Some people are just killers!

[flinginairos]

I am a killer.

Today I bought rat poison and 2 rat traps. I think I just heard one of them go off in the attic.

You SAVAGE!!

I was a little disappointed when I got up to the kill this morning...definitely was not the rat I was after. Ended being a 1.5 old mouse.

But thats all part of learning. My wife saw the target. Big Big. Only a matter of time now.

I’d move your traps away from the funnel areas and closer to bedding. Your bigger ones will likely come from closer to the bedding areas unless they’re rutting. Even then I’d still put them near female rat bedding

Ya know something funny (wasn't at the time), I had a minor rat problem last year in my house last year when the neighbor was feeding the deer corn at the edge of my yard and somehow a group of rats feeding on that decided my place was a great winter time home. I had to literally pattern them with trail cameras and figure out exactly where they liked to travel so I could trap them. Took me a solid week to figure it out but I eventually got them all. Those suckers are smart!!

HAHA nice..who says beast skills doesn’t apply to other areas? Lol. They are smart. I’ve noticed if I catch one, I usually don’t get another in the same trap for a while (first time sits )...did you do a shoulder mount?

I actually caught all the rats in one spot, but I had to handle the traps with rubber gloves, they wouldn't touch it with my scent on it. They also were able to eat peanut butter off the trip pad without setting it off. I figured out that placing a cheerio coated in peanut butter over the bent prong of the trip pad was the ticket. Killed em every time! They were a worthy opponent and way smarter than I thought a rodent could be!

[checkerfred]

I actually caught all the rats in one spot, but I had to handle the traps with rubber gloves, they wouldn't touch it with my scent on it. They also were able to eat peanut butter off the trip pad without setting it off. I figured out that placing a cheerio coated in peanut butter over the bent prong of the trip pad was the ticket. Killed em every time! They were a worthy opponent and way smarter than I thought a rodent could be!

Haha nice. I’ve noticed they’d steal it too. I figured out you can make the traps more of a hair trigger by how you slide the arm going to the trip pad. Maybe we should start a hunting rodents thread lol

[Dewey]

I actually caught all the rats in one spot, but I had to handle the traps with rubber gloves, they wouldn't touch it with my scent on it. They also were able to eat peanut butter off the trip pad without setting it off. I figured out that placing a cheerio coated in peanut butter over the bent prong of the trip pad was the ticket. Killed em every time! They were a worthy opponent and way smarter than I thought a rodent could be!

Haha nice. I’ve noticed they’d steal it too. I figured out you can make the traps more of a hair trigger by how you slide the arm going to the trip pad. Maybe we should start a hunting rodents thread lol

The deer season must be officially done for many.......moving on to rats.

[flinginairos]

I actually caught all the rats in one spot, but I had to handle the traps with rubber gloves, they wouldn't touch it with my scent on it. They also were able to eat peanut butter off the trip pad without setting it off. I figured out that placing a cheerio coated in peanut butter over the bent prong of the trip pad was the ticket. Killed em every time! They were a worthy opponent and way smarter than I thought a rodent could be!

Haha nice. I’ve noticed they’d steal it too. I figured out you can make the traps more of a hair trigger by how you slide the arm going to the trip pad. Maybe we should start a hunting rodents thread lol

The deer season must be officially done for many.......moving on to rats.

it did provide a solid weeks worth of strategizing and i'd be lying if I said I didn't somewhat enjoy the chase

[checkerfred]

I actually caught all the rats in one spot, but I had to handle the traps with rubber gloves, they wouldn't touch it with my scent on it. They also were able to eat peanut butter off the trip pad without setting it off. I figured out that placing a cheerio coated in peanut butter over the bent prong of the trip pad was the ticket. Killed em every time! They were a worthy opponent and way smarter than I thought a rodent could be!

Haha nice. I’ve noticed they’d steal it too. I figured out you can make the traps more of a hair trigger by how you slide the arm going to the trip pad. Maybe we should start a hunting rodents thread lol

The deer season must be officially done for many.......moving on to rats.

I’ve still got about a month to go. Rats come in February

[Dewey]

I actually caught all the rats in one spot, but I had to handle the traps with rubber gloves, they wouldn't touch it with my scent on it. They also were able to eat peanut butter off the trip pad without setting it off. I figured out that placing a cheerio coated in peanut butter over the bent prong of the trip pad was the ticket. Killed em every time! They were a worthy opponent and way smarter than I thought a rodent could be!

Haha nice. I’ve noticed they’d steal it too. I figured out you can make the traps more of a hair trigger by how you slide the arm going to the trip pad. Maybe we should start a hunting rodents thread lol

The deer season must be officially done for many.......moving on to rats.

it did provide a solid weeks worth of strategizing and i'd be lying if I said I didn't somewhat enjoy the chase

You got me there....it is all about the chase.

[mainebowhunter]

I actually caught all the rats in one spot, but I had to handle the traps with rubber gloves, they wouldn't touch it with my scent on it. They also were able to eat peanut butter off the trip pad without setting it off. I figured out that placing a cheerio coated in peanut butter over the bent prong of the trip pad was the ticket. Killed em every time! They were a worthy opponent and way smarter than I thought a rodent could be!

Haha nice. I’ve noticed they’d steal it too. I figured out you can make the traps more of a hair trigger by how you slide the arm going to the trip pad. Maybe we should start a hunting rodents thread lol

The deer season must be officially done for many.......moving on to rats.

it did provide a solid weeks worth of strategizing and i'd be lying if I said I didn't somewhat enjoy the chase

You got me there....it is all about the chase.

A good rat is a dead rat. When I have to bang on the walls and be afraid they are coming through my sheetrock, enough is enough

[RuralTom]

Never would have though of myself as a 'killer' or 'warrior' or 'alpha male' or whatever term you like, but I took up hunting for the first time this year -at the tender age of 44- and have absolutely loved it. Bagged a number of squirrel and a pair of does thus far, looking forward to getting my second with a flintlock before the end of late-season deer in PA and even more looking forward for the fun of years to come.

Again, dunno if I'm a killer, but as a lifelong professional chef, I definitely love to eat wild game.... all the better when I get to be outside and enjoy the proces of harvesting game myself.

[ghoasthunter]

confidence in one self is the definition of a killer you have to believe you can do it and you will trust your gut swing for the fences

[Kraftd]

I've been noodling on this on for a bit. There are definitely a lot of guys on here that have more drive than I do, and certainly more skill. That said, I've come to the point as a hunter where I expect to be successful and am confident in the moment. I think I was probably always a little predisposed that way, but have certainly honed those skills through experience.

I posted about it in my journal from the season, but during one particular sit this year, I got a text from a good buddy who loves to hunt, but to keep it simple, isn't a beast. He passed along he just got winded by a good buck and was shaking like a leaf when it happened. Twenty minutes before that text I rattled in a borderline booner to 35 yards, but never had an ethical shot opportunity and ended up getting winded. Five or eight years ago, I'd have been sending the same text he sent. That day, I was completely in control of myself and the situation. It was a very very good feeling. Had I been given a window to shoot, I was completely confident. Both bucks I killed this year I felt similar, and have for the last several years. In the moment, I have trained myself to be a killer.

Point is, I think there is some ingrained predator in some of us that is stronger than others, but like any skill, it can be developed and improved. So many people have removed themselves so far from the food chain and natural world, you would never know if they have it or not. I know plenty of very driven and determined non-hunters whom I suspect would be great hunters if it is what they grew up with. I have a neighbor now who got into hunting cold a couple of years ago in his early 30's. He's a very driven guy. He has been more successful in a short time than a lot of lazier guys I know who have been hunting forever.