In North central KS. they are so thick that the locals have started having an annual pack rat hunting contest. Last two years the winning teams brought in over 100 of them, in a day of hunting. My nephew entered the contest both years, but has only managed to kill 43 the first year, and 54 the second year, and that didn't place in the top three teams. Needless to say, they are out of control in that part of the country.
To hunt them, they simply walk tree rows and creeks and look for the nests, and start rippin' em apart until the rats come running out. Most guys use shotguns, some use 22 with bird shot. My nephew has a little dog that is hell on wheels on them as well.
Here at work we had a backhoe burn to the ground a few years ago. We believe it was a pack rat nest on the manifold that caught on fire simply because I was operating the back hoe one time and almost had it happen to me, but I knew where the hood latch was located and got the engine compartment open in time to extinguish the fire. The other guy that was operating it when it burned down didn't know how to open the hood, so it burned to the ground.
