" King Rat of 2007 " ~ Shall We Go For It?

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Horror of f*cking Horrors! Eighteen and a Half Inches of Rattus Norvegicous!!! Undisputable! Ladys and Gentlemen: We Have 'The M*vva F*kka'!

 

But it just gets better! Because, while Molesworths Monster there is a clear 18 1/2", for all to see, I still judge Donks's beautys in need of that shade further investigation.

 

IF that weird tape of Donks's Is showing us one inch increments? Then I'll have to get my trusty bit of wire out. Because, while Moleys one is obviously and, quite correctly, layed out straight and 'stretched' to his full potential; The Donks specimens exhibit length losing curvature of both body and tail.

 

So, with a bare month and a half to go of a Full Year of sterling effort, things are now finally starting to Really hot up!

 

Donks: Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to explain that f*cking tape, mate! What sort of bloody system on earth Is that??? Explain to us how / why we Must accept that those are Inches, Not Centemetres and this is going to be TIGHT!

 

And, while we all await with baited breath (because we like a nibble of Bromadialone, us lot. Good for our hearts! ) I crave a proven Nineteen Inch Monster! Break the mythical Twenty Inches, and I vote that it should be stuffed and mounted, to be displayed at the THL Offices!

 

Get to it, you people! And Remember Ye Stanley Tapes!

 

[moley 115]

if you think that scary , you wanna talk to mapreaders wife on the phone

i ain,t looking for any records , just got mapreader to put it up for the hell of it , incidently , i weighted it (sad , i know), 1lb 4 oz , not the fattest rat i have ever trapped but certainly one of the heaviest, thanks for putting up the pics ,square eyes

[mapreader 5]

if you think that scary , you wanna talk to mapreaders wife on the phone

i ain,t looking for any records , just got mapreader to put it up for the hell of it , incidently , i weighted it (sad , i know), 1lb 4 oz , not the fattest rat i have ever trapped but certainly one of the heaviest, thanks for putting up the pics ,square eyes

 

No problemmo mate...just mulling over whether to show my wife this last post........your lucky she was in a good mood that night .....I know one thing...she,ll be able to set a mink snare...punch in a pocket set and generally trap all manner of furbearers in another couple of days "viewing"....when,s the next batch coming!!!!!

[moley 115]

if you think that scary , you wanna talk to mapreaders wife on the phone

i ain,t looking for any records , just got mapreader to put it up for the hell of it , incidently , i weighted it (sad , i know), 1lb 4 oz , not the fattest rat i have ever trapped but certainly one of the heaviest, thanks for putting up the pics ,square eyes

 

No problemmo mate...just mulling over whether to show my wife this last post........your lucky she was in a good mood that night .....I know one thing...she,ll be able to set a mink snare...punch in a pocket set and generally trap all manner of furbearers in another couple of days "viewing"....when,s the next batch coming!!!!!

 

if i send anymore , they will be on hair do,s and handbags , not that i have any dvd,s on womens stuff you understand :kiss:

[donky7 9]

mine were inches... just the arse end of the tape.. as the begining was none existant..... hehehehee.

 

but i'll be returning for the donky of all brownies now moley has retalliated....

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Whoooooooah! This is getting GOOD!

 

Donks; I've just now had the time to off load, blow up and examine ye shot there! You're perfectly correct, of course. That was one hell of a long tape! I now see the measurement demonstrated comes from the 31' end of what, I imagine, must've been one of those big, on a reel types? I don't see them so just couldn't comprehend tripple figure inch marks! All cleared up and understood now. Anyone else is, of course, free to follow suit and check for themselves

 

But now comes the Really exciting bit! I've just cut a length of 2mm galvanised wire and have used my best method of 'straightening out bent rats'. My initial findings have shocked me!

 

However, as I'm now a shade over the Irish legal limit of One pint of Guinness, I shall defer any proclamations till I'm straightened out myself again. I shall also await the assistance of my very own Judges Adjudicator, so he can assist be in my deliberations.

 

For now though I Will say: Come on lads! The heat Is on! Go get us that Nineteen Inch B*stard!

 

We're So nearly there!

[leegreen 2,149]

Duckwing's post started the germ of this idea off. Only how about we go for it - and do it properly. Here's the craic:

 

I probably kill as many rats as many, yet 'incredibly' I see relatively few of the buggers. Because I work by tracking their 'Sign' and then poison them. Obviously, I do pick up the few dead ones. But only a fraction of what I wipe out. Most pesters carry on like this. Thus I have a damn slim chance of winning the little 'Competition' I'm proposing here. So, ye may see, there's really no ulterior motive for my proposal

 

And here Is my proposal:

 

Duckwing's just said he's caught one of What?! " 14 1/2" body length " That Is a f*cking Monster! However, we NEED a proper photo. I'm hoping DW can yet get back out there and rescue the corpse from where ever he flung it. Because, to keep this Real, we Must have a standardised photo of each entry. Yes? It's the only truly fair and unambiguous way of doing it. Then No One can argue

 

So; May I suggest The Photo Must be of ye rat. The rat must be laid out in what anyone would consider a 'natural', unstretched position. On it's side would probably be best, yeah? ('Discuss'). And it Must have at least one fore and one rear foot resting on / over a standard inch / cm 'Stanley Tape'.

