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blw2
02-11-2018, 10:18
I was watching Scoutmaster OnTheAT2018 (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz86ElMo5G2Als0g9y232WQ) on youtube. He said that according to Loner Boner, a long time AT hiker....I don't remember if it was first hand or second hand.... anyway, the idea is to leave a little food out for the mice. The mice will fill up on that and with their bellies full they'll leave you alone.
It strikes me that this is somehow a really bad idea from an ethics standpoint..... but brilliant at the same time. Like a sacrifice to the trail god, Rodent.
So Scoutmaster tried it, and it seems to have worked.




(https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz86ElMo5G2Als0g9y232WQ)

blw2
02-11-2018, 10:20
this video
https://youtu.be/B2bf8B39cmg

SWODaddy
02-11-2018, 10:32
That is a truly terrible idea. Please don't do that unless the food is on a mouse trap.

Puddlefish
02-11-2018, 10:55
Not the slightest bit brilliant. It's short sighted and selfish. Feed the mice, they'll get healthy and spawn many more mice, screwing the campers who follow. When I was a scout, we were taught to leave the camping area in better shape than how we found it.

AllDownhillFromHere
02-11-2018, 10:59
Classic 21st century hikerbro thinking.

D2maine
02-11-2018, 11:00
mice are a self made problem, no food no mice

FreeGoldRush
02-11-2018, 11:19
Food at shelters is why mice are at shelters. The more you feed them the more there will be. Simple as that.

egilbe
02-11-2018, 11:22
What moron. Are people really that dumb to feed rats and then question why there is a rat problem?

Lone Wolf
02-11-2018, 11:28
Food at shelters is why mice are at shelters. The more you feed them the more there will be. Simple as that.

and the ATC keeps building more shelters. there will always be a mouse problem

rocketsocks
02-11-2018, 12:20
This vvvvvvv

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IOwinLWrEIw (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IOwinLWrEIw)

Strategic
02-11-2018, 12:50
As a biology teacher, I can tell you that this is a really bad idea. As others have pointed out, the more food the mice have the more mice there will be in the future. The only way to control the mouse problem at shelters is to make sure the mice don't get fed by humans. Other than that, encouraging snakes to also frequent shelters is probably the best other option. So if you see a snake at or near a shelter, leave it alone.

imscotty
02-11-2018, 13:18
What a great idea... I cannot wait till the shelters all look like this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWVw-j8eYSk

NOT!

imscotty
02-11-2018, 13:19
Socks... you beat me to it :)

ldsailor
02-11-2018, 13:43
What a great idea... I cannot wait till the shelters all look like this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWVw-j8eYSk

NOT!

Wow! I watched that video and I hope every other idiot in the world who thinks we should feed mice views it as well. If I was the owner of that farm, I'd torch it without a second thought.

FrogLevel
02-11-2018, 13:53
That's why I hike with my emotional support snake.

u.w.
02-11-2018, 14:04
That's why I hike with my emotional support snake.
LMAO!!

u.w.

MuddyWaters
02-11-2018, 14:12
I thought everybody knows you leave toilet paper out not food then they spend the whole night making a nest with that toilet paper and they will leave you alone.

Sarcasm the elf
02-11-2018, 14:21
That is a truly terrible idea. Please don't do that unless the food is on a mouse trap.

This ......

glenlawson
02-11-2018, 14:26
If I run into someone bragging about feeding the mice, I just might punch them in the face. A fed mouse is 6 mice. And they carry disease. So the shelters where this guy is feeding the mice will have 6 times as many mice in four weeks. Scoutmaster is a tool.

rocketsocks
02-11-2018, 14:29
I throw a handful of sunflower seeds under every shelter I pass so my tent sight stays meece free.

Slo-go'en
02-11-2018, 14:42
The old sacrificial cookie scheme. That idea has been around for a long time.


I throw a handful of sunflower seeds under every shelter I pass so my tent sight stays meece free.

I was throwing sunflower seeds out onto my driveway to get rid of them - figure the squirrels or birds would eat them. But I found most of them inside my car engine compartment!

Feral Bill
02-11-2018, 15:05
That's why I hike with my emotional support snake. That would be a service snake. It compensates for your inability to catch and eat mice.

Ethesis
02-11-2018, 15:10
As a biology teacher, I can tell you that this is a really bad idea. As others have pointed out, the more food the mice have the more mice there will be in the future. The only way to control the mouse problem at shelters is to make sure the mice don't get fed by humans. Other than that, encouraging snakes to also frequent shelters is probably the best other option. So if you see a snake at or near a shelter, leave it alone.
I’ve been happy to see snakes under shelters.

Sarcasm the elf
02-11-2018, 15:18
You mean leaving a little bit of this as an offering? *

https://www.pestcontrolsupermarket.com/ekmps/shops/allister/images/rat-poison-3kg-formula-b-rat-killer-from-pest-expert-358-p.jpg

*This is a joke, absolutely don't do this.

