One of my favorite pass times in the winter is hunting rats out in my friends barn. We have some pretty good trophys out there! Once I shot a pound and a halfer on the fly! stopped em dead in its tracks. My friend gary had one run up his pant leg after he shot at it in the open It ran for cover and he was the cover! My preffered weapon of choice is a benjermin sheriden 20 caliber air rifle. Is there any dumps out there that still let people come in and shoot rats?

How do you cook yours? I throw them in the bushes, and go to burger king but If theirs some good recipes out there bring em on!

shame a shooter can't find a good dump these days... I was to a couple of dumps in the old days...but no more.

Also, rats are vermin. I never ate them. Because of that I wasn't particular where I shot them. Head shot, shoulder shot, butt shot... it was all the same to me. Guess to the rat too.

Die, rat, die!!!

sickos... killin to be killin... thats not hunting... thats just stupid.

BBVK,

Now that we know you are a "rat lover" stay on the fishing page.

We don't like rat lovers here.

Rats are bad.

very bad.

BBVD,
you know what the Plauge is? You know it's carried by flea's on rats right? Rats are nothin more than diseased,flea ridden, vermin.

I can see your point on killing just to kill,but were talking rats here man.

Looks like I need to build myself a barn with a full walk through course.

BBVD;

Get with it son! Thats what hunting is about.

I love the staulk, love the time in the outdoors, the comraderie, the preparation, the wait for the season, everything about it, but the part that makes it a success is the KILL!

And when I really think about it it's killin to be killin. I don't need the meat, I like it but I could buy it. Hell that's what the horns and the mounts are all about.

PROOF!

I tried hunting with a camera, it wasn't as exciting.

I just like the kill to top off the experience.

And I don't shoot rats to protect anybody from anything, I just like killin em.

herm

rat killing rules! great off season target practice. they taste good too with garlic and lemon pepper.

Mmmmmm, mmmm. Barbequed rat with smoked sewer chub on the side.
Shooting sounds like more fun than poisoning them.

BBVD:
We as hunters need to support each other, even if the pursuit is not one we personally agree with. Let's see, we can't trap, bait, or use hounds. What's next? Maybe your favorite...

Would it be better to trap and poison them?
OOPs! Trappin' was made unlegal!

A dead rat is a dead rat. A dead rat is a good rat. If someone has fun making a rat into a dead rat, well that's frosting on the cake?

Does anyone know of any good rat spots around Tacoma? Most of my close by deer, elk, duck, and pheasant places are now swallowed up by housing developments. I figure rat hunting will be great sport and provide some good eatin'. I'm lookin' for a spot where firearm use is not only common, but actually legal. This rules out some potentially great "rat hotspots" on the Eastside and "The Hill". When I showed up at the landfill with my firearms they called in the SWAT team...go figure...? Where's a feller got to go for good rattin' these days?

For all you veteran "rodent roasters" out there I have a few questions:

Since I didn't get my elk this year, how many rats does it take to equal the meat in an average sized bull?
Can you use decoys? I notice Sportco don't carry 'em, but I think I saw some "magnum" rubber ones at K-mart around Halloween.
Can you bait 'em? If so I'm using the leftovers from this bucket of KFC I'm munchin' on. I figure any animal that "tastes like chicken" has got to "like to taste chicken", right?
Do they respond to calls? Should I tape record the lifter on a garbage truck to re-play?
Do I need a "rat stamp"?
Is there really a "Rocky Mtn. Rat Foundation"? I keep getting mailers from them and "Rats Unlimited"...
What kind of dog should I use? Or... duh...is a cat better? I'll only use a cat if they'll retrieve; I hate the idea of woundin' and losin' even a single rodent.
Does the WDFW offer special hunts in all the really good places?
If all the wild rats get shot-out, will they give us a program to raise captive rats and then let them lose at "release areas" for us to hunt?
Since I've never hunted rats, can you put me in touch with a good "rat guide"? And I'm not talkin' bout some joker who'll just get me my limit and then send me on my way; I want a guide who's willin' to show me all the subleties of rat huntin'!
Is rat hunting really that much better out of state?
Are all of the "public rat areas" as over crowded with hunters as I've heard?
Does a twelve guage make a good "rat gun"? I think I'll use mine for the close shots and my 338 for the long shots over 20 feet.
If I do find a good "rat spot" should I tell anyone about it? I'm afraid if I do pretty soon they'll write it up in Fishing and Hunting News and then it'll be way too crowded to be worth a damn!

