OT squirrels in the shop NOPOL
 

This has been an ongoing problem, and I've stumbled upon a technique that
appears to be working consistently for my location in western PA. Rodents in
other locations can be more of a threat, carrying the hanta (?) virus.
I've read and heard a multitude of methods at trapping and preventing these
fancy rats from invading shop and home space. These particular ones are the
flying type, gliders actually. Yeah, they're cute, but nature belongs
outdoors or not where I am.
The NG alt.home.repair used to have lots of posts about rodents, friends
have related their own mostly unsuccessful experiences, and have seen the
Backyard Bandits shows the BBC made years ago.
They're very agile and can be extremely clever.. it's said that they have
map/memory intelligence to remember how to retrace their route to stored
food.

Mice are fairly easy by comparison.. place a trap on their trail, and you'll
get 'em, sometimes sideways as they attempt to run over the mouse trap. It
seems like they're too busy playing tag or grabass and aren't the least bit
cautious about where they run.

I won't consider poisons as an acceptable solution. The only thing worse
than a filthy destructive rodent is smelling (and trying to locate) a
stinkin' carcass.

The pyrotechnic technique shared here in RCM about a year ago seems a little
(?) risky, although the video would probably make it worthwhile.

Preventing them from entering or quick death are the better solutions, I
figure. It seems that it's possible that some of them have a preference for
this structure, located on the wooded edge of a small town. Deer often visit
for the crab apples (and maybe the chestnuts), and ground hogs are present
near the back edge of the property.
Large oaks are nearby, knot that I'm all that familiar with the trees of
North America, but I've found caches of acorns in the shop.

A couple of seasons ago I got a couple of the large Victor traps and figured
it wouldn't be very difficult to diminish the population to a point where
there wouldn't be any left that had a preference for this building.
I got a roll of hardware cloth to experiment with putting large amounts of
aromatic bait inside a cage with the trap at the entrance (haven't tried
that yet).

I dunno if litters have been born in this building, but they seem to be very
familiar with the structure.
I figured these *******s have great night vision, so I got some artist's
charcoal sticks to blacken the big white board that the traps are built on.
Stealth traps, black on top, sides and ends. Big tasty morsels that can't be
removed.. sounds like a good plan.

I've witnessed them moving around while I was in the shop (located in the
basement), and they use a ledge on top of the formed walls for a trail. The
ledge is wide enough to hold the traps, and when the trap goes off, the
traps fall off the ledge, so I tie a cord in the loop at the back of the
trap (the staple that the arming lever is mounted with) and attach the cord
nearby. This serves 2 purposes.. the trap won't fall behind something, and
it removes the trap from that trail temporarily (which might limit their
ability to remember a specific spot where a sibling died).
This may sound weird, but there is one spot where I've gotten numerous kills
(same trap, same nut).

After seeing that peanut butter, cheese and bacon weren't going to be
effective (to my astonishment), I tried corn chips, Fritos.. aromatic and
tasty, but no luck. I was still having a hard time believing that peanut
butter wasn't effective.
Early in the learning process, I nailed one with a piece of non-garlic ring
balogna that had been on the trap so long that it was really stale and
moldy.
My usual mounting method was to wrap any bait with a heavy cotton thread to
insure that some tugging and biting would be required.

Among the acorns I've found, there were a couple of larger white-shelled
nuts, that a friend identified as hickory nuts.
I cracked a couple of 'em open so that they might release more aroma, and
noticed a white nut with red skin. I drilled a few holes thru the nuts and
wired them to the trap triggers by threading the wire thru the holes and
passing around the bottom of the triggers.
The acorns mount well on mouse traps, same method.. crack 'em open, drill
and wire to attach. It's said that the early bird gets the worm, but the
second mouse gets the cheese. When the traps fall off the ledge, hanging in
air, it's gonna get a little difficult for them.

The wired-on hickory nuts have been completely successful. No bother with
reloading more bait.

