Voles...

[Cowled_Wolfe]

Heya. Over the summer, a bunch of voles have turned my yard into swiss cheese (ok, not literally, but there are enough holes to give a distinct resemblance). I've been thinking, a .22's a bit much, not to mention the neighbors would have a fit.

I'd use poison, but we're on a well. Not to mention a bunch of birds have adopted our property as a home, and they're fun to watch (don't wanna risk killing them.)

I'm thinking a BB gun would be the key, but I don't know what I should get. I'm open to pump models, or C02 guns that get a large number of shots per cylinder.

A pistol would be preferable, but I don't know if that would have to power or accuracy to do voles at 30 feet.

Price is also a concern, I'd like something in the $20-30 range (of course, suggestions up to $50 are game).

Also... I'm open on suggestions for other ways to handle the vole problem, so if you've got any, please share.

Thanks,
Wolfe.

[stevelyn]

The amount of poison required to kill the voles will not endanger your well. You probably have higher levels of hazardous compounds in your water now than what would result from runoff and filtering through the ground from a bait station.
As for your concerns of collateral damage, you can construct and set bait containers that will allow the voles to enter yet keep out untargeted species.
Or you could do what I would do in a bored moment and dump a little gas down some of the holes and wait for it to creep throughout their tunnel system and ..................WHOOOF.
Reality is you won't kill enough of them with a bb gun to dent the population.

[mete]

As voles go through the grass they leave a continuous trail of urine. The urine reflects ultraviolet light .Kestrels can see ultraviolet light .=> Kestrels hunt voles !!!!!

[Quickdraw Limpsalot]

Getcha an outdoor cat or two.

[3 weelin geezer]

I used acetylene gas carefully introduced into the ant's nest. May be a little more dangerous with such large amounts you would need for voles though. I got picked up about 2 inches and thats with 1/4 tunnels when I lit it off. WHUUUMP!! Do you live in the city? If you don't why not get a suppressor if funds allow? They are fun and legal just don't expect that 'Whiff" sound like in the movies. Its more like the click when you dont have a cartridge in the chamber.

[Twycross]

Leave some fruit-flavored chewing gum by their holes. They eat it, and it uhh, plugs them up, so to speak . A BB or pellet gun might be fun, but if there are that many of them, as has been said, you probably won't eradicate them. Not unless you have a whole lot of time on your hands to just sit on the back porch and wait for them.

[CarbineCaleb]

Assuming you can readily see these guys, I'd get a break barrel pellet rifle. It's plenty accurate and powerful enough for the job, safe, and won't make a lot of noise.

For instance:
http://www.pyramydair.com/cgi-bin/model.pl?model_id=297
http://www.pyramydair.com/cgi-bin/model.pl?model_id=551

Both about $85, and would be suitable for precision vole sniper work.

I am no expert on the poisons, but it seems that if you used small amounts of a biodegradeable poison, and placed it right into their burrows to minimize the amount used while maximize the likelihood of their taking it (also not someone else)... there wouldn't be too much risk with that.

[Twycross]

How about these?

www.airgunexpress.com/Daisy%20Rifles%20&%20Pistols/daisy3840grizzlykit401-11-3840.htm

www.airgunexpress.com/Daisy%20Rifles%20&%20Pistols/daisy7840buckmaster401-11-7840.htm

www.airgunexpress.com/ProductPages/CrosmanAirguns/onlinecrosmanmodel760bairrifle304-11-7600.htm

I'm afraid you won't find much in the $20-$30 range.

[Cacique500]

You could also get some of the super colibri .22 - I tried some for the first time this past weekend and was absolutely amazed at how quiet they were...literally quieter than a BB gun. Shot them fine out of a Ruger 10/22 - you may have to put a 'real' .22 in the bottom of the mag so the colibri's will feed.

They weren't enough to cycle the action but we were actually hitting a steel plate at 100 yards with them (with about an 8 foot drop of course! )

[T. O'Heir]

You want to hunt mice? Go here. http://www.pestproducts.com/voles_meadow_mice.htm

[Mannlicher]

Don't be so cheap. Buy a quality air rifle, and go to it. You won't find anything other than a matches set of rocks to chuck, in your price range.

[MeekAndMild]

Wierd! So this is the critter that I see running every which way when I'm out cutting the grass. I thought they were just regular mice.

Article says that bait works well as do mouse traps.

Or did you say Vols? Best thing to get rid of Vols is Gators.

[Pointer]

Till it

Cats or snakes?

Please don't poison the Kestrels.

Try electricity to force them into the open... like with nitecrawlers.

The air gun is more fun.

[butch50]

If you go with the gasoline down the hole route, be careful. My Dad and Uncle one time decided to kill a rattlesnake that way, out near Wichita Falls, back in the late 50's. This was literally in my Uncle's back yard. The snake had gone down a ground squirrel hole, they poured gasoline down the hole - expecting that the fumes would run the snake back out where they could kill it. The rattler didn't come out so they poured more and more gasoline down the hole, eventually pouring quite a bit down it, at least 3 gallons maybe more. Still no snake. So they lit it off thinking to burn it in the hole, (note that adult beverages MAY have been involved).

There was an immense explosion a few feet away from them and dirt, burning gasoline, and several dead rattlesnakes rained down on them. The ground squirrel hole led to a dug out burrow, which had been full of rattlesnakes that were killed by the large quantity of gasoline poured down onto them, said gasoline and fumes exploding like a bomb - leaving quite a nice crater and two shaken humans.

Dad and Uncle didn't do that again.