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Disappointing rat shooting

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  • 23-10-2018 11:32pm
    #1
    Kran
    Registered Users Posts: 231 ✭✭


    So I finally got what I hoped would be a good permission for some rat shooting with my air rifle and night vision. Not many tillage farmers near me but I finally met one and got the go ahead to do a spot of ratting as they say. Checked out the sheds during the day and the place is packed with grain so I reckoned I could be in for a right session. Just spent the last 3 hours there and only saw a handful of mice and 1 rat which I did shoot. What gives? I know he puts poison out but I presume all those places you see the lads on YouTube shooting rats put out poison too. No cats about either that I’m aware of. Also I used Nutella mixed with olive oil as a bait to draw them out. Is there a better time of year for it? I’d literally dreamt about a place like this since I got my air rifle, I’m gutted now after that outing.


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    #2
    yubabill
    Registered Users Posts: 335 ✭✭yubabill


    weather probably means loads of food available. probably need frost to draw them to grain. farmers have good hygiene these days so don't expect youtube results imho.


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    #3
    Half-cocked
    Registered Users Posts: 4,319 ✭✭✭Half-cocked


    Wait till weather turns cold, also bait the spot regularly to get them coming in in numbers. I set up a trail cam under an automatic pheasant feeder one time. After a week or so I was getting photos of 20+ rats under it. The critters had learned when it was close to feeding time and would all gather waiting for manna from heaven.


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    #4
    Bogwoppit
    Registered Users Posts: 2,582 ✭✭✭Bogwoppit


    Don’t be put off by one bad trip, those vids on YouTube don’t mention the 15 previous trips where they only got one.


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    #5
    tuxy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,983 ✭✭✭✭tuxy


    I'm confused. Does the farmer want you drawing more rats to his barn? Was that the deal? What an odd farmer.


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    #6
    Kran
    Registered Users Posts: 231 ✭✭Kran


    yubabill wrote: »
    weather probably means loads of food available. probably need frost to draw them to grain. farmers have good hygiene these days so don't expect youtube results imho.

    Yeah hopefully when it turns colder a few might arrive. He does keep the place baited with poison but I thought that they might not bother with it given the volume of grain available. I wasn’t expecting a big bag like the vids but I was hoping for at least five just to show the farmer the benefit of having a guy like me calling.


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    #7
    Kran
    Registered Users Posts: 231 ✭✭Kran


    Half-cocked wrote: »
    Wait till weather turns cold, also bait the spot regularly to get them coming in in numbers. I set up a trail cam under an automatic pheasant feeder one time. After a week or so I was getting photos of 20+ rats under it. The critters had learned when it was close to feeding time and would all gather waiting for manna from heaven.
    I’d love if I could do that but I don’t really want to be the cause of drawing the rats. His sheds are literally full with grain, maybe 20 tons of the stuff so I thought it would be teaming with rats.


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    #8
    Kran
    Registered Users Posts: 231 ✭✭Kran


    Bogwoppit wrote: »
    Don’t be put off by one bad trip, those vids on YouTube don’t mention the 15 previous trips where they only got one.

    I hope your right, I was like a kid on Christmas heading out last night only to be disappointed ☹️


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    #9
    Half-cocked
    Registered Users Posts: 4,319 ✭✭✭Half-cocked


    Kran wrote: »
    I’d love if I could do that but I don’t really want to be the cause of drawing the rats. His sheds are literally full with grain, maybe 20 tons of the stuff so I thought it would be teaming with rats.

    If there's loads of grain already there, there will be rats once the weather turns cold. Guaranteed. Baiting them to one particular spot nearby where they can be shot won't cause an increase in numbers.


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    #10
    sfakiaman
    Registered Users Posts: 737 ✭✭✭sfakiaman


    A couple of years back I put peanuts in a bird feeder in the garden, the birds scattered peanuts on the grass and that attracted rats big time. Peanuts give off a quite distinctive smell which the rats might get over the smell of the grain.


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    #11
    tuxy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,983 ✭✭✭✭tuxy


    sfakiaman wrote: »
    A couple of years back I put peanuts in a bird feeder in the garden, the birds scattered peanuts on the grass and that attracted rats big time. Peanuts give off a quite distinctive smell which the rats might get over the smell of the grain.

    On his own property this would be fine. But please do not lure rats to other peoples property. I see Kran has no intention of doing this but many people who comment have no sense at all.


