Last night about 3AM, The Girl shook me awake..

"I heard a noise downstairs. Something is in the house!"

We live about 20 minutes outside of town. The absolute shortest time it would ever take the police to get here is about 30 minutes, if they recieved the call in the middle of the day. At 3AM on a Monday morning, they are all asleep in bed.

So I've made some preperations to defend ourselves if necessary. I have a 12 guage Mossberg pump gun which I keep locked to the wall in a closet of our bedroom. Ammo is also kept locked in case.

Usually, we have problems with bears or coyotes, but I suppose a shotgun would work properly for other intruders as well...

So when my wife woke me up, I grabbed the shotgun and loaded it.

"What did you hear? What is it?"

Looking at me with eyes filled with terror, she could barely whisper the words, as her fear was too great.

"I....think...it's...a...PACK RAT!!!!"

AAAARRRRGGHHHH!!!!!

Some of you may remember about this time last year my trials and tribulations with a pack rat in my shed/shop.

But this one had invaded our HOME!!!! Nothing like this had ever happened before...I wasn't ready for this at all.

I put the shotgun down, went down to the safe and removed a more appropriate tool- a .22 loaded with shotshells.

With flashlight in hand, I did a room to room search of the house. My house is small, so it took maybe 2 minutes.

Then I heard a noise..it was coming from the closet under the stairs, where the hot water tank and assorted mechanical and electrical are located.

Whipping open the door, I quickly used the flashlight. There he was, the little grey bastard. As I raised the gun, I realized that he was sitting behind a bunch of wires and a poly pipe that connects to the well. I didn't have a clear shot!

He had been momentarily stunned by the light, but no more. He charged me...

Luckily, it was a bluff charge, and at the last second, he ducked behind the hot water heater. That was a close one.

I was unable to sleep after facing the charge, and I am very, very tired.

But I am standing vigil. The traps have been brought from the shed, baited and placed in appropriate locations. The .22 is loaded and standing by.

I don't expect a very restful sleep tonight.

If you don't hear from me again, assume the worst. It's been nice knowing you guys, but I don't know too many who have stood a real charge from an enraged pack rat and lived to tell about it. This may be my last post...

You're not going to like this, but it seems to me that in such conditions, especially when the defense and honor of your lovely wife and castle are at stake, you need to go into hand-to-hand, er, hand-to-claw combat mode.

I'm not going to go so far as to call you a coward, but then, you're the one who must live with your decision. What if the infidel makes it out alive and brings reinforcements...lots of them. Then what? That's yer castle, son. Get back in there and do some freaking damage already. I recommend a stout pair of boots and a wiffle ball bat. If you don't make it, sorry, but you'll have your honor, right? Hmm. Say, how big of a insurance policy would you be leaving the little lady?

Leighton

WMD time. Domestic style.

Don't you have a knife? A bayonet? You should have closed with him and taken him out, you had him in corner! No, you're no coward, but you just need proper attitude.

What's the spirit of the bayonet? To kill sir, kill, kill, kill!

Actually, a very entertaining post and similar to an incident I had 2 nights ago. I was summoned upstairs from my reloading lair in the basement by the missus. Seems she'd heard somebody in the kitchen (directly over said lair) and insisted the dog had growled (always a "good" sign). So with gun and flashlight in hand (it is only her, me and the dog in the house), I do a room to room. Nothing, nada, zip. I get back downstairs to tell her all is ok and she says, "Well it did sound like a bag falling off the bench." !!

It happens to all of us.

Again one hell of a story Gatehouse. From coastal grizz to pack rats you have now covered the entire range of BC hunting opportunities ! LoL

BTW If you want to catch that little grey beast place a rat trap in a 2 foot section of black stove pipe. (Tie a line to the trap) Place the pipe & trap back in your under-stair closet. You will get him the first night he returns. Also a BB gun leaves less mess than a .22.

[ 09-30-2003, 04:43: Message edited by: Cariboo ]

I think sturdy boots and a 3-iron would be useful. If you still have a true "wood" driver, that's even better. Those fancy new Bertha drivers don't have the required weight.

My mother-in-law still has a "rat pistol" from the old farm days. It's a little 22LR derringer with a cylinder of maybe 5 shots. Perfect for shots to 10 yards.

Good luck with this little bastard.