WB




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Out here in the Pacific Northwest, Eastern gray squirrels are classified as
a pest. They are not native but most people here don't know it as they are
very very common. The usual method used out here (pretty effective) to trap
them is to first feed them for a few weeks, to get them used to finding food
in a particular location, then to get a medium sized live trap and put the
food dish in the back of it. They get in but they don't get out. An easy way
to kill the animal is to submerge the entire trap in water with the squirrel
in it. I know of a person in Salem, Oregon who has dispatched over 100 squirrels
this way. He says it makes a dent but they always come back.

What we really need is more squirrel hawks. I'll add that to my list of hawks
we need, which already includes pigeon hawks and crow hawks.

GWE

Wild Bill wrote:

This has been an ongoing problem, and I've stumbled upon a technique that
appears to be working consistently for my location in western PA. Rodents in
other locations can be more of a threat, carrying the hanta (?) virus.
I've read and heard a multitude of methods at trapping and preventing these
fancy rats from invading shop and home space. These particular ones are the
flying type, gliders actually. Yeah, they're cute, but nature belongs
outdoors or not where I am.
The NG alt.home.repair used to have lots of posts about rodents, friends
have related their own mostly unsuccessful experiences, and have seen the
Backyard Bandits shows the BBC made years ago.
They're very agile and can be extremely clever.. it's said that they have
map/memory intelligence to remember how to retrace their route to stored
food.

Mice are fairly easy by comparison.. place a trap on their trail, and you'll
get 'em, sometimes sideways as they attempt to run over the mouse trap. It
seems like they're too busy playing tag or grabass and aren't the least bit
cautious about where they run.

I won't consider poisons as an acceptable solution. The only thing worse
than a filthy destructive rodent is smelling (and trying to locate) a
stinkin' carcass.

The pyrotechnic technique shared here in RCM about a year ago seems a little
(?) risky, although the video would probably make it worthwhile.

Preventing them from entering or quick death are the better solutions, I
figure. It seems that it's possible that some of them have a preference for
this structure, located on the wooded edge of a small town. Deer often visit
for the crab apples (and maybe the chestnuts), and ground hogs are present
near the back edge of the property.
Large oaks are nearby, knot that I'm all that familiar with the trees of
North America, but I've found caches of acorns in the shop.

A couple of seasons ago I got a couple of the large Victor traps and figured
it wouldn't be very difficult to diminish the population to a point where
there wouldn't be any left that had a preference for this building.
I got a roll of hardware cloth to experiment with putting large amounts of
aromatic bait inside a cage with the trap at the entrance (haven't tried
that yet).

I dunno if litters have been born in this building, but they seem to be very
familiar with the structure.
I figured these *******s have great night vision, so I got some artist's
charcoal sticks to blacken the big white board that the traps are built on.
Stealth traps, black on top, sides and ends. Big tasty morsels that can't be
removed.. sounds like a good plan.

I've witnessed them moving around while I was in the shop (located in the
basement), and they use a ledge on top of the formed walls for a trail. The
ledge is wide enough to hold the traps, and when the trap goes off, the
traps fall off the ledge, so I tie a cord in the loop at the back of the
trap (the staple that the arming lever is mounted with) and attach the cord
nearby. This serves 2 purposes.. the trap won't fall behind something, and
it removes the trap from that trail temporarily (which might limit their
ability to remember a specific spot where a sibling died).
This may sound weird, but there is one spot where I've gotten numerous kills
(same trap, same nut).

After seeing that peanut butter, cheese and bacon weren't going to be
effective (to my astonishment), I tried corn chips, Fritos.. aromatic and
tasty, but no luck. I was still having a hard time believing that peanut
butter wasn't effective.
Early in the learning process, I nailed one with a piece of non-garlic ring
balogna that had been on the trap so long that it was really stale and
moldy.
My usual mounting method was to wrap any bait with a heavy cotton thread to
insure that some tugging and biting would be required.

