Mad mice

A few days ago when I went down to the basement to get something I heard furious scratching.  I looked to the basement window to see this:

Yes, a big fat mouse was trying to rip its way through the screen over the window - even though the window was shut.

I tapped on the window to scare the mouse away as it looked like it was damaging the screen.  The mouse ignored me and kept frantically tearing at the screen.

I had to go outside and get an ice chipper.  The ice chipper has a long handle. I didn't want to get close to a mad mouse.

I removed the plastic window well cover from the window well and the mouse dropped off the screen and ran around the gravel bottom of the window well. (I didn't show the gravel bottom to spare you the sight therein.)   It seems that once the mouse was in the well it couldn't get back out.

The bottom of the window well is loose gravel and I discovered how flexible a mouse's body can be.  Even with the sharp ice chipper it was like trying to cut a sack of jello.  The mouse ran around occasionally standing and cursing at me before I was able to get the mouse between the chipper and a hard place.

Once the mouse was dead I then noticed a terrible smell.  One to two dozen other mice had gotten into the window well and were unable to either get into the house or back out of the well before they died.

Holding my nose I cleaned the mouse bodies from the window well.

I will have to replace the screen in the Spring as the other mice had scratched and ripped and torn a hole in the screen from the bottom left corner.

Mice!!   The worst time for them getting into the house is either Fall or Spring.  The weather last week was decent and the mice were on the move.  So far, none have gotten in the house.  (Knock on wood).