As a matter of fact I had a similar experience last month. I was summoned to the unfinished side of the basement by my wife. I have thick plastic sheeting on my ceiling keeping the insulation dust out of the room. There was a rat (common variety) cruising between the staples that hold the plastic to the joists. I grab my trusty 16oz ball-peen and wait for his next move. He must have sensed something as his move was swift. I lead him and fired, BAM, right behind the shoulder. A short blood trail and a quick slit in the plastic and I had him.

Dispatched one of his smaller cousins with a softer head shot tonight.

I had one of the bastards living in my truck for a month. After three years, I still have pieces of tissue coming out of the vent.

Two words for you: glue traps. FWIW, Dutch.

We had one that set up housekeeping. We tracked him to an under-the-sidewalk pipe installed for an underground 110V line, rustled him out of there with a piece of sprinkler pipe, and skushed him with a 2X4. He flew rather well, flat.

Gatehouse,
I believe I told you of the close combat technique of my fellow guide, Black Cloud, in dispatching a rat in the guide's cabin. With nothing more than a broomstick, he would have killed that rat. You should be ashamed!
I've killed a dozen or so this year. One of the best was one which had esconced itself inside the frame of the boat trailer. I simply loaded the Hawken with 150gr of fff and some wadding and fired it into the tongue of the trailer. Mr. Rat shot nicely out the other end, smoking a bit, and was dispatched by Beagle Bailey. This might have worked on your rat although the smoke might have been a problem!
The only one which actually got into our house crawled into the dryer vent then chewed through the vent hose. My wife beat that one to death with a shoe. After seeing that performance I've been a little more respectful and helpful around the house I can tell you! Regards, Bill.

Maybe this post would be more appropriate in the spear hunting forum but a few years back when I was managing hog farms and had lots of vetrinary supplies in the truck.

We had a mouse get behind the fridge. I went out to the truck and got a syrenge with a 16 X 1 1/2 inch needle, found the little bugger behind the fridge and speared him.

My wife thought I was just horrible.

oatmeal mixed with plaster-of-paris. However, once they set up there might be an odor problem for a little while. However, the odor means it worked!

You never heard of the rat splat stomp?

Is it rat season or what? I spooked one last night in the garage, never had one in there before! I have an attached garage so it is not cool, if you leave the door open in the house they come.

I like BBBruce's WMD approach, I'll be putting a box trap in there too to placate my kids, and if he's lucky he'll get trapped there.

The Victor rat trap, plus some bacon grease, peanut butter and bacon bits for bait.

It's the claymore of rodent whackers.

Check daily or the stench will be awful.

Bill
Yes, I remember your rat hair raising tale of adventure! Good work with the smoke pole.

I'm sorry I haven't been as manly as I some of you believe I should...But the closet under the stairs is pretty tight- no room to swing a broom, 2x4, golf club (what's golf, anyway?)

good idea about the trap and the stove pipe. They seems to be pretty adept at jumping out of the way of the regular traps, and I've only caught them like that a few times.

I'm sure many of you have already seen it, but this is a pic of the last pack rat that got uppity with me...WMD, pack rat style

Hang in there Gatehouse.
Just remember, whites of his eyes mate,whites of his eyes

Bakes

That's why every home-defense shotgun should be a Win M97. That way you could just mount the bayonet and skewered him.

Gatehouse I think your decision not to shoot was a good one considering the collateral damage that was possible.

I would take issue with Gonzo. I feel a "firm 4 iron" would be a better choice!

Rusty
We band of brothers!

A Wyoming ranch hand tried to sell me a 5-screw Smith & Wesson K-22 (Model 17)that on the exterior was quite nice. However, the bore looked like a sewer pipe. Rest of the story was he spent a winter quartered in a mouse infested bunkhouse. He dealt with the problem (mice and winter boredom) by using "brownie projectiles". Seems he used a pair of pliers to remove the bullet from a .22 LR cartridge. He would then mash the remaining cartridge (with powder) into some very stale piece of brownie that he had making a short-distance wadcutter projectile. He would then shoot at the mice as they scampered along the wall from point A to point B.

Somehow I think whiskey figured into this deal. He did mention that the occasional piece of walnut would enchance the sectional density/penetration of the brownie load. It was hell on the mice at short range, but otherwise wouldn't put holes in the bunkhouse.

For our foreign friends, a "brownie" is a rather dense/gooey chocolate pan cake concoction that once stale is akin to a hockey puck.

I passed on the K-22 but always remembered the story.

