Air Arms Owners Club

Just a couple of shots from recent trips up to the farm.
I had found a few weeks ago that I didn't need to go up after dark to see them around - middle of the afternoon on a Sunday worked as well

Anyway, took the opportunity to pop along a couple of evenings for the 7 to 10pm shift to catch them as dusk approached and hopefully get a few more. There may be a lot around in the day but they are really twitchy and don't stay still far long. To date I haven't bothered trying to bait them, just picked off the ones that make themselves available.

First picture was from last night, there were 2 more but they ended up in positions where I couldn't retrieve them (down holes, under partitions). Of the 5 only one was taking after it got dark enough to swap to the photon on the S410, the rest were taken with the TDR. One was actually outside the barn, under the cows feeding trough, the rest were all in the barn, in and around the mountains of pallets, grain bags, reclaimed stonework etc that the estate has stored in there.


The second was from last week. Again one missing but that was because it was the first one I shot so I left it where it was, half under partition. About 20 minutes later I noticed its tail moving oddly. Bit strange as I knew it was dead. As I watched it was dragged out of sight, presumably by a neighbour I didn't go looking for it later....
Much bigger ones that day, the size 12 is added for scale, just glad the shovel was there!


There are still plenty more where these came from so there will be a few more trips up there yet.

Dave

Good lord !!! They look well fed

some big rats there. Good shooting. I bet there is a few more of the bigger ones knocking about especially after dark.
Well don.

So I wonder what they are feeding on. If they are twitchy you could bait them now but don't shoot them.
Sounds like you'll need a trolley full of bait though

BBF

yeah these are big, fat, glossy well fed rats. Think they enjoyed the mild winter too.
In the barn there are wacking great bags - as in several cubic metres, like the ones you get full of gravel from builders merchants but bigger, - filled with some sort of grain/feed. Looks like small shiny peanuts.
So there is more food than these little beggars could ever eat through.
I have thought of using some sort of bait near the entrance & exit holes to try and slow them up long enough for a shot.

I'm not the only person who shoots up there though and I have seen empty cat food tins that A N Other has obviously used to try and act as bait. Not sure that it was that successful as whoever it is just leaves the rats where they kill them (which I consider frankly disgusting as well as seriously unhygienic) and there are not that many.
I made a point of letting the gamekeeper know that I was clearing away the ones I shot, though I suspect he knows who is leaving the others up there. His problem to control them (assuming its not him.....)

good shooting on the rats . went last night to plumb milk mixer for the calf milk on a farm .
when i finished farmers wife said lot of rabbits in the garden if
you could shoot a few i would be glad so 4 rabbits in the bag .
got to the van a thier daughter showed me a rat eating the milk
powder in the barn with the light on.
so 2 nice rats shot so fat on one shoots this
farm now so i got the permission .
the calf sheds are over run they are getting 3/4 a week drowned
in the water trough .

Dave, try baiting by smearing some peanut butter onto a brick or similar immovable object. The rats will stop and lick the bait but obviously can't take it off to their holes as they can with cat food. Put it where you want so you have a good shooting position. They can then eat their main course and you provide the lead dessert!! Best wishes,Mark

They're huge things!

Nice shooting mate