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Mark5043 · Silver Status Member

Looks like we have some critters that have invaded the home front.For the past several nights between 2-5 A.M.
there has been one hell of a ruckus on the roof,and what concerns me is that my Father in law,said he heard
a rather large critter in the wall right behind the sofa in the living room a few nights ago.I've dealt with a rat problem at my mom's place
quite a few years ago,so I reasonably sure that whatever it/they are it's not rats,they sound bigger.

I'm wondering if it's squirrels,"even though I hear they aren't nocturnal?"We have two big trees
that branch out over the house.They frequently jump from the trees onto the roof.My concern here is that they have somehow gained
entry into the house.The night before last it sounded like one was right above us in the attic.So with permission from my wife,I'm on critter
dispatch duty.I have my Custom KT with red dot,at the ready.

I've always had really good success with wad cutters on critters inside a dwelling"don't want over penetration for safety/damage reasons",Hollow points don't really expand at the velocities this air pistol produces"around 490 or so fps with 14.3 grainers",and my PCP produces too much power for this application..
I've heard squirrels can cause a heck of a-lot of damage to structures,so I'm hoping that what we find isn't too bad.One thing is for sure,
any nutter's I find will acquire a generous coating of my favorite cooking sauce,and end up laying over a bed of rice.
Twisted Evil

sniper · Silver Status Member

I hope it's not coons' Shocked

I did a job this past summer where the house was adjacent to a flood control pond with a lot of critters. they had the problem of opening pantry doors with grown coons nesting
on the bathtowels Shocked

they got in through outside vents, into the walls, into the cabinets. Shocked

smack dab in the middle of the city.

Mark5043 · Silver Status Member

You had to go and bring up the dreaded C word didn't ya... Laughing

Going to need more than a 7-8 fpe pistol for a bandit... Razz

I've got a big ball of peanut butter hanging out on the top of the fence,right next to the trees,just outside the bedroom.It's right below the roof line where I heard it/them last night.Hopefully that will help me determine what kind of critters I'm working with.... Wink

Then I get to select the right tool..... Cool

What I wouldn't do for a night vision set up right now....

jlwilliams · Veteran Member

Flying squirrels move around at night. I had them in my wall once. Not cool.

720fly · Veteran Member

Dude sounds like coon's to me also. I've dealt with many of the bastards. if they are in your home you should lure them out( fruits, fruits, some salt, and more fruit) then you can use the pcp. next if your hearing a rucous on the roof( Most fun) than they are going in and out at night, and living rent free at your house--- ahh any way they tead to travel accross the peak of your roof to their entrance point, this provides great circus shooting
sorry for your problem, but I am some what gelous good hunting to ya

yourdaddyjoe · Supporting Member

Coons have been classified as a "Pest" here... no hunting license required to dispatch them... Twisted Evil

Crosman140 · Senior Member

Sounds like squirrels. I had, and I repeat HAD squirrel problems in a house years ago. My air rifle took care of the mama and the babies soon died off.

She chewed a hole in the overhang of my house and built a nest inside. At night, she would "forage" around inside the wall and overhang areas and make quite a noise. Sounded like burglars.

Do you best to stop them before the do damage to your property. They can be very destructive.

jlwilliams · Veteran Member

You should take a little time to try to find where they are getting in. Look carefully around at the eves and soffits. You may want to get a ladder and really look closely. Once you find the hole, you have a place to start.

Knowing where the hole is, you can stuff it with a piece of steel wool at a time when you think the offending critter is out side. That gives you the oportuntiy to sit out at the picnic table around dusk and pop them when they try to come back in. Don't bother with a permanent repair until the offending critters are killed, they will just do more damage to your home trying to rebuild.

You could also put a rat trap with penut butter on the roof. I have found that a trap right outside an animals burrow is avoided. They seem to know it's a trap. But the same trap placed on the roof on the same side where they come and go will often bag one. Sometimes you can bag more than one by resetting the trap. Some animals won't be tricked once they see another animal killed in a trap, others will. Some species are just stupid like that.

Both of those methods have worked for me in the past.

Make sure you know what your pellet rifle will do to your shingles before you shoot something on your roof. I haven't had one that will put a pellet into a roofing shingle, but siding is a little more problematic, depending what you have. Skirted pellets come apart on asphalt shingles, but vinyl siding (for exaple) may get a hole. Just be aware and act accordingly.

Mark5043 · Silver Status Member

Well,the last few nights there has been no noise from the critters.I'm going to talk with my new neighbor as the place I live in is an older house,that has been divided into two units separated by a wall.He's been here longer than us so I'm curious if he's noticed as well.He seems like a pretty cool hard working guy in the trades.."construction".

Thus far he doesn't know of my AG habit,so time to put my feelers out there,and see if we can't solve the issue together.So far it's the tree rats that have gone for the peanut butter balls on the fence,as I expected.They receive a free pass,until I have proof of entrance/nesting in the house,and get a feeling on my neighbors viewpoint on pest control...Going to get up in the roof when I get a chance,and see what I can find.Thanks guys for the tips.... Cool