Rats!

[Bawanna]

This morning our little bird, squirrel, feeding corner was doing a huge business. Birds and 3 squirrels with record size tails and lo and behold a rat kept sneaking out, grabbing some food and then retreating behind the bush at the corner of the shop.
Perfect shot from the back door and just the right range, maybe 30 yards that I have my CZ 452 dialed in for.

I don't shoot squirrels anymore but I never pass up a shot at a rat, I know squirrels are rats that live in the trees but just don't feel like shooting them any more.

So I scramble to the man cave, grab the CZ and alas not a 22 shell to be had in the house, grrrrr.

I moved the majority of the ammo out to an old freezer in the shop. Kept a good supply of 45, 223, and 06 for the Garand in case I need to keep anybody off my lawn but neglected the vermin medicine.

I've of course cured that and brought some 22 in but will have to wait for another chance now..........

Have to rearrange again and make sure I got a bit for all of them. 45 Colt in case I want to go cowboy, 12 ga in case we opt for the scattergun, oh I got that covered forgot. Maybe some 30-30. Might have to bring it all back in, might want to hole up ya know?

[jeepster09]

He's laughing at you!

[yqtszhj]

This morning our little bird, squirrel, feeding corner was doing a huge business. Birds and 3 squirrels with record size tails and lo and behold a rat kept sneaking out, grabbing some food and then retreating behind the bush at the corner of the shop.
Perfect shot from the back door and just the right range, maybe 30 yards that I have my CZ 452 dialed in for.

I don't shoot squirrels anymore but I never pass up a shot at a rat, I know squirrels are rats that live in the trees but just don't feel like shooting them any more.

So I scramble to the man cave, grab the CZ and alas not a 22 shell to be had in the house, grrrrr.

I moved the majority of the ammo out to an old freezer in the shop. Kept a good supply of 45, 223, and 06 for the Garand in case I need to keep anybody off my lawn but neglected the vermin medicine.

I've of course cured that and brought some 22 in but will have to wait for another chance now..........

Have to rearrange again and make sure I got a bit for all of them. 45 Colt in case I want to go cowboy, 12 ga in case we opt for the scattergun, oh I got that covered forgot. Maybe some 30-30. Might have to bring it all back in, might want to hole up ya know?

I can relate to that exact story only it was an armadillo instead of a rat. Never did get that thing.

Best of luck with your dilemma. If you get it post a pic of the trophy for those of us who have lost such battles.

[340pd]

I live on a wetlands and my squirrel/bird feeder is always full of creatures. I have also limited my choices for extermination with my 22 pellet gun (I live in the near city suburbs so any shooting involving a primer and a bullet would be frowned upon) Yes I know the police include pellet guns in the no tolerance category but is is a bit easier to defend.
Last year it help dispatch a large ground hog, and a couple of muskrats that had dug under my yard causing a large section of it to drop well over 12".
Between three neighbors and two years we have removed nearly 100 rabbits some of which stripped and destroyed nearly $1000 worth of newly planted shrubbery, and a number of red squirrels that loved to winter in neighboring attics. I also learned that one dead crow left on the ground in the woods will prevent them from coming back and destroying my feeders. That was a shot of at least 40 yards and one pellet.

[Bawanna]

I actually have a good pellet rifle scoped and has a 22 and a 177 barrel. Had pellets too, should have grabbed it I guess, wasn't confident of the shot but I should have tried.

I'm in a legal shooting area but grown up around and not far, couple blocks from where no shooting starts. Surrounded by tree huggers, so I don't shoot much, just now and then. I know they would petition to shut my area down too.

We don't go Armadillo's around here, can you off them with a 22. Like to get one to replace my tin foil hat, heard they work just as well. I got a big head so it would have to be a big one.