Vanhalo
02-11-2018, 15:19
I throw a handful of sunflower seeds under every shelter I pass so my tent sight stays meece free.

lol

Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down....

In a most delightful way.

rocketsocks
02-11-2018, 16:08
You mean leaving a little bit of this as an offering? *

https://www.pestcontrolsupermarket.com/ekmps/shops/allister/images/rat-poison-3kg-formula-b-rat-killer-from-pest-expert-358-p.jpg

*This is a joke, absolutely don't do this.its like liquid plumber in da can :D

Cheyou
02-11-2018, 16:47
What is the proper mouse diet ? Are they vegan, ovo-lacto ,pescatarian ? Would you resupply with mail drops ? Would mouse food b considered base weight ? How much money should I budget for a through hike for mouse food ? Separate cook kits or can I share w the mice ? I may need a larger backpack:0)

thom

Slo-go'en
02-11-2018, 17:22
I know mice have the uncanny ability to chew a hole in a food bag exactly where the peanuts are.

Speaking of snakes, my hiking buddy at the time and I came up on a shelter in PA in the late afternoon just in time to see a big fat rattler come slithering out of the bushes and go under the shelter. We looked at each other and I said "I bet there are no mice at this shelter, but I'm less then enthusiastic about sleeping atop a rattle snake den." My buddy agreed and we proceed to the next shelter.

blw2
02-11-2018, 17:35
yeah, I know I get all that....well as I said i think it's a horrible idea ethically..... but what I meant by "brilliant" is obviously the short sited selfish side of it. I'd bet it would work.... keeps them busy and satisfied so as to not eat holes in packs and such....for the night.

and it wasn't the scoutmaster's idea....it was the guy "loner boner" Apparently has hiked the AT 3 or 4 times now.....???

middle to middle
02-11-2018, 17:37
I thinkI stayed in that shelter !

saltysack
02-11-2018, 18:00
I’m bringing one of my service owls on my next hike....f$$$ the mice.....one is ultra light...one is just light and even have one for 4 season use...[emoji38]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180211/274af0bfd29d36780d57593321b4ebec.jpg ....https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180211/abb301548c93e0469b0c157371c7a49b.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180211/c084c0d2ab7476f8efa7ee6c12a2a96b.jpg


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SoaknWet
02-11-2018, 18:09
Now that's my definition of a true hiking partner!

glenlawson
02-11-2018, 18:26
and it wasn't the scoutmaster's idea....it was the guy "loner boner" Apparently has hiked the AT 3 or 4 times now.....???
I watched his youtube. He said his hiking partner "heard about a guy who" Then he went on to detail how he put 6 pieces of spinach tortilla out to feed the mice so they would be full. And it worked! He didn't hear them all night. He also admitted he had in earplugs.

I commented on his youtube page that he is spreading vermin and disease because he is feeding the mice. The mice are bad around shelters and they spread disease. I don't see room for anyone promoting this kind of behavior.

Reverse
02-11-2018, 18:28
I have never heard of a full mouse.

saltysack
02-11-2018, 19:03
Not sure I’d take much advice from a guy named “Loner Boner”[emoji23]


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devoidapop
02-11-2018, 19:09
I’m bringing one of my service owls on my next hike....f$$$ the mice.....one is ultra light...one is just light and even have one for 4 season use...[emoji38]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180211/274af0bfd29d36780d57593321b4ebec.jpg ....https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180211/abb301548c93e0469b0c157371c7a49b.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180211/c084c0d2ab7476f8efa7ee6c12a2a96b.jpg


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Kind of surprised there are no decoy owls put up at shelters. We had them in the backyard when I was a kid to keep woodchucks out of our apple trees.

Highstepper
02-11-2018, 19:10
I stayed in Moreland Gap shelter a few years ago and Loner Boner was there. I'm sure it was his snoring that kept the mice away.

Sarcasm the elf
02-11-2018, 19:22
Not sure I’d take much advice from a guy named “Loner Boner”[emoji23]


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Mercifully, it's simply his last name. IIRC, his trail name is actually Loner Bohner.

D2maine
02-11-2018, 19:40
Mercifully, it's simply his last name. IIRC, his trail name is actually Loner Bohner.

this is Loner Boehner

https://youtu.be/baxCMk5VnjQ

D2maine
02-11-2018, 19:54
correct spelling

Bohner, Lee E. 'Loner Bohner' ; Osgood, IN ; NOBO 09-25-11
Bohner, Lee E. 'Loner Bohner' ; Osgood, IN; NOBO 09-23-15

saltysack
02-11-2018, 20:12
Mercifully, it's simply his last name. IIRC, his trail name is actually Loner Bohner.

Oops...haaaaa...my bad!


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blw2
02-11-2018, 20:27
ah, yes, glad to see the correct spelling. Much less 'tacky'

Here he is this year
https://youtu.be/xoIDVqOQKr8

blw2
02-11-2018, 20:46
can somebody correct the spelling in my title?