Among the acorns I've found, there were a couple of larger white-shelled
nuts, that a friend identified as hickory nuts.
I cracked a couple of 'em open so that they might release more aroma, and
noticed a white nut with red skin. I drilled a few holes thru the nuts and
wired them to the trap triggers by threading the wire thru the holes and
passing around the bottom of the triggers.
The acorns mount well on mouse traps, same method.. crack 'em open, drill
and wire to attach. It's said that the early bird gets the worm, but the
second mouse gets the cheese. When the traps fall off the ledge, hanging in
air, it's gonna get a little difficult for them.

The wired-on hickory nuts have been completely successful. No bother with
reloading more bait.

On Tue, 23 Nov 2004 10:19:03 -0800, Grant Erwin
wrote:

Out here in the Pacific Northwest, Eastern gray squirrels are classified as
a pest. They are not native but most people here don't know it as they are
very very common. The usual method used out here (pretty effective) to trap
them is to first feed them for a few weeks, to get them used to finding food
in a particular location, then to get a medium sized live trap and put the
food dish in the back of it. They get in but they don't get out. An easy way
to kill the animal is to submerge the entire trap in water with the squirrel
in it. I know of a person in Salem, Oregon who has dispatched over 100 squirrels
this way. He says it makes a dent but they always come back.

What we really need is more squirrel hawks. I'll add that to my list of hawks
we need, which already includes pigeon hawks and crow hawks.

GWE

Hawks are beginning to come back in the Phoenix area. It's quite a
sight to see on sailing majestically over your house at an altitude of
200 feet or so. And then to observe the total lack of visible pigeons
for several minutes afterward.

As far as shop vermin are concerned, the varieties found around here
tend to be much less begnin. Black Widow spiders, scorpions and
rattlesnakes top the list. If you have a free-standing shop you want
to be careful how you pick things up.

Rattlesnakes are attracted by populations of rodents, btw. Another
good reason to keep the rodent population down.

--RC


Wild Bill wrote:

This has been an ongoing problem, and I've stumbled upon a technique that
appears to be working consistently for my location in western PA. Rodents in
other locations can be more of a threat, carrying the hanta (?) virus.
I've read and heard a multitude of methods at trapping and preventing these
fancy rats from invading shop and home space. These particular ones are the
flying type, gliders actually. Yeah, they're cute, but nature belongs
outdoors or not where I am.
The NG alt.home.repair used to have lots of posts about rodents, friends
have related their own mostly unsuccessful experiences, and have seen the
Backyard Bandits shows the BBC made years ago.
They're very agile and can be extremely clever.. it's said that they have
map/memory intelligence to remember how to retrace their route to stored
food.

Mice are fairly easy by comparison.. place a trap on their trail, and you'll
get 'em, sometimes sideways as they attempt to run over the mouse trap. It
seems like they're too busy playing tag or grabass and aren't the least bit
cautious about where they run.

I won't consider poisons as an acceptable solution. The only thing worse
than a filthy destructive rodent is smelling (and trying to locate) a
stinkin' carcass.

The pyrotechnic technique shared here in RCM about a year ago seems a little
(?) risky, although the video would probably make it worthwhile.

Preventing them from entering or quick death are the better solutions, I
figure. It seems that it's possible that some of them have a preference for
this structure, located on the wooded edge of a small town. Deer often visit
for the crab apples (and maybe the chestnuts), and ground hogs are present
near the back edge of the property.
Large oaks are nearby, knot that I'm all that familiar with the trees of
North America, but I've found caches of acorns in the shop.

A couple of seasons ago I got a couple of the large Victor traps and figured
it wouldn't be very difficult to diminish the population to a point where
there wouldn't be any left that had a preference for this building.
I got a roll of hardware cloth to experiment with putting large amounts of
aromatic bait inside a cage with the trap at the entrance (haven't tried
that yet).

I dunno if litters have been born in this building, but they seem to be very
familiar with the structure.
I figured these *******s have great night vision, so I got some artist's
charcoal sticks to blacken the big white board that the traps are built on.
Stealth traps, black on top, sides and ends. Big tasty morsels that can't be
removed.. sounds like a good plan.