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    #12
    Vegeta
    Registered Users Posts: 11,393 ✭✭✭✭Vegeta


    tuxy wrote: »
    On his own property this would be fine. But please do not lure rats to other peoples property. I see Kran has no intention of doing this but many people who comment have no sense at all.

    Where are these comments you allude to? To me it appears that everyone is talking about getting existing rat populations to congregate to more effectively deal with them. No one is talking about luring a new population of rats onto someones property.


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    #13
    Feisar
    Registered Users Posts: 6,608 ✭✭✭Feisar


    Bogwoppit wrote: »
    Don’t be put off by one bad trip, those vids on YouTube don’t mention the 15 previous trips where they only got one.

    I used to read an airgun magazine as a lad and remember one columnist who said no one wants to read about some old fart getting rained on and going home with an empty bag.

    First they came for the socialists...



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    #14
    minktrapper
    Registered Users Posts: 1,981 ✭✭✭minktrapper


    Let us know how you get on throughout the year. Better than watching tv.


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    #15
    mylo10
    Registered Users Posts: 32 ✭mylo10


    Kran wrote: »
    So I finally got what I hoped would be a good permission for some rat shooting with my air rifle and night vision. Not many tillage farmers near me but I finally met one and got the go ahead to do a spot of ratting as they say. Checked out the sheds during the day and the place is packed with grain so I reckoned I could be in for a right session. Just spent the last 3 hours there and only saw a handful of mice and 1 rat which I did shoot. What gives? I know he puts poison out but I presume all those places you see the lads on YouTube shooting rats put out poison too. No cats about either that I’m aware of. Also I used Nutella mixed with olive oil as a bait to draw them out. Is there a better time of year for it? I’d literally dreamt about a place like this since I got my air rifle, I’m gutted now after that outing.

    As the previous comments said, wait for the cold weather. I started on rats with the nitesite (I presume you're using the same platform). I was using a .22 air rifle. First few nights were slow. But once the weather got colder the rats came in quick. I was shooting within my own chicken coops / feed barn. I've only got 80 chickens so not exactly a big "farm" yard. The rats came in, even with poison down they came around. After a night of 3-4 rats shot, they would disappear for about 2-3 nights. Then back. Once the weather got better they would go for a few months. The feed barn was pretty busy too during the cold.

    I changed the rifle to a .22lr and used federal bird shot within the barn, effective to about 2-3m. Worked very well with the nitesite. Again, after 2-3 shots they would disappear for a few days. Also used the .22lr on rats at longer distance outside the barn and worked well.

    Keep going and you won't be upset. Be patient though. The youtube videos are more than likely a compilation of a few nights. Be safe and have fun.

    Mylo10


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    #16
    Kran
    Registered Users Posts: 231 ✭✭Kran


    mylo10 wrote: »
    As the previous comments said, wait for the cold weather. I started on rats with the nitesite (I presume you're using the same platform). I was using a .22 air rifle. First few nights were slow. But once the weather got colder the rats came in quick. I was shooting within my own chicken coops / feed barn. I've only got 80 chickens so not exactly a big "farm" yard. The rats came in, even with poison down they came around. After a night of 3-4 rats shot, they would disappear for about 2-3 nights. Then back. Once the weather got better they would go for a few months. The feed barn was pretty busy too during the cold.

    I changed the rifle to a .22lr and used federal bird shot within the barn, effective to about 2-3m. Worked very well with the nitesite. Again, after 2-3 shots they would disappear for a few days. Also used the .22lr on rats at longer distance outside the barn and worked well.

    Keep going and you won't be upset. Be patient though. The youtube videos are more than likely a compilation of a few nights. Be safe and have fun.

    Mylo10
    I can’t wait to try again but I’m holding out for a few more weeks till we get some frosty nights. If I get nothing next time I’ll be disgusted. I’m hoping to get a good few and then it may lead on to getting more similar permissions.


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    #17
    minktrapper
    Registered Users Posts: 1,981 ✭✭✭minktrapper


    Keep us posted. I would love to have a go at it myself. Do rats like maize silage.


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    #18
    minktrapper
    Registered Users Posts: 1,981 ✭✭✭minktrapper


    There is frost a lot of nights now. As in it reaches 0°C at some stage during the night.


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    #19
    Kran
    Registered Users Posts: 231 ✭✭Kran


    minktrapper wrote: »
    Keep us posted. I would love to have a go at it myself. Do rats like maize silage.
    I will do and I’m pretty sure they do, I only watched this video lately and they are feeding on exactly that.
    https://youtu.be/2jrX9GQ4VO4


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    #20
    Birdnuts
    Registered Users Posts: 9,641 ✭✭✭Birdnuts


    minktrapper wrote: »
    Keep us posted. I would love to have a go at it myself. Do rats like maize silage.

