Nice shot

Cool Texan · 02-25-2007, 09:07 PM

You gonna take it to a taxidermist?

Pretty funny stuff....I have visions of you on the front lawn in West Linn with a beer and a large firearm, waving hi to the neighbors, waiting on Mickey.

Amahnee · 02-26-2007, 07:23 AM

Quote:

Sweet gun. I got one for my tenth birthday.

I actually got this one at a garage sale up the street for $10.

Hunt'nFish · 02-26-2007, 10:53 AM

Nice post! I'm laughing and enjoying your prowess.

Hunt'nFish

Wreckless · 02-26-2007, 12:25 PM

Would an electric spinning wing be legal for Starlings?

HHHmmmmmmmm

BrotherWolf · 02-26-2007, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wreckless

Would an electric spinning wing be legal for Starlings?

HHHmmmmmmmm

sssssssssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hh!

burnsfactor · 02-26-2007, 03:37 PM

25 feet..... isn't that A little too far away for a head shot! Which way was the wind blowing? Nice shot! I'm doing the same thing at this time. I bought the neighbors house and his chickens. Man he had them things running all over the place. I'm down to the real smart one's.

Amahnee · 02-26-2007, 06:07 PM

No wind and that's an easy shot. I'm confident out to 30-40 yards with that gun. You just have to spend time shooting putting pellets through it. I don't know what it shoots as far as FPS but it has some wallop to it.

Haven't seen anymore in the last few days.

Scared I reckon...

stickflicker · 02-26-2007, 06:11 PM

You need to look around a little more they usually have more than one hole so if you can find the other hole stick your garden hose down one and just wait with firearms at the ready.If your lucky and there is only one hole still do the garden hose thing and the water will burp out of the hole just before the rat comes out.Good luck

cutt plug · 02-26-2007, 07:13 PM

Sweet!!!!

I wonder what the neighbors think when they look out the window and see you sitting in a chair with a beer and a rifle and an intense look on your face??????

seabass · 02-26-2007, 07:27 PM

Excellent thread, I'm lovin it. Did you shoot it out of a feed plot? Tell us about the stalk. Were you in a blind? Did you rattle it in or buggle it in?

Threads like this make it fun to read Ifish, thanks I enjoyed all of the responses. Keep em coming. Was it eating shrimp from a blown up bait box when you shot it?