I've witnessed them moving around while I was in the shop (located in the
basement), and they use a ledge on top of the formed walls for a trail. The
ledge is wide enough to hold the traps, and when the trap goes off, the
traps fall off the ledge, so I tie a cord in the loop at the back of the
trap (the staple that the arming lever is mounted with) and attach the cord
nearby. This serves 2 purposes.. the trap won't fall behind something, and
it removes the trap from that trail temporarily (which might limit their
ability to remember a specific spot where a sibling died).
This may sound weird, but there is one spot where I've gotten numerous kills
(same trap, same nut).

After seeing that peanut butter, cheese and bacon weren't going to be
effective (to my astonishment), I tried corn chips, Fritos.. aromatic and
tasty, but no luck. I was still having a hard time believing that peanut
butter wasn't effective.
Early in the learning process, I nailed one with a piece of non-garlic ring
balogna that had been on the trap so long that it was really stale and
moldy.
My usual mounting method was to wrap any bait with a heavy cotton thread to
insure that some tugging and biting would be required.

Among the acorns I've found, there were a couple of larger white-shelled
nuts, that a friend identified as hickory nuts.
I cracked a couple of 'em open so that they might release more aroma, and
noticed a white nut with red skin. I drilled a few holes thru the nuts and
wired them to the trap triggers by threading the wire thru the holes and
passing around the bottom of the triggers.
The acorns mount well on mouse traps, same method.. crack 'em open, drill
and wire to attach. It's said that the early bird gets the worm, but the
second mouse gets the cheese. When the traps fall off the ledge, hanging in
air, it's gonna get a little difficult for them.

The wired-on hickory nuts have been completely successful. No bother with
reloading more bait.


Sleep? Isn't that a totally inadequate substitute for caffine?

Grant Erwin wrote:

Out here in the Pacific Northwest, Eastern gray squirrels are classified as
a pest. They are not native but most people here don't know it as they are
very very common. The usual method used out here (pretty effective) to trap
them is to first feed them for a few weeks, to get them used to finding
food
in a particular location, then to get a medium sized live trap and put the
food dish in the back of it. They get in but they don't get out. An easy
way
to kill the animal is to submerge the entire trap in water with the
squirrel
in it. I know of a person in Salem, Oregon who has dispatched over 100
squirrels
this way. He says it makes a dent but they always come back.

What we really need is more squirrel hawks. I'll add that to my list of
hawks
we need, which already includes pigeon hawks and crow hawks.

Or some good squirrel stew recipes. Perhaps we could reduce the
squirrel problem _and_ the low-income nutrition problem at the same time?

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

I would trade a rattlesnake for a squiral
any time i have them run through the shop all the time there is a hole i here
them on the roof and in thay come one
time one jumped on me that i scarey.
The ground hog runs under the door
and out the back he goes this morning
i got a pc of conduit to see if i can work the squrial over..

On Tue, 23 Nov 2004 18:35:31 GMT, wrote:


GWE

Hawks are beginning to come back in the Phoenix area. It's quite a
sight to see on sailing majestically over your house at an altitude of
200 feet or so. And then to observe the total lack of visible pigeons
for several minutes afterward.

As far as shop vermin are concerned, the varieties found around here
tend to be much less begnin. Black Widow spiders, scorpions and
rattlesnakes top the list. If you have a free-standing shop you want
to be careful how you pick things up.

Rattlesnakes are attracted by populations of rodents, btw. Another
good reason to keep the rodent population down.

--RC

here in the desert to your west, unless the snake is in the shop, I
tend to let it be, as it does indeed help keep down the rodents.

Since I started rescuing cats , the rodent problem is zero.

Gunner



"If I'm going to reach out to the the Democrats then I need a third
hand.There's no way I'm letting go of my wallet or my gun while they're
around."