MtDoraDave
02-11-2018, 20:48
You mean leaving a little bit of this as an offering? *

https://www.pestcontrolsupermarket.com/ekmps/shops/allister/images/rat-poison-3kg-formula-b-rat-killer-from-pest-expert-358-p.jpg

*This is a joke, absolutely don't do this.


In case people don't know why it's not a good idea, or think it's a brilliant idea, the natural predators of mice - owls, Hawks, eagles, etc can be (and have been) killed by eating a mouse or rat that was poisoned.
.
I've seen several mouse traps left behind in shelters, and heard stories about a guy who travels with mouse traps, keeping count of his kills.
I'm ok with mouse traps, but not leaving them behind.
.
I've seen SO MANY thru hikers cook and eat inside the shelters, while laying in their sleeping bags. No, they aren't the only ones that do it. Plenty of section hikers do it, too.
If it's raining or cold, it's just so much easier to cook and eat in the shelter, I get it... the price we all pay, however, is mice.

gbolt
02-11-2018, 21:18
When I heard the story of feeding mice, it wasn’t just any food or chips; it was rice. The idea was that when they ate the rice and then drank some water, the rice swells in the belly making them feel full for the night. I have know clue if it works or is ethically appropriate. I rise above such things by using a Hammock and hanging away from shelters if possible.

George
02-11-2018, 21:31
not mentioned yet - mice love to stockpile food, absolutely they will get full. but will work all night to haul away a ready food supply

illabelle
02-11-2018, 21:51
In case people don't know why it's not a good idea, or think it's a brilliant idea, the natural predators of mice - owls, Hawks, eagles, etc can be (and have been) killed by eating a mouse or rat that was poisoned.
I've seen several mouse traps left behind in shelters, and heard stories about a guy who travels with mouse traps, keeping count of his kills.
I'm ok with mouse traps, but not leaving them behind.....
Somebody shared a story a year or two ago about finding a raccoon that got caught in a mouse trap. I don't remember the exact details, but the raccoon was trapped by it. Maybe he reached through something and got caught. Anyway, by the time it was found, the poor thing was badly dehydrated and unable to even respond to the person who tried to help it. Took it for treatment but had to euthanize it.

iAmKrzys
02-11-2018, 21:52
When I saw the thread title my first thought was that the OP meant to say "lice". :)

Dogwood
02-11-2018, 22:12
Wrong on so many levels.


Actually, after more thought, yes feed the mice at AT shelters. I don't sleep anywhere near them or anyone else whenever able. I avoid these sites and the mice like the plague. Pun intended. See, I can be a selfish ignorance SOB too.

Dogwood
02-11-2018, 22:13
Hikerbro...:banana

Elaikases
02-12-2018, 08:40
When I heard the story of feeding mice, it wasn’t just any food or chips; it was rice. The idea was that when they ate the rice and then drank some water, the rice swells in the belly making them feel full for the night. I have know clue if it works or is ethically appropriate. I rise above such things by using a Hammock and hanging away from shelters if possible.

Actually the classing rat and mice poisons turn to concrete in their guts and kill them that way, like rice only indigestible. They don't poison any predator that eats the dead mice -- it is the point of that kind of rat poison.

Elaikases
02-12-2018, 08:41
Err, "classic" rat and mouse poisons.

rocketsocks
02-12-2018, 08:52
Not sure I’d take much advice from a guy named “Loner Boner”[emoji23]


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T.S.Kobzol
02-12-2018, 08:54
I think hunters should go out there with mouse traps , you know after their hunting season ends the state can extend the season to mice ...

;-)


seriously this is a really dumb idea. I started watching scoutmaster videos to see whether I'd want to follow his channel but I unsubscribed yesterday...I just could not stand the level of dumb. Neither a scout nor a master even though he has the uniform to prove it. :-(

rocketsocks
02-12-2018, 08:57
I’d put the “jack ass” boys on the job

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RCEW1gjN1c8

Puddlefish
02-12-2018, 10:51
Is putting peanut butter on a neighboring tent, so the bear eats them still acceptable? Asking for a friend.

swatsullivan
02-12-2018, 12:16
I'm new here. I mostly lurk and read because I love the AT.

I've been hiking on the AT my whole life. I was a Boy Scout here in VA, growing up and still living only about an hour from the AT at Rockfish Gap. I've only backpacked the AT in Virginia and I've only hiked on a couple parts of the trail in PA (and that was last year). Thru hiking the AT is a dream of mine that I hope to get to realize one day. I really enjoy watching the At thru hiking vLogs on YouTube and reading trail journals.

I am a Scoutmaster. I got into watching these vLogs and looking at Trail Journal after meeting a few thru hikers a couple years ago when we were with Scouts on the AT preparing for a backpacking trip to Philmont in NM. I was trying to find out where they had gotten to or whether they had made it. I guess my background in Scouts and my enjoyment of watching these videos makes SM on the AT even more appealing to me.

From my outsider's perspective, I am not sure I would have fed the mice, but I see how the thinking was reasonable to SM on the AT. He was given that advice by a 3 time thru hiker. He is not familiar at all with the AT.

Since I am familiar with the AT, I avoid the shelters. I worry about the diseases mice can carry. I do not let the scouts go in the shelters. I don;t think SM on the Trail knows this. But just as if you here were to give me advice, I might heed it. I think SM on the Trail was in a similar situation. So I would not be too quick to judge.

I certainly would not say I want to punch him in the face or to that he is dumb. Being a Scoutmaster does little to prepare you for a thru hike. LNT principles (https://www.scouting.org/programs/boy-scouts/teaching-leave-no-trace/046-respect/) adopted by the BSA say that you should keep all food and trash away from wildlife. But I've seen plenty of videos of thru hikers feeding small birds in NE to get them to land on their hand.

Perhaps SM on the AT made a mistake feeding the mice, perhaps not. Even opinions here seem to disagree. One thing is for sure--I am sure I would make a lot of stupid mistakes thru hiking the AT.

swatsullivan
02-12-2018, 12:19
Looks like I cannot edit my post to fix my grammatical mistakes. Please excuse those. Thanks

--David

HooKooDooKu
02-12-2018, 13:38
Perhaps SM on the AT made a mistake feeding the mice, perhaps not.
I don't think there is any "perhaps not" to it.

While you might be able to debate whether feeding the mice will get them to leave you alone for an evening, a fact I've yet to see anyone argue against in this thread is that feeding the mice WILL create more of a problem for those that come after you. As such, feeding the mice does NOT follow LNT principles, and is technically illegal in places such as Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

BTW, trying to kill mice, especially with baited traps would also be illegal in a place such as Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and stories about the raccoon caught in the trap are just one of the reasons why.

But the fact that no one has yet to argue against in this thread is that feeding the mice WILL create tried to
The idea that feeding mice
It might be debatable whether or not
While I think it is open to debate whether or not feeding mice will or will not get them to leave you alone for one evening,
Even IF feeding the mice get them to leave you alone for the night (that's a question that, feeding the mice it causes a future problem., something I don't think anyone has yetno one has disagreed

Dogwood
02-12-2018, 14:29
Warfarin to the rescue.

Tipi Walter
02-12-2018, 15:03
Main question is---Is it legal to kill mice on public land like national forests and wilderness areas????

MtDoraDave
02-12-2018, 15:16
The last time I bought mouse traps, the instructions said not to put bait on them... apparently they are scented or something. I saw a mouse in my house - and that is unacceptable. First night with the traps set, snap, got it.

I personally would not be that guy who thru (or section) hikes with mouse traps because of the disease factor. I don't know what the odds are of a mouse in a shelter carrying a disease, or how much more likely I am to catch that disease while touching dead mice and the traps night after night - or if simply sleeping in a shelter with disease carrying mice is sufficient to catch said disease.
I prefer my tent.
When I do stay in a shelter, I do so with apprehension.

Is norovirus carried or spread by mice or thru hikers? That's the main disease that I've heard about from sleeping in shelters, and I was under the impression it was from unsanitary habits of the hikers.

egilbe
02-12-2018, 15:19
Noro virus is spread by hikers.

Mice will climb all over you while you sleep. It's ok to kill the little fardigan bastiches

HooKooDooKu
02-12-2018, 15:31
Main question is---Is it legal to kill mice on public land like national forests and wilderness areas????
I'm not familiar with the particular rules and regulations that pertain to national forests and wilderness areas.
So far, the best I could find on the web page for the "U.S. Forest Service" was the "Code of Federal Regulations Title 36 - Parks, Forests, and Public Property"


§261.8 Fish and wildlife.The following are prohibited to the extent Federal or State law is violated:
(a) Hunting, trapping, fishing, catching, molesting, killing or having in possession any kind of wild animal, bird, or fish, or taking the eggs of any such bird.
(b) Possessing a firearm or other implement designed to discharge a missile capable of destroying animal life.
(c) Possessing equipment which could be used for hunting, fishing, or trapping.
(d) Possessing a dog not on a leash or otherwise confined.
(e) Curtail the free movement of any animal or plant life into or out of a cave, except as authorized to protect a cave resource.
Now there must be more to the rules than this, because I can find references to hunting being allowed. Specifically, I could find the following regarding National Forests in North Carolina

Outside of developed recreation areas, fishing and hunting are permitted throughout the national forests in North Carolina. According to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, any lands open the public hunting are called “game lands.” Many game animals thrive in the national forests. The Forest Service is emphasizing equal access to hunting. Hunters must have the proper licenses or permits needed to hunt.
So my best guess is that it comes down to a question of what is required to legally hunt mice?

Tipi Walter
02-12-2018, 15:39
A mouse license?

Then again, I regularly hear about the Forest Service killing off pests and rodents all around their forest buildings and district stations. Confusing, I guess.

rocketsocks
02-12-2018, 17:14
I seem to recall a hiker who had a threaded necklace of mouse ears, damn!

Coffee
02-12-2018, 17:24
A mouse is a wild animal and a mouse trap is a trap. So doesn't seem legal. Best to avoid the issue by avoiding shelters.

FreeGoldRush
02-12-2018, 17:38
Ticks are spread by mice. It would seem that feeding mice also increases the tick population at the shelters.

AllDownhillFromHere
02-12-2018, 17:38
Noro virus is spread by hikers.
Mice will climb all over you while you sleep. It's ok to kill the little fardigan bastiches

Let me guess, they were coming right at you?

JG13
02-12-2018, 17:55
I seem to recall a hiker who had a threaded necklace of mouse ears, damn!

Thats some Silence of the Lambs shiznit.

egilbe
02-12-2018, 18:03
Let me guess, they were coming right at you?

Climbing up my back while I was trying to sleep

Cheyou
02-12-2018, 19:33
They can steal you breath !

towerclimber727
02-12-2018, 19:38
I was watching Scoutmaster OnTheAT2018 (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz86ElMo5G2Als0g9y232WQ) on youtube. He said that according to Loner Boner, a long time AT hiker....I don't remember if it was first hand or second hand.... anyway, the idea is to leave a little food out for the mice. The mice will fill up on that and with their bellies full they'll leave you alone.
It strikes me that this is somehow a really bad idea from an ethics standpoint..... but brilliant at the same time. Like a sacrifice to the trail god, Rodent.
So Scoutmaster tried it, and it seems to have worked.




(https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz86ElMo5G2Als0g9y232WQ)The worst shelters (as far as rodents are concerned) and the ones where the population is well fed.

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Sarcasm the elf
02-12-2018, 20:49
Welp, this thread confirms it. We've offically reached winter cabin fever and are running out of stuff to argue about...

SoaknWet
02-12-2018, 21:28
Well my question is with all these close encounters with mice how many whiskers does the male mice have.?

rocketsocks
02-12-2018, 21:30
Well my question is with all these close encounters with mice how many whiskers does the male mice have.?72...............

rocketsocks
02-12-2018, 21:35
Welp, this thread confirms it. We've offically reached winter cabin fever and are running out of stuff to argue about...to quote a media mogul...Yar!

illabelle
02-12-2018, 21:43
A mouse is a wild animal and a mouse trap is a trap. So doesn't seem legal. Best to avoid the issue by avoiding shelters.


Ticks are spread by mice. It would seem that feeding mice also increases the tick population at the shelters.
A tick is a wild animal. It is "legal" to kill a tick? What about a skeeter? Or those pesky blackflies? And while we're at it, what about ants and microorganisms? Is it "legal" for trail builders to clear vegetation? Or only noxious plants like poison ivy, stinging nettle, and briers? Is it legal for me to bend or break the stem of some plant that has grown across the path? Sometimes the letter of the law leads to ridiculous conclusions.

Pretty much all of us would agree that mice are pests. But would the snakes agree? Many people I know would say that a snake is a pest. I don't agree. The mouse population is out of proportion to the food supply because we unintentionally provide them with food. If we weren't there, the food supply, mouse population, and snake population would balance out.

Let's step back and consider the intent of the regulations - to preserve the wilderness. If we truly wish to leave no trace, shouldn't we stay out of the woods?

blw2
02-12-2018, 21:57
how do you think one of these would work against a shelter mouse?
https://www.massdrop.com/buy/bowman-toothpick-crossbow

blw2
02-12-2018, 21:58
I guess it breaks rule b, but it seems like it could be fun

kestral
02-12-2018, 23:38
What, no one has resugested the abandoning of a feline? (Please don’t) I have a twin set of ninja assasins who would take out the little beasties, but I doubt I could ever corral them again to bring them home. Because they act like .......... cats! ;*)

sketcher709
02-13-2018, 08:20
What, no one has resugested the abandoning of a feline? (Please don’t) I have a twin set of ninja assasins who would take out the little beasties, but I doubt I could ever corral them again to bring them home. Because they act like .......... cats! ;*)

Problem is that the little kitties would not be at the top of the food chain. Once they were fattened up, they would become coyote dinner.

SoaknWet
02-13-2018, 08:44
You have to love the human race, self-proclaimed smartest animal on the planet! We create the problem than blame everything on the lower life forms! Mice are trying to survive just like all living things and they've learned life is easier to gather where human gather because they're stupid and don't use common sense. Bottom line NO FOOD means no MICE. I can't stand mice but I refuse to condemn them because of my mistakes. Clean up after yourself and don't feed the wildlife!!!

