I used to occupy the young children with broomsticks up country. I would give them each a broomstick and tell them I would give them $5 for each bat they could kill. The bats had great fun teasing the children. The kids slept well due to the exercise. I never shelled out a dime.

There's only one easy way to catch bats that I konw of without a net but it's cruel. However, it was used up Kent County years back to catch large (and small) bats which were a source of food in the second last century. That's where I learned it. It was not often done but a hungry person will eat darn near anything so this knowledge helped some people survive... especially the elderly with no children to look after them.

Not much meat on a bat but there is enough. They taste like a duck but worse so ya reeeeally gotta be hungry.