Survival... mouse traps?

[gummergif]

Rodents being a major carrier of various diseases, they generally aren't my go to as an emergency food source. That being said, if my group were lost/stranded by circumstance during an extended hiking trip, and the rodent were sufficiently blackened over a fire, and we avoided the brain and spine...

As such, I'm considering adding a couple of standard mouse traps to my camping gear and bug out bag. They're small, lightweight, and a proven design. We may even be able to come up with a few other MacGyver uses for them if need be.

Thoughts? Would you consider it worth the risk to eat a wild rodent if, for whatever reason, you were stranded away from civilization for days longer than you intended?

 

[Thor]

I think if you were someplace with enough to make it a staple that the disease problem would be very prevalent. I think many of the diseases are carried by their fleas though.

But if you caught a handful and boiled them in a stew I don't see why not. In China if you order lamb chops it's in all likelihood rat...

 

[OutdoorDad]

Squirrels are rodents.
Trade up to a rat trap and enjoy!

 

[eldirector]

Lots of uses for mouse traps. Trip wires, triggers for larger traps/snares, and (of course) catching rodents.

 

[gummergif]

Squirrels are rodents.
Trade up to a rat trap and enjoy!

Maybe something like this?

Trapper T Rex Rat Traps | Free Shipping

One of the reviews stated he caught squirrel and even a rabbit in his... wish the site gave dimensions on the trap.

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

Squirrels are rodents.
Trade up to a rat trap and enjoy!

I read a story awhile back involving a guy who found himself stranded in a wilderness area out west with little food. A bad ice storm had him stranded for almost two weeks. He knew the location of a survival cache in a 5 gallon bucket that included a couple rat traps. He was able to catch enough squirrels to eat well.

 

[shibumiseeker]

Him say "good idea."


[video=youtube;gKMBk3js7e0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKMBk3js7e0[/video]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKMBk3js7e0

 

[Zoub]

Nothing kills rodents more than buckets. Anything open they can get into but not out of, they are a goner. I Stage buckets and bins in areas they run in the garage. Do it outside too with a few variations that have water. One particular set up killed tons but so does the classic with seed floating on top of the water and a stick learned against the bucket.

I know you are talking carry it, but find a container and set up near a food source. If I was going to carry, I would adapt some pvc tube to go in my pack. Dig it into the ground.

 

[1861navy]

If I had no choice, as in nothing else to eat, yeah I'd eat one. But between foraging, trapping, possibly hunting if it was an option, I'd hope I don't have to go that rat... Route.

As eldirector and big box a junk said lots of other uses, and not limited to trapping mice/rats either. Not a bad item to have.

 

[BigMatt]

This is a good thought. I imagine you could catch quite a few squirrels with some peanut butter and a rat trap.

 

[Thor]

Yeah...after I get through my first 10k rnds of 22lr...

 

[Zoub]

On a lighter note, a mouse or frog makes good bait for a large Musky, Pike or Bass. I would be inclined to go that route. Or use as bait for a crawdad trap.

 

[Eight]

We use the T Rex rat traps for chipmunks. We bait with apple and a little peanut butter. We also have a lot of squirrels around. Every once in a while I will hear a lot of commotion and angry squirrel sounds, but they always get out. Over two years we have caught a lot of chipmunks, but never a squirrel. Which is good because I am not after the squirrels.

 

[BigMatt]

Yeah...after I get through my first 10k rnds of 22lr...

Or, you could set out 10 rat traps for squirrels and have some ready to skin when you wake up the next morning.

All without wasting valuable .22 ammo.

 

[level0]

Rat traps are a great idea, lightweight and a great payout as these are proven technology. Work in any weather, too!

 

[rhino]

It never occurred to me to use rat traps outdoors for bushy-tailed tree rats.

I'm stuck thinking inside the "indoor mice and mousetrap placement" box.

 

[Eight]

I would not count on catching squirrels. They are tough smart hombres. I probably have a 10:1 squirrel to chipmunk ratio (started out 3:1 ) and I have never caught one. I set out 5 traps and there are many times all 5 are cleaned out and/or tripped and empty.

 

[IndyDave1776]

You guys gave me a really great business idea: The Tactical Trap Company! All it would require is taking common mouse and rat traps, painting them flat black, parkerizing the metal parts, and finding a cool logo to apply to the base, and they would sell like, well, like anything else finished in black and called 'tactical'!

 

[bwframe]

I would not count on catching squirrels. They are tough smart hombres. I probably have a 10:1 squirrel to chipmunk ratio (started out 3:1 ) and I have never caught one. I set out 5 traps and there are many times all 5 are cleaned out and/or tripped and empty.

Is it legal to rat trap squirrels when in hunting season? I've kept Duke #110's, live traps and rat traps in my "oh no" SHTF stash for years.

I've eaten 4 squirrels taken in my yard with the air rifle this season. (Don't forget the hearts and livers... )
They are on to me lately, all I see after exposing myself (on the porch) is running tails. This seems like a great time/opportunity to give the traps a try?

 

[IndyDave1776]

Is it legal to rat trap squirrels when in hunting season? I've kept Duke #110's, live traps and rat traps in my "oh no" SHTF stash for years.

I've eaten 4 squirrels taken in my yard this season. They are on to me lately, all I see after exposing myself (on the porch) is running tails. This seems like a great time/opportunity to give it a try?

You know that exposing yourself on the porch can lead to some legal troubles, right?