Geo Ref

Ed in Tampa · Post by **Ed in Tampa** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 11:40 am

dusty wrote:Yes, I have looked for survey stakes. These are stakes that I know were there at one time and probably still are but may now be buried by the cactus that has grown up in the immediate area.

We live on acreage that we purchased in the late 60's. One corner of the property, under a large mesquite tree is surrounded by prickley pear cactus. I would like to cut some of it back but feel that I should ascertain property lines before I do that. Two of the adjoining property owners give me cause to exercise caution.

Now why, you might ask, does he want to thin out the prickley pear cactus on the far reaching corner of his property.

Answer: I really do not want to thin the cactus except that the pack rats nest under the cactus when the cactus gets large like mine are. It is the pack rat nests that I want to dispose of.

I love my neighbors but it is now time for them to deal with the pack rats. If I eliminate the nesting areas, they'll nest elsewhere.:):rolleyes:

Yes they will nest elsewhere and that elsewhere is usually place far worst than at the back corner of your property.

Have you thought of rat poison? No fuse no muse just safe and gentle endless sleep to the pack rats?

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 12:26 pm

Ed in Tampa wrote:Yes they will nest elsewhere and that elsewhere is usually place far worst than at the back corner of your property.

Have you thought of rat poison? No fuse no muse just safe and gentle endless sleep to the pack rats?

Yeah, I know. They are in the back corner now because I drove them out of the motor home and the engine compartment of the old truck.

By the end of the summer, there will be no place on my property for them to nest (on my property).

Ed in Tampa · Post by **Ed in Tampa** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 2:08 pm

dusty wrote:Yeah, I know. They are in the back corner now because I drove them out of the motor home and the engine compartment of the old truck.

By the end of the summer, there will be no place on my property for them to nest (on my property).

I have never dealt with pack rats but I have with squirrels (fuzzy tail rats), and regular rats. I can almost totally guarantee you that your little rodent buddies have a new potential homes in mind and it is most likely in something you own. It is like they have your scent and don't want to leave you.
You destroy their habitate in one area they move to another and they rarely leave the your property to move to the neighbors. I would guess your workshop has being researched by the little criters along with any other place they can find.

I'm guessing the next story on Dusty's pack rats will be him telling us about digging out the pack rat treasures from his SS power head.

billmeyer · Post by **billmeyer** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 3:02 pm

We don't have much of a pack rat problem here, but they are hard to control. The problem seems to be that they are so curious they don't come in search of food. They are hard to poison. They take it, but don't eat it. A friend of mine put out a lot of poison and it disappeared, but the pack rat didn't. After trapping it, he found the nest full of poison containers. Trapping is how they are usually eliminated around here.

Bill

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 3:14 pm

Ed in Tampa wrote:I have never dealt with pack rats but I have with squirrels (fuzzy tail rats), and regular rats. I can almost totally guarantee you that your little rodent buddies have a new potential homes in mind and it is most likely in something you own. It is like they have your scent and don't want to leave you.
You destroy their habitate in one area they move to another and they rarely leave the your property to move to the neighbors. I would guess your workshop has being researched by the little criters along with any other place they can find.

I'm guessing the next story on Dusty's pack rats will be him telling us about digging out the pack rat treasures from his SS power head.

I wouldn't argue with you on this but I think there is some security brought by the fact I use it almost everyday and the shop is pretty secure (closed up at night).

charlese · Post by **charlese** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 10:18 pm

Ed in Tampa wrote:I have never dealt with pack rats but I have with squirrels (fuzzy tail rats), and regular rats. ....

We must not sell the pack rats short! Having dealt with many of them - they also have fuzzy tails. Kinda friendly little guys, but they sure make a mess and create a stink. We used live traps with bait. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pack_rat

Have I ever told the story of a pack rat that stole a firefighter's glass eye? Well now I have! He (the FF) got up in the middle of the night chased down the rat and got his eye back. He said that's one of the dangers of sleeping on the ground and taking your eye out while sleeping.

dforeman · Post by **dforeman** » Tue Sep 27, 2011 3:41 pm

For finding your property corners damagi is correct. Cell phone GPS and most hand held units that you buy for general use are not accurate enough for determining legal property corners. Plus, there is the whole license and certififaction thing required for them to be of any legal value.

