Rats In A Loft

[Mr Muddy 141]

 

'standards for mouse rat and mole traps more akin to spring traps approval order'

 

 

I’m not sure that mightn’t be such a bad thing.

 

I bought a box of the ‘Mini Rex’ traps and they’re going in the bin. Used them on a couple of jobs and I’d say maybe half the mice weren’t killed what I’d call cleanly (and I think I’ve got realistic -even lenient- acceptance of what constitutes a clean kill).

 

A minimum trap pressure, or instant kill rate score, or something, might be a good idea for mouse traps.

[Outlaw Pete 2,224]

its a funny old world but when i bred sparrowhawks a long while ago they would not touch a starling ..... they would pluck into the skull and eat the brain but never touch the meat

 

 

Curioser and curioser ....! I've certainly seen enough wild spar's take starlings. Granted; I can't, hand on heart say I've then watched them Eat the f**kers.

 

And now, I need to delve Deep into the old memory banks and go waaaaay back ....!

 

It's the skin, Paul. It's something about their skin. Sparrows ye can eat, as are. I've eaten sparrow. But, starling? Ye supposed to skin the f**kers. I don't remember why now. But, there is, look. Something to do with their skin

 

What a fun thread this is morphing into Chock full of tiny snippets of absolutely f**king useless information!

[Deker 3,453]

Mine would eat fox also .......

I've dipped in and out of this thread, so have missed a bit, but experience over the years has shown me not much but flies/maggots actually have any interest in eating the fox.

 

Personally, I tried a nice bit of Fox rump well roasted and seasoned many years ago, I have no desire to repeat the experience.

[Outlaw Pete 2,224]

I bought a box of the ‘Mini Rex’ traps and they’re going in the bin.

 

 

Could have saved yeself the trouble and just slung the cash in the bin, mate. F**king shocking, those things are. Spring out of a cheap, retractable ball point, FFS.

 

You ever come across those black and green plastic things, fair while back now? They were the same. Had to f**k around all day, trying to set one. Then the results were f**king heart breaking! Writhing, mangled mice. Virtually every time too!

 

Lot of people are perfectly happy to use the " T Rex " rat traps ~ big brother of those pathetic little dysney design mouse things? Bollox to that. I use Kness snappers. Christ, they do the work! Look at the state of that rat Phil's showing us! It's of two minds!

[Deker 3,453]

Call them what you like, the old fashioned break back (or modern variations/incarnations) work, the problem from a Professional Pest Controller point of view is monitoring/checking/body removal/legislation.

 

[paulus 26]

 

its a funny old world but when i bred sparrowhawks a long while ago they would not touch a starling ..... they would pluck into the skull and eat the brain but never touch the meat

 

 

Curioser and curioser ....! I've certainly seen enough wild spar's take starlings. Granted; I can't, hand on heart say I've then watched them Eat the f**kers.

 

And now, I need to delve Deep into the old memory banks and go waaaaay back ....!

 

It's the skin, Paul. It's something about their skin. Sparrows ye can eat, as are. I've eaten sparrow. But, starling? Ye supposed to skin the f**kers. I don't remember why now. But, there is, look. Something to do with their skin

 

What a fun thread this is morphing into Chock full of tiny snippets of absolutely f**king useless information!

 

ever tried to pluck a seagull

[Matt 160]

None of them are as nice as Swan

 

My ferrets won't touch mole. I have thousands of the feckers to dispose of, and even with the jackets off they won't even look at them

 

What an interesting thread this has turned into?

[Tiercel 6,986]

None of them are as nice as Swan

 

My ferrets won't touch mole. I have thousands of the feckers to dispose of, and even with the jackets off they won't even look at them

 

What an interesting thread this has turned into?

Thats because all the dick heads are on the dog threads. This thread, no ego's, no bullsh1t just good old say what your experiences are. Wish all threads could be like this. The only problem is, that most of the answers have thrown up more questions that will need an answer.

 

TC

[Outlaw Pete 2,224]

None of them are as nice as Swan

 

Did you ever know Chris H, Matt ....? He had swan in his freezer too. Offered me a taste, once. I couldn't fancy it though as he'd had it in there for god knows how long.

