We're Caught in a Trap

"We're caught in a trap

I can't walk out

Because I love you too much, baby

Why can't you see

What you're doing to me

When you don't believe a word I say?"

-Elvis Presley "Suspicious Minds"

We have two separate varmint problems going on simultaneously.  It is high time to get the problems under control.  First, in our barn, we have a rat problem.  The infestation has gone from bad to worse in recent days.  I have caught several young ones by simply placing a bucket against the wall in the feed room.  Young rats jump in and cannot jump back out.  I then ensure their jumping days are over.

We've caught several rats in buckets full of water.  Apparently rats get thirsty and lean over the water bucket to drink and fall in.  Unable to climb out on the slick sides of the bucket, they drown.  We've caught several by NOT killing a rat snake that has made our barn his home.  The snake is like a heat-seeking missile and is knocking off the rats one by one.

I took out a small animal cage and baited it with dog food, thinking it would add one more rat eliminator alternative.  So far, so good.  I've trapped three in three consecutive nights.

He realizes the gig is up!

You dirty rat!

Rats cause a sanitary problem in the barn.  I like to clean them out prior to storing hay in the barn.  Cleaning them out is easier said than done.  The barn borders a patch of woods an a lot of rats live in the woods and move in the barn when colder, inclement weather sets in.  Just this evening, I took my Marlin .22 rifle loaded with rat shot and killed three rats by shooting them off the rafters.  We're slowing thinning out the population and having success, but we still have a lot of rats to kill.  We'll keep at it.

One of our trapping operations, however, is not so successful.  We lost a laying hen the other night to a predator - an old possum.  I got out my large animal trap and baited it with dog food.  I walked out to the woods and set the trap right on a trail leading out of the woods to our pasture.  This morning... BINGO!  I noticed that I had caught something in our trap.  Uh oh!  I caught our neighbor's cat!

The cat was very unhappy and was hissing at me and carrying on.  I quickly released the fierce and ferocious feline, after asking the cat not to "rat" me out to the neighbors.  The cat was none the worse for wear and after giving me an evil look, he ran back to the neighbors property.

I don't give up easily.  I'll keep my trapping exploits up and running until I eliminate the rat and possum problems.