Re-Edumacatin' the damn squirrels!

[DougGuy]

We grow a pretty nice backyard garden in several raised beds, one is a big horseshoe bed with two 12'x3' beds connected into a U shape in on one end. It sits in a corner of the yard conveniently surrounded with a fence on two sides and a shed on a third side. I got creative and enclosed the whole thing in nylon wildlife netting and made a door, it is a walk-in garden. Top, sides, all 100% netted. Worked REALLY good too!

Took the squirrels a cpl years to figure out if they poked their head hard enough, they could poke through the netting and get in. I patched the holes, and decided to take action with a pellet rifle. I got one of the 600f/s models, not one of the supersonic ones but it has a scope and will cloverleaf a group across the yard so it's quite accurate.

First week, popped about 9 squirrels with it, killed a few, gutshot a few so they would go back to the nest tree and die and the other squirrels would get a clue that some bad mess was going on in the back yard. It worked! Now I am getting 2-3 shots a week at them, and I pop them right in the butt instead of killing them and they run like hell. The other squirrels see this and run and learn there is something they don't want no part of.

I got neighbors that I don't trust not to call the law if they knew. For sure don't want wounded squirrels going over the fence into their yard and dying so now I am not trying to kill them, just re-educate them..

So far, the garden is less raided and I am seeing fully 90% less squirrel traffic in the back yard than usual.

[Bloodman14]

Man, I'd be reeeaaall careful to not be seen. No telling what some tree-hugger would do.

[Bad Water Bill]

Stand about 3' inside of the house. shoot thru fiberglass screening on the door. BBQ tree rat tonight and no one heard a thing. :bigsmyl2:

No don't even ask.

[EMC45]

Saw 5 fighting in the tree in the front yard over the weekend. Made me short of breath. That is a crockpot's worth.

[legend 550]

Ground Cayenne pepper. Sprinkle it around the perimeter of the garden. Fuzzy tailed roof rats can't stand it. I use it mixed in with the seed in my bird feeders ( birds don't even know its there ) and sprinkled on the ground around the feeders, the rats know my feeders are taboo now. A little Cayenne pepper will repel cats ,dogs , roof rats and rabbits. I get 1# cans of it at Gordon foods.
A little goes a long way and re apply after about a week or after a rain.

[jcwit]

Its really not about being a tree hugger, its about being a poacher. But in this case you are protecting your garden.

[10-x]

I'll try the cayenne, thanks for the tip.

[firefly1957]

Try some rat traps in your enclosed area they are made for just that purpose and you should not have to worry about pets getting in them.

[GL49]

I've got trouble with the deer in my yard, I encourage them to leave with my wrist rocket and 1/2" lead pellets. One day I was out convincing them they didn't belong in my garden, and from the liberal college professor's yard I hear a "HEY!"

Uh-oh. Here it comes.

"HEY!. CAN I BORROW THAT THING WHEN YOU'RE DONE?"

You just never know.

[DougGuy]

Stand about 3' inside of the house. shoot thru fiberglass screening on the door. BBQ tree rat tonight and no one heard a thing. :bigsmyl2:

No don't even ask.

All my shots are from inside the house... Take the screens off and ever so slowly lower the top sash.. See no evil, hear no evil, must not be no evil!

[RoyEllis]

Its really not about being a tree hugger, its about being a poacher. But in this case you are protecting your garden.

Don't know about where you live, but our squirrel season runs may 15 to jan 1 every year. For the past month I've been teaching them to do the back-stroke in a skillet of bacon grease. No poaching here.....

[Zymurgy50]

My father-in-law has cancer and is not getting around well. After hearing him complain about the squirrells eating the birdfood from the feeder I took an old hand crank generator (like you used to find in OLD telephones), wrapped the feeder post in plastic wrap, and spiral wrapped two bare wires up the post. The other ends of the wire run into the house and hook up to the generator. Squirrel climbs the pole, a couple quick turns of the crank, and mother-in-law just about pees herself laughing.......

[jcwit]

Don't know about where you live, but our squirrel season runs may 15 to jan 1 every year. For the past month I've been teaching them to do the back-stroke in a skillet of bacon grease. No poaching here.....

Here its Aug. 15 till Jan. 31, daily bag limit of 5.

[10-x]

My father-in-law has cancer and is not getting around well. After hearing him complain about the squirrells eating the birdfood from the feeder I took an old hand crank generator (like you used to find in OLD telephones), wrapped the feeder post in plastic wrap, and spiral wrapped two bare wires up the post. The other ends of the wire run into the house and hook up to the generator. Squirrel climbs the pole, a couple quick turns of the crank, and mother-in-law just about pees herