mice in shelters

[Cookerhiker]

I've slept in shelters a lot over my 35 years of backpacking and never had a problem with mice chewing my sleeping bag or pad. Re food bag, I recall one instance - Rainbow Stream Leanto in Maine - where the mice were all over the place, including the packs hanging from the tuna can ropes. I hung my food in the tree that night.

In 2011 on my Colorado Trail thruhike, I followed Lone Wolf's advice and slept with my food in the tent every night. No bear issues at all, but about 2/3 of the way through the hike, I awoke to a gnawed hole in the tent floor. But they never got to my food bag.

...Everyone has their preferences (meaning I'm not going to tell you one way or another where you would want to sleep) but in my opinion, you hear a much louder chorus of anti-shelter sentiment on WhiteBlaze than you do in real life.

I sleep in a tent but I agree totally with your observation.

I also agree.

[stranger]

im a noobie to staying in shelters and have yet to stay in one but wondered if the mice ever try or succeed in chewing on bags or sleeping pad. i could see this being a prob if you have a pad that requires air for support. i ask bc i have a ba air core pad and relatively nice down bag(read i would be pissed if i woke up with a mouse hole in the foot of it). thanks in advance.

Not all mice are the same, some mice love food, others like pack straps, trekking pole handles, still some others love cigarette filters...some will eat food or sauce out of your beard while you sleep.

Want to play with mice...use shelters, want to sleep sound, tent out.

[aficion]

Shelter mice make better stew since they are so well fed. Nutrition is important out there and especially so if the hiker is too weak to carry or pitch a tent.

[Siarl]

I like mice. I don't like what they carry though. But I do like mice. But remember, where there are mice, there are snakes that like mice. I like snakes in general and black snakes are my favorite. They don't have fangs. Copperheads are another story altogether to avoid.

[Drybones]

I wish i had gotten a photo of the brown rat that I saw at Blood mountain shelter last week. He was as big as a large squirrel and well fed.

The next day at neels gap we learned from other hikers that the rat is well known and may well be on his way tk becoming the shelter's unofficial mascot.

Sounds like oppossums to me....although I've seen rats a cat would run from.

[Grey Ghost]

Stayed at Hawk Mt. in Oct. of this year. I slept very little as they chewed on Billys socks he had stuffed in the cracks in the floor. They knawed and run all over the shelter floor all night { or so it seemed.}

[RF_ace]

the ones at russell field shelter just run along the rafters and stone wall, didnt have any issues with them

[FooFighter'12]

The first few nights I slept in a shelter I was so paranoid I didn't get much sleep. Then just when I was starting to feel comfortable I stayed in the Pickle Branch Shelter in VA and right after dark I could hear them everywhere. Minutes later, one ran up the top of my head and onto my forehead. I immediately sat up and the mice catapulted onto my friend. I knew I wouldn't get any sleep so I got up and pitched my tent. My buddy set his up shortly after. I tended to tent whenever I could unless it was raining or I was just too tired to set up my tent. The mice stopped bothering me as much(except for East Brook Lean To- had to keep kicking them off my sleeping bag) as I headed into the final three states NOBO. It was other things that kept me from sleeping in shelters, such as snoring, hikers arriving really late, weekenders partying, loud sleeping pads, headlamps, stray dogs, etc. I never had any problems with the food bag. Although, the chipmunks will rob you blind in broad daylight if you don't keep an eye on them

[George]

im a noobie to staying in shelters and have yet to stay in one but wondered if the mice ever try or succeed in chewing on bags or sleeping pad. i could see this being a prob if you have a pad that requires air for support. i ask bc i have a ba air core pad and relatively nice down bag(read i would be pissed if i woke up with a mouse hole in the foot of it). thanks in advance.

bring plenty of traps and supplement your food supply

[JAK]

1381317_570986572967783_1771227071_n (2).jpg
Is this the same species. Just curious.

[JAK]

Sorry I messed up the upload there. The field mouse aka Meadow Vole is the top jpg, 2 days after our cat dragged him in. Approximately 10 days old estimated from body mass of 4g. Bottom one is the Tamarack he was buried under.

[Sarcasm the elf]

Sorry I messed up the upload there. The field mouse aka Meadow Vole is the top jpg, 2 days after our cat dragged him in. Approximately 10 days old estimated from body mass of 4g. Bottom one is the Tamarack he was buried under.

So if you plant a field mouse, an evergreen grows? I'll have to try that.

[Wise Old Owl]

Sorry I messed up the upload there. The field mouse aka Meadow Vole is the top jpg, 2 days after our cat dragged him in. Approximately 10 days old estimated from body mass of 4g. Bottom one is the Tamarack he was buried under.

That is a baby field mouse a vole has a stubby tail they are two different mammals.

[Wise Old Owl]

Cheese doesnt even make the list? Im pretty sure it works better than crackers in trap. If for no reason other than you can squeeze it on to the little piece and it stays there.

Cottonballs smeared with peanutbutter work pretty darn well.

american does not make the list and cotton ball does - but you don't need to mix it with peanut butter - the mice use foams and cotton for nesting material.

[Rolls Kanardly]

Do you have a mouse trap and need to know what the best mouse bait options are?

They sell good mice bait at most hardware stores. Kills a major portion of the nest rather than a single mouse.

[SouthMark]

I no longer sleep in shelters now that I use a hammock. Just too old to sleep on hard floors even with a nice mattress. Mice were never my biggest problem with shelters. Snoring was always a much bigger problem for me, both mine and other hikers. I have had mice chew the top out of my wool hat that I was wearing at the time in Ice Water Spring Shelter and I never woke but I have spent sleepless nights listening to a loud snorer. Give me the mice anytime.

I have also had a skunk in my sleeping bag with me in the Mollies Ridge Shelter. Once again I'll take the mice!

[Pilgrim7]

Does the mice ativity slow down in the winter?
The only reason I'm considering shelters for my next trip is becuase it will be late January.

[Wise Old Owl]

They sell good mice bait at most hardware stores. Kills a major portion of the nest rather than a single mouse.

Due to regulation the hardware stores loose baits and bait blocks are to be reduced and phased out. Places like tractor supply farm stores will continue to stock block baits...Farmers really do have major issues.

In short the stuff at the hardware - will be to get lucky with. The regulations hit I think around March of 2013, I am not going to look it up - I got the memo on this one at the office and this phase out program is still continuing.

"reasoning" the average person is still accidentally poisoning the pet. Secondary blood thinning is still showing up in low quantities in owls.

[Wise Old Owl]

Does the mice ativity slow down in the winter?
The only reason I'm considering shelters for my next trip is becuase it will be late January.

Mice do not hibernate come early spring they nest in voids and in the case of shelters prefer holes & hollows in the soft dirt...

[RockDoc]

I've never had mice bother my pad or bag, although they are surprisingly skillful at getting into your food.

However, I have had a ground squirrel rip into my tent and bite all over my thermorest, ruining the air mattress. I think he was after the salt residue I left on it from lying on the pad in hot weather. You can perhaps avoid this if you keep your equipment really clean. If there is any food residue or salt residue on any equipment, you are asking for it.

The mice have been doing this in shelters for generations. The ones that have survived there are skillful and have a keen sense of smell. They will rip into pack pockets that have food, and ignore the ones that don't.