My Cuz showed this to me, and so I made a couple.
Clothes pins work fine for the clamps, to keep the stick from falling off the bucket. Smear peanut butter on the middle of the pipe.
They crawl out on the pipe, and go for a swim.
This pic, was after the second night.

Hope others can save their gear from mouse damage! Especially if stored in an out building.

Jim

Looks like a better mouse trap.

and on the third night Mrs. D was presented with a fine fur wrap.

Yep.. will do..

Of course there might be a downside. Not checking very often. The paddle shed is literally a shed.

My Canoe "House" is a 1886 stone Carriage house. Not in great shape, but has a loft. I find "evidence" of the mices presence in my canoes. I'm hoping these traps reduce a lot of that !

Jim

im not found of mice, been trapping a lot of them this year. that said...would drowning out of exhaustion be your choice of a way to die? it wouldn't be mine. yeah, its only a mouse but I would imagine its a terrible way to die. I disapprove.

Jan makes a good point, not a nice way to die. But neurotoxins, traps, teased by a cat, sticky traps and all the others I can think of seem not so nice either. Glad I am not a mouse.
I got thinking to do this before it freezes if outside, then realized they would be alive at the bottom of the bucket if no water...

I have come across this trapping method in Canadian outpost cabins. It seems to be quite effective. It works real well on keeping me out of the cabins especially when these water traps have been full of dead mice for for months in a closed up cabin without being emptied.

I've used dryer sheets as a repellent. They're pretty effective. I'm not sure how often you have to replenish them, though. I've only used them in temporary situations like in my turkey blind during the turkey season.

We used mothballs a lot at our Boy Scout camp in the gear rooms. Works to keep them out.

quote Goldenbadger: "I've used dryer sheets as a repellent. They're pretty effective. I'm not sure how often you have to replenish them, though. I've only used them in temporary situations like in my turkey blind during the turkey season. "

Yep..me too. Bounce dryer sheets work well to repel mice and also wiped on your neck and exposed parts....they repel mosquitos.

quote bhouse46: "Jan makes a good point, not a nice way to die. But neurotoxins, traps, teased by a cat, sticky traps and all the others I can think of seem not so nice either. Glad I am not a mouse.
I got thinking to do this before it freezes if outside, then realized they would be alive at the bottom of the bucket if no water..."

How about the old classic snap trap? That seems to dispatch them quickly if not instantly.

quote I got thinking to do this before it freezes if outside, then realized they would be alive at the bottom of the bucket if no water..."

...or wait til it freezes and you have mousesicles...

My brother gets a lot of mice - he uses the ultrasonic repellers so he doesn't have to see them etc.

Me - I have two cats and two dogs - one of which is a Jack Russell Terrier! They work great!

quote OldFingers57: "We used mothballs a lot at our Boy Scout camp in the gear rooms. Works to keep them out."

Good to know. I have considered moth balls for house attic & the small camper.

Our gear is going to move into a storage space and to have some of it be protected from mice but have ventilation, I am thinking of making a bin with at least a couple of sides or the top made from a small wire mesh. I thought this might be good for tents, tarps, pads, and sleeping bags. Has anyone done anything like that?

Not a fan of mice.........they can chew your wiring and start fires and their droppings can accumulate and cause a potentially fatal virus.

And while I might go out of my way to save a ladybug from getting stepped on at an art show I have no qualms about drowning mice. Looks quite effective.

I've used a similar 5 gallon bucket trap for years in our garage and they work great. I put a pop can with a wire running thru across the top of the bucket with wooden "ramps" leading up to it. Google "5 gallon bucket mouse trap" and you'll see what I'm talking about. Timely post as I just emptied 5 out yesterday after 2 nights of setting it up.

some folk add antifreeze in the winter to keep the water from freezing....

I may be showing myself to be an idiot here, but I'm just trying to make sure I understand how this works. I've got a mouse issue in my basement.

Is that a platform you made from the wood and brick to our left of the bucket? So they climb the platform, try and walk out to the peanut butter, the bucket is slightly elevated opposite the wall side to keep the rod w/in the mouse's reach, and the mouse rolls in?

Soups on!

amhacker22
I should have been more clear.
The bucket is just set against the course stone in the wall.
Wish I had a trail camera set up to catch the action.
They do need help to get to the top of the bucket, but once there, they can get to the pipe.

Jim

Actually, drowning is not a bad way to go. Once you inhale water into your lungs, the struggle and suffering is over. Then your body shuts down, but you're already passed out by then...

quote DrBobDerrig: "some folk add antifreeze in the winter to keep the water from freezing....
"

I tried that...either all the mice were gone (not likely) or they didn't like the smell from the brand of anti-freeze I was using.

quote NotLight: "







"

I think it would land on my hubby at night in bed. He hates them. they know that and head straight to him

quote yellowcanoe: "

quote NotLight: "









"

I think it would land on my hubby at night in bed. He hates them. they know that and head straight to him"

Lots of cat "dislikers" out there. I've never quite understood that. Maybe because cats have always just ignored me - luck I guess. This one lives outside almost all year. She gets at least one mouse a day, I think. Problem is, if the cat can't get into the shed, it does almost no good. The cat also has to have somewhere warm to sleep, otherwise she starts coming inside to sleep during daylight about this time of year, and then doesn't get a thick enough winter coat.

well actually his dislike makes sense but the sample size of 1 is too small. He was delegated to get "Silver" out of a tree when he was small. "Silver" disagreed and clawed my to- be hubby.
Hence the hate of cats.

These bucket traps work really good. I prefer this now rather than snap traps. I don't use water in the bucket to kill them. They need to eat frequently to survive so I put a few poison bait bars in the bottom and it takes care of them pretty quickly. This works good in the winter time as well.

That's brilliant.

Do you bury the mice then? I don't know the half life of the ingested poison. How would that impact crows, owls, or other scavengers that would prey on dead animals?

If you're in this thread or any other mouse thread on this forum, you would definitely not want to check out Mouse Trap Mondays by Shawn Woods on YouTube. I am not Shawn Woods.