I really need some answer! Good Rattin' to you!

GS

AWWWW...COME ON!

This is probably the most interesting topic I've seen here in a long time.

We can't waste this opportunity!

Your really cracking me up!,

Decoys hmm, that might work good! I wonder if I stuff a rat with toilet paper If that will work. I guess I better check with fish and game about getting a taxidermy license?

I didnt right the stats down but I believe the last time I went to figure out how many rats It takes to equal one elk I had to fill seven large garbage cans and they started stinkin before i could get them all dressed out. I had about 3000 hanging from the close line before I quit and that only equalled one small deer.

peanut butter works great for bait because they cant carry it off but some times you have to chum them in by throwing grain on the ground, they come to the sound.

puckerin your lips a making sqeelling sound does work on slow nights or heavily hunted areas.

having a cat or dog can greatly reduce you chances of even seeing one rat.

I use stick with a 5/0 gamakatsu hook at the end to retrieve rats that make it back in the hole. The tailing method works well for retrieval of rats that are in the open but always poke your quarry first. Dont forget to bleed them out and skin them as soon as posible

wdfw likes to keep the good places to themselves as should you, but If your lucky you might make it to the in crowd.

wdfw has not started any rat hatcherys yet but I am sure that they will when rat hunting gets more popular. This also means that eventually we may have to buy a rat stamp to hunt legaly.

Rat hunting is better out of state. If you have the funds one of the best hunteries in the country is in the sewers of new york city. Its a very exciting hunt as you are allowed two alligators too!

Most rat hunters I have run into believe its unethical to hunt rats with anything smaller than a 22 long riffle. I on the other hand believe its more sporting to use air riffles.

Farms, Dumps, Hilltop in Tacoma, are amoung the best areas to hunt rats. Parking lots adjacent to water with rock bulkheads where people feed birds is one of my top producers. the rats come out at night and lick bird feces off the warm asphalt. There a little gamy when taken by salt water but they still eat good with ranch dressing.

Always look for what they need I.E food, water, cover.

As my good friend Dr. Cody Springfield says....

Nothing attracts the sea donkeys like rat skin rug in front of a roaring fire...

:p :p :p :p

Micropterus,

Thanks for the hoot!
Had me rollin'.

Only problem now is I heard the WDFW might close the season...

...not predicting a high enogh escapement of "Native Rats"!


GS

The rat hunters get the same bad rap as us deer hunters from the antis known as the "bambi syndrome" But for the rat hunters it's known as the "Mickey mouse syndrome" I blame it all on Walt Disney. Rabbit droppings make for good bait. But then we're back to the "Bugs bunny syndrome"

The wdfw really chaps my hide sometimes. There is no genetic difference between native rats and the hatchery rats at some of the experimental rat programs at dumps throughout the state. The wdfw just wants an excuse to start charging people to go rat hunting.

Last night I called the wdfw about seeing if I could stuff rats with toilet paper to make decoys without a taxidermy license. I was transfered about 15 times before I got somebody in the licensing depo. I dont think he took me seriously. he said: "You have called a state office that uses caller ID and records telephone calls We dont appreciate prank callers! good bye."

I took that as its ok so I made up a couple decoys last night. OH MY GOD! they work way to good! Boy them rats sure are horny little buggers. I ended up shooting one of my decoys because when there that close its hard to disguinguish which one is the live one. I think the next decoy I make I will put in the head down posture so I know which is which.

ya I still got my eye out for Al

Our rat population would be a lot better if the tribes weren't takin' so many!

Boy Stilly Bum you hit the nail on the head there!

I wouldnt mind indians taking so many rats but they have plenty on their land that we dont have access to becuase are skin is white, while they can still take rats outside thier reservation. Thats discrimanation! I want equall rat hunting rights! hey hey, ho ho ,discrimanation has got to go!

Rockfish;
Who is AL?
Are you having rat impulses again?

