Dose anyone got out shooting rats in the rain? Just got myself a new perm mainly rats (100’s round the gamekeepers yard and pens) wanted to get out this weekend but looking like more rain. Do the rats come out much in the rain? I don’t realy like getting my equipment soaked to be honest meaning the scope and gun. Thanks
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the Daily hi thread
Hunting Rats & rain ?
- Thread starter Trev81
- Start date
ukzero1
Super member
Speaking from my own personal experience, I have noticed a reduction in the rats appearing in the rain but still some sport to be had. As for the rain itself, I bought a 3 man hide so everything stays dry and plenty of room to sit a little further back to keep the barrel/silencer dry and still enough room to make a brew.
Wing Commander
Member Extraordinaire
They prefer being indoors when the weather turns bad, but they can be coaxed out if a feeding station is tempting enough.
Speaking from my own personal experience, I have noticed a reduction in the rats appearing in the rain but still some sport to be had. As for the rain itself, I bought a 3 man hide so everything stays dry and plenty of room to sit a little further back to keep the barrel/silencer dry and still enough room to make a brew.
Good idea yes I might look at getting a hide in the near futureSpeaking from my own personal experience, I have noticed a reduction in the rats appearing in the rain but still some sport to be had. As for the rain itself, I bought a 3 man hide so everything stays dry and plenty of room to sit a little further back to keep the barrel/silencer dry and still enough room to make a brew.
I do plan on putting a garlic mayo and peanut mix down here and ther , I believe that’s supposed to be a good bait for rats
ukzero1
Super member
I do plan on putting a garlic mayo and peanut mix down here and ther , I believe that’s supposed to be a good bait for rats
Peanut butter (sloppy sort) would be a better mix with the garlic Mayo. With peanuts, the rats will just grab and go. You need to make it sloppy so the rats will sit there and feed.
Sorry I did mean peanut butter missed the butter out
ukzero1
Super member
Another one you could try, although I find works better during Spring/ Summer, a can of sweetcorn. Drain half the juice out, put the rest including the corn in a blender and blitz it, put in a squirty bottle (cleaned out sauce bottle) and you have a 'no mess' rat food dispenser.
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il try that cheers ,they definitely going to be feeding on all the pheasant feed so is it still worth while putting my bait down ? I will anyway. I can go in the pens also as thers loads rats in ther but probly best not put my bait down in ther cose of the birds I spose
ukzero1
Super member
If there's plenty of rats then I would just rely on what's there. It's what they're used to.
dm800
Super member
Rats are very wary by nature. You will probably find that any new bait regardless of whatever it is will remain untouched on a large scale initially. Only after a few days of investigation to make sure it is a safe bait and doesn't cause them issues will they show a proper interest.( obviously you may get the odd one or 2 who won't care.) With a new bait its best to bait for a few days and not shoot until they get used to it.
However it does sound like you have a ready made food supply already there with the bird feeders. And they will be used to that.
One idea would be to put a small pallet in front of suitable backstop and bait that for a few days just under the edge before shooting.Rats like to be under cover and feel secure, so a pallet is ideal. Advantage of sloppy bait is that thy have to slow down to lick as opposed to grain etc, where they more likely to grab and run.
Good luck with new perm.
However it does sound like you have a ready made food supply already there with the bird feeders. And they will be used to that.
One idea would be to put a small pallet in front of suitable backstop and bait that for a few days just under the edge before shooting.Rats like to be under cover and feel secure, so a pallet is ideal. Advantage of sloppy bait is that thy have to slow down to lick as opposed to grain etc, where they more likely to grab and run.
Good luck with new perm.
Thanks for the great advice , the pallet sounds good idea il do that , just want a dry evening now
ukzero1
Super member
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Bowland Blades
Busy member
Rats have no hesitation to move underground in the sewers, they willingly swim ditches etc . Most of my early ratting sessions as a kid where along drainage dykes , it taught me how to lead in front as they are a slower swimming and more predictable .
Yep just in time for April showers lolSo you'll be looking at sometime around April then?
Northumbrian
Super member
I seem to be ratting in the damp every session nowadays, from my findings if they are outside they are usually running from one dry point to another and tend never to stop. There will come a time when they need to move to find food but rarely are they out in the open.
So, most of my dispatches come from me outside in the damp, shooting into doorways, in hay sheds, or shooting into stacks of pallets , drain pipes etc.
I’m in the wet, there in the dry…… hmmmmm
So, most of my dispatches come from me outside in the damp, shooting into doorways, in hay sheds, or shooting into stacks of pallets , drain pipes etc.
I’m in the wet, there in the dry…… hmmmmm
I find this too. Recently it's been raining for the last 2 weeks or so here and almost no Roland's out and about. The only ones Ive seen are sitting in pallet stacks sheltering. The Thermnight locks them up nicely and "Thwack" but not out in any numbers.
junglie2022
Member Extraordinaire
Cheap camo pop up tents are good from temu. Found mine free abandoned blowing in a field.Good idea yes I might look at getting a hide in the near future
Mole trapper
Super member
Rat ingress is always quite interesting, just when I think I've got a rough idea what they are up to they do something odd ( to my thinking anyway)
We had a dry cold spell around Christmas, my busiest rat contract was well under control to the extent I only managed 14 rats on the early Jan visit, go back last night for my scheduled visit not expecting to see too much as its so late in the season, nope! All the rain has driven more in from goodness knows where and I had 105 in 3 hours!.
We had a dry cold spell around Christmas, my busiest rat contract was well under control to the extent I only managed 14 rats on the early Jan visit, go back last night for my scheduled visit not expecting to see too much as its so late in the season, nope! All the rain has driven more in from goodness knows where and I had 105 in 3 hours!.