No Matter what or where you are there will always be a million on one of these little furry critters within shooting distance. They are absolutely everywhere. I've even seen them going through our recycling now and then.
They are numerous, small, fast, breed like wildfire, are ALWAYS hungry and a constant pain to farmers, landowners, councils, people, everyone the world over. They are also pretty much perfect quarry for starting out hunting with. And an excellent way to get access to other land to shoot on. Keep the rats numbers down and a landowner might be happy enough to let you do soem other pest control for him
So where do they live?
Well where there’s a food source, there will pretty much be Rats.
The rats we have in the UK are mostly Brown Rats Rattus norvegicus and they are amongst the largest or the rat family. There is also the Black Rat Rattus rattus although they are usually found in warmer places, In the cooler regions its been beaten back by the Brown Rat.
Rats are omnivores and will consume almost anything, but with cereals forming a substantial part of the diet. There are many recipes for bait to tempt rats out of their holes, mostly revolving around liquefied smelly cat and dog foods. These stop the rat running away with the bait instead keeping them still as they have to lap it up, the smell attract them to it.
In my experience, the best bait that I have found to work is what the local rat population normally live off. At the Shoot for instance they will walk through runny cat food to get to spilt grain, and on another shoot just simply placing a broken gone off egg will get them going mental. So find out what they normally eat and try that.
 a rat on some bait
Rats will breed all year round if conditions are suitable, a female can have five litters a year. The gestation period is only 21 days and they can have litters of up to 14. Rats can live for three years, although most barely manage one. There is a high mortality rate with predators and intersocial fighting as the main causes of death. They live in large hierarchical groups, in burrows and subsurface places. When food is in short supply, the rats lower in social order are the first to die. If a large fraction of a rat population is exterminated, the remaining rats will increase their reproductive rate, and quickly restore the old population level.
Rats have brilliant hearing and are sensitive to ultrasound, and also possess a very highly developed sense of smell. Their vision on the other hand is rubbish. They perceive colours like humans but have a red-green colour-blindness.
***WARNING IMPORTANT INFO***********************************************************************************************************
Rats carry some diseases, including Weils Disease cryptosporidiosis, Viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF), Q fever and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. They are also linked to the spreading of bubonic plague.
So even when they have been dispatched, they can still be DANGEROUS TO TOUCH. The safest way to pick them up to remove them, is to use pliers or a shovel.
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Because of most of what is written above, rats are a bain to the farmer. And as there are so many and so small in size. They are not worth the cost of the shot or round with a shotgun or FAC. In fact as they are usually around the farm buildings and barns, it would also be highly dangerous to use those weapons.
That leaves poison. If you use poison firstly you do not know how affective it is, you see the poison disappearing but because by nature rats live underground and out of sight. You can’t tell how many you are getting. You certainly won’t get them all and in a few weeks time you’re back where you were before. Using poison can also introduce it into the water table, it puts other livestock at risk and could be more trouble than it’s worth. I know of several cats locally that have been unwell because they have caught rats that have been poisoned.
This is where we the Airgunner can step in. Firstly wedon't endanger other livestock, we remove one rat at a time, its cost effective a tin of pellets at £10 will get us 500 shots at the little critters. And on a good session I've taken 60 or so. Another advantage is in the winter when that winds howling across the fields and your pellet shoots off at 90 degrees from where your aiming. The relatively warm and windless environment of outbuildings and barns is a welcomed comfort and a good way of honing those hunting skills out of the elements ready for when you can get back out in the fields
So what kit do you need?
Well an air rifle will be handy, it doesn't even have to be powerful, just comfortable to use and easy to wield in some confined spaces. In fact this is one of those times when I'd say that it’s good to not have a full powered rifle. It will save on any ricochets or the pellet going straight through which it can do easily. Calibre is not important, it’s going to be down to your personal choice.
Now rats are usually nocturnal, I've lamped my rat shoot, but rats don’t stay stupid to that for long. They learn very fast. So filter switching is handy, and hitting the shoot at different times. I have no idea how they know, but when my regular Friday night sesh started drawing blanks, switching nights to a Saturday got me back up into double figures again. Early morning sessions, different areas of the farm I chop and change it like my socks. So trust me they learn. I leave lights on it one bit, lamp another, use a head torch somewhere else. All you have to do is be able to pick them out through the scope. By baiting up in the right areas you can entice them into the lighter areas so you can see them.
