Watching a show on WNED about American grays invading in northern England wiping out the red squirrel population. Odd as here in Toronto there has been an introduction of English reds and they are doing havoc with the gray and black squirrel populations threatening the population.

Wish I could find a way to get rid of all the greys and blacks that treat my apple trees, grapevines, and flower and vegetable gardens as buffets... leaving me with nothing. :gigglemad

Tom

When you do, send it to my wife. She has the same problem. They even bite the flower stems though they do not eat the flowers. She's tried the usual suggestions to no avail. As for the bird feeders, forget it. She even went to the big metal anti-squirrel things on the poles and after a day or so, they are sitting on top of them using them for a perch to eat.

Large to hats over the feeders do not even slow them down unless a baby and the metal feeders, well they just hang on them as they lunch. It is a battle of wits and my wife loses every time.

The same thing happened here, in Kent Ohio. Some zoologists imported black squirrels from Canada, years ago, and they multiplied and pushed out all the gray squirrels in Kent. You won't see any grays at all, just black squirrels. The funny thing is, it hasn't spread much outside of Kent. You won't see a black squirrel in Cleveland at all.

wish i could find a way to get rid of all the greys and blacks that treat my apple trees, grapevines, and flower and vegetable gardens as buffets... Leaving me with nothing. :gigglemad

tom


.22

High powered,precision pellet rifle! Works every time.

Watching a show on WNED about American grays invading in northern England wiping out the red squirrel population. Odd as here in Toronto there has been an introduction of English reds and they are doing havoc with the gray and black squirrel populations threatening the population.

I also saw a feature on the American grey squirrel invasion in England. There's a concerted effort going on to introduce the idea of eating them to the English, not only as country grub, but as an ingredient for fine dining.

That part was shown after I posted. I keep suggesting squirrel pie and stew but the family has flatly rejected the idea. Earlier in the show has the executioner saying the squirrel is just a rodent with a different tail and useless. Obviously, the editors missed the edit.

Squirrels are absolute, stone, freaks.

Today I will undertake hanging new birdhouses, by chains, from the tree branches in the backyard. Halfway down the chain, between the limb and house, I'm installing frisbees. I hope this works. I look forward to watching squirrels go sliding off the tops of the frisbees. I hope they don't outsmart me on this one.

Do they scream....."Banzai!!".....while attacking defenseless English Squirrels?


Steve :nono:

.22
I live in the country. .410

When I was a little kid in a Philly suburb , we had a fair number of red squirrels. While walking to school one day a kid saw a red and tried to pet him. That rat-with-a-hairy-tail positively shredded that kid's hand and arm. It was like watching a furry pirhana. I have a hard time picturing a puny grey actually bullying red squirrels off thier turf.

Squirrels.



Nature's little speed bumps.

I hate squirrels!
Friggin tree rats.

Carl T.

Wish I could find a way to get rid of all the greys and blacks that treat my apple trees, grapevines, and flower and vegetable gardens as buffets... leaving me with nothing. :gigglemad

Tom

Drape a mesh net over it. The squirrels can't access the fruits through the net, but the sunlight can still get through.

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/your-shot/daily-dozen?startgallery=116&image=9

The problem is unless it is metal, they will eat through it. You'll never guess how I know. Also, unless you continually rearrange the wire screening they will just chew to it. If it is smaller screening, it may keep out parents but kids and even those danged res will get through. I've sat at the window and seen them get frustrated and not getting through some of the protective devices and finally just start attacking anything they can chew including the new Toronto gifts, the recycling bins. They gone through 2 of them already.

Along the street, they have chewed through the roofs and nested inside the houses. To date they've not done it to us but as I tend to feed them on the weekends maybe they figured they should only go so far with us. A couple have gotten used to me and will come up to me and even take a peanut from within inches of me. No, they will not get within yards of anyone else. I'm starting to get them used to my camera. Hopefully by late in the year or next year they will be patient enough for me to get some good closeups. I do not really like telephotos for small animals.