"Democrat. In the dictionary it's right after demobilize and right
before demode` (out of fashion).
-Buddy Jordan 2001

Tim, I salute you! You know I'm a fan of "eating problems"


"Tim Wescott" wrote in message
...
Grant Erwin wrote:

Out here in the Pacific Northwest, Eastern gray squirrels are classified
as
a pest. They are not native but most people here don't know it as they
are
very very common. The usual method used out here (pretty effective) to
trap
them is to first feed them for a few weeks, to get them used to finding
food
in a particular location, then to get a medium sized live trap and put
the
food dish in the back of it. They get in but they don't get out. An easy
way
to kill the animal is to submerge the entire trap in water with the
squirrel
in it. I know of a person in Salem, Oregon who has dispatched over 100
squirrels
this way. He says it makes a dent but they always come back.

What we really need is more squirrel hawks. I'll add that to my list of
hawks
we need, which already includes pigeon hawks and crow hawks.

Or some good squirrel stew recipes. Perhaps we could reduce the squirrel
problem _and_ the low-income nutrition problem at the same time?

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

Since I started rescuing cats , the rodent problem is zero.

Gunner

Yeah, but now you have a cat problem.

GTO(John)

Tim Wescott wrote:
Grant Erwin wrote:

Out here in the Pacific Northwest, Eastern gray squirrels are
classified as
a pest. They are not native but most people here don't know it as they
are
very very common. The usual method used out here (pretty effective) to
trap
them is to first feed them for a few weeks, to get them used to
finding food
in a particular location, then to get a medium sized live trap and put
the
food dish in the back of it. They get in but they don't get out. An
easy way
to kill the animal is to submerge the entire trap in water with the
squirrel
in it. I know of a person in Salem, Oregon who has dispatched over 100
squirrels
this way. He says it makes a dent but they always come back.

What we really need is more squirrel hawks. I'll add that to my list
of hawks
we need, which already includes pigeon hawks and crow hawks.

Or some good squirrel stew recipes. Perhaps we could reduce the
squirrel problem _and_ the low-income nutrition problem at the same time?


Take your pick:
http://www.recipezaar.com/r/q=squirrel
Joe

In article ,
(GTO69RA4) wrote:

Since I started rescuing cats , the rodent problem is zero.

Gunner

Yeah, but now you have a cat problem.

GTO(John)

The Vietnamese have a recipe for cat ;)

--
Free men own guns, slaves don't
www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/5357/

Nick Hull wrote:

In article ,
(GTO69RA4) wrote:


Since I started rescuing cats , the rodent problem is zero.

Gunner

Yeah, but now you have a cat problem.

GTO(John)


The Vietnamese have a recipe for cat ;)

In Larousse Gastronomique (sp?), in the section under "cat" they warn
that if you are _at all_ suspicious about your rabbit stew you should
inspect the bones to see if it's cat you're eating.

So presumably any good rabbit stew recipe would work for cat. But
really, it's inefficient to run all those squirrels through a bunch of
cats to get your meat -- you'll get more meat just eating the squirrels.

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

"Tim Wescott" wrote in message
...
Or some good squirrel stew recipes. Perhaps we could reduce the
squirrel problem _and_ the low-income nutrition problem at the same time?


Squirrel dumplins, MMMMMMMM!!

Jim

On 23 Nov 2004 19:25:02 GMT, (GTO69RA4) wrote:

Since I started rescuing cats , the rodent problem is zero.

Gunner

Yeah, but now you have a cat problem.

GTO(John)

Naw..cats are no problem...well..unless more than 4 want my lap at the
same time.

Gunner



"If I'm going to reach out to the the Democrats then I need a third
hand.There's no way I'm letting go of my wallet or my gun while they're
around."

"Democrat. In the dictionary it's right after demobilize and right
before demode` (out of fashion).
-Buddy Jordan 2001

On 23 Nov 2004 19:25:02 GMT, (GTO69RA4) wrote:

Since I started rescuing cats , the rodent problem is zero.

