Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)
- Thread starter mainewoods
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Since seeing them last summer I've not heard much at all about them. CSX is also tinkering with a hydrogen fuel locomotive but I've also not heard much about that one either.
FXJenkins
Logwood burning through the nights
I don't know what you just said, as I'm still glancing at your profile pic...
I only use the live traps at my rental way to populated to use a gun . At my place in the Catskills I dispatch them on the run this guy met wit a 30-06
I am looking to purchase a large caliper air rifle in the future .The .177 I have now is good but it’s not that effective at longer range maybe a .30 or .50 PCP
After a few seasons of light mouse activity this year they were rather fierce when it started to get cold. Been using a combination of traps in the house from the "old school" Victor wooden base traps to the newer black Tomcat traps along with electronic repellers from Victor. In the crawlspace under the house I have a Decon bait station along with a "Tincat" live trap from Victor (learned with the live trap to check it once a week as mice will turn on each other when they get hungry enough). Plus 2 outside cats who after cutting back some on food started catching more mice.
This man knows how to trap mice. That is a well complemented vermin assault operation you have going on there.
Change his pronouns to was/were
I use the Victor wooden traps and peanut butter. I keep the traps outside, along the foundation and storage sheds. Got about 6 on the go. The 'Hotel California' keep other critters from setting off the traps, but for the mice "You can check it out any time you like but you can never leave".
The rear panel swings away to slide the trap out, dispose and reset. For this year I stopped counting after 100 mice by the latter part of the summer.
That is clever, I am going to borrow this idea. Thank you. I have done similar trying to catch wary critters in a live trap by putting it in a garbage bag. Never thought about applying the logic to mice.
How does the garbage bag trick work on the wary critters? I've seen ground hogs not trust the single door live trap (and for good reason) and wondered if a dual door, similar to the smaller ones, would make them trust it more with 2 apparent exits. Covering the trap seems like it may make them even more skittish.
I actually think the term live trap is a bit of a misnomer around my place. This ain't no relocation program.
Agree, makes a handy container for dispatching with a subsonic 22 (in my neighbourhood) lol. The garbage bag helps with trap-shy critters by hiding the visual profile of the trap. It's as if they're just crawling into a hole following their nose. That's the way it works in my mind anyways.How does the garbage bag trick work on the wary critters? I've seen ground hogs not trust the single door live trap (and for good reason) and wondered if a dual door, similar to the smaller ones, would make them trust it more with 2 apparent exits. Covering the trap seems like it may make them even more skittish.
I actually think the term live trap is a bit of a misnomer around my place. This ain't no relocation program.
I’ve only had problems with raccoons with the single door traps…. I started putting a piece of carpet on the bottom and using a bait holder I made out of 1/4” hardware cloth. The raccoons went right in after that. I also discovered that I had to tie the trap upright so the raccoon couldn’t flip it over and unlock the door.How does the garbage bag trick work on the wary critters? I've seen ground hogs not trust the single door live trap (and for good reason) and wondered if a dual door, similar to the smaller ones, would make them trust it more with 2 apparent exits. Covering the trap seems like it may make them even more skittish.
I actually think the term live trap is a bit of a misnomer around my place. This ain't no relocation program.
I had to get a Havahart 1081 after a raccoon busted up a 1079. That was the “raccoons in the attic” debacle… trapped 9 unique raccoons and used an excluder to let others out and keep them out. This year I used an excluder to get rid of squirrels in the attic… they chewed through the soffit. Never ending…
It took 4-5 days for the package to get out of the prison… maybe it is people sized?
That's the other reason why I did it. Placing the box against the foundation or wall, the mice have no choice but to walk by the hole, smell the peanut butter and get curious. I've experimented with distance of the edge trap to the hole. About 1/2 an inch works well as it allows them to get in the hole and just be able to polk their head up and over the yellow trip plate and when the spring arm is set just right, it gets them every time. I've been using these boxes for 5-6 years now and have never had a sprung trap that was empty.
Side note, I relocate the mice to the same spot in the yard where I feed scraps to a nearby family of crows. Between the mice and squirrels, I've contributed to a very healthy and happy multi-generational family of crows.
FXJenkins
Logwood burning through the nights
..cut it into strips and don't burn your fingers....
MechanicMatt
Cut Split Stack Burn
Mark, I have a bull barrel 10/22 and a Ruger 77/17 that are both tack drivers. I’d go rimfire over air rifle at your place. The .177 is definitely loader than the .22. But that little bullet destroys critters
FXJenkins
Logwood burning through the nights
Cant argue with that. Burfab gave this a thumbs up.. so am I
The best thing to protect your garden from deer, woodchucks and rats (yea, rats were eating my tomato's as soon as they got ripe) is a solar electric fence.
Since I use elevated rows and the ground was not level, I put boards in the ground inside the bottom wire about 1/2" away from it so that nothing could get in w/o getting touched. Worked great!
The only other way to stop woodchucks is to get rid of them. I would catch them in the have-a-heart and bring them in the garage, put a 2X6 in back of it, put my earmuffs on and the 10/22 went to work.
A long barrel and CB longs isn't noticeable in an urban setting... the ambient noise level masks the shot. A guy I know lived in a close urban neighborhood. He would shoot chucks in his backyard and never had any problems... They were causing damage to his buildings and plantings and annoyed his dog.
I liked the electric fence idea enough that I looked into them for my framed raised bed garden. I found out that local law forbids electric fences... no barbed wire or contra wire either! Short of galvanized hardware cloth fence under and above the beds I'm not sure anything else would really work to keep the wild and domestic critters out. The wild ones eat there and the domestic ones crap there... I've got some formerly downstate neighbors who would raise a stink if they heard the cats getting zapped! I considered trip wires with 12 gauge blanks but that would undoubtedly be a problem too.
I cannot have any fun on my property... and the Brooklyn folks that moved in next to my parents put a crimp on fun stuff there too.I've shot more than a few chucks in a Havahart trap in my garage. I use a .22 revolver and CB Longs. I found that brain shots don't exit. Chucks are a never ending problem as I no sooner get rid of the chucks and new ones move in! Recently sink holes have started developing around my equipment and lumber shed as the chucks have the ground extensively hollowed up. No way could I put a garage on a monolithic slab up in place of the shed... Not unless I dig the whole area out down to the bed rock and fill it with compacted item 4. At that rate a poured concrete foundation probably makes more sense as the chucks couldn't burrow through or under the concrete on bed rock.
Chucks have cost me in so many ways over the years. One chewed the lower O2 sensor wires off in my new car one time... that one didn't live long after that.