Squirrels are absolute, stone, freaks.

Today I will undertake hanging new birdhouses, by chains, from the tree branches in the backyard. Halfway down the chain, between the limb and house, I'm installing frisbees. I hope this works. I look forward to watching squirrels go sliding off the tops of the frisbees. I hope they don't outsmart me on this one.

Oh, but they will! :yes:

Remember they can jump a BIG distance so anything in a tree is a plus for them. A plastic frisbee on a chain, simply hang on the chain and chew through the frisbee. I've sen them take slide and flip and catch, something that a circus performer would give their eye teeth to duplicate.

I have another idea (not tried it personally, but read about it and heard it works): mothballs. Supposedly the smell keeps squirrels; hang up lots of mothballs on and around your tree.

For more information:

http://mgonline.com/articles/squirrel.aspx

Another idea (from a different site) is to sprinkle pepper or paprika instead of putting up mothballs.

I use a Sheridan pellet rifle with a 3-9X Weaver...silent death...but, I usually leave the squirrels alone unless I catch them chewing something...rats, on the other hand, I can kill with abandon...hate rats...down here in Texas, if you have Pecan trees, then you have squirrels by day and rats by night....

cayenne pepper. buy in bulk.
distribute liberally anywhere you wish to protect, ie vegetable and flower gardens.

Remember they can jump a BIG distance so anything in a tree is a plus for them. A plastic frisbee on a chain, simply hang on the chain and chew through the frisbee. I've sen them take slide and flip and catch, something that a circus performer would give their eye teeth to duplicate.

If they escalate this skirmish in that manner, I'm open to change. How about frisbees with a whole bunch of nails through them pointing upward? Do a backflip and land on this shit baby.

I use golf frisbee discs to whang those little peckerheads right out of the tree they are scolding me from.

Nothing better than nailing a squirrel out of a tree before you leave your house. Makes my whole day.


Aannnnd I'm a pretty good shot.



:D


Matt

I have the answe,though it will be expensive,my 11 yr old great-nephew,Noah is legendary with a sling-shot and pellet gun. I have seen him kill them with both.

His Paternal grandfather is so proud as Noah has save his bird seeders from these rodents.

The funniest incident was when he bagged one with the sling shot,ran into my brother's house yelling squirrel stew for supper tonight.

This is the same kid I brag about his musical endeavors.He plays piano,bass guitar,acoustic and electric.

A

I use golf frisbee discs to whang those little peckerheads right out of the tree they are scolding me from.

Nothing better than nailing a squirrel out of a tree before you leave your house. Makes my whole day.


Aannnnd I'm a pretty good shot.



:D


Matt

:lmao: This made my day (or night)! I've got one with a football, one time. :yes:

I like Alan's idea of the slingshot, and the idea of a .22.
Problem is that slingshots are illegal here in MA, and to get a .22 I'd need to go through all the motions of approved firearms training and a gun permit.
Add to that the problem that I'm in a crowded neighborhood in a city... with said neighbors being on the nosy side. A gun is out.

Maybe a nail gun...:scratch2:

Tom

When the anti-Christ appears, he will be a giant Squirrel.

I have a HUGE oak tree, (The trunk is nearly four feet in diameter.),
in my front yard. It is infested with grey squirrels. One morning as
I was getting into the Mustang one of those nasty little bastards was
screaming at me as if he owned the place.

Ohhhhhhh, if I only owned a gun!!!!

Dave

.....if you ever eat good squirrel and dumplings, you'll forget using chicken....I may have to make a pellet gun purchase....squirrels are in back yards in trees around here.....

A high quality pellet gun works wonders, does the pigeons too, my neighbor may like them but if they land on my roof they are not going to fly away, nasty things. A good single cock can push a pellet into the 1100 fps range, and isn't as loud as my old Benjamin was.