Man I knew fishing was slow but really....

Funny thread

I'll back BBVD on this one....
Killing animals just to be killing something?
Sounds like psychosis, not sport.
If it's really that rewarding, get a job at the animal shelter.
At least get paid for it.

Jeezus people, we're talking about rats here. They're in the same class as flies. If you can't handle killing a few rats then how do you bait a hook with a live sandshrimp?

Hey.. Rats are people too!

Did you say flies?

Take a paper target in the summer time and throw some jelly on it. Take a scoped Ruger 10/22 and set up a bench rest anywhere from 25-50 yards back. When the flies land on the jelly try and hit them.

You would be surprised how accurate these little guns are.

I must admit on a few occasions I have taken over my limit of flies Crap did I say that on a public BB

Gotta go I hear the Game Warden coming

I shot a fly at 100 yards with my .22-250 one time and another time shot the staples off and let the target fall off the board. Also shot the ring value numbers off the target. It's hard to hit those all the time as they need to be hit dead center to take them out.

I have a couple of other rifles accurate enough to duplicate this. All of them with the exception of one have the same thing in common. Rem 700 varmint special with a varmint barrel. The oddball is a Rem 788 in a .222. It averages 0.40" groups. The .22-250 shoots 0.36"

You guys have far too much free time.

Very entertaining, however.

Lets not forget the motorized rat decoy. Just stop by your local Adult entertainment store and buy a couple small "aa" toys. Insert the "motor" into the toilet paper stuffed rat and toss on the ground. When it is flopping around and buzzing, the rest will come running. If you don't feel like using stuffed decoy, just use your first killed and cleaned rat of the day and stuff the "motor" into that. Then you have natural scent too!

I had me a job at the animal shelter once.

It sucked though. They wouldn't let me take any of the dead critters home. ...took all the fun out of it!


Actually, what I'd really like to do is become one of them pro-fessional rat guys like I see on OLN on Saturday mornin's. You know, the PRO RAT TOUR, where all those guys cruise around in their slick lookin' rigs and drive from dump to dump and stock yard to stockyard all over the South just shootin' the heck outta the rats!

I think I have a chance to get into the big money, but first I gotta find me a sponsor to get some flashy huntin' clothes and gear for the tour (I'm thinkin' about asking Orkin for a sponsorship)! Sometimes they even have the Bud Girls there when they pass out the prizes, and I don't want to be lookin' second rat , er, rate, if you know what I mean!

Mostly, I need a new gun for those long distance rats if I am to stand a chance. My gun won't shoot near as good as that other feller who posted about the .00000000000001 inch groups that come outta all his guns. With the likes o' him around I don't stand a chance. Maybe he is really Dan'l Boone reincarnarated!

But my old gun is lucky to hit a JD Pint Bottle (empty, o'course) at about 50'- its hell on the rodents though!


... there's a side...?


GS

The best weapon when rat hunting depends on how you are hunting them. If still hunting, a good 20 gauge is good.

If you are flushing them, you need a few friends and a good shovel to hammer them with. Someone needs to flip over boards, etc that they are hiding under and the others swap them. Make sure you don't get hit with the shovel. A good dog or two helps to get the ones who are runners.

As far as places to hunt, the best place is in a barn when the big gopher rats come in to feed on the grain. A good cold snap will make them migrate and get them moving into shelter.

The most ultimate place to hunt is in a hog house, you will find rats that are no b.s. a foot long, not including the tail. I am not sure of the trophy measurement for length and girth, but those are some BFR's.

I hit a rat with a shovel once, he was so big he stood up, staggered around and then stood on his back legs and started shaking his fist at me.

We don't want to hear on this thread of the shooting of bourbon bottles. This is a rat thread.

Besides... bourbon bottles are bigger, even if they are just the pint variety..... and they don't run on you like rats do when scared.

Only time it's hard to hit JD bottles is when they're just barely peeking out of a brown paper bag. Remember, brush shots... or bag shots aren't kosher or safe. Besides after taking a few brush shots, then it's a short step to taking sound shots. Hey... I heard the sound of glass sliding down that hill... so I shot at it. Not safe at all. No sound shots... and no bag or brush shots.

