Since our last dog Mason died, we have been invaded my chipmunks, mice and squirrels on our property. Mason would kill the shit out of those bastards. I guess a fairly mild winter helped with the procreation of the insidious beasts as well.

I wish I could take credit for this "better mouse trap" but it wasn't my idea. I assume this is ages old. This is for outdoor use, obviously.


  • Take a 5 gallon pail and fill it about half way with water.
  • Toss in a bunch of sunflower seeds. Enough to cover the surface of the water.
  • Place a short board angled from the ground up to the lip of the bucket.


The rodents look in, see the sunflower seeds floating on top and think it's a bucket full of seeds - they don't realize there is water under the seeds. They jump in and can't get out. Done.

We got about 20 rodents in 3 days - better and cheaper than getting a cat. After scooping out the corpses I need more sunflower seeds. There are lots of germ bags running around still. Getting some seeds tomorrow when I buy some quail feed at Wardle. Yes, we'll get more dogs soon but we are considering moving next year, so better hold off on that.

Not one squirrel in the bucket though, but that's OK. They don't rip up my insulation, tear through wires, or scare the shit out of my wife like the other rodents.