DEATH by NIGHT

DEATH BY NIGHT: rat hunting with IR optics

 

  • Location: western Sydney chicken farm
  • Problem: Rat infestation
  • Damage: Feed losses, chewed wires, damaged walls
  • Mission: Destroy rats in recently closed chicken shed
  • Assets:   Two air rifles, one fitted with a Nite Site. One FLIR monocular
  • Date:     Tuesday 5th July, 8-10PM

 

Andrew and I arrived at the farm soon after dark and unpacked the gear. Primary weapon being a .30 calibre air rifle:

 

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Fitted with an infra red Nite Site:

 

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Back up rifle, .22 calibre FX:

 

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But the key to our success was this little FLIR monocular:

 

​

 

The technique was fairly simple. We hunted inside a giant chicken rearing facility, from which the birds had been removed. The cold night meant the hundreds of rats moving around in total darkness offered strong heat signatures on the FLIR screen. After identifying one or more rats the rifle was mounted on shooting sticks and a shot taken when the opportunity presented itself:

 

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It’s not as easy as it sounds. A lot of hard surfaces, meaning extra care must be taken to avoid ricochets. The rats are agile and intelligent. But we managed a few:

 

​

 

​

 

Many lessons learned and the plan is, on our next visit, to shoot over bait stations. This will mean we can set up a bench and, hopefully, shoot rats holding steady, rather than darting through the cages.

Cheers, Andy

DEATH BY NIGHT: rat hunting with IR optics

 

  • Location: western Sydney chicken farm
  • Problem: Rat infestation
  • Damage: Feed losses, chewed wires, damaged walls
  • Mission: Destroy rats in recently closed chicken shed
  • Assets:   Two air rifles, one fitted with a Nite Site. One FLIR monocular
  • Date:     Tuesday 5th July, 8-10PM

 

Andrew and I arrived at the farm soon after dark and unpacked the gear. Primary weapon being a .30 calibre air rifle:

 

​

 

Fitted with an infra red Nite Site:

 

​

 

Back up rifle, .22 calibre FX:

 

​

 

But the key to our success was this little FLIR monocular:

 

​

 

The technique was fairly simple. We hunted inside a giant chicken rearing facility, from which the birds had been removed. The cold night meant the hundreds of rats moving around in total darkness offered strong heat signatures on the FLIR screen. After identifying one or more rats the rifle was mounted on shooting sticks and a shot taken when the opportunity presented itself:

 

​

 

It’s not as easy as it sounds. A lot of hard surfaces, meaning extra care must be taken to avoid ricochets. The rats are agile and intelligent. But we managed a few:

 

​

 

​

 

Many lessons learned and the plan is, on our next visit, to shoot over bait stations. This will mean we can set up a bench and, hopefully, shoot rats holding steady, rather than darting through the cages.

Cheers, Andy