No more pest around

[SimpleGuy]

There are plenty of pests and always will be. To us it’s a hobby, to them (the pests) it’s life and death. They simply altered their patterns when pressured. Seeing pests is highly dependent on ”knowing” their locations and times of high activity, which varies depending on many factors. For example I’m currently having a hard time getting on some rats in a known location. My timing is definitely off. I’ve seen them, but have been unable to get shots off. I will continue to scout that location to get the results I want… dead rats. Just takes what we all have so little of… precious time.

I don't know about that one! I've tried various different times and locations to try to catch on slipping and nothing. I've sat for hours in the bathroom window waiting to see if it was my presence and still nothing for miles in each direction. Not even a single bird chirp! I can hear those invisible pesty rattlesnakes in trees wish one would give me a shot!

 

[Trucker3573]

If they’re truly PESTS then the ideal goal is extermination. Why would you leave “seeds” for a nuisance critter to repopulate? Unless you like shooting animals just for the sake of shooting animals.

Let’s face it must of us do. The whole population control and doing the environment a favor stuff is probably 75% garbage. We are predators, is what it is and at least I ain’t afraid to say it.

 

[jarmstrong]

I have lots of birds,,, but house sparrows, and collared doves are rare, now a days,,, starlings are a winter treat for my Kozak, they can't resist the dry cat food bait.
Me, getting into airguns has changed the bird population around my feeders. But my cats still hang out around the feeders, hoping for a free meal or a sleepy head song bird
I will not comment on the spring time Grackles, as the feral government protects them

 

[delooper]

I certainly notice that raccoons tell each other about the dangerous places. When we bought our house, we'd regularly have raccoons fighting on our deck at night. After I killed about 12 of them in 4 months, raccoons don't step into our back yard anymore. That said, I still see them in the neighbourhood. They just know to stay away from our yard.

Squirrels I haven't noticed doing the same things. If they're in the neighbourhood, they'll come into our yard. Rats, similarly. The rats are certainly a lot more careful than they used to be -- they try very hard now to not go out into the open. That's about the only behavioural difference I've seen.

 

[JimD]

I has a spurt of squirrels stopping by (and getting dead) in early January and then they didn't visit until last Thursday when I missed one. It has come back but is very wary now. But I think it will mess up before long. But they definitely learn when you shoot at them and miss. Or get their buddies. I only shoot house sparrows of the birds that visit a lot and it is striking how the cardinals act versus the sparrows. The former are all over the place but the sparrows don't sit still long and mainly hide in the bushes. But when they do sit still where I can see them.... My backyard has a lot of acorns still and I don't think they can get to the bird feeder but they can get to the seed the birds scatter and lands on the ground. But there must be enough food elsewhere that they are not consistently hungry enough to chance my yard, normally. But they aren't chewing on my gutters or running on my roof.

 

[delooper]

We have a big oak tree in our back yard, but I would never notice baby oak trees growing, as the squirrel population ate all the acorns. But two years ago I put a giant hole in the squirrel population, and last spring there were young oak trees growing everywhere.

 

[iAMzehTOASTY1]

Let some come back and get comfy. Put some treats. Could use decoys too

 

[Firewalker]

Think it was JungleShooter who posted recently about becoming a victim of your own success. I told of a large crow colony roosting at a lake about a mile from my neighborhood, a portion of which claimed "ownership" near me. Raucous early morning calls, raided songbird nests and trash pulled from cans, was a daily occurrence. Took me eighteen months, but all, save one, or two, are no more. Enjoyed months of "crow-free" living, only listening to the soulful call of the Mourning Dove with my coffee. Recently a group of "teenager" crows, from the main colony, decided to test the warning they were given to steer clear, by the elders. Cost three of them very dearly, however, peace has been restored. As always, I and my PCPs stand ready. WM

I am downright jealous of your s-kill.

 

[Firewalker]

Noone said we were hunting

I don't 'hunt', did that for uncle Sam a few decades back, I only 'pest' now.

 

[Airgunner614]

I has a spurt of squirrels stopping by (and getting dead) in early January and then they didn't visit until last Thursday when I missed one. It has come back but is very wary now. But I think it will mess up before long. But they definitely learn when you shoot at them and miss. Or get their buddies. I only shoot house sparrows of the birds that visit a lot and it is striking how the cardinals act versus the sparrows. The former are all over the place but the sparrows don't sit still long and mainly hide in the bushes. But when they do sit still where I can see them.... My backyard has a lot of acorns still and I don't think they can get to the bird feeder but they can get to the seed the birds scatter and lands on the ground. But there must be enough food elsewhere that they are not consistently hungry enough to chance my yard, normally. But they aren't chewing on my gutters or running on my roof.

I miss more squirrels than I hit.

 

[dizzums]

put you a few chickens in there and some feed .. trust me lol, hell my hens took one out themselves yesterday that 'crossed the line' probably when they were sitting laying an egg ...

 

[maxtrouble]

I miss more squirrels than I hit.

What you need is an HW30! Accurate and a joy to shoot. Plenty of power to take down back yard pests.

