What to do about rodents while camping?

[CCCVagabond]

So we just got back from an epic overlanding journey through Colorado... it was great, however we constantly had rodents crawling around the bed of the truck T night leaving their droppings everywhere.

We slept I a RTT and had coolers and food bins in the cab, as wells a stove we used to cook on the tailgate. we clearly need more airtight containers, but even then, how do people with slide out coolers or stoves deal? We try to clean up after cooking, keep trash in the cab during the night, it we don’t have that much room in there, so putting food bins in there isn’t an option.

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[ShadowsPapa]

Rodents can smell that food and trash. It will attract them for weeks. That smell YOU can't smell but they can.
Be careful putting food in the cab - If you never eat or have food or trash in the cab it will be less likely to be invaded later. I don't eat or keep anything in my truck that rodents may like and haven't had an issue even though our garage has mice every winter. My wife eats in her Grand Cherokee and she's had a mouse inside it in the past. Make REALLY SURE it's totally sealed, air-tight.

Rodents can detect odors that humans can't - and from much farther away.

Mice and rats climb tires - maybe some sticky traps on/around the tires?

 

[Psycho Squirrel]

Step one: Get some traps, not the sticky kind though.
Step two.

 

[Bbannongmu]

I had porcupines - trying to eat my Gladiator!!!!

 

[Moe_Fugga]

Solution that won’t disturb the camping neighbors.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Step one: Get some traps, not the sticky kind though.
Step two.

One of my brothers used to do taxidermy as a teen. He got into it after catching mice - and skinning them and tanning the hides and selling them at school. He sold several. After we moved away from home Mom still kept one of his tanned mouse hides on the bulletin board that was in the room my brothers used to share. After Mom and Dad both died, and I was stuck cleaning out the house and organizing things, I asked them - in front of their own kids - if they still wanted the mouse hides or chickens that still sat in the garage that had been taxidermied all those years ago - my brothers didn't want them but boy were their kids interested in the stories! LOL

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Solution that won’t disturb the camping neighbors.

True - but be a great aim or you could be buying some new tires for that truck.

 

[Moe_Fugga]

True - but be a great aim or you could be buying some new tires for that truck.

I’m thinking you can shoot from the RTT perch haha Every round goes into a pest or the ground.

 

[kevman65]

Solution that won’t disturb the camping neighbors.

Or a .177 pellet rifle or pistol.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Or a .177 pellet rifle or pistol.

With the high-velocity pellets. Works great on chipmunks - raccoons, not so well, they'll take several before giving that death squeal my wife hates.

 

[CCCVagabond]

yeah, we eat in the cab while driving... we found a mouse nest in the engine compartment after just one night... crazy. The worst is when they get up and walk around in the RTT...

Well it is the name of the game I guess...

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Step one: Get some traps, not the sticky kind though.
Step two.

Road kill is easier - it's already grilled.............

 

[kevman65]

With the high-velocity pellets. Works great on chipmunks - raccoons, not so well, they'll take several before giving that death squeal my wife hates.

Put it in their ear, anywhere else skull is too thick.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Put it in their ear, anywhere else skull is too thick.

I did that on the last one and it just acted like I tickled its ear. I thought what the ........? Really?
It took a couple of shots.
You definitely can't penetrate that skull with a pellet or anything light.
The danged things seem to know what to protect. I don't like the mess of shots to the heart area anyway.

Chipmunks are usually easier (those that don't fall for my critter buckets, anyway) - they often stand up to see what I'm up to - poof, they go off the wall like in the old westerns.

 

[Lives The Dream]

Solution that won’t disturb the camping neighbors.

.22 bird shot worked well shooting rats

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