Rat hunting with dogs in DC?

Submitted by webbmoncure t3_yd0ykc in washingtondc

I was watching a video recently about a club/group in NYC that uses their dogs to hunt rats. I have two small smooth fox terriers with a really strong prey drive and think they would be good hunters in the war on rats. for reference, here is the article on rat hunting in NYC.. If there’s any sort of group or club out there, I would be interested to know because I haven’t been able to find anything and I thought it would be a lot of fun for both dogs and humans.

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hereforthestonksjk t1_itpnbss wrote

That’s a noble idea, but I would be concerned about the volume of rat poison in the city, and that if the rats have poison in them and the dogs bite them, the dogs could be poisoned as well.

If you’re interested in leaning into your dogs’ prey drives, might I suggest lure coursing, FastCAT, or barn hunt? It’s fun to see dog’s instincts come out in those events and it’s set up to be a safer experience for the dogs.

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jednorog t1_itpzh57 wrote

Poison in them and even on them. I would guess that some of the rats get covered with the poison, so even if it weren't for the biting, even catching them could risk the dog's health.

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webbmoncure OP t1_itpwn8l wrote

Thanks for the insight - I had never thought of that!

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[deleted] t1_itrmzve wrote

[deleted]

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shuggnog t1_itsq5c9 wrote

Excuse me what?!

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sarathecookie t1_itsqsxu wrote

Im thinking what was meant was when the dead decaying rat lets off gasses and turns into a mess for the world to see

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Neilpoleon t1_itsslbg wrote

Another thing to consider as well is there may be certain animal cruelty laws in DC that protect the rats. I would suggest looking into it before going to any great effort to kill the rats beyond laying traps and poison.

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Mister_Snrub t1_ittfe10 wrote

I think a rat having its spine broken by a dog is a lot less cruel than death by poisoning. It’s almost sad to watch them not run from danger and stumble around in daylight.

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Neilpoleon t1_ittfyt9 wrote

I'm not arguing that poison is more humane than using a dog or gun. I am saying there may be certain legal restrictions that limit how you are allowed to kill a rat legally in the District. For example, I assume setting a rat on fire would be easily and rightfully treated as animal cruelty.

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IcyWillow1193 t1_itq4hjq wrote

> lure coursing, FastCAT, or barn hunt

I had never heard of any of these before. Reading up on barn hunt, it sounds like they use "trained rats" stuck in tubes that the dogs sniff out... that actually sounds crueler to me for the rats than dogs actually killing them, which is over in a second. But the other two sound great for a high-energy dog.

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hereforthestonksjk t1_itqej9q wrote

I hear where you're coming from - barn hunt can be a bit divisive for people, I know others who feel the same way.

Lure coursing/Coursing Ability Tests (for non-sighthounds) and FastCAT are pure fun, lots of excited dogs ready to get after that plastic bag!

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keyjan t1_itqbag5 wrote

Well, the tubes are pretty big (bigger than a tennis ball can) and once they learn they’re not going to be eaten, the rats probably just chill until they get put back in their cages.

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MalHierba t1_itt39rk wrote

Lol i once thought about getting a cricket for my dog to play with but it felt too cruel and immoral.

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SWGTravel t1_itpqpt9 wrote

And then you're going to let your dogs kiss you, and snuggle up with you after they've been killing disease-infested, possibly poisoned rats??

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GauntletofThonos t1_itr3dfd wrote

I see dogs eating shit and licking their rear only to be kissed by owners.

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FeelingDown8484 t1_itro4xg wrote

Yep that’s my dumb dog. She’s very cute, but grew up on the street eating any piece of trash or crap she could find. Wish she would finally learn that she’s no longer in a food-scarce environment. It’s also why I get so mad at people not picking up their dog’s shit, you’re leaving my dog danger-snacks! She already got a bad bacterial gut infection from it 😡

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Aubergine911 t1_itpijap wrote

You don’t want your dogs to get the diseases those things are carrying

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hooahguy t1_itseprz wrote

I actually was recently talking to my veterinarian about this. Surprisingly, not many rats carry rabies, and if your dog get the full suite of vaccines (the leptospirosis shot is critical), your dog will likely be fine after killing a rat. Provided it’s not eating it or eviscerating it and getting blood everywhere. Dogs that are natural rodent killers like terriers, schnauzers, and dachshunds, they kill by shaking the rat, breaking its back, and then leaving it. So very low risk for disease, and I’d wager that those rodent hunting dog breeds have been bred to be more resilient against any disease that rodents might be carrying too.