However, I can relate to rats and other rodents being a total pain in the you know what. And, the only way I've found to deal with them is to disopse of them. I have had some luck with the Green Poison Blocks found at your local farm stores. However, they are really only effective when their food sources become scarce during winter months when I have most of my mouse and occasional rat problems. In the summer months my biggest problems are with Ground Hogs. Darned things are cute but very destructive. I usually trap and dispose of them. And, I have also seen smaller traps for rats as well. The only way I've found to be effective because my area is totally overrun with the darned things. My neighbors like to shoot at them but often they just scare them off onto the neighbors property for a while.

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Tue Sep 27, 2011 4:00 pm

Relative to ridding the area of pack rats, my primary objective has been to eliminate nesting areas. I live in an area where I and all of my neighbors are on acreage. We are nearly all over run by prickly pear cactus. When this cactus get large, their limbs droop down to the ground and create excellent, well protected nesting areas. Thin the cactus and the nests are eliminated.

I have been working to eliminate all of those natural nesting areas on my property all around me. I have a cooperating neighbor on one side and public roadways on two other sides. As we eliminate the nesting areas, the pack rats will undoubtedly relocate somewhere; across the road and into undeveloped property belonging to a bank and a shopping center developer.

Since it is known that they do forage far from their nests, it is my hope that they will relocate to properties other than mine and far enough away they when they do roam, it will not be back to my property.

I have traps and poisoned feeding stations that have been visited frequently in the past. Recently, there is very little sign that they are still there. Hopefully, that means that I might be winning the battle. At least for now.

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Prickly Pear, Jumping Cholla, Palo Verde and Mesquite Overgrowth with occasional Rattle Snake
(Pack Rats in Hiding - Hiding from Rattle Snake)

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jb41339 · Post by **jb41339** » Tue Sep 27, 2011 11:31 pm

dusty wrote:Relative to ridding the area of pack rats, my primary objective has been to eliminate nesting areas. I live in an area where I and all of my neighbors are on acreage. We are nearly all over run by prickly pear cactus. When this cactus get large, their limbs droop down to the ground and create excellent, well protected nesting areas. Thin the cactus and the nests are eliminated.

I have been working to eliminate all of those natural nesting areas on my property all around me. I have a cooperating neighbor on one side and public roadways on two other sides. As we eliminate the nesting areas, the pack rats will undoubtedly relocate somewhere]14406[/ATTACH]
Prickly Pear, Jumping Cholla, Palo Verde and Mesquite Overgrowth with occasional Rattle Snake
(Pack Rats in Hiding - Hiding from Rattle Snake)

[ATTACH]14407[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]14408[/ATTACH]

Dusty...

Yeh, I know 'bout them thar packrats! A couple years ago, I had to get a completely new wire harness for my Ford Ranger. Them packrats had chewed up the wiring and was building a nest inside the engine compartment.
That resulted in a $640.00 bill from a local repair shop! Haven't seen any since, but I'm sure they're around ready to stike again given the chance. I've since put the Ranger in the garage, so I have learned not to give them even a little bit of opportunity to repeat their dirty deed.

Jim in Tucson, Arizona

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Wed Sep 28, 2011 1:55 pm

I learned today that I have been laboring under a false impression. Pack rats do create burrows but only after they have nested on the surface. The gentleman who informed me of this is a professional exterminator (and the owner of the company servicing my property).

According to him, they nest until they are convinced that they are where they really want to settle. At that point they begin to "dig in". I may well have routed out a family or three that had "dug in".

He reassured me that I am not ridding the world of pack rats but only driving them elsewhere. Elsewhere is fine by me.