Maybe we should all have one in our kit !!!!

pitdog

pitdog

Joined
Apr 13, 2007
Messages
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Many of us on here practice getting fire from friction methods but still pack matches/Bics etc into our kits...it would be stupid not to eh !!!

So now I'm thinking that while fig 4 traps and snares are cool, why not carry one of these in our kits. They are flat so take up very little room, they are light weight, they last for years as there is very little to go wrong on them and best of all they work......

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We could easily pack one of the single portion peanut butters that you can buy for reliable bait.
Sure rats aren't the most appetising foods in the world but they are found nearly everywhere in plentifull supplies, I guess one could be rigged in a tree as well for squirrels !!!

The Tiny Terror kept a close eye on it just to make sure it was dead !!!!!

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Not a bad idea. But you have prettier rats than we do here....
 
Yeah, I thought about doing that a while back. Just couldn't seem to justify it to myself though, given sort of a weight vs likelihood ratio.
 
I just think that in a survival situation it would be an easy thing to bait and set out as you are setting up a shelter etc and by the following morning you might have yourself some breakfast.
 
Ounce wise and pound foolish? How much does one of the big rat traps weigh? I don't have a postal scale but it can't be more than a few ounces. Yes, you may never have cause to use it, but when/if you do it would be a fair bit easier than making a snare or figure 4, especially if suitable wood is hard to find. Of course, I generally have a good bit of weight when I pack anyway, so a few ounces doesn't really scare me. I could always take a smaller knife.:D

The squirrels around here spend a good bit of time on the ground foraging.
they'd be likely candidates to find one of these. My grand father used these traps to kill mocking birds and squirrels that would steal his strawberries out of his garden. They're useful for more than rats and mice.
 
pitdog said:
I just think that in a survival situation it would be an easy thing to bait and set out as you are setting up a shelter etc and by the following morning you might have yourself some breakfast.
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Yeah, I definitely agree that it'd be pretty functional. :thumbup:
 
Mickey, nooo! :D

Not a bad idea, pitdog. I might try adding one to my kit, if I can find some room (space, not weight, is the issue with me).

I have seen rat traps fail to dispatch a squirrel in one shot, though. Squirrels have surprisingly strong neck and back muscles, which can sometimes withstand this sort of trap - albeit, not without serious injury. In a survival situation, an injured squirrel is just as good as a dead one, I suppose.

All the best,

- Mike

PS we're nearing the end of our summer garbage strike here in Toronto. There are parts of the city (Chinatown, parts of the Annex, and areas around the temporary dump facilities) where you could probably trap enough rats in half an hour to feed yourself for a week. Yum.
 
From time to time, my mom ends up with a red squirrel in the house...sounds crazy, but it's true. I have used those rat traps at least twice to kill a red.
 
hlee said:
Ounce wise and pound foolish? How much does one of the big rat traps weigh? I don't have a postal scale but it can't be more than a few ounces. Yes, you may never have cause to use it, but when/if you do it would be a fair bit easier than making a snare or figure 4, especially if suitable wood is hard to find. Of course, I generally have a good bit of weight when I pack anyway, so a few ounces doesn't really scare me. I could always take a smaller knife.:D

The squirrels around here spend a good bit of time on the ground foraging.
they'd be likely candidates to find one of these. My grand father used these traps to kill mocking birds and squirrels that would steal his strawberries out of his garden. They're useful for more than rats and mice.
Click to expand...

You just have to be aware that squirrels often have a lot of fleas and ticks on them, this is something that you rarely find on rats.....I had a good look at this one today and it's coat was immaculate, just like it it had just come from the salon !!!!:eek:
 
In most province's except B.C. pest control uses snaptrap's for squirrels very well.
Cody Lunden suggests having a few for urban survival as well.
I have found that natural fruit juice gummi bears outperform peanut butter 75% of the time. They don't spoil and I have caught rat's on the same gummi 4 weeks in a row.
I don't cut meat anymore because trapping rat's and killing ants for twice the money is better.
If you had to use it for kindling in an emergency you still have the wire.
 
I thought about it before, just never got around to adding it. Maybe I should reconsider.
 
Another factor is time, which is also an asset in your survival arsenal. It takes 10 seconds to bait and set a mouse or rat trap, vs. however long to make your own trap.
 
