A few years ago, I had a 30 gallon metal can in the shop with birdseed in it. Took the last scoop out of it and left the top off, it was up against the wall. Next day there were several field mice in the bottom of it, they couldn't climb or jump out. Light bulb clicked on, and have been using it since. Any kind of feed/oats/corn in a deep enough metal container, only takes a little bit of leftover grain to get them to do the swan dive.

Better patent that.

Someone here posted a pic of a coke can roller on a 5 gal bucket.

That works well too, from the pics.

Seems like they smeared peanut butter on the Coke can, and when the mice came to get it, they rolled off into the deadly abyss below.

You put water in the 5 gal. bucket and they drown in the water. Have several set up in the barn, works great.

Use that in my building and it works. Had 3 in it yesterday

I had read @ that and tried it, but dang, if you aren't there to empty it regularly, dead wet mice can get stinking pretty good. With the dry can, have not noticed anywhere near the stink, they just shrivel up. Water method does work darn good though.

We've been using the same here on the farm. Works pretty well

Antifreeze instead of water keeps them from rotting for quite a while.

Keep them well fed and release for the hawks.

The roller can on a bucket works fine. If it's cold put a little antifreeze in the water. If you have small kids or pets around, use RV antifreeze. It's cheaper anyway - $2.50 at Wallys

Working down in Freer Tx., it was so dry we just put
a 1x4 ramp and they just jumped in the water bucket and
couldn't get out.

I use Decon.

The 'camp' in VT is not occupied at times and mice always got in.

When Decon came out I tried it and the mice have been gone for decades.

I use the Decon trays of poison.

The Decon site shows traps and I don't need to use traps as I am not there all of the time and they seem to leave the camp and die elsewhere.

Decon

Yes! That design is far superior to the water traps that are prone to freezing.

Only has to be reset if it fills up to the degree that they can jump out.

Doesn't work if skunks and their like can reach the bucket - BTDT

Not of sufficient scale to deter chipmunks but worked on mice in a pinch. Just need enough water depth that they can't touch bottom and jump out. One has to tolerate the noise of their yelling for help for half the night though.

One gets discovered in the middle of the wilderness about 3 days into a 3-week elk camp. Tracks in the snow evidence traffic from all directions. My best nights are about 6 or 7, and then it tails off to an occassional single or pair.

Our wrath surfaced when we had stir fried rice scheduled for the last night in camp. Reached for what should have been a full bag of rice and it was completely empty. A half-inch slice in the bottom corner, and they had extracted every grain. Stir fried Top Ramen saved the evening, and it's been war on the get go ever since.

You're aware that they stopped making the formula of D-Con you were using (brodifacoum)?? Hope you stocked up. You'll have to get it in large quantities now, from a different brand.


http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-0531-rat-poisons-2014053http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-0531-rat-poisons-20140531-story.html1-story.html

I made one of those traps years ago but put a couple of inches of lime in the bottom instead of water or antifreeze. The lime drys the mice out and turns them into crispy critters before they rot.

^^^ This^^^

I know farmers used to spread quicklime over livestock carcases for that purpose.

. I was to post like this ...use a 5gal bucket a inch of coolant in the bottom of , I use wire and a can punched center , lean a stick with some grip on it and they will shimmy up then try to reach/jump to free food an fall to a cool death 😂lol 10/20 a week is common !

I built my first one of these bucket traps 45 years ago. I believe that I copied from Field and Stream? Anti freeze works well for eliminating the stink, but I will give the lime a try. How quick will that kill them?

During non-freezeing temperatures I put a couple ounces of bleach in 2" of water...keeps the smell down for weeks...

For red squirrels 30 gallon metal cans with 6" of water.... corn hot glued to tomato juice can...

I like the sound of that, coyotewacker.

My buddy in Pietown NM just uses 5 gallon buckets 3/4 full of water with a little ramp going up to it. In a week he would have 20 chipmunks in it. No other bait than the water.

I think he killed over 100 in one summer.

It kills them very quickly. They jump around stirring up lime dust and breath it.

We do that with coons too, but use a 55 gallon drum with a hole cut in the lid and bacon grease for bait.

Pietown!

Now, there's a thriving metropolis for ya!


I only know one guy from there. Ed Wimberley. Last I heard, he wasn't doing too well.

Is that who your buddy is?

Best mouse killer I've had. Some dogs live to retrieve balls or sticks. Spark lives to kill small furry things and spends a large portion of the day on the job. Some days I move the woodpile just so he can get some bit time action. 10 kill days are common.

Wouldn't skittles work better than bacon grease?

This works well for the unwanted pests

My grandmother had a fat little black and tan rat-terrier that lived to kill mice and rats, too. If I hadn't watched it with my own eyes I don't know that I would have believed it but her dog would intentionally bait mice. You could give it a piece of biscuit but instead of eating it as most dogs would, it would take and drop it close to a mouse hole, then get back little ways and wait patiently for a mouse to come out.

Now there's a smart pup. I hope your family bred that dog to keep the bloodline going!

Geno

Mix plaster of Paris with some oatmeal and a few globs of peanutbutter mix it all up. They might go 10ft before they seize up ...

I don't believe they ever did intentionally breed the dog for puppies to keep but he could have locked up with some stray bitch wandering by. I do know he had a strong desire to because if he wasn't sleeping or hunting rodents he was hunting a leg to hump. Had to shut him up somewhere when company came over especially women and kids.

That's funny, and I believe I've known a dog or two like that.

Geno

Golden Malrin fly pellets and Pepsi. U can draw a 5 foot circle around the pan and NOTHING will make it out of it. Buddy used to work in a gravel pit and the farmer that owned the land would pay bounty to him for varmints. He has had as many as 5 raccoons dead with their faces still in the pan. Beware it kills indiscriminately.

Out lawed in Washington D.C.

My father was chief engineer over 150 engineers and draftsmen for 40 years. He got dozens of gun patents and pounded on desk tops and yelled at engineers.

His better mouse trap story was about an engineer he worked with that had patented a trap that killed the mouse, sprayed it with disinfectant, sealed it in plastic, and notified the owner with a radio signal that bounces off a meteor trail. The guy did not quit his day job, but was obsessed with his invention.

My father's job was to yell at engineers that try to design a "better mouse trap". But what you do on your own time is your own business.

I did the bucket trap when I worked in the Alaska Bush. Just did peanut butter on a can and no water in the bucket.

We would catch the mice and then carry them down to the river in the bucket. I would put on a pair of gloves and then toss them into the river over a small riffle.

The mice would normally make it 5-15 feet before getting swallowed by a rainbow trout. It was awesome to watch and great nightly entertainment. Out of 20-30 mice we threw in only 1 ever made it back to the bank.

A rainbow trout big enough to eat a mouse?
I guess so...
Google takes me to videos of that.