Tis the season; Pack Rats

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87 counted for 2014, 40 as of this morning this year (pack rats).
Now there is an explosion of diurnal Az cotton rats. I caught one or two last year (always turned them loose because they were cute) but this year one can hardly open the front door without seeing 2 or 3 scurrying about. Talk about prolific, I lifted a piece of plywood this afternoon and a half dozen of juveniles exploded in all directions and 15 minutes later Jesse's young ears zeroed in on a clump of grass and discovered a batch of larvae.:eek:
Disclaimer: Little ones were not harmed in this episode.:lol:
Cotton rat larvae.webp
 
Dog's only killed one so far this year, and I'm still amazed at how fast she moves when she gets after one. I'm sure in the fall I'll be back to trapping and capping, though. I'm hopeful that removal of a bunch of likely nesting areas will help out with that - and they have yet to chew through the 2 spare sets of running boards on the side of the house. Good luck,
 
Please make it stop!
These were just replaced:(
PRat 002.webp


Long story short, I have been lazy about logging catches and subsequent dunks on the calendar. July was the exception, 31 days, 36 rats. 73 (recorded) to date. Hated to do this, but I am loosing the battle, bought my first 6-pack of bait stations...
PRat 003.webp
 
Splitshot,

What are you using for bait in your traps? This year is bad down here.

So far i have tried:

Balsam Fir oil. Nope. Smells Christmas-y though.
Critter Ridder. Nope. Ditto.
Mothballs. Nope. Offsets the Xmas smell.
Chili pepper. Nope. (This one pissed me off because that could have been MY chili pepper)
Rat-A-Way. Nope. I think the rats were actually enjoying this stuff. I swear I found tiny red solo cups under my cars.
Ultrasonic Pest Repellents. Nope, but I now have a constant ringing in my ears.
 
we live on 32 acres, surrounded by prickly pear and Pack Rats. The ONLY defense that consistently works is to create a buffer zone, the bigger the better, and clear out as much prickly pear cactus from the area near the cars, sheds, garages etc.. Then install lighting that can be left on all night, LED's will not consume much electricity if this is a concern. These two measures are the only steps that have worked for me.

killing one only invites another into the vacant location, it will be an endless and frustrating adventure. Been there, with similar numbers to splitshot, sometimes catching 2 in the same trap, same night!

we avoid the coumadin/coumarin (anticoagulants) which are your basic rat baits, as we have several hawks and owls that we see daily/nightly. they limp back to their nests and bleed out, and create a nasty, rancid mess
 
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el_diabolico said:
Splitshot,

What are you using for bait in your traps? This year is bad down here.

So far i have tried:

Balsam Fir oil. Nope. Smells Christmas-y though.
Critter Ridder. Nope. Ditto.
Mothballs. Nope. Offsets the Xmas smell.
Chili pepper. Nope. (This one pissed me off because that could have been MY chili pepper)
Rat-A-Way. Nope. I think the rats were actually enjoying this stuff. I swear I found tiny red solo cups under my cars.
Ultrasonic Pest Repellents. Nope, but I now have a constant ringing in my ears.
Click to expand...

Martin and Sean, I feel your pain. I have even used the under hood strobe lights, Nope.
First Strike. I get it through our commercial supplier and from what I have been told, it just takes a small ingestion to create an upset stomach and they stop feeding. Also is supposed to stay in the intestinal track (which most predatory animals leave behind), in too small a dose to affect a larger animal. Supposed to expire in their hobbit hole out of reach.
Nikon 081.webp


Do I believe this? (Hence my reservations).....
All I know is after baiting for the last several weeks, I have not seen an exposed dead rat anywhere and the live traps have been empty.
 
Just had one of our own call and say his 2015 Tacoma was running bad all the sudden in the am. I replied either he just had the engine detailed (didn't), or rodents chewed through something important.

Sure enough the buggers got him. After the repair, Rec'd the strobe light and peppermint oil soaked washcloths under the hood. It has worked for many of our other clients that had several incidents.

By the way the air rifle with nightscope intrigues me ;)
 
I just brainstormed another idea from bowhunting and our living in a trailer days. I remember it as Skunk Screen..
http://www.skunkfusion.com/

Just remember the #1 predator under our floors was the black and white 'Stinky Cat". Family doesn't need to know that smell under the hood is from a couple of drops.:hmm:
 
Well, after I caught a pack rat, I thought I was good to go.
Today I caught 2 squirrels. This means war.
 
Don't know about packrats, but peanut butter has been an effective trap bait for other rodents.
 
BrotherRob said:
Don't know about packrats, but peanut butter has been an effective trap bait for other rodents.
Click to expand...

Agreed, peanut butter is my go-to rodent bait.
 
We have a squadron of red tails in our area that keep the rabbits down. I've seen a pair work in tandem to manipuate a cottontail out of the bush it was hiding in. Crafty creatures!
 
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