But for a little fun I trap the squirrels in a Havaheart trap, paint them with bright pink, orange or green marker paint, painted one chrome one time, take them to the bar and turn them loose. Nothing like the sight of a guy after several beers the first time he sees a pink squirrel. :D

Jim

My cable TV.phone and internet had been really crappy here in the past 3 weeks.Finally got the cable company to come out and check it out.Fricken squirrels had chewed up my cable line up on the pole in my back yard.Little bastards...:uzi:

I had a part wolf dog once. He showed his love by catching squirrels and leaving them on the porch by the front door. Never saw how he did it though.

.22 CB rounds are as quiet, if not more quiet, than many of the mid- and high-powered air guns I've heard.

You'll need a bolt action, or plan on manually operating the semi-auto because they don't have enough ummph to reliably cycle the action. But, at least now you can get them based on the long cartridge case so that they feed from most magazines.

.22 CB rounds are as quiet, if not more quiet, than many of the mid- and high-powered air guns I've heard.They're also incredibly accurate and consistent out to ~40 yards with my Rem 511 Scoremaster.:yes:

I really shouldn't post this here in the open, but you'd be very surprised, and some of you well entertained with what you can do with a few feet of bare copper wire, and a long extension cord with a switch.:D

In fact, be sure you have a clear path to the bathroom and it's unoccupied, because the first couple times you hit the switch you're gonna damn near pee yourself. I recommend plugging into a 20 amp circuit as the toughest contestants seem to be able to trip a 15 amp breaker.

We call it "the electric bird feeder".

I use golf frisbee discs to whang those little peckerheads right out of the tree they are scolding me from.

Nothing better than nailing a squirrel out of a tree before you leave your house. Makes my whole day.


Aannnnd I'm a pretty good shot.



:D


Matt

You may have invented a new sport, Matt!

They're also incredibly accurate and consistent out to ~40 yards with my Rem 511 Scoremaster.:yes:

I really shouldn't post this here in the open, but you'd be very surprised, and some of you well entertained with what you can do with a few feet of bare copper wire, and a long extension cord with a switch.:D

In fact, be sure you have a clear path to the bathroom and it's unoccupied, because the first couple times you hit the switch you're gonna damn near pee yourself. I recommend plugging into a 20 amp circuit as the toughest contestants seem to be able to trip a 15 amp breaker.

We call it "the electric bird feeder".

Wow kill em and cook em at the same time, cool!

Actually, I think tree rats are pretty cool little animals. I've actually had two of them as pets.. one wasn't a good pet, and the other was better than some dogs I've had... They love attention, and love to give it back if you have the right one...

Now with that said.. they also piss me off when they eat the new bulbs I put out in spring...

AND.. there is nothing like a big ole mess of squirrel with dumplins an gravy.. I wish I was back in Illinois.. I used to squirrel hunt fairly often...

Razzberry the Lethal Hunting Machine helps keep 'em in check. She gets the babies so they don't grow up. Still plenty to go around, though.

Clean as any small game.
Jullienne medium onion
1 Can Mushroom Soup
Crockpot low 8 hrs
Enjoy

I've got a sweet Hi-Standard HD Military I used to use for squirrel hunting.. damn accurate, and so much fun... and lots of tasty squirrels in the frying pan.

[QUOTE=similost;2978109]Actually, I think tree rats are pretty cool little animals. I've actually had two of them as pets.. one wasn't a good pet, and the other was better than some dogs I've had... They love attention, and love to give it back if you have the right one..."

Yeah, it's such a shame they they're completely out of their f%cking minds though huh? Last year I bought a brand new, heavy duty plastic gas can and stored it out back. It lasted one night. They ate the yellow screw-on top. I hope that squirrel inhaled enough gas fumes to give him a tumor the size of his entire body.

In Brooklyn in the 50's, my grandfather (who was a touch squirrely himself) had a squirrel friend that he hand fed out his bedroom window. He named it after his favorite beer, Ruppert.