 

Obviously, this is just an off the cuff brainwave of mine. Any further, reasonable and sensible, input welcome. It's just that we've All heard about " Rats the size of cats " and " These HUGE Things, down at Liverpool Docks " - Yeah, yeah ..... I've even seen a 'Monster', shown on a Pro' Pesters forum, compared to a green boot! So what?! What size is a damn boot?! Irish boots - I swear to god! - are bigger than english ones! (Honestly! I used size 11 in uk. Here I flop about inside a 9! ) So a standard Tape has to be the yard stick. Feet ON it - so we all know where the rat is in relation to it. No Stewards Enquiries. Agreed?

 

Like I say; Just a flash of inspiration and I doubt I'm even ever likely to come up with a serious contender myself. But for the blokes like DW, P&G, Millet, Nell etc. All you who take rats with terriers and other 'visible means', surely it'd be a bit of craic? See who can produce THE Rattus norvegicus Monster of the year - Starting round about now.

 

Let's have ye opinions, please. Maybe - if the idea catches on - Ian could pin and lock a special Thread for it? Somewhere where the Moddies will have to load ye shot for ye. Save all this shit with people repeating the photo's and saying, " Cor! BIG rat, mate! " or other distracting and needless comments. A place, simply, to view the (Hopefully!) ever bigger rats caught in 2007 untill we all find out which one just can't be beaten. That bugger will become; 'King Rat 2007'

 

Comments?

I've had one that weighed just over a pound by half an once but I dont think it was quite as long as 14ins feck

[devvo 0]

 

 

howz that ditch? thats a 2 foot spade shaft, but i didnt have a tape on me so it might not count

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

..... If that's two foot down to the start of the steel, mate? That Does look like a contender!

 

Now then; Ditch The Not Totally Inflexable has an idea. Get us a shot of that same shaft, same side up. Only run a tape along it so all the world can ~ as I'll be doing ~ look for indisputably the same patterns of grain, grime and what ever, by which a mark may be sought that'll match that rat. Then I'll take it to my laboratory and see what I can make of it.

 

No promises, 'mind. But you try and so shall I.

 

Mheanwhile, as things are getting so hot now, can I Please reitterate; Just how much bother can carrying a plastic bag in ye back pocket be, people? I Always try to remember to have one in each of mine. I find Dog shit on my ground, or a rat on a job? I bag it. Quick. Clean. No fuss. Ye could've had that rat home and stretched out beside a tape just like that. Then just flushed the dirty b*stard down the loo.

 

Incidentally; I'll need a clear display of the exact thickness of that T piece handle there. 1/4" can make of break all this. We Must remain consistantly, transparrantly accurate

 

It's only a bit of fun ~ But then. so are Dog shows .....

[devvo 0]

..... If that's two foot down to the start of the steel, mate? That Does look like a contender!

 

Now then; Ditch The Not Totally Inflexable has an idea. Get us a shot of that same shaft, same side up. Only run a tape along it so all the world can ~ as I'll be doing ~ look for indisputably the same patterns of grain, grime and what ever, by which a mark may be sought that'll match that rat. Then I'll take it to my laboratory and see what I can make of it.

 

No promises, 'mind. But you try and so shall I.

 

Mheanwhile, as things are getting so hot now, can I Please reitterate; Just how much bother can carrying a plastic bag in ye back pocket be, people? I Always try to remember to have one in each of mine. I find Dog shit on my ground, or a rat on a job? I bag it. Quick. Clean. No fuss. Ye could've had that rat home and stretched out beside a tape just like that. Then just flushed the dirty b*stard down the loo.

 

Incidentally; I'll need a clear display of the exact thickness of that T piece handle there. 1/4" can make of break all this. We Must remain consistantly, transparrantly accurate

 

It's only a bit of fun ~ But them. so are Dog shows .....

 

 

 

crumbs il see what i can do

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Far as I'm aware mate? I'm sure it says, somewhere back amongst all that kerfuffle, that catches are perfectly ok to be entered by body or overall length. It's just that people seem to prefer presenting entire lengths. Anyway, I'm sure body lengths too can be examined from these shots, once the closing date arrives and I have the time to sit here and scrutinise all these shots again and make proper notes.

 

I'd be more than happy to declare winners in both catagorys and, frankly ~ perhaps like yeself? ~ I'd be more intrigued by the biggest body length anyway. Be ridiculous if a twelve inch rat dipped out because he'd lost most of his tail, after all

[devvo 0]

 

 

from the handle top to metal shaft.

 

 

from inside the T

 

 

 

i dont think that will help mate

 

 

gotta give me 18 at best

Edited November 19, 2007 by devvo

[devvo 0]

That's one strange looking rat Devo.. ..

Millet

 

 

what is it then

[donky7 9]

oh be-jesus................................

 

wait till i upload me new pics of the beasts of derbyshire.....

been to "the yard" again.......... no where near as many this time..... just over 40 retrieved, and a good dozen legged it after a good seein to....

90% were all 17"ers too......... apart from the DONKY,............... HEHEHEHEHEHE

 

anyways, i'm ere inside now thawing out nicely after 4 hrs in the -3 temp up there, with a cup of hot choc... then its off to dream about that 1's that slipped away.....

[donky7 9]

afternoon fellow competitors..........

 

well after retiring to bed in the early hours of this morn, 4am, i awoke with a massive headache itching to get my pics uploaded.

 

here ya go....................... last nights haul

 

 

king donks himself...... unstreched.

 

 

and shortly before 3am we decided to have sherry n marshmellows by the bonfire....... leaving no carrion for the rest of the filthy vermin to feast on.

 

 

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do i get my hat now.... or perhaps someone fancies their chances.........lol