OK, now I just had to get in on this. I have an old .250 Savage my grandpa gave me with an old Weaver K4 scope. When dialed in, I can take a rats head off at 100 feet. Only problem is, when I don't take the head clean off, it is a bit melodramatic. So, the protesters...do we call them PETRs? (People for the Ethical Treatment of Rats) Nothing I hate worse is some PETRhead buttin' into my bidness! So, when is the next rat Walktilla? I AM SO THERE!

is bait ok how about a spot light at night

These guys take hunting rats to a new level

My god is PETA sending propaganda to this thread. This is the funniest [Bleeeeep!] I have read in a while. How big a mesh do the natives use to net rats?

I really don't want to get you guys all hot and bothered.. but I can't help but share..

http://www.ratkill.com/main.html

From the site: "HOT RAT ACTION NEVER STOPS AT RATKILL!"

Enjoy!

Goforchrome, man I'm disappointed in you. If you lived in north Burien ,White Center almost which is affectionately(or should I say " infectiously) known as Rat City I think you'd have a change of heart. Does this mean your a rat hugger? Just funnin ya bud,call me I'm serious about the springer trip to Cathlamet.

Goforchrome, man I'm disappointed in you. If you lived in north Burien ,White Center almost which is affectionately(or should I say " infectiously) known as Rat City I think you'd have a change of heart. Does this mean your a rat hugger? Just funnin ya bud,call me I'm serious about the springer trip to Cathlamet.

Nice website CWUgirl. I found the Ratkill store just in time for valentine's day. They've got the Ratkill classic thong for only $9.00. Available in small, medium, and large. Nothing says "I love you" like a Ratkill thong and a 40oz bottle of Old English.
http://www.cafeshops.com/cp/prod.aspx?p=ratkill.3649154

How can anybody acuse the indians of taking too many rats???

Every indian nation has its own rat hatchery,they call them reservations!!

We used to play baseball with live rats as baseballs.Hard to pitch but you would be surprised how far into a field you can smack one with a shovel.

Is there a "Rat Weight calculator" out there, or is there a formula that we can use to adapt the fish weight calculator to rats? My scale only goes to 10 pounds, and I've shot some big ones over by the hanford nuclear range. It's pretty fun and it's really easy to see them little glow-in-the-dark suckers skittering across the open ground at night.
A huntin' buddy of mine said he was out there last year when he saw the Grandaddy of all rats. When he shot it, it began to charge him and he said he emptied his 18 shot .22 into it. He finally finished it off with the .44 pistol he was packin'. Woulda been nice to see just how big he was.
Make sure you take the big bore guns if you hunt Hanford.

Obviously they are after the legendary Desert Rat. A little know, often misunderstood species very similar in legend to the Yeti. Not often seen, but when found and aproached can do massive damage. They must have an outbreak. Lights? Might work, rats seem to scatter pretty easily. I am thinking a red light so not so much glare. I am also thinking about NiteVision goggles, or a new night vision scope for the ol' .250 Savage. That oughta' do it!

DIE YOU RAT BASS TURDS, DIE!!!

Hey I hear down in New Mexico people were killing so many rats that the government and the Native Americans came up with the Hantavirus as a scam to keep ther rest of us from taking so many. Any of you experts know for sure?

Personally I do not like using a shotgun for rats. If you get into the rats thick it’s too easy to take more then your limit with one shot.

Lead Thrower,

I believe I speak for all the "True Sportsmen" here. Your condoning that kind of party rat-hunting like in the picture is an embarrassment to all of us. Anyone on this board could tell you that if youre' gonna use 50 cal machine guns on rats NEVER do it in groups of more than six hunters! Makes it much too hard to figure out who shot each rat and proper tagging is impossible. Besides- party hunting for rats is illegal and anyone who says different is a disingenuous lunatic (but not you or me)!

GS

When I was little, my dad had a rat infestation in the basement of one of his rental properties. A buddy of his went down there and did some street sweeping with .22 birdshot and cleaned up. Got a couple magnum sized ones too. Makes me wonder if there are any Boone and Crockett measurements out there for rats? It would be something to a display of record book rats next to the deer and elk racks at the sportsman shows.