Tipi Walter
02-13-2018, 10:01
You have to love the human race, self-proclaimed smartest animal on the planet! We create the problem than blame everything on the lower life forms! Mice are trying to survive just like all living things and they've learned life is easier to gather where human gather because they're stupid and don't use common sense. Bottom line NO FOOD means no MICE. I can't stand mice but I refuse to condemn them because of my mistakes. Clean up after yourself and don't feed the wildlife!!!

This is all well and good but Mice present a problem for backpackers if these backpackers are out long enough. Sure, I love the little critters and they deserve to live like anything else but it must be remembered these little Detards sometimes invade certain campsites all thru the Southeast---and not only around AT box shelters.

By "Invade" I mean they'll chew up gear, chew holes in your tent or remove parts of your tent, go down bear lines and chew holes in your food sack, chew off boot tops for salt or fiber for nests, chew holes in your sleeping bag to get nest material, pee and defecate around your gear and cook pot, and generally run across your body all night making for a crappy night of sleep.

Most established campsites in the Southeast have a mice or two, some campsites have dozens, some camps have zero to none.

Seatbelt
02-13-2018, 10:27
This is all well and good but Mice present a problem for backpackers if these backpackers are out long enough. Sure, I love the little critters and they deserve to live like anything else but it must be remembered these little Detards sometimes invade certain campsites all thru the Southeast---and not only around AT box shelters.

By "Invade" I mean they'll chew up gear, chew holes in your tent or remove parts of your tent, go down bear lines and chew holes in your food sack, chew off boot tops for salt or fiber for nests, chew holes in your sleeping bag to get nest material, pee and defecate around your gear and cook pot, and generally run across your body all night making for a crappy night of sleep.

.
To me, this kinda brings the conversation back to it's start. I totally agree with the above statements and I see it as a choice: Leave a little food so the critters (hopefully)will leave your gear alone, or let them find your food that they want wherever it is. Yes, I have had mice eat food out of my bag, yes it was properly hung, yes I have had them run across my face at night. My opinion, they are already there, they will find food somewhere. I prefer to keep them out of my pack or food bag.

grubbster
02-13-2018, 10:44
Funny story, I was backpacking about 35 years ago and left one of the side pockets on my pack unzipped. Inside was a baggie of instant coffee. Upon waking in the morning I found that a mouse had chewed a hole in the bag and gotten itself a little caffeine high. It did exactly the same thing it does to me and cleaned the little rodent out. My pack pocket had a disturbing amount of little mouse pellets.
Might be an idea for an offering if you insist on feeding them.

saltysack
02-13-2018, 11:46
This is all well and good but Mice present a problem for backpackers if these backpackers are out long enough. Sure, I love the little critters and they deserve to live like anything else but it must be remembered these little Detards sometimes invade certain campsites all thru the Southeast---and not only around AT box shelters.

By "Invade" I mean they'll chew up gear, chew holes in your tent or remove parts of your tent, go down bear lines and chew holes in your food sack, chew off boot tops for salt or fiber for nests, chew holes in your sleeping bag to get nest material, pee and defecate around your gear and cook pot, and generally run across your body all night making for a crappy night of sleep.

Most established campsites in the Southeast have a mice or two, some campsites have dozens, some camps have zero to none.

Tipi you need another dog....hell why not get a St. Bernard so he can carry some of the load as well as deter the mice! Hiking with a dog especially a vermin killing breed seems to keep the mice at bay...


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rocketsocks
02-13-2018, 12:14
This is all well and good but Mice present a problem for backpackers if these backpackers are out long enough. Sure, I love the little critters and they deserve to live like anything else but it must be remembered these little Detards sometimes invade certain campsites all thru the Southeast---and not only around AT box shelters.

By "Invade" I mean they'll chew up gear, chew holes in your tent or remove parts of your tent, go down bear lines and chew holes in your food sack, chew off boot tops for salt or fiber for nests, chew holes in your sleeping bag to get nest material, pee and defecate around your gear and cook pot, and generally run across your body all night making for a crappy night of sleep.

Most established campsites in the Southeast have a mice or two, some campsites have dozens, some camps have zero to none.
Which is why I always carry one of my wife’s biscuits, one bite and it’s game over!

martinb
02-13-2018, 12:24
You have to love the human race, self-proclaimed smartest animal on the planet! We create the problem than blame everything on the lower life forms! Mice are trying to survive just like all living things and they've learned life is easier to gather where human gather because they're stupid and don't use common sense. Bottom line NO FOOD means no MICE. I can't stand mice but I refuse to condemn them because of my mistakes. Clean up after yourself and don't feed the wildlife!!!

It's easier said than done. Humans, by nature, are messy. What may seems like a nothingcrumb from your granola bar is a nice-sized snack for a mouse. I try to limit temptations by keeping my food bag off the ground as soon as I get to a site but, unfortunately, there's no way to keep every speck of food off the ground. Except for not carrying food.

rocketsocks
02-13-2018, 12:29
It's easier said than done. Humans, by nature, are messy. What may seems like a nothingcrumb from your granola bar is a nice-sized snack for a mouse. I try to limit temptations by keeping my food bag off the ground as soon as I get to a site but, unfortunately, there's no way to keep every speck of food off the ground. Except for not carrying food.these are the worst


41851

martinb
02-13-2018, 12:35
Do they work? I'll buy a box!