Rats live in holes and in the dark the holes are tricky to see, sometimes you get lucky with the lamp and you'll see the little sequin style eyes staring out at you if you manage to run the lamp across hole. However as with all things sometimes you have to do some homework and it’s worth doing a daylight recon mission.
I usually ask the landowners where they see them and get him to point them out, it’s a good starting point to look for tracks, holes etc. Because of their size they can get in everywhere and anywhere. And like I said the holes can be tiny so give yourself a chance and go looking for them with some daylight.
  a rat hole, they're easy, to miss
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They pop up everywhere when you know what your looking for
So you know the rats haunts, you've baited them up, and you’re ready for some action.
Firstly makes sure your rifle is at zero over the range you are going to be shooting. It’s no good having it set up at 40 yards if you’re going to be shooting at 10. You’re going to miss or worse, try and calculate where to aim, get it wrong, and wound the rat so that it runs off and dies a slow painful death. I know they're vermin, and disliked by a lot of people, but as a responsible hunter it is up to you to dispatch the animal with the least amount of pain or distress as possible and in a quick clean manner, anything else is animal cruelty. Even though they are just rats, it’s still wrong and could get you in trouble with the law. So as with most quarry a shot to the head will usually see them keel over where they stand.
***It’s your responsibility to make sure you have a clean, accurate shot, before you take it and can dispatch the quarry immediately. Lecture over***
So where to aim, although they are big, they are only small mammals compared to other vermin. SO there's not really a lot to aim for. Saying that to dispatch it immediately you'll need a head shot so there’s even less to aim for.
There is no point trying to get them on the move. They are fast and unless you’re running a laser on your rig and can get a clean head shot, shooting from the hip. You'll just waste your shot or injure the rat. They have huge bodies compared to their head and it will more than likely absorb the shot and run off to die.
That is why we bait them. It draws them out into the open and keeps them still long enough to be able to take a clean shot.
Usually at the start they may be skittish and run out and back to cover fast. Its normal, just hold out and wait, they'll get brave and will venture out longer each time. As one gets braver so will others and it’s not unusual to have three or four out sitting on the bait
As you can see in the picture above there are three rats, The one on the left to me is the perfect one to go for. I can see its eye shining and I can also get a clean shot between its eye and ear.
As for the other two, they would both be a clean shot however there is a possibility that the shot go through or the rat closest to us moves in front of the headshot of the other rat. Needless to say the safest and responsible shot would be to take the one on the left. The other two will run off but if you wait they will be back, Hunger and free food will get the better of them. I usually bait up a couple of areas and loop around the shoot. It takes me about 45 minutes to get back to the same position again by which time they are normally out and on the bait again
Once the coast is clear go and retrieve the dead rat. It’s not good to leave them where they fall, it’s unhealthy and looks bad. As much as a farmer is used to seeing dead animals there may be other people who visit the farm who might get alarmed by the sight of a dead rat. It also looks like you don’t care and after you finish you just go home. SO take the time to tidy up after yourself and remove any dead rats. Ask the landowner beforehand where he would like any dead rats put. The farmer I shoot for wants them in his muck spreader or on the bonfire. Wherever they want just take them there.
In order to pick it up use a shovel or pliers as any contact with it could result in catching a disease. (see warning above) you could use a plastic bag, but I don’t like these. You can’t throw them in the muck spreader, and they're not biodegradable. So you get left with a plastic bag that you can’t use for anything except putting in the bin. So don’t bother and just pick it up with pliers or a shovel. Don't use anything that goes near animal food. And that’s it all that’s left once you've finished and removed any shot rats. Is just clear up and leave everything as it was when you arrived. gates shut lights off etc.
Rats are great to shoot and a brilliant way to hone your skills, learn patience, and improve aim. It’s challenging as they do learn and they'll keep you on your toes trying to outsmart them. Keep changing your tactics and you'll be onto a winner. A rat shoot will also be a refuge in the winter, there'll be plenty of times in the field that you'll draw a blank. A visit to the barns and outhouses to do a bit of ratting will stop you getting rusty, and keep you going. If it’s anything like my rat shoot it'll keep you occupied all night until the sun comes up.
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