[JohnR]

https://i.pinimg.com/236x/67/c4/c3/67c4c3d5c24054d4ae2606a048f02126.jpg

[yqtszhj]

https://i.pinimg.com/236x/67/c4/c3/67c4c3d5c24054d4ae2606a048f02126.jpg

Now that’s funny. I think a .22 would do it with a rifle (not a pistol). Next door neighbor got one with a 12 gauge about 3am. A pellet won’t penetrate. Don’t ask me how I know....

[Mike_usn_ret]

I have a great advantage of no kids or grand kids in the home. When the grand kids are coming they are a few hours away and we always get a phone call ahead of time. Every firearm of all calibers are loaded and ready for use in in areas of the house until I get a call they are coming.

[Ed M]

Cut my lawn for the first time this year today.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered a small hole about 5" in diameter on the edge of my nicely mulched dogwood tree - right smack dead center in my front yard.

Gotta be a young groundhog that did this.

I live right next to the local high school, in the middle of suburbia. I think the borough would frown on me shooting it, so I guess I'll just have to settle this affront to my manhood by setting up one of those live trap things.

Back in the day, I'd have whacked that vermin with my compound bow.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XNr-BQgpd0

[wyntrout]

I tried a .177 pellet pistol... 420 fps, CO2-powered, at about 3 feet, on an armadillo. Two hits between the eyes didn't stop it! I finally got an axe from the neighbor I was trying to help and whacked it. They really tore up her flower garden.

I bought a machete after that, but never had to confront an armadillo again. I added barriers to the bottom of my fences to stop them from easy access to the yard.

[Wlfman13]

Ed M, you can buy smoke bombs that are made to be placed inside the hole/tunnel. Then, the hole/tunnel is sealed up with dirt. That might to the trick.

-Wlf

[Ken L]

I've used the CCI "Quiet 22" to dispatch skunks in the back yard. I live in town, and they don't make any more noise than a pellet rifle. That's in the back yard, which is fenced with no neighbors directly behind. I wouldn't in the front yard though.

[Ed M]

Ed M, you can buy smoke bombs that are made to be placed inside the hole/tunnel. Then, the hole/tunnel is sealed up with dirt. That might to the trick.

-Wlf


Hmmmmm. This got the wheels turning.

Broke out my BDU's and some face paint and headed down to the Army/Navy store. Would you believe they don't sell claymores, or even (live) handgrenades? But you can buy a pair of pink Crocs.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

Headed home, and did a little recon. This is the enemy base camp:

16028

Changed back into civies, swallowed my pride, and went down to the hardware store. Those goofy live trap things are $60 !!!!

I remembered your advise about the smoke bomb, and these look promising. Anything ya gotta insert a fuse in and light can't be all bad. The packaging is also soothing to the ego.....


16029

[Bawanna]

Can't buy claymores no more? What the heck is going on around here?

[Ed M]

No claymores. Whodathunkit?

The hardware store had a staggering array of pest control products. Everything from electronic devices to chemical warfare products.

They had a spray bottle of stuff that they claim repels deer. I can just picture some snowflake chasing deer in his yard while squirting stuff from a spray bottle at them.

Hopefully, these smoke bombs work. IIRC, you can mix Ivory dish soap with gasoline to make napalm......

[Bawanna]

Ate too much Ivory soap in High SChool, never could acquire a taste for it. That was in the days before positive reinforcement for the teachers.

Got me wondering about a delivery system for the napalm now though since we apparently can't get claymores no more. I better hoard what I got left and not waste them I reckon.

[OldLincoln]

Ate too much Ivory soap in High SChool, never could acquire a taste for it. That was in the days before positive reinforcement for the teachers.hoard what I got left and not waste them I reckon.
I got a lot of positive reinforcement in grammer school and I have the knuckles to prove it. Let me tell you, the nuns were positive I screwed up and generous with applying reinforcement!

[Bawanna]

I'm still pretty much afraid of nun's and priest to this day. I'm sure the priest wasn't a mean man but in the tender formative years he was quite intimidating.

A couple of the nuns I'm convinced were genuinely mean. Way too much satisfaction with the ruler if you ask me.

[Ed M]

The nun that taught my 4th grade class was Sister Aloysius.