MuddyWaters
02-13-2018, 12:43
Back in the early days o science, when theories about spontaneous generation of life abounded, one particular scientist said that, after testing, that straw plus a sweaty shirt left for 21 days resulted in mice.

Well he was right of course. But it wasn't spontaneous generation of life, mice just liked to nest in straw and a sweaty shirt.

Mice like to nest in shelters too. Food or no food. The woods is full of their natural food source just feet away. But....its also full of their predators. What they really like is the protected habitat that shelters provide. And they aren't exposed to predators like snakes, foxes, bobcats, owls, coyotes , etc when they go dining out.

saltysack
02-13-2018, 12:55
these are the worst


41851

[emoji23]soooo true...under my truck seat is loaded with them!


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Toolshed
02-13-2018, 13:46
I didn't read all the comments, but as a longtime Former Certified Pest Control Operator with hundreds of rodent jobs under his belt, I can say Don't Do It!! Mice do not eat until full then go drift off somewhere for a night. Mice will eat and hoard at the same time. They will nibble and then hoard, nibble and hoard. When that food source is gone/hoarded, they will run along the walls and fixed objects exploring until they meet up with another possible food source (perhaps your pack?). If they smell or sense food, they will chew through anything obstructing their path. All you are doing if you leave food out is enforcing to rodents that this is the place for stress-free feeding.

rmitchell
02-13-2018, 13:53
Nests are another problem. Some friends of mine got home from a Smokies trip and put their packs in the closet on return home. A week later they begain to smell something . Apparently a mouse built a nest and downloaded a litter of babies in a pocket. They said for such small critters the decomposing mice smelled pretty bad.

Something else to check is under the hood of a vehicle left at a trail head. After one section, I was dropping off a hiking partner and during the drive we were discussing car engines. I popped the hood of the Jeep that I was driving at the time to look at the engine and discovered a nest on top of the engine. Dry tinder is not something you want next to the exhaust of an engine in a car that is driven for several hours.

Tipi Walter
02-13-2018, 13:59
Plus I have found the "leave a little pile of peanuts out by the tent" does not work. I've done it. They will still pester me and the tent all night long and since it's a keg party they will call in all their friends.

Tipi Walter
02-13-2018, 14:01
Nests are another problem. Some friends of mine got home from a Smokies trip and put their packs in the closet on return home. A week later they begain to smell something . Apparently a mouse built a nest and downloaded a litter of babies in a pocket. They said for such small critters the decomposing mice smelled pretty bad.

Something else to check is under the hood of a vehicle left at a trail head. After one section, I was dropping off a hiking partner and during the drive we were discussing car engines. I popped the hood of the Jeep that I was driving at the time to look at the engine and discovered a nest on top of the engine. Dry tinder is not something you want next to the exhaust of an engine in a car that is driven for several hours.

Oh so true. Try leaving your car sitting at a trailhead for 15 days. I once came out and found the car's air filter eaten apart and a mouse nest built in the heating/cooling fan. One big reason why I now use a shuttle for all my long backpacking trips. One time I left 4 glue traps scattered thruout the car.

Traffic Jam
02-13-2018, 15:24
I keep reading the thread title as “Feeding the ice (monsters) so they leave you alone.”
It’s disappointing to open it and the subject is mice. :)

4eyedbuzzard
02-13-2018, 20:43
I keep reading the thread title as “Feeding the ice (monsters) so they leave you alone.”
It’s disappointing to open it and the subject is mice. :)Here ya go

41862

rocketsocks
02-14-2018, 02:21
Here ya go
O
41862my brother in-law reports seeing that monster after 17 hours of plowing snow.

Leo L.
02-14-2018, 04:44
Maybe I've missed it being mentioned here, but if mice in the backcountry are wild animals and by this being protected, isn't it prohibited then to feed them for the very same reason?

Seriously, we have a 98yr old aunt living in our house, and a few years back when we could still leave her alone for several days to go out hiking, one day when we came back she had covered the whole kitchen table bith breadcrumbs. A mess.
Asked why she'd done this, she said she had intended to keep the mice off her crochetwork (her main business all day long).
Sure enough, from then on we had a heavy mouse plague it took us weeks to fight back, and her nice handcraft got chewed up by mice anyway.

Gambit McCrae
02-14-2018, 09:13
"Feeding the mice"....This is a typical Georgia March quote from the all so experienced Appalachian Trail Thru Hiker community!!! What a blessing they are to the trail. They trade in there hipster leather shoes and offset butt cut hairdos and are gunna go walk the trail, probably think that the soundtrack to "A Walk in the Woods" will be playing around them the whole time! And people standing at the road crossings cheering for them like at a marathon!!!!!

