Rugged Ranch Bait & Placement Field Guide

Stop Guessing Bait. Make Your Trap Work.

A quick field guide you can use in one evening for rats, mice, squirrels, chipmunks, and skunks. No made-up catch rates. No forum folklore. Just bait and placement that match how these animals really move and feed.

Download the Field Guide (PDF)

Jump to: Which critter? · Rats · Mice · Squirrels · Chipmunks · Skunks

Which critter do I have?

Small, rice-sized droppings + light scratching in walls → usually mice
Larger droppings + heavier thumps → often rats or bigger critters
Damage near bird feeders, coop, or garden → usually squirrels or chipmunks
Night smells / dens under decks → check skunks

Inside the guide:

The three rules that decide whether you catch: placement, the House Special, and pre-baiting shy rats
Best-backed baits by animal, evidence-graded A/B/C so you know what is actually supported
Placement plays for houses, coops, barns, attics, porches, and under-deck dens
A one-page "tonight's checklist" you can print and take outside with you
Myths we tested and dropped so you stop wasting time (beer bait, "rescue" squirrels)
Skunk and rodent safety notes you should actually read

Still not catching? Send us a photo.

Follow the guide, and if you still have nothing after a few nights, email one photo of your setup to info@shopruggedranch.com with the subject "Help with trap setup – [animal]" and we will tell you what to change.

Step 2: Pick the right trap for your setup so the guide isn't wasted.

Rats

Wall runs, pre-bait, multi-catch. Download the PDF, then set on the route they already use.

Ratinator →

Mice

Baseboards, under sinks, behind appliances. Placement beats more traps.

Mouseinator →

Squirrels

Fence lines, roofs, feeders. Set on their highway, not randomly in the yard.

Squirrelinator with Basin →

Chipmunks

Burrows near patios, steps, and beds. Trap on the daily commute.