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Varmint problem
- Thread starter CVargo
- Start date
That sounds horrible
Stopped the problem. My FIL tries every chemical and flooding the tunnels. He might as well just learn to live with em.
How big was your yard though? It really seems like a BIG project here for me.
Ya, it was pretty small. Maybe you just give them names and make them pets.
That was my recommendation. Wife said the neighbors would probably call the cops
Are you in city limits? If so, 410 shotgun works fine. Outside city limits? Barrett .50 Cal.
I asked if you were in city limits?
a .410 if in the limits. While fun... a bit louder then a .22.
Dave in KY
Shave Newbie
My IMMEDIATE thoughts too
I’ll tell you what works BUT i take no responsibility for any damage to underground utilities, nearby foliage, far away foliage, ...or anything else. I had a similar issue I tried to address with a .22, sat on the lawn in a folding chair with the gun in hand until I saw the little bugger. When I saw it’s head pole out the hole I squeezed off a shot. I thought I had won until the damage continued, that’s when I learned that where there is one there are many. Frustrated (beyond frustrated) by the continual fight and armed with some basic chemistry knowledge I mixed up a couple gallons of AN-FO and poured it into the hole, slipped in a homemade ‘igniter’ (details omitted), took up a safe position about 50 ft away and BOOM. When the dust settled I assumed I had won...until The next morning when water was bubbling up from the blast zone. Yup, I blew up the water main. I fixed that and a week later the leach pit that was located about 6-10ft in the other direction collapsed. SO let’s file this under the how NOT to deal with the critter, especially since whatever it was came back about 6 months later.
‘What I DO suggest doing (mostly because it’s really cool) is using propane gas to finish the little bugger off. Having already blown up my own front yard I wasn’t about to do this to my own yard but I had a chance to employ this method while helping the local park and rec regain control of the golf course that had become overrun by ground squirrels. I used a propane torch that was normally used for weed burning. Shove the tip into the hole and turn the valve on to fill the hole (a new hole shouldn’t take more than 20-30 seconds of gas) then turn the valve off but leave the tip in the hole and click the Piezo igniter. The gas in the tunnels will ignite and the ground will shake, you will see just how complex the tunnels were...and you might even see a flaming critter run out another opening (thus the potential damage to surrounding foliage)
‘What I DO suggest doing (mostly because it’s really cool) is using propane gas to finish the little bugger off. Having already blown up my own front yard I wasn’t about to do this to my own yard but I had a chance to employ this method while helping the local park and rec regain control of the golf course that had become overrun by ground squirrels. I used a propane torch that was normally used for weed burning. Shove the tip into the hole and turn the valve on to fill the hole (a new hole shouldn’t take more than 20-30 seconds of gas) then turn the valve off but leave the tip in the hole and click the Piezo igniter. The gas in the tunnels will ignite and the ground will shake, you will see just how complex the tunnels were...and you might even see a flaming critter run out another opening (thus the potential damage to surrounding foliage)
I happen to currently have a persistent vermin problem too, one that I can not use gas, flame or explosives to solve. I am not entirely certain but I believe the beast that vexes me so is a ground squirrel (that now has babies) but it could be a rat. Whatever it is, it’s BIG and it is living under my shower...and only my shower. I have been able to punch a hole in the wall behind the shower and slip a borescope camera into the space, confirming there is a nest and plenty of ‘evidence’. The strangest part is there is no evidence of this beast anywhere in the house. It is entirely possible the beast is accessing this space directly from the outside through the water cabinet but I’ve sealed all gaps and those seals don’t look disturbed so I am baffled as to how it’s getting/got in.
‘I’ve tried slipping poison cubes into the area but they haven’t been touched, seeming to confirm it’s a squirrel. I’ve tried gopher gassers (no, I didn’t shove a flaming gas stick under the shower) and chlorine gas and I’ve filled the space with expanding foam, but all that seems to have done is make it bigger...and mad. Now all I can think of doing is cutting away the wall behind the shower and placing a live catch trap. Who knows, maybe I’ll catch something nobody has seen before.
‘I’ve tried slipping poison cubes into the area but they haven’t been touched, seeming to confirm it’s a squirrel. I’ve tried gopher gassers (no, I didn’t shove a flaming gas stick under the shower) and chlorine gas and I’ve filled the space with expanding foam, but all that seems to have done is make it bigger...and mad. Now all I can think of doing is cutting away the wall behind the shower and placing a live catch trap. Who knows, maybe I’ll catch something nobody has seen before.
@CBLindsay Whatever it is don't eat it! One pandemic on our hands is enough