I've played with the rat trap idea, but those cheap wooden ones aren't very durable. The plastic ones are a lot more expensive, but still cheap, and are much more durable. The ones I bought seem to have stronger springs too, so they should be more effective on things like squirrels. I keep plastic rat traps in the car with my kit, but I don't carry one in the back woods. I figure that if I'm stranded with my family they can handle and reuse a rat trap a lot easier than a dead fall or snare, if I end up trying to walk up or whatever.
 
kage said:
I've played with the rat trap idea, but those cheap wooden ones aren't very durable. The plastic ones are a lot more expensive, but still cheap, and are much more durable. The ones I bought seem to have stronger springs too, so they should be more effective on things like squirrels. I keep plastic rat traps in the car with my kit, but I don't carry one in the back woods. I figure that if I'm stranded with my family they can handle and reuse a rat trap a lot easier than a dead fall or snare, if I end up trying to walk up or whatever.
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Not very durable ? I have used the one in the pic for about two years now and have caught maybe 12 rats or more, it just stays under my shed, once I take one out I just re-bait it and place it back under !!!
 
I've used Rat Trap's on Squirrel's but like someone said Squirrel's are tough Critter's and Hard to Kill In one,These are what I use, But you dont want to have them In your posetion If It aint Trapping Season, And In Nebraska without a Fur Harvesters Permit "But with Rabbit's & Squirrel's you can use Snares with a regular Hunting Licence", Otherwise Game & Park's can give you Ticket and even Worse Confiscate your Vehicle and everything If you get charged with taking Game out of season/Poaching, But these work Great, http://www.snareshop.com/shopping-c...ge=flypage.tpl&product_id=497&category_id=129
 
Snake Dr. makes an important note that possession of a hunting/trapping/fishing implement in most places is prima facie evidence of hunting/trapping/fishing. If you are going to have this stuff (rifles/bows/shotguns/snares/traps/seines/gill nets/etc) on you, know the laws.
 
A little food for thought....

"Enchiladas El Roof Rat"

6 corn tortillas 6 mice parboiled, stripped, boned, chopped, seasoned. 2-3 large red dried chilies soaked in water 5 min. l chopped green onion, cilantro for decorating. oil/onions. salt pepper to taste,

Make regular enchilada sauce by grinding the soaked chilies in the pot liquor, and straining well to separate the Chile skin from the Chile's red meat. Then, fry onions, throw sauce in for l minute. Set aside.

Heat tortillas on a greased skillet, drop into sauce until covered, pull out, then fill the sopping wet tortilla with about 2 -3 finely chopped or hand shredded roof rats, roll. Set rolls in a dish, line all six up. Pour remaining sauce on top. Decorate with any old cheese, l chopped green onion. Bake l5 min at 350


Entrecôte à la bordelaise
This recipe was popular with Europeans during the middle ages, and the same is true today. Who among us hasn't been enchanted by the enticing aroma of roof rats roasting on an open fire?
rats are skinned and eviscerated,
brushed with a thick sauce of olive oil and crushed shallots,
then grilled till tender and juicy.

ROOF RAT PIE
Take 4 potatoes, boil, mash, season, add cream, line 8" pie shell with them.

Boil six medium sized Roof Rats.

If the rodents are the right size, you should have 2 cups of rat meat (depending if you've cleaned the carcasses well enough.) Season with salt, pepper, cayenne, add l cup blanched, chopped almonds, l cup cracker crumbs, l egg, (reserve l tsp for topping) making a burger. OPTIONAL: bell pepper, onions, cilantro, parsley, thyme, oregano, l can creamed corn.
Fill the pie. Cover with more potatoes. Use egg/cream to wipe down pie so it toasts brownish in oven.

Remember, a rabbit is just a big rodent. The taste of the flesh is identical. Ask any concentration camp visitor.

TIP: when cooking Roof Rats, pre-soaking up to 5 hours helps take away that pesky rodent flavor. AND the longer you cook it, with the other ingredients, the better.

Deep Fried Field Rat:

4 mature rats or 8 small rats

10-15 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tbs. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Skin and gut the rats, removing the head and toes. Mix garlic, salt, and pepper into a paste, spread on the meat, then place in direct sunlight for 6 to 8 hours, until dry. Fry in deep vegetable oil for about 6-7 minutes, until crispy and yellow in color. Serve with sticky rice, sweet-sour sauce, fish sauce, or a hot chili paste, and raw vegetables.
 
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