Guys,

There's a whole site page dedicated to the effective "removal" of these pesky critters. Observe 2 of my personal faves....



http://www.break.com/usercontent/2007/6/Squirrel-Launching-308755.html

http://www.break.com/usercontent/2008/10/Squirrel-Launching-583353.html

Guys,

There's a whole site page dedicated to the effective "removal" of these pesky critters. Observe 2 of my personal faves....



http://www.break.com/usercontent/2007/6/Squirrel-Launching-308755.html

http://www.break.com/usercontent/2008/10/Squirrel-Launching-583353.html

Now there's some real flying squirrels! :yes:

PULL!!! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63MxsSh3O70)....:thmbsp::thmbsp:

Gents, I'm sorry I started this thread. Animal cruelty is intolerable, whether a squirrel, a kitten, a baby seal, or a puppy.

I would like to defend myself in saying that a frisbee to a squirrel is about the most humane treatment so far discussed. Nothing died; just a little reminder that they are not in charge of my yard.

:D


Not kissing ass; just sayin'.


Matt

I went to the primer fired 22's after someone from the left coast complained. Quieter than a pellet gun and right at 690 FPS out of the old Marlin.

Any tree rat in the garden is toast at 60':smoke:

Gents, I'm sorry I started this thread. Animal cruelty is intolerable, whether a squirrel, a kitten, a baby seal, or a puppy.

Not being cruel at all. Might want to check the Family the squirrel is from. There is a large gap between domestic animals and varmints. I take it you have never had crops or a garden?

Has anyone tried Havaheart "Critter Ridder"? It worked on some raccons once. Not toxic, just pepper oil (smells like black pepper)

Some ideas here:
http://www.getridofthings.com/get-rid-of-squirrels.htm

Check out the Motion activated sprinklers, strobe light, and the Birdola Squirrel Kob Bungee ideas.

My Gamo 890 Hunter has a muzzle brake and is quite quiet. 1000 fps.

Jim

Garden, every year. Crops, well, a few but the squirrels loved the tomatoes and corn so much we finally decided to grow it for their benefit as we never could stop them. I agree that some of the wildlife we have in our back yard including the rabbits would not be appreciated by farmers. We probably are the only family in the neighborhood where all the animals are equally liked and tolerated. However, wasp nests just above our back door are dealt with harshly.

The same thing happened here, in Kent Ohio. Some zoologists imported black squirrels from Canada, years ago, and they multiplied and pushed out all the gray squirrels in Kent. You won't see any grays at all, just black squirrels. The funny thing is, it hasn't spread much outside of Kent. You won't see a black squirrel in Cleveland at all.

It is true. Hartville OH went all black squirrel about 15 years ago.

These stupid tree rats used to destroy my tomatoes: One big bite out of each.

The Wal-Mart Special crossman .177 took care of many of them. I kept a post hole shovel in the back yard for burial duty. We called it "planting a squrrel tree." Funny, none of them ever came up.

The we realized that we could just leave them there on the ground, a turkey buzzard would find them within an hour.

I would like to defend myself in saying that a frisbee to a squirrel is about the most humane treatment so far discussed. Nothing died; just a little reminder that they are not in charge of my yard.

:D


Not kissing ass; just sayin'.


Matt

And seeing how they're so smart, it's nobody's fault but their own if they haven't learned to catch them.

My Depression-era grandmother had one of those Hav-A-Hart traps for pesky squirrels. She trapped the varmints allright, then dropped the whole contraption in a large bucket of water for a couple of minutes. Tough lady.

Nothing "inhumane" about ridding yourself of vermin. While I don't eat rodents , and don't hunt for "sport" , clearing one's territory of interlopers is a time-honored tradition in the animal kingdom. Daisy 880 with a 4X scope. Generally under $40 and 760 fps with a .177 pellet. Over 800 fps with a BB.
While I generally don't bother critters that aren't bothering me , I make exceptions. If I find a coyote in my yard it's bye-bye doggie. Squirrels and rabbits causing property damage are less of a threat , but no more exempt from Darwin.

I live in the country. .410

I live in the woods.........12 gauge...3" magnums

Make em' work for it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2FAq8pQQa4

Cool! Reminds me of some of those Japanese game shows.