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Tree rat stealing pears

Rich Z

Rich Z

Administrator
Staff member


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FciTdbrK6E

These varmints are really getting on my nerves. I pulled the last pear left off of this particular tree today after the rest got taken by tree rats and earlier, some raccoons. I still have a small pear tree left with three pears remaining on it. I've got the hunting blind out, but with it raining heavily the last few days, it is soaked in the blind. Plus I'm not keen on taking the rifle out into the rain, neither.

Live traps just do not work on squirrels around here.
 
What bait are you using in the live traps? Since they like your pears I would use that. I've also had good luck with walnuts placed in a fabric bag and tied to the inside of the trap. Typically I use 2-3 tent stakes to secure the trap so the little bastards can't flip the trap and escape.

My honeycrip tree had probably 60 apples on it this year. They had just started turning red and within the past week all the apples were gone.

What rifle and ammo are you using? If I have one in a trap or at close range I take them out with 22lr cci quiets. Longer distance get standard/hi velocity 22lr. My wife previously asked me why there was a bird feeder in the middle of the yard with a ribbon hanging off the bottom. I simply replied squirrels and wind indicator. :grin01:
 
I have been using peanut butter, but have tried a bunch of different items over the years. As for using pears for bait, nope. Up till this morning, I had three left, but when I checked, I only had two. So I took the rest myself and have them sitting on the kitchen counter. I'm not about to donate those remaining ones to the squirrel. I'll spend some time in the shooting blind I have near the pear trees and eventually he'll be back.

For tree rat duty I am using a Savage A-17 in 17 HMR. Leupold scope on it. Excellent rifle. Very accurate and reliable.

I saw the tree rat yesterday, but he was heading up a pine tree and pretty far off. I only had my .22 Sig Arms Trailside with me, but unloaded a magazine at him anyway, even knowing my hitting him would have been unlikely. My eyes just aren't very good with iron sights at distances any longer.
 
Btw, those tree rat carcasses aren't going to waste. A hawk around here has seemingly began associating the sound of my rifle going off as a dinner bell.
 

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