Giant Mouse Trap

Have you ever found a drowned mouse in a bucket you have inadvertently left outside?  Have you ever thought of a 5 gallon bucket as a giant mouse trap? Give it a thought.

Put 4 inches of water in a 5 gallon bucket. Spread peanut butter on the rim of the bucket and place it where there is no access to the rim from overhanging or nearby objects. Put a ramp up to the rim of the bucket.

The mouse will climb up the ramp to get at the peanut butter. Even mice do not walk the rim of a bucket particularly well. When it falls there is a 50% chance that it will fall into the bucket rather than outside the bucket. Unable to get out of the bucket, it will drown. If it does fall outside the bucket it might just be stupid enough to try again. Or it might be so enraged that it will come looking for you.