Gunner

Yeah, but now you have a cat problem.

GTO(John)

A Problem? With Cats?? Surely you jest!

The only problem I see is getting smothered under a pile of cats, if
you walk in the house smelling of tuna fish... ;-)

We have a stray living under the house, which will necessitate a
two-step program: Get the cat used to us, and then sealing up all the
crawl vents again. S/He can be an outdoor cat, or even a house cat if
s/he wants to play nice, but /not/ an under-the-house cat.

-- Bruce --
--
Bruce L. Bergman, Woodland Hills (Los Angeles) CA - Desktop
Electrician for Westend Electric - CA726700
5737 Kanan Rd. #359, Agoura CA 91301 (818) 889-9545
Spamtrapped address: Remove the python and the invalid, and use a net.

A Problem? With Cats?? Surely you jest!

I suppose you're right, although those rib bones are kinda pesky to fish out of
the pot.

GTO(John)

"Grant Erwin" wrote in message
...
Out here in the Pacific Northwest, Eastern gray squirrels are classified
as
a pest. They are not native but most people here don't know it as they are
very very common. The usual method used out here (pretty effective) to
trap
them is to first feed them for a few weeks, to get them used to finding
food
in a particular location, then to get a medium sized live trap and put the
food dish in the back of it. They get in but they don't get out. An easy
way
to kill the animal is to submerge the entire trap in water with the
squirrel
in it. I know of a person in Salem, Oregon who has dispatched over 100
squirrels
this way. He says it makes a dent but they always come back.

What we really need is more squirrel hawks. I'll add that to my list of
hawks
we need, which already includes pigeon hawks and crow hawks.

GWE

By contrast, we have discovered a rare Douglas squirrel on our property.
They, apparently, were once wide spread, but have virtually disappeared from
Lewis County in the last ten years or so, and no one seems to know why.
We don't see any other type squirrel here, but we have a huge number of
chipmunks, which we feed regularly, although not necessarily by design. We
feed the birds and the rodents help themselves. We're OK with that.

Harold

"GTO69RA4" wrote in message
...
Since I started rescuing cats , the rodent problem is zero.

Gunner

Yeah, but now you have a cat problem.

GTO(John)

Yep! I'd rather have the rodents.

Harold

Tim Wescott wrote:


Or some good squirrel stew recipes. Perhaps we could reduce the
squirrel problem _and_ the low-income nutrition problem at the same time?

I think I heard that eating squirrel brains might be linked to mad cow
disease. I don't know why I bothered to remember this because the
chances of me ever deciding to eat a squirrel brain are about one in a
zillion.

--
Drew

On Tue, 23 Nov 2004 21:50:30 -0500, "Jim C Roberts"
jimnthem_AT_comcast_DOT_net calmly ranted:


"Tim Wescott" wrote in message
...
Or some good squirrel stew recipes. Perhaps we could reduce the
squirrel problem _and_ the low-income nutrition problem at the same time?


Squirrel dumplins, MMMMMMMM!!

This reminds me of a skit I heard a comedian perform once. He wanted
to cure two problems at once, so he suggested distributing loaves of
bread to the homeless folks in the parks. They'd grab one of those
pesky pigeons, pull the feathers off, and slap 'em between slices of
bread, curing both the pigeon problem AND the hunger of the homeless.

-----------------------------------------------
I'll apologize for offending someone...right
after they apologize for being easily offended.
-----------------------------------------------
http://www.diversify.com Inoffensive Web Design

I think I heard that eating squirrel brains might be linked to mad cow
disease. I don't know why I bothered to remember this because the
chances of me ever deciding to eat a squirrel brain are about one in a
zillion.

--
Drew

The brain is a delicacy in many places, but you're right about the disease.
Next time you chow down on tree rat stay away from the noggin and spinal
column.