Some others that I have enjoyed are:
"The reason it is important to stay on the trail is because they spray the trail with deet."
"I am so thankful that people blow the leaved off the trail every morning, they must start early because I haven't seen them yet but it shore is nice walking on the trail without any leaves"
And then there was the guy at Bull Gap, just north of Neel Gap that at bed time layed down on a blue tarp and got his buddy to roll him up in it like a burrito for a shelter. It rained all night :) lol

SoaknWet
02-14-2018, 09:19
Cabin Fever is killing me!! I actually find this thread interesting!! God I hope my doctor releases me to hike tomorrow, I have to get off here.

Elaikases
02-14-2018, 09:45
"
Some others that I have enjoyed are:

"The reason it is important to stay on the trail is because they spray the trail with deet."

"I am so thankful that people blow the leaved off the trail every morning, they must start early because I haven't seen them yet but it shore is nice walking on the trail without any leaves"

And then there was the guy at Bull Gap, just north of Neel Gap that at bed time layed down on a blue tarp and got his buddy to roll him up in it like a burrito for a shelter. It rained all night :) lol


Well, rolled up like a burrito he may have stayed dry. Grandma Moses managed that with a shower curtain. ;)

Leo L.
02-14-2018, 10:09
Letting himself Burrito-rolled by a servant was common practice by some old time world famous explorers like Sven Hedin, hiking for years on end through Tibet and other Himalayan countries as the first White Man.
Of course he had no plastic tarp.
And mice was the tiniest of critter problems he'd had to face.

Gambit McCrae
02-14-2018, 11:07
People also didn't know that smoking would kill you back then, don't mean it aint stupid

Thefurther
02-14-2018, 12:24
leave a light on . you can buy cheap headlamps from wally world for a buck that are not to bright but bright enough to keep the mice away . i set them up near me and the mice never bother me . when the lights go out the mice start their mischevious ways . the way i see it feeding the mice is not the answer and we are in their territory so killing them is just mean . it is all about the experience ... love all creatures ... peace my friend ... the light thing does work

Lnj
02-14-2018, 13:02
Quick question about mice in general... I found one dead on in an old flower vase under my kitchen sink about a month or two ago. Never saw any signs of them anywhere in the house at all. Our house is only about 6 years old now. I have 2 dogs so I feel sure if they were running rampant in my house we would have detected something. Not to mention, our house is relatively clean all the time. Needless to say, I was shocked and grossed out!!! My question is, are mice like roaches and fleas, in that if you have one, you have a problem, or is it possible one just came in and that's it?

Time Zone
02-14-2018, 13:10
Traps are cheap - you should probably get one, set it, place in same location, and find out. If you catch another, you're going to need to find out how they're getting in. I don't think it'll be enough to poison or kill the ones that reach the inside of your house. More will come until you block their entrance.

Lnj
02-14-2018, 13:15
Thanks! Will do. I had hoped it was a one time event, but I will do the trap test and see if another one shows up.

rocketsocks
02-14-2018, 13:17
Quick question about mice in general... I found one dead on in an old flower vase under my kitchen sink about a month or two ago. Never saw any signs of them anywhere in the house at all. Our house is only about 6 years old now. I have 2 dogs so I feel sure if they were running rampant in my house we would have detected something. Not to mention, our house is relatively clean all the time. Needless to say, I was shocked and grossed out!!! My question is, are mice like roaches and fleas, in that if you have one, you have a problem, or is it possible one just came in and that's it?Well, I once saw a mouse that had a litter of nine...you do the math.

rocketsocks
02-14-2018, 13:18
Get a cat!

Lnj
02-14-2018, 13:21
:eek: !!!!!!!!!!!!!! No cat. My blue heeler wouldn't have it. I do have 2 sugar gliders in a cage who probably would not be amused with a cat either. But I'll do the trap and if I catch one, I 'm calling in the pros. and scouring my house for tiny exterior holes.

MuddyWaters
02-14-2018, 14:08
My wife had a mouse jump out of a garage cabinet and land on her arm one day when our house is 1 year old. Only Mouse we had ever seen.

Over the next week I killed 34 in a couple traps in the garage and attic. Gave up and put out packets of poison bait when it slowed.

Turns out a bag of birdseed in the garage cabinet had turned that cabinet into Mouse City.

RangerZ
02-14-2018, 19:12
we would get one in the basement with the change in seasons. I had the stone foundation remortared and that ended it. Our two cats would sit and watch it in the basement, no killers there.

SoaknWet
02-14-2018, 20:34
Your cats have to be related to mine! I watched one of the outside cats watch a mouse steal food from bowl in the middle of the day! Actually I think he may have been afraid of it!

Miami Joe
02-15-2018, 02:10
I know I'm late on this, and I rarely post anymore on this forum (always lurking), but I had to break the silence when I read this post. Selfish selfish selfish.