GATEHOUSE MY .38SPL #9 SHOT LOADS DO SIMILIAR DAMAGE TO POSSUMS.GOT 2 JUST LAST WEEK. I SHOT THE ONE IN THE GARAGE AND AN INVESTIGTION FOR COLATERAL DAMAGE SHOWED NONE.

Gatehouse

In any case I hope your .22 was a CRF. Otherwise in the charge what would you do if you missed with the first shot?

Great story!



Next time, try shining the flashlight in YOUR face. You might be able to ugly 'em to death!!

Gates

It's time to sell the house and move. Move far away!! Don't let these guys talk you into risking life and limb.

Besides, how can you live with yourself with all that carnage?

That's what you get for building a house on a pac rat migration route.

We had a bad mouse problem at hunting camp years ago.

Responding to the call to arms, I purchased a six pack of traps and went after the little varments. Peanut butter is the best bait.

By the end of the weekend I had slain dozens. It notched each trap to record the kills and one trap had nine.

For sport though, you can't beat hunting rats with a handgun. I use a .357 Magnum with #9 shot. Just kick in the barn door at night with a flashlight in one hand and revolver in the other. It's kinda like being a cop, without the dreadful disadvantage of the target shooting back.

In defense of your castle and protecting the sanity of the obvious better half (therefor opening the door to hero sex) get the biggest gun you have and take the battel to your enemy. Water heaters, wireing and the rest of the collateral damage can be repaired. This is war man get on with the job at hand!!

We used to love shooting rats at my uncle's mine. We'd put out bread crumbs or crackers, sit in the dark, then spotlight them with a flashlight and shoot them with shotshells in a .22 handgun. Loads of fun!!!

Thanks for all the support, concerns and suggestions...

Our story came to a violent and bloody conclusion last night

The furry beast started to get active last night about 1AM. He sprung a trap, and I thought we had em' but he got away. I sat down with the ligths out, flashlight and my STAINLESS single-six at the ready.

After listening for about an hour, to no avail, I went back to bed. I repeated this procedure at least once more during the night.

Finally, at about 430, there was the unmistakeable sound of Mr. Rat chewing at somethign that contained food.

I qickly rose, grabbed my tools, and headed downstairs. Surprising the rat, he dove for the thick cover in the corner, behind the vaccum cleaner, mops and brooms.

Searching with the light, I finally saw a litle whisp of tail poking out from behind a bucket.

I decided to "let the animal decide how he will die." Sometimes, of course, you need to intentionally wound animals to provoke charges, but this one needed no such provocation.

He charged, coming straight for me. My fear was compounded by the knowledge that I had just got out of bed, and was not wearing alot of 'protective' clothing.

It was clear only a CNS hit would stop the charge, so I made a quick aim adjustment and squeezed the trigger.

He was leaping towards me when the shot rang out, and the .22 shotshell charge nailed him square in the head.

He dropped to the floor, dead. It was all over.

Not only did we manage to get to sleep undisturbed for a few hours, I realized that I had settled one of the most controversial topics ever discussed here...Buckshot on dangerous game.

Judging formt he reaction of Mr. PR when he was hit, I'm going to switch to buckshot any time I am hunting anything that is even remotely big or scratchy.

Congrats on your fine trophy. Please post pics.

Andy

Yes.........We want to know how much he squared out, plus what did the skull measure out? The dirty bastard, eating your food! Yep......Buckshot, that's it, for close quarters combat with game

[ 10-02-2003, 08:54: Message edited by: CK ]

reminds me of my school days

large rat under the house that I finally got from a stand(my bed) and a borrowed BB gun, right behind the shoulder, it was over in a few seconds.

kept coming into the house after an extened cleaning session behind the hotwater heater, made for some funs stories and exciting hunting.

Killed a lot of tree rats with a .177 pellet gun. They would get on the back porch and chew on the drywall. The sound drove me nuts.

SORRY GATEHOUSE THAT POST SHOULD HAVE READ THAT #2 SHOT IN .38 SHELLS DO THAT KIND OF DAMAGE TO POSSUMS.

Good job Gatehouse! Like the others, I would like to see pictures. Stay alert however, his friends are likely to commence a search and the leader is probably a Tuffpak Rat!

Did he rate B&C?
Maybe get him mounted?

Great thread man...It bought many smiles to me....keep up the good work.

Congratulations! How long teeth? Will he make it into the SCI books?