We camped at Indian Lake in early August this year, and were really, really surprised by the mice infestation on our site. There were a lot of holes in the ground, and the moment the daylight ceased, it was like someone had flipped a switch, and mice started showing up in them, crossing the site, getting on the benches, tables, our things.
The first night we have stupidly left our bags under a tarp on the table, as it was raining, late, and we were too tired to hang them up in the trees. Surely, by the morning the mice have chewed into the bags and did some damage. For that part we had noone but ourselves to blame.
But the next night, after hanging all the bags and making sure that no food was left around, we woke up to find out that this time they chewed into the tent in two places, cut a door tie, pulled it up to the top of the tent's dome under the rainfly for whatever reason, in short, they surely had a blast that night... There was no food or toiletries whatsoever in the tent, just clothes and ourselves, and that was the first time I saw mice trying to find a way into a tent with people inside.
For the third night we actually went to the lake store, got some snapping traps, peanut butter and a bucket for ADK mousetrap. We also left the lantern lit on its lowest setting under the rainfly in an attempt to deter the mice from the tent. The overnight catch was 6, two in the traps, 4 drowned in the bucket.
And then we have changed to a different site with a large beach where we pitched our tent. Yes, there were enough mice on that site as well, I've seen them often when wandering with a flashlight at night, but either they were more shy, or just scared to venture out to the beach, there was no further damage to the tent.
So, is this normal at all for the Indian Lake? Never have I seen such a problem before. In fact, we camped two weeks later near Long Lake, and although there was enough of wildlife on those sites (frogs, snakes, rabbits, chipmunks), we weren't bothered by mice at all.
The first night we have stupidly left our bags under a tarp on the table, as it was raining, late, and we were too tired to hang them up in the trees. Surely, by the morning the mice have chewed into the bags and did some damage. For that part we had noone but ourselves to blame.
But the next night, after hanging all the bags and making sure that no food was left around, we woke up to find out that this time they chewed into the tent in two places, cut a door tie, pulled it up to the top of the tent's dome under the rainfly for whatever reason, in short, they surely had a blast that night... There was no food or toiletries whatsoever in the tent, just clothes and ourselves, and that was the first time I saw mice trying to find a way into a tent with people inside.
For the third night we actually went to the lake store, got some snapping traps, peanut butter and a bucket for ADK mousetrap. We also left the lantern lit on its lowest setting under the rainfly in an attempt to deter the mice from the tent. The overnight catch was 6, two in the traps, 4 drowned in the bucket.
And then we have changed to a different site with a large beach where we pitched our tent. Yes, there were enough mice on that site as well, I've seen them often when wandering with a flashlight at night, but either they were more shy, or just scared to venture out to the beach, there was no further damage to the tent.
So, is this normal at all for the Indian Lake? Never have I seen such a problem before. In fact, we camped two weeks later near Long Lake, and although there was enough of wildlife on those sites (frogs, snakes, rabbits, chipmunks), we weren't bothered by mice at all.
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