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twattytwatwaffle t1_itq7kze wrote

Leptospirosis is a huge problem in DC rat populations and even with the normal lepto vaccine dogs are still at risk so this is a horrible idea.

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Distinct_Audience457 t1_itqm0xa wrote

Have we all considered making peace with the rats? Conceding something to appease the Rat King would go a long way in my opinion.

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BilBrowning t1_itr9w35 wrote

Our dog chased a rat in Adams Morgan and caught it. The rat won the fight. Somehow it ended up poking a nail into her eye.

Our poor girl almost lost that eye, and it took almost a year of treatment to save it. It definitely wasn't cheap.

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BansheeLoveTriangle t1_itpvaey wrote

Seems more like a job for working dog ratters with handlers familiar with potential dangers

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bigatrop t1_itpjxl1 wrote

Don’t do that. One bite from a rat and you’re dog will have some serious vet visits ahead of him.

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mettahipster t1_itpl78h wrote

Wtf? Imagine waking up and seeing some guy hunting rats with his dogs in the alley behind your home

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lc1138 t1_itpxmk5 wrote

Wouldn’t this benefit you at no cost?

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nedjulian t1_itrdh4j wrote

My dad did this with his friends on Park Road back in the 70’s 80’s when I was a kid.

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IcyWillow1193 t1_itrl0qh wrote

I'm out of coins but if I had any I'd give you an award for most DC post I've seen in a while.

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AgentOrangina t1_itqswu4 wrote

My last dog loved getting the rats but it was unintentional - they would just run out in front of him and he’d give them a good thrashing before I knew what happened. Big issues are the dog getting bit by the rat, getting the dog to give you the rat once he’s killed/maimed it (my dog liked to parade it around and wouldn’t give up the body except for Velveeta cheese), and disposing of the rat body while other people look on in shock. Didn’t have to go there but you also need a plan for dispatching the rat if your dog doesn’t completely kill it. We weren’t trying to kill rats but it happened often enough where we had some experience.

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Sienna57 t1_itr4lx7 wrote

Finally a use for Velveeta

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JustHereForCookies17 t1_its76mb wrote

Why was this also my takeaway? Orangina wrote a thoughtful, well-organized comment & I'm over here pondering how portable Velveeta is.

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Neilpoleon t1_itsrxtf wrote

String cheese is also an easy portable option and it is great for tearing off into small pieces. I have heard of some people putting cream cheese into a squeeze tube for their dogs.

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AgentOrangina t1_ittdwuv wrote

The velveeta slices are great because you can peel off pieces as needed and then wrap it back up so it doesn’t stick to the inside of your pocket. Or, if my boy really didn’t want to give up the body, I would take the whole unwrapped slice and dangle it above his nose so all he could see was orange gold and then lay it on his muzzle. Pup had some dental issues so we tried to stick with soft foods. Marshmallows were also good but not high enough value when he had caught something he was really proud of (one time he emerged from a shrub with a whole adult crow and there was a lot of cheese involved). Beagles are gonna beagle.

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JustHereForCookies17 t1_itucw1t wrote

And there it is: Beagles gonna beagle.

I've never owned one, as they're a bit too "talkative" for me, but I've met several. I grew up with labs & German shepherds, then worked at horse barns with foxhound, Australian shepherds, and one Pharaoh hound. Those hunting breeds are no joke, no matter how much of a couch warmer they are at home.

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AgentOrangina t1_itugsi8 wrote

They’re great dogs. But they are stubborn as hell and you’re not training out that prey drive. Every time my dog saw a squirrel run across his path he would zone out like he was having a flashback to Vietnam and then go into kill mode. (Also worked the same way if you put on a squirrel YouTube video)

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JustHereForCookies17 t1_ituv5j7 wrote

"... flashback to Vietnam" is too real.

I pet-sat for a lady that had 2 obedience/agility Aussies- one she'd had for several years, and one that was only about 18 months old.

The puppy targeted every car that drove by, and wouldn't move on until it was out of sight.

Walks were... interesting.

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Eagleburgerite t1_itqrzlw wrote

This is the best post I've ever seen in this sub.

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Superb_Ad5471 t1_itpn9y1 wrote

I have no other details, unfortunately, but I remember seeing a post about a group in Georgetown that would go out with their rat terriers to hunt rats.

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webbmoncure OP t1_itppezw wrote

That’s it. I’ll have to see if they’re still around. that’s what a lot of these dogs were bred for

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TheBossAwill t1_itt4e80 wrote

I watched a video on Instagram on this the other day in DC.