    Yeah - they go mad for any type of wholecrop


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    #21
    Bogwoppit
    Registered Users Posts: 2,582 ✭✭✭Bogwoppit


    Kran wrote: »
    I can’t wait to try again but I’m holding out for a few more weeks till we get some frosty nights. If I get nothing next time I’ll be disgusted. I’m hoping to get a good few and then it may lead on to getting more similar permissions.

    Don’t get too disgusted if it doesn’t go to plan, you’ll have plenty more blank days hunting to come so you can’t let it put you off.


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    #22
    minktrapper
    Registered Users Posts: 1,981 ✭✭✭minktrapper


    Any update on this.


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    #23
    Kran
    Registered Users Posts: 231 ✭✭Kran


    minktrapper wrote: »
    Any update on this.
    I’d actually planned on going out this week but I dropped and broke my Nitecore battery charger on Monday when I went to charge up the 18650 batteries in my Night vision. Practically impossible to get a charger for 18650s in any shop so ordered a new one that night from amazon. Meant to be delivered today but thanks to AnPost it looks like it will be next week, bar they are delivering on a Saturday coming up to xmas.


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    #24
    Cadpat_cowboy
    Registered Users Posts: 238 ✭✭Cadpat_cowboy


    Kran wrote: »
    I’d actually planned on going out this week but I dropped and broke my Nitecore battery charger on Monday when I went to charge up the 18650 batteries in my Night vision. Practically impossible to get a charger for 18650s in any shop so ordered a new one that night from amazon. Meant to be delivered today but thanks to AnPost it looks like it will be next week, bar they are delivering on a Saturday coming up to xmas.

    For future reference man all vape shops should stock them as 18650s are used in alot of vapes.


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    #25
    Kran
    Registered Users Posts: 231 ✭✭Kran


    Cadpat_cowboy wrote: »
    For future reference man all vape shops should stock them as 18650s are used in alot of vapes.
    I actually did try the local one but the charger they had looked like ****e. I did buy Nitecore 18650s online from a vape shop in Galway about 2 years ago but for the life of me I couldn’t find the website again, I know it didn’t have a .ie address but can’t remember anything else. They had a good selection of stuff there too.


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    #26
    Eddie B
    Registered Users Posts: 1,974 ✭✭✭Eddie B


    The wet weather we're having lately, will push rats out of the fields and into sheds etc. Should be a bit of sport to be had now


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    #27
    mylo10
    Registered Users Posts: 32 ✭mylo10


    I've a 4 cell 18650 charger if you're stuck. I'm based in Celbridge if you're near. Mine are all from E-Bay as they are hard to buy local. Let me know if you need it.

    Mylo10


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    #28
    Kran
    Registered Users Posts: 231 ✭✭Kran


    mylo10 wrote: »
    I've a 4 cell 18650 charger if you're stuck. I'm based in Celbridge if you're near. Mine are all from E-Bay as they are hard to buy local. Let me know if you need it.

    Mylo10

    Thanks for the offer, I’m down the other end of the country though. My new charger arrived yesterday anyway. Charging and zeroing tonight and hopefully rat blasting tomorrow night.


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    #29
    Damoeire33
    Registered Users Posts: 185 ✭✭Damoeire33


    I do a bit of rat control for a local farmer also, in my experience when the grain is kept dry the rats pretty much leave it alone, I have better luck shooting outside the barn where any of the grain has spilled and got damp


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    #30
    minktrapper
    Registered Users Posts: 1,981 ✭✭✭minktrapper


    Probably because it is easier to eat it. The grain would be considerably softer.


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    #31
    Kran
    Registered Users Posts: 231 ✭✭Kran


    So finally made it out again after all the ****ty weather the last few days. Total of 5 kills which I was well happy with. Started off good with one in the first ten mins. Died down then to only a fleeting glance of one now and again, not staying still long enough for a shot and no interest in my Nutella bait spots. 11 o clock came and I was heading for the car when I caught site of a cluster down the middle of a vertical pallet wedged between a wall and some bales. Loads of the ****ers in there and shot the other 4 there from about 8 yards away in my last 30 mins. It was a long deep pallet and I could only retrieve 1 of them because he was the only one near me. The rest did so many backflips they ended up farther away from me. I got some pics and a few ****ty vids with my phone and I’ll upload tomorrow if I can figure out how to on mobile.


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