Some &^*@# tree rat apparently buried its stash last fall in the flower pot on the front porch. I know this because my little nemophila sprouts get trampled and half-buried every two or three days by the verminous pest's digging activities.
Sadly, the good citizens of Broad Ripple would probably not take kindly to me taking up station on said porch with my trusty Benjamin Sheridan and putting an RWS .22 cal field pellet through his boiler room the next time he makes an appearance, and there are no good windows overlooking the pot to use for a sniper hide...
"...taking up station on said porch...and putting an RWS .22 cal field pellet through his boiler room"
ReplyDeleteAw, c'mon, any marksman with your credentials ought to be able to get clean headshots.
Sorry. Couldn't resist.
Simply encourage them to be somewhere else.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXYQmt0sGys
There's always rat poison.
ReplyDeleteRat poison's bad for the environment. Get out the survival manual and practice making snares. Good fun, and good eating too!
ReplyDelete"Rat poison's bad for the environment." Well yeah, that's kinda' the point, doncha' think?
ReplyDelete1. Lay aluminum screening over the top of the planter, cutting minimal holes for the young plants
ReplyDelete2. Twist connect open leads (bare wire) from a extension cord to each end of screen. Cord must be of sufficient length to reach into house and lay in wait by handy outlet.
3. Watch and wait. When furry tailed rat is on screen with at least two legs (prefer four) plug in wire.
4. Observe results and giggle. With a little luck and some cleaning, you may even be able to have squirrel stew for dinner.
5. Oh yeah! Go reset circuit breaker so outlet will resume working.
Would this Benjamin Sheridan be any relation to my grandfather's Benjamin Franklin Mod. 3120, or is that a separate clan altogether?
ReplyDeleteYou could always set up an obstacle course for them. Many entertaining ones can be found on youtube.
Is there enough meat on a tree rat to make them worth the trouble?
I s'pose explosives would defeat the point, but the idea of a tree-rat sized claymore gives me a chuckle...
ReplyDeleteI think one of those .410 derringers would qualify as a tree rat sized claymore!
ReplyDeletePut a seed feeder out temporarily in a place where you can whack the little grubbers. Eventually greed for the easy pickings will bring the one out front into range.
ReplyDeleteYou and RobertaX will have a wider variety of meat for Saturday morning breakfasts.
Benjamin and Sheridan are now both owned by Crosman, and they are now essentially the same rifles and pistols, known as Benjamin Sheridan, available in .177 (Benjamin 397), .20 (Benjamin Sheridan Blue or Silver Streak) and .22 (Benjamin 392).
ReplyDeleteOld Benjamin and Sheridan airguns are pretty collectable. All are powerful and even the new ones are better made than most domestic airgun offerings.
They now offer the Benjamin Discovery, which is a PCP rifle, made in USA, that you pump up to 2000 psi, getting 20-30 useful shots at close to 900-1000 fps depending on pellet weight.
But I digress.
Lovely airguns. So happy to see airguns mentioned.
Guys at the gun shop told grandpa his was dangerous. "If you drop it while it's pumped up, it might go off." Think they offered to trade him for another.
ReplyDeleteMove the pot to a better sight line?
ReplyDeleteSurely it's more complex problem than that.
Jeff,
ReplyDeleteThat 3120 is worth between $150-$250, one went for $215 on Gunbroker in April. Hopefully they offered him something comparable in trade?
Unless the rifle's sear/trigger is really worn, it shouldn't "go off". Dead simple mechanism.
Hey, og, that's the other vid I was thinking of. But check this one out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRR4bOquEKQ
ReplyDeleteHank
Maybe you need a quieter squirrel gun:
ReplyDeletehttp://billllsidlemind.blogspot.com/2008/05/workshop.html
or
http://tinyurl.com/3llsql
Another vote for the snare route. Thin copper wire, such as can be stripped out of an old length of CAT-5, works well and won't come loose if the critter has the sense to try & back out to get some slack.
ReplyDeleteIn my experience, even in an urban environment, one can fire a round of centerfire a day without notice, if they are made at odd intervals. Never two shots in the same hour.
ReplyDeleteI'm just saying.
As it happens, I recently wrote a blogpost on squirrel-sized claymores.
ReplyDeleteCheck local laws before assembly...
It's illegal in IN to use a pellet gun to kill rodents?
ReplyDeleteTam, you should've stayed in TN. Those people ain't right.
the last time I cheked your OK if the pellet does not leave your property. Still check the ordenance.
ReplyDelete"It's illegal in IN to use a pellet gun to kill rodents?
ReplyDeleteTam, you should've stayed in TN. Those people ain't right."
I don't know whether it's legal or not, it's just that this isn't the kind of neighborhood where folks are likely to look over and say "Oh, that's only a pellet rifle she's holding. Looks like a Benjamin Sheridan, as a matter of fact..."
Pellet guns are legal for squirrel here: "Gray and fox squirrels may be taken with any equipment and ammunition during squirrel hunting season."
ReplyDeleteSorry to be late, but I just now saw your reply.
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly the sort of neighborhood in which I would do so. Just 'cause.