GTO(John)

Have you considered just sending them over to the neighbors?
http://www.ghettosled.com/~blackdeath/videos/sq2.wmv
David



"Wild Bill" wrote in message
...
This has been an ongoing problem, and I've stumbled upon a technique that
appears to be working consistently for my location in western PA. Rodents
in
other locations can be more of a threat, carrying the hanta (?) virus.
I've read and heard a multitude of methods at trapping and preventing
these
fancy rats from invading shop and home space. These particular ones are
the
flying type, gliders actually. Yeah, they're cute, but nature belongs
outdoors or not where I am.
The NG alt.home.repair used to have lots of posts about rodents, friends
have related their own mostly unsuccessful experiences, and have seen the
Backyard Bandits shows the BBC made years ago.
They're very agile and can be extremely clever.. it's said that they have
map/memory intelligence to remember how to retrace their route to stored
food.

Mice are fairly easy by comparison.. place a trap on their trail, and
you'll
get 'em, sometimes sideways as they attempt to run over the mouse trap. It
seems like they're too busy playing tag or grabass and aren't the least
bit
cautious about where they run.

I won't consider poisons as an acceptable solution. The only thing worse
than a filthy destructive rodent is smelling (and trying to locate) a
stinkin' carcass.

The pyrotechnic technique shared here in RCM about a year ago seems a
little
(?) risky, although the video would probably make it worthwhile.

Preventing them from entering or quick death are the better solutions, I
figure. It seems that it's possible that some of them have a preference
for
this structure, located on the wooded edge of a small town. Deer often
visit
for the crab apples (and maybe the chestnuts), and ground hogs are present
near the back edge of the property.
Large oaks are nearby, knot that I'm all that familiar with the trees of
North America, but I've found caches of acorns in the shop.

A couple of seasons ago I got a couple of the large Victor traps and
figured
it wouldn't be very difficult to diminish the population to a point where
there wouldn't be any left that had a preference for this building.
I got a roll of hardware cloth to experiment with putting large amounts of
aromatic bait inside a cage with the trap at the entrance (haven't tried
that yet).

I dunno if litters have been born in this building, but they seem to be
very
familiar with the structure.
I figured these *******s have great night vision, so I got some artist's
charcoal sticks to blacken the big white board that the traps are built
on.
Stealth traps, black on top, sides and ends. Big tasty morsels that can't
be
removed.. sounds like a good plan.

I've witnessed them moving around while I was in the shop (located in the
basement), and they use a ledge on top of the formed walls for a trail.
The
ledge is wide enough to hold the traps, and when the trap goes off, the
traps fall off the ledge, so I tie a cord in the loop at the back of the
trap (the staple that the arming lever is mounted with) and attach the
cord
nearby. This serves 2 purposes.. the trap won't fall behind something, and
it removes the trap from that trail temporarily (which might limit their
ability to remember a specific spot where a sibling died).
This may sound weird, but there is one spot where I've gotten numerous
kills
(same trap, same nut).

After seeing that peanut butter, cheese and bacon weren't going to be
effective (to my astonishment), I tried corn chips, Fritos.. aromatic and
tasty, but no luck. I was still having a hard time believing that peanut
butter wasn't effective.
Early in the learning process, I nailed one with a piece of non-garlic
ring
balogna that had been on the trap so long that it was really stale and
moldy.
My usual mounting method was to wrap any bait with a heavy cotton thread
to
insure that some tugging and biting would be required.

Among the acorns I've found, there were a couple of larger white-shelled
nuts, that a friend identified as hickory nuts.
I cracked a couple of 'em open so that they might release more aroma, and
noticed a white nut with red skin. I drilled a few holes thru the nuts and
wired them to the trap triggers by threading the wire thru the holes and
passing around the bottom of the triggers.
The acorns mount well on mouse traps, same method.. crack 'em open, drill
and wire to attach. It's said that the early bird gets the worm, but the
second mouse gets the cheese. When the traps fall off the ledge, hanging
in
air, it's gonna get a little difficult for them.

The wired-on hickory nuts have been completely successful. No bother with
reloading more bait.

WB




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