[Joe 6-pack]

When I lived in Louisiana, my property abutted a sugar cane field. The mice were happy to stay in the cane field all summer and into the fall, but in late October/early November, the farmer would harvest the cane and torch the fields. An air wing of hawks and kestrels filled the skies and the mice would come charging for the house in droves.

I found the traditional Victor traps with the metal bait holder were best. I tried a number of baits and found that while American cheese would attract them, and occasionally catch them, it was also the bait they could also work loose without springing the trap. Gumdrops did not impress them. I finally found the optimum bait to be tootsie rolls. I would chew them until they got soft and gooey, then wrap a little around the bait holder. The tootsie roll would harden and the mice would have to work hard to get it off, tripping the trap virtually 100% of the time.

[Mr Ramsbotham]

You can’t beat the old-style Victor traps. I used a teeny bit of peanut butter with an almond slice glued to the bait holder. I knew that once I set those traps out I’d get him. The first night he just ran around them and made some half-hearted grabs, but next night he was complacent enough to try and get the bait. Even so, he almost eluded the trap bar; it caught him right at the middle of the nose (see the video, near the end). Not a pleasant death for him, but that’s what he got for being so cautious!