 

[AlDubya]

Been chewing the fat for a while on the idea of doing what the guys across the pond do;...shooting rats at a local trash transfer station, where the trash is first dumped and sorted before being disposed to landfill, etc. From the youtube vids, there appears to be an endless horde of the vermin at these places and the guys seem to be having a blast, pun intended, picking them off. I've located a couple within 10 miles of where I live and would love to offer them my free rat extermination services...feeding them a diet of 30+fpe of lead. But I'm struggling with how to sell them the idea without spooking them into invoking their "liability issues" fears. Thoughts, anybody?

 

[JungleShooter]

Been chewing the fat for a while on the idea of doing what the guys across the pond do;... shooting rats at a local trash transfer station, where the trash is first dumped and sorted before being disposed to landfill, etc. From the youtube vids, there appears to be an endless horde of the vermin at these places and the guys seem to be having a blast, pun intended, picking them off. I've located a couple within 10 miles of where I live and would love to offer them my free rat extermination services...feeding them a diet of 30+fpe of lead. But I'm struggling with how to sell them the idea without spooking them into invoking their "liability issues" fears. Thoughts, anybody?

Great question:
"How do you sell the trash owners the idea of shooting their rats?"

I'm in the same boat — well, about to board it. Looking at NV.

Please, let's hear some answers!

Thank you!

Matthias

 

[Airgun-hobbyist]

Some food for thought... Eliminate be all of the pest rodents and vermin like rats and mice because they carry disease and whatnot. But the larger birds, rabbits, and meaty "game" animals may just as easily be spared at this time, (for next generation seed population).

Many times in the past (historically) we have eradicated game animals in the name of sport, war (buffalo), and what have you. However, these pigeon and rabbits are tasty treats when in times of famine. If SHTF, and store shelves get barren of essentials like when Covid hit and nothing was transported, or every year (regionally) during a major hurricane or an northern ice storm or the like, and can be transported, you may wish there were game in the back yard for dinner, just saying. Let's not dismiss the possible world war on the horizon (from all if these do-gooder countries getting involved in others country's' business), you may want to save that meat for later.

 

[Chukar60]

You have not killed all of them. Not even all in your small area. They just learn quick that your yard ain’t no place to be if you enjoy sucking oxygen.

 

[rcarlisle]

Yes, my squirrels and rabbits get a pass, unless they are damaging property. They are my living larder. Chipmunks, mice and rats are the only things that need to look both ways before crossing my yard.

 

[dv8eod]

Was just sitting with a neighbor a couple doors down, and he informed me of his issue with squirrels in his attic. While we we were chatting, we watched several others roaming over the roofs of a couple more. He called a pro to come trap those in his attic. Ran him $500 to get rid of them.
We also discussed my yard being squirrel free for the most part. For the longest, I kept them thinned out on our block, but the ones across the street had free rein and eventually overpopulated to the point where they are now invading my neighbors houses.
Everyone in the neighborhood knows what I was doing and why. Only a couple actually gave me permission to shoot them out of their yards. The others just thought I was killing for the sake of killing; the guy I was sitting with being one of those.
Now not so much. He's going to talk to his wife and see how she feels about it and then get back with me about access to their yard. $500 on a very limited income isn't something they can afford to deal with, and now my preemptive actions are sounding alot more reasonable. Especially after the pro made similar remarks about how it most likely will happen again.
I've been watching the squirrels chew through the soffits and fascia boards on a couple houses and out buildings in other yards, and let the owners know when I see them. For the most part, they are concerned, but not as much as they wonder how much money I want. I tell them I'll do it for free, but it doesn't quell the suspicions. A few do give me access to their yards, though, so I can at least clean up after myself. Leaving rotting carcasses all over the place would definitely cause problems with the ones I'm trying to help.

 

[HogKiller]

Was just sitting with a neighbor a couple doors down, and he informed me of his issue with squirrels in his attic. While we we were chatting, we watched several others roaming over the roofs of a couple more. He called a pro to come trap those in his attic. Ran him $500 to get rid of them.
We also discussed my yard being squirrel free for the most part. For the longest, I kept them thinned out on our block, but the ones across the street had free rein and eventually overpopulated to the point where they are now invading my neighbors houses.
Everyone in the neighborhood knows what I was doing and why. Only a couple actually gave me permission to shoot them out of their yards. The others just thought I was killing for the sake of killing; the guy I was sitting with being one of those.
Now not so much. He's going to talk to his wife and see how she feels about it and then get back with me about access to their yard. $500 on a very limited income isn't something they can afford to deal with, and now my preemptive actions are sounding alot more reasonable. Especially after the pro made similar remarks about how it most likely will happen again.
I've been watching the squirrels chew through the soffits and fascia boards on a couple houses and out buildings in other yards, and let the owners know when I see them. For the most part, they are concerned, but not as much as they wonder how much money I want. I tell them I'll do it for free, but it doesn't quell the suspicions. A few do give me access to their yards, though, so I can at least clean up after myself. Leaving rotting carcasses all over the place would definitely cause problems with the ones I'm trying to help.

The bloated bodies would attract Rats and other vermin that....provide more targets of opportunity.