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nedjulian t1_itrdalf wrote

We lived in Mt Pleasant in the 80’s. My dad was a teacher here but grew up on a farm in NY, so him and our neighbors would get hammered drunk and go out into the alleys with their dogs and their rifles (mostly 22’s) and scare out the rats with the dogs and shoot them. This was something he’d done growing up on the farm but was “even easier in the alleys” as he described it.

It was pretty wild but no one seemed to care because half the houses around us were abandoned.

Also a dog never got hurt/shot. An adult almost definitely got hurt but probably from falling down drunk.

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kidphc t1_itsjtsg wrote

There are professional ratting teams. Shockingly, most have wait list for openings. They are used by exterminators. Commonly for high rat population areas like dumpsters at the mall or by groceries. Done at night, off business hours.

They use some very expensive pcp air rifles with very expensive scopes (often ir or thermal).

They are very picky about who they let on. Don't want a stray .22 pellet going through someone's house window or body.

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Neilpoleon t1_itssaf3 wrote

Forget axe throwing, rat hunting should be the next DC bar concept.

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keyjan t1_itq1bt1 wrote

I'm not sure your vet even has all the inoculations your dog would need to do something like this…

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RocketsGoUpwards t1_itr5xqh wrote

I have no idea who this person is, but on multiple occasions I’ve seen a woman with her two small dogs attacking the rats behind the dumpsters at the Logan Circle Whole Foods. It doesn’t seem like she’s part of a group, although once I saw her with another man donned fully in hockey gear - sticks and all.

Not exactly what I expect to see walking home from night shifts. I’d personally be way too worried about rat poison or rabies to engage my dog in that.

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bluna31 t1_iu0klkd wrote

Some lady behind my building in Foggy Bottom comes out at 11 pm and chases and hits the rats with a wooden plank. I've witnessed it from my balcony multiple times, very strange. I don't think she's been successful.

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IcyWillow1193 t1_itpk2wv wrote

This is a bad idea. Rat bites are likely.

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WaterBubbly t1_itr4tvf wrote

A friend's dog is a wonderful rat killer (terrier mix) in Columbia Height/Petworth area. Almost every night walk the dog adds another notch to its kill list. Never once has it been bitten enough to draw blood and never once been affected by rat poison. This guy is so quick at killing, the rats never see it coming. Forgo the rat-hunting clubs and see if your dog can do what is needed to kill, on its own.

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mrmoistei202 t1_itq97ty wrote

I’ve caught 20 rats in 15 days with the havahart live traps. Bought one at Ace and another on amazon. Toss entire thing in tub of water. Best trap yet. Adams Morgan

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EternalMoonChild t1_itqmvj5 wrote

I’m sorry… you catch them and then drown them??

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69sexterra t1_itrby92 wrote

I am laughing so hard at this. The madlad turns havahart into a death cage. I'm not even judging, just laughing.

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mrmoistei202 t1_itrieh5 wrote

It’s great to air this out with the Reddit community! The sounds of them clawing at the cage underwater does affect me.

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IcyWillow1193 t1_itqpd5l wrote

Sounds like Havahart is a misnomer...

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mrmoistei202 t1_itr9bw3 wrote

I don’t know what happened in the neighborhood but our backyard became Unlivable. This trap is the only trap that has had consistent results. Hopefully by next summer we can spend time in the backyard again

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mrmoistei202 t1_itr8s56 wrote

I’m open to other ideas but putting the whole cage into a tub of water then throwing it away Has been a clean solution

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BilBrowning t1_itr9jpf wrote

There's a reason why the trap doesn't kill them, my friend. Same reason it's called Havahart. You're not supposed to throw it away or drown them. You're supposed to, you know, have a heart and let them go somewhere else.

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mrmoistei202 t1_itrhwsk wrote

Are you saying I’m using the cage trap Against the manufacturers intention? Where should I release them, on Teddy Roosevelt Island? I don’t have a car, I can’t make it out to Eastern shore. It sucks to kill the little guys sometimes I fantasize about domesticating a little ones, but alas non

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keyjan t1_itqeabo wrote

And what are you doing with the carcasses?

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firstfreres t1_itqhvy9 wrote

Don't ask questions you don't want the answer to

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mrmoistei202 t1_itr8bri wrote

Through the first few into the forest (rock Creek Park). Now can/dumpster

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alg8tor t1_itr0qln wrote

> havahart live traps

What do you use as bait? How to you manage to keep the rats from learning to avoid the trap?

