Squirrel Be Gone

You need a dog.

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/squirreldog.htm

http://www.wikihow.com/Train-a-Squirrel-Dog

PokerChip said:

Growing up back east our cat was a tough old cat. One day he started showing up each morning with patches of fur missing and some signs of fighting. Our cat never came home looking like this before. If you are overly sensitive on animal abuse you may find my following solution to the problem rather unwelcome.

As much as I'm against animal cruelty what I did was something I do not regret. This was a wild feral cat who I'm sure was harming more than our cat. I'm still believe that what I did but it was a good thing.

Well, for me a BB gun solved the problem of a varmint in our back yard.

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This reminds me of what happened with the BIG old Tom that was hanging around.

Aaron, you don't mind if I tell that story do you?

Had been hittin' the Tom with BB gun...yeah that worked real well...until he came back...again and again.

Wife walked out the front door early one morning (before daylight) and heard cats caterwauling out by the pond that is only about 30 yards from the house and heard splashing.

Our bottle raised little Tom, that was not quite a year old, was out there getting whipped by the big Tom. Wife called him and he ran up underneath her car, and the big Tom ran up there after him still whippen' his arse. She finally got ours to run up to the porch and come in the house. Wife thought the big Tom was trying to drown him.

That's when the .38 shot shells came out later. I should have used a .22 when I could have gotten a good head shot, or just a 12 gauge.

If they are a threat...they are gone.

Edit: And my BB gun doesn't do minute of squirrel.

Generally speaking, squirrels are there because there is stuff there that squirrels eat.
If there's food, they'll hang around. Eliminate the food source and the squirrels will move on to greener pastures.

Instead of regular seed, try safflower seeds in your bird feeders.
Birds like 'em just fine, but squirrels don't like safflower seeds.

Aside from physically catching them and transplanting them, there isn't much else you can do.

There's always the "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em" train of thought, and that is to also set up a designated squirrel feeding area. They would much rather go where the chow is easier to get to than to try to break into squirrel proof birdfeeders full of safflower seed.

Watching them in a specified control area can be entertaining.

luvmysuper said:

Generally speaking, squirrels are there because there is stuff there that squirrels eat.
If there's food, they'll hang around. Eliminate the food source and the squirrels will move on to greener pastures.

Instead of regular seed, try safflower seeds in your bird feeders.
Birds like 'em just fine, but squirrels don't like safflower seeds.

Aside from physically catching them and transplanting them, there isn't much else you can do.

There's always the "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em" train of thought, and that is to also set up a designated squirrel feeding area. They would much rather go where the chow is easier to get to than to try to break into squirrel proof birdfeeders full of safflower seed.

Watching them in a specified control area can be entertaining.

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Thats right, I stopped feeding any seed with sunflower and went to Nyjer seed. The Squirrels don't like it at all, or the white wing dove, but the song birds love it.

The problem is, the neighbors have no clue and are feeding them basically squirrel food. It attracts them like crazy. I need to have a word.....

Maybe just a kind word to the neighbors along the lines of "did you know that colorful songbirds love xxx, and squirrels won't try to steal it?"

luvmysuper said:

Maybe just a kind word to the neighbors along the lines of "did you know that colorful songbirds love xxx, and squirrels won't try to steal it?"

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Maybe I'll just put up the owl.

DoctorShavegood said:

Maybe I'll just put up the owl.

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Those wings didn't look right. They were flat. The wind goes over the wings. That causes suction, which is lift. The Wright Brothers would have had better wings than that. Hence, the squirrel couldn't have taken that plane for a joy ride.

The problem with the BB gun solution is that one of your lovely neighbours is CERTAIN to object to the idea of you "firing a gun" at harmless little squirrels, and call the cops.

Here is the Tom Cat I use



Screw some to the fence posts, the crumbs or broken cubes are mixed with some peanut butter to the terminal delight of squirrels (bushy tailed tree rats) and chipmunks (well dressed rats)

I asked my friend Carl about your squirrel problem. He said you just have to make them some friends.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fINmQ633tQ4

Here's my suggestion...

one cut said:

I asked my friend Carl about your squirrel problem. He said you just have to make them some friends.

View attachment 566347

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I wondered how long it would take for a Caddyshack reference.

Personally, I'm a big fan of my Sheridan Blue Streak. It's quiet and works on everything from starlings to rabbits. Lay up in a blind (the kitchen or dining room window, open for obvious reasons and a couple feet back so the pellet gun isn't sticking out where neighbors can see it) and wait.

Kilroy08 said:

I wondered how long it would take for a Caddyshack reference.

Personally, I'm a big fan of my Sheridan Blue Streak. It's quiet and works on everything from starlings to rabbits. Lay up in a blind (the kitchen or dining room window, open for obvious reasons and a couple feet back so the pellet gun isn't sticking out where neighbors can see it) and wait.

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Ha, ha...actually I was looking for a picture of the gopher with dynamite.

There is great wisdom in Caddyshack.
Be the ball.

Don't put out things that attract them:

Wrist rocket, air gun..... They're fun. Blow guns will do a good job on them too, but won't always kill them right away.

And they taste good when done right.

I stopped bothering with the bird feeders. I have a dog, live in the woods have real hawks and owls all over my property. I watch them catch and kill squirrel all the time. Entertaining when they try and hide on the back of the tree and the bird just jumps to the tree behind them. I even had a wolfdog that used to hunt and catch them like a lion stacking its prey. I have learned the more they die the more that come. I have more now than when I moved in 15 years ago. At least I have less copperheads now.

Good luck

Squirrels are rodents, and like all rodents, have no redeeming value around human residences. Their only value is as an item of food for predators.

We have had feral cats hanging around, and we encourage them...they have eliminated chipmunks (admittedly cute, but very destructive) and mice from around our house. We had one cat a while back that dispatched squirrels (I witnessed an amazing mid-leap catch and kill!), but he has been gone for some time and the present crew doesn't seem to be especially interested in squirrels. And the tree cover around our house prevents our resident hawks (Coopers and red-shouldered) from getting the squirrels. So...we have more than we need (i.e., more than zero)...I don't want to kill them myself...I would prefer nature to do that.