How do I keep rodents from eating my canvas tent

[Ranger619]

I bought a Kodiak Flexbow tent for my Wyoming deer hunt, but while there something ate through it in a couple spots. Any ideas on how to stop this, short of sitting there all day with a pellet gun.

Thanks

 

[Buckman]

WE had the same problem with our nylon tent. We smashed them with a soup can when we could see there teeth coming through the floor. Little bastards.

 

[Randle]

I know with my trailer at home comet around anything that contacts the ground works to keep them out.. They won ,t cross it. It may work to put a line of comet around the the tent .
you said canvas I take it it is basecamp or horsepacking in.

 

[alexanderg23]

I love the soup can approach, maybe some traps too.

 

[FreeRange]

Google water bucket rat trap. I learned about it from a guy who had a similar story where a mouse was eating his precious food cache in a backcountry hut, all you need is a bucket, a trekking pole and a bait, like peanut butter. I've used it to trap rats in my garden, they can't resist it. The soup can method works well too.

 

[Ranger619]

Yes, it was a basecamp hunt. Thanks for the ideas.

 

[larryschwartz]

Well, it could be a number of things...

First, I know that rodents for some reason like the taste of the insulation on electrical wiring which is a common cause of shorts in equipment in the field. Maybe there is something about your canvas that is tasty to them, so a coating or treatment might solve that problem. I would check with the manufacturer to see if others have reported the problem and see if they have a recommended solution.

Second, my only experience with animals eating through a tent (silnylon and nylon my case) is when they smelled something in side that they wanted to eat. So, if you have foodstuffs in the tent I would suggest you store them in a cache outside of the tent or in a bear bag suspeneded high above the ground until you were ready to use them.

Third, I do like the barrier idea with Comet. Just make sure you camp at least 100 yards from a water source so you don't risk contaminating it after a rain washes the Comet away or into the water table. Check out https://lnt.org/ for more information.

Larry

 

[charvey9]

Pack a cat.

 

[El Gavilan]

I know you can put a couple bars of Irish Spring soap under the hood of vehicles to keep mice and rats out and it works. . Maybe rub some on the fabric and it might discourage them.

 

[Ranger619]

Pack a cat.

Now that is funny. Thanks for the ideas.

 

[Randle]

Thats a good point Larry. Thanks for adding that in. Here is another one I found might be better for close the water source
Hot peppers can deter many things. They keep dogs from chewing shoes However, they can also be used to deter mice as well. Take a tablespoon of hot pepper powder and mix it with water and a little dish soap and spray it in and around holes that you think the mice are using. The pepper does what it does best and irritates the senses and the soap helps keep the pepper in place.

 

[Mad Mountain Mike]

^^^^^ Don't do this in big bear country. The op mentioned he was hunting Wyoming which I'm pretty sure has a grizzly population. While hot pepper may deter a lot of critters it attracts Bears. The snout of a large bear nibbling on the corner of your tent would be a lot more unsettling than that of a mouse. IMHO.

 

[bivouaclarry]

A rag soaked in ammonia and placed in a jar or a can with some holes will keep most rodents out. Use a few placed strategically around the tent. Had a pest control guy clue me in on this with some pesky raccoons that did not want to leave my crawl space. Worked great.

 

[husky390]

The snout of a large bear nibbling on the corner of your tent would be a lot more unsettling than that of a mouse. IMHO.

That's why you bring one of those big cans of Van Kamps pork and beans to smash him.

You might want to try tossing some mothballs around the perimeter of your tent.