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mrmoistei202 t1_itra1l3 wrote

Use meat or fish. I have no idea how they’re not learning to avoid this trap like others in the past. Obviously there’s been a massive infestation in ours and the adjoining neighbor’s backyards. All but one have been adolescent or younger. One was so small it actually dug out the bottom, the wire mesh is half inch. I’m scared to think where all the adults are

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dayinnight t1_itqfzln wrote

Well, my dog just does this on our daily walks. He's racked up a fair number of kills. There are just so many rats out there that he finds them in long grass or bushes as we walk past. Or inside trash cans, under cars etc.

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starwars92 t1_itqyw1p wrote

Just on a leash he’s quick enough to catch a rat?

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dayinnight t1_itrlx17 wrote

He's on a flexi-lead. He's a 90 lb doberman mix and he's more of an ambush hunter. That is, he smells them in their hiding spots, pounces and pulls them out. He doesn't shake them either. His mouth is big enough that he just crushes them with his jaws.

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im_a_betch t1_itqgsks wrote

My friend takes her terrier to Georgetown for rat hunting. I will try to get some info from her but I think theres a Facebook group!

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TangerineBusy9771 t1_itqowey wrote

Why would you let your dog catch and put diseased ridden rats in their mouth?! You’re setting your dogs up for getting sick and also potentially carrying a disease even with being vaccinated 😵‍💫

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Smosh_Bear t1_itri5g4 wrote

I am the property manager of a large retail site in DC with many restaurants. We’ve used canine rat abatement from unique pest management with very good success.

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IcyWillow1193 t1_itu9op0 wrote

>canine rat abatement

Nothing like multisyllabic words to make something sound professional and scientific...

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ortsed t1_itqcule wrote

Blue collar cats sounded like a good program but I think they ran out of cats

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evolutionista t1_itqsvbn wrote

It's not actually. Cats don't typically like to hunt rats. They will sometimes, but they prefer smaller prey like songbirds, frogs, and so on. So they end up doing a lot of collateral damage to the actual nice ecosystem of animals we like having around (even if you aren't all that fussed about birds and frogs, they do eat mosquitos and such). And they don't make much of a dent in the actual rat problem. Putting in cats in to fight rats is kind of like fighting fire with fire... you're just adding another invasive critter to the ecosystem and making it even more rat-friendly by doing so...

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IcyWillow1193 t1_itr2cpx wrote

This is anti-cat mythology. I've lived on alleys with cat colonies, and there were plenty of cat-killed rats (they liked to bite the heads off) and very few live rats.

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diaymujer t1_its8fn3 wrote

Sure, if you can get a whole cat colony. But a single cat against the rat colonies we have going in DC? The cat isn’t going to want to go near it. Rats coming out of the woodwork following construction in our alley sent the alley cat packing.

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fattnessmonster t1_itr9s1o wrote

i love that your asking this. karma for altruism and lack of squeemishness.

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Ohigho420 t1_itst58t wrote

I've seen a duo of rat hunters out with dogs in the DuPont circle area. It's two guys with headlamps and hockey goalie sticks and each guy has a dog on a leash. They seem to have retriever looking puppies that they are using(wouldn't be my first choice) but I've seen them out quite regularly for at least the last year. They are hard to miss. It seems they are doing it for sport and not connected to any city rat clean up.

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starwars92 t1_itqyt68 wrote

Get your pup fun toys and treats and forget you thought of this.

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Far_Pass8038 t1_itrqb29 wrote

They use rat hunting dogs down at the wharf. It's pretty interesting to watch.

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jon20001 t1_itqrdbb wrote

While we don’t officially hunt, my dog seems to grab a rat every week or so. It’s not pretty.

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Mexicanjesus42 t1_itr265l wrote

They did this at my old job. Some guy showed up to the alley with 2 bloodhound puppies and the dogs were chasing the rats

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SaltyLobbyist t1_itrtl8p wrote

I know a lady out in the Delaplane area that breeds Jack Russell Terriers. A few years back Georgetown was doing a pilot program with a group of JRT breeders on rat control. They would get together and bring their dogs in the city at like 2am after the restaurants closed and let them run wild in the alleys...not sure if its still happening or not...

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amateurbator t1_itrzm0h wrote

Misread the title and thought you were going rat hunting using hot dogs.

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vagrl94 t1_itsjj4o wrote

I’m sure there are some similar clubs that are recruited by farmers in MD and VA if you look hard enough.

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GamesterBunny t1_ittci7y wrote

Snuff out the rats of plague and disease

  • I am the Prophet reborn, We are the God of Wrath and War
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ayimera t1_itr9qv2 wrote

Definitely suggest Barn Hunt. Although there aren't many clubs or practice facilities nearby. You'll probably need to drive an hour to MD for the closest one. It's fun though!

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pengo242 t1_itqoeun wrote

Do it. Be a man

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