Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Got him! pesky varmint

'Tis the season for the outside varmints to try and become inside pests. The last couple days I've had a mouse show up, set traps only to have it lick the peanut butter out of the trigger without setting it off. I also put a dab under the trigger on the platform of the trap so it would bump it with his head and set it off. That would be licked clean too with out springing the trap.

I just came in for lunch and found the trap licked clean for the third time, that was it. I put just a tiny dab of peanut butter on the bottom side of the trigger this time. Well I had hardly just sat back down when I heard that satisfing snap of the trap. Got him this time, when he smelt that PB this time he wasted no time heading for what he thought was just another free lunch. Gosh, I hate those things.

I had the same problem with the little beggars licking the PB off so I took a small scrap of cloth, rubbed PB into it and jammed it into the trigger. Works everytime.

Speaking of varmints, Possums have started coming around every night. Time to get out my redlight for the .22. They can't stay away from the persimmon trees now that they are getting ripe.

Ed

Get a 5 gallon bucket and fill it half way witth water. Smear a ring on peanut butter about 4 inches from the top. make a ramp to the top on the bucket. mice will hang over the edge trying to get the butter. they usually end up falling into the water.

ruffcutt: You need to adjust your traps so that they will go off at the slightest touch. Quality of the traps, in particular the trigger system, has gone way down the last decade or so.

To adjust; take a pair of needle nose pliers and squeeze that little part that the wire hooks under. Not too hard. Then set and tap on the underside of the end with the trigger to see how much more it might need. Repeat as needed to get a very light tap to set the trap off. The lighter the tap, the lighter the trigger is set at.

If you get too many little buddys coming in you can vary the bait by using a couple of pieces of 1" long thread. Just superglue it to the trigger. Of course the bucket idea is a good one too.

best trap ever...ours is a little different variation....dowel across top of bucket (make holes in sides) a we put an empty soda bottle smeared with PB....walk out the dowel and spin, they're in. We stopped using water at out camp because its smells with decaying mice...we use antifreeze....no stink