We used to call her Vicious Aloysius.

She was so mean, she used to whack us on the knuckles with her ruler - on edge. It was one of those big rulers with the metal edge. It was not uncommon for it to draw blood.

[Bawanna]

Oh yeah, always the edge, much more painful that way.

I don't even remember names, maybe they hypnotized me and removed that part of the nightmares.

[ltxi]

Makes me even happier I'm not/wasn't Catholic.

[jeepster09]

.....

[berettabone]

This is why, in the city, a blow gun is a very useful and quiet tool.............................................. ..................

[Bawanna]

I got a blow gun too, a long one, maybe 4'. Used to be pretty good with it too but you gotta get close.

Wife hit a nuisance dog, a pitbull with a dumb dumb right on the end of his nose, never came around again after that, must have stung pretty good.

[gb6491]

I got a blow gun too, a long one, maybe 4'. Used to be pretty good with it too but you gotta get close.

Wife hit a nuisance dog, a pitbull with a dumb dumb right on the end of his nose, never came around again after that, must have stung pretty good.
Don't you have a manly, large bore thumb buster? It seems to me that some wax/paraffin bullets (over a primer) out of one might do the job without any huffing and a puffing
:w00t:

[340pd]

I got a blow gun too, a long one, maybe 4'. Used to be pretty good with it too but you gotta get close.

Wife hit a nuisance dog, a pitbull with a dumb dumb right on the end of his nose, never came around again after that, must have stung pretty good.

My mind is wandering but for fear of being kicked off this great forum I will let it go.

[yqtszhj]

Don't you have a manly, large bore thumb buster? It seems to me that some wax/paraffin bullets (over a primer) out of one might do the job without any huffing and a puffing
:w00t:

My mind is drawing a blank, thumb buster???

[Bawanna]

Single action revolver, think Ruger, Colt, 44, 45 LC etc. My favorite guns truth be told.

[yqtszhj]

Single action revolver, think Ruger, Colt, 44, 45 LC etc. My favorite guns truth be told.

I feel pretty dumb, should have known that. Oh well, it’s not the first time.

[OldLincoln]

When a pup, my uncle handed me a revolver and box of bird shot. My job was to sit near the hay stack and shoot mice. Surprising on how many I got and they "just kept a coming but not as many as were before". Thinned the herd for awhile. Kinda fun.

[gb6491]

When a pup, my uncle handed me a revolver and box of bird shot. My job was to sit near the hay stack and shoot mice. Surprising on how many I got and they "just kept a coming but not as many as were before". Thinned the herd for awhile. Kinda fun.
Was that in 1814?;)

[Bawanna]

Maybe that was the 1812 mixup we studied about in history class before the liberals banned such studies. That kept a coming but not as many as were before sounds plumb familiar.

[AJBert]

Maybe that was the 1812 mixup we studied about in history class before the liberals banned such studies. That kept a coming but not as many as were before sounds plumb familiar.

I believe that would be a paraphrased quote from the Johnny Horton song, "Battle of New Orleans."

[OldLincoln]

You be right

[Bawanna]

Yup, I got a few Johnny Horton records, remember them round things that spin around and you put a little needle on it and it makes noise?
Sure I got the records, not sure I got anything to spin them on anymore.

Still drying to figure out Blue Ray or what ever they are, looks like a DVD to me but different I guess. It's a whole new world these days.

[ltxi]

Yup, I got a few Johnny Horton records, remember them round things that spin around and you put a little needle on it and it makes noise?
Sure I got the records, not sure I got anything to spin them on anymore.

Still drying to figure out Blue Ray or what ever they are, looks like a DVD to me but different I guess. It's a whole new world these days.

Methinks when, and if, you discover the real, latest new world your head's gonna asplode. :)

[jeepster09]

Latest new world....eeow. I want to find that Island with Ginger and Mary Anne.

[Bawanna]

I'm pretty sure Amelia Earheart is on that same island. Good luck with the search.