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Mouse hunt 2009

swantucky

The Crew
1,594
122
Swanton, Ohio
This story took place in April of 09. I thought it was worth posting agian.


Well I inspected my beehive tonight and found mice. It was decided they had to go. I assembled my hunt team: Hunter, Oliver, and myself. We needed to develop special weapons and tactics to make the hunt work.

Based on my scouting I knew there were 3-5 mice bedding down in the area. I knew they had been spooked earlier in the day and would be a bit edgy and prone to bolt the bedding area with little disturbance.

It was decided an arrow with a spike taped to it and given a razor sharp point would be used to fit between the combs to disable any that stayed in the bedding area. I figured based my extensive expience that once the bedding area was breached they would try and scatter.

Based on that I decided a purebred retarded Golden Retriever would be best to patrol the perimeter. I choose a 12 almost 13 year old boy to lay down a close field of fire with a remington 20 gauge youth model. I would handle the spear.

When the bedding area was disturbed 3 of the 4 varmits headed for the thick grass. One was dispatched quickly with the 20 gauge at close range. Another made a break for it and almost cleared the property line. I thought for a brief second we would have to tresspass to hunt him up. Luckily the 20 gauge barked agian and the second carcass hit the ground.

At this point we still had two malcontents on the loose. One had made the mistake of hanging in the bedding area hoping the threat had past. That is when the spear came thundering down. It was a haphazard shot that only managed to pierce the rear flank. It was at that point we were at some sort of a stalemate. It was not a kill shot but we were not sure how to proceed.

After a quick conference we elected to try and drag the vermin out without loosing our sprear hold. That was a successful manuver. The honey snatcher was drug from his lair and put to the ground. At that point the size 12 wide Red Wing came into play. The head was smashed into the ground with a mighty, yet presice stomp.

At this point there was still one "walking dead" hiding in the thick grass of the nursery. At this point the trail was cold and we needed a good nose to ferret him out. We released the hounds at this point. The cur managed to tree the bastard and rather than sacrifice the tree Hunter elected to poke the escapee with his gun barrel out of its lofty perch.

The vermin made a break for it and was ran down by the dog. It was a quick and almost painless death. The jaws of the dog did their dirty work and the mouse became a playtoy like a carcass often becomes. We called off the dog and retrived the final carcass.

It may have been a some what short hunt but it just goes to show careful scouting and having the right equipment pays off. Some may say it was a baited hunt in a bedding area but I feel we earned our kills. Skill, preperation, and knowing your target go a long way to ensure a successful hunt.

mice%20004.jpg
mice%20003.jpg





.....You know, like nunchuck skills, bowhunting skills, computer hacking skills.....girls only want boyfriends who have great skills....
 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,841
260
We would have rat killings growing up.. Grandpa only bushoged the back field twice a year. We would spread the word at school that we were having a rat killing.. That Saturday people would show up from all over. Sticks in hand. He would start cutting in with that bush hog and nothing would happen for a while.. Then as the field got smaller and smaller a rat or mouse would make a run for it. wack wack wack went the sticks. People trying to head him off at the pass. People chasing. Everybody on this dude like crazy. Directly as the field got smaller everyone was busy chasing one.. Some got away, most never did... We would kill them by the hundreds. Good times.. Some dudes even had custom rat whoppin sticks made from axe handles. All done up with engravings, notches etc..
 

swantucky

The Crew
1,594
122
Swanton, Ohio
When I was a kid we would go to my Dad's buddies farm for the rats in the barn. The older kids would have .22's, younger kids bb guns, and the Dads outside with shotguns. When everyone was in position they would hook up a couple truck exhausts to the ratholes via custom pipes. When they came out it was fun, seldom killed many but it was fun!!

When I worked at the florist we would cut a couple back lots and catch the mice as they ran out. Put them in a garbage can for a buddies snake.
 

Thunderflight

Dignitary Member
17,770
167
Shermans Dale, PA
Did you smoke up before going after these crafty vermin?

During my Iraq tour I had a competition with a friend to see who could kill the most mice. Every morning we would check my trap lines, take pictures of the kills, and then email them to each other. I won the competition and killed around 125 mice and rats (I even got a bird too).
 

rrr

Senior Member
5,065
0
Ya wanna talk bout a beddin area and bait? Find a 30-60 yr old grain bin and pull the floor up!
 

hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
39,721
248
Ohio
Excellent read tucky! Sounds like a story Hunter will be telling his friends, kids, and grandkids for years to come. I can hear it now, "Dad was half lit, because he had only been off work for 20 minutes, and we got armed and ready for battle. The dog stood guard. Mom and sis were in the storm cellar waiting for the gun blasts to quit. . . " Great memories for you and the boy.