 

The Sunday afternoon he invited me back, at afternoon closing time, with the proviso; 'We'd have to drink further beer. Inhale drugs. And watch copious episodes of Sharpe and .....'

 

(Who ever that good guy, out of the Shooting News was. I know there was " Warrener " and another 'rural pesty'. One was considered a c**t. This one was pretty cool. Giving foxes 'Ziggy Stardust' hair do's at long ranges)

 

What was a man to say or do, anyway? And what a legendary session that turned into too Probably the most memorable Sunday afternoon / evening I ever spent in the company of a fellow Field Sportsman.

 

" Field Sportsman ". How many, below the age of fifty, on this site, would even f**king recognise that term, eh, lads? FFS.

 

Back in the day, we considered ourselves " Ferreters ". Or blokes who " Worked Dogs ". Or had this, that or the other gun. But, universally, we were " Field Sportsman ". Involved in, and supporting to the hilt, " Field Sports ".

 

Then, they somehow morphed themselves into " Hunters ". In my day, a Hunter wore a red coat and rode a horse, oddly enough, called a Hunter. And he hunted foxes. Fox Hunting. A Field Sport.

 

Now? Twist again. " Hunters " have, with this latest generation that I know of, become " Smashers " and " Wreckers " of ..... well, it seems, what ever they can find to point their Dogs at.

 

Sad. I was always happy to be a member of the British Field Sports Society. I still have my old sweat shirt, gently breaking down, in the back room there. Had that some decades.

 

Don't think I'd care to buy, or wear a sweat shirt proclaiming me as a " Tooth Smashing Crew " or " Chat Wreckers With Black Disco's " association member.

 

 

Here's a glass to the other dinosaurs who have the vaguest empathy with my sorrow, and disgust.

[Matt 160]

Here's a glass to the other dinosaurs who have the vaguest empathy with my sorrow, and disgust.

 

'Chink'

 

I'll drink to that....

[paulus 26]

 

 

its a funny old world but when i bred sparrowhawks a long while ago they would not touch a starling ..... they would pluck into the skull and eat the brain but never touch the meat

 

 

Curioser and curioser ....! I've certainly seen enough wild spar's take starlings. Granted; I can't, hand on heart say I've then watched them Eat the f**kers.

 

And now, I need to delve Deep into the old memory banks and go waaaaay back ....!

 

It's the skin, Paul. It's something about their skin. Sparrows ye can eat, as are. I've eaten sparrow. But, starling? Ye supposed to skin the f**kers. I don't remember why now. But, there is, look. Something to do with their skin

 

What a fun thread this is morphing into Chock full of tiny snippets of absolutely f**king useless information!

 

ever tried to pluck a seagull

 

orange skin like am oily sowester

[micky 3,325]

I read a article in the shooting times many years ago ,it was Peter Hawkers advice for young shots and he used to fire his wildfowling guns into flocks of starlings then skin them , boil them up then make a pie.............same recipe for coots.

[OldTrapCollector 376]

None of them are as nice as Swan

 

Really?? I ate one about 30 years ago that had hit a power line and broken its neck - the second most horrible bird I ever tried to eat. After a heron

 

OTC

[Deker 3,453]

Rats in the loft to eating Swan..... :laugh:

 

Never tried Swan myself but did endeavour to eat a black backed gull many years ago, these look enormous in flight but are pretty skinny in reality, either that or mine was just exhausted and starving.......

 

...another experience I will not be rushing to repeat!

[Outlaw Pete 2,224]

Late, last October Hate it. Happened a year or so back too. They come down that river, on their way to the lough. Come in low, because of the mist, I s'pose.

 

It's horrible. A spot of gleaming white catches my eye, down on the big meadow there. And I know it's happened again.

 

First one, I just left for the wild life. They wasted no time either!

 

This one, I put in my freezer and tried desperately to find a Taxidermist who could use it.

 

Only one wanted it though. And he's over there and the postage would have been ridiculous.

 

Plus, when I did send him some birds? They got held up and he received a package of slush and feathers FFS.

 

Took this one back down to the river then. Gone the next day. Some f**king shit gets about down there!

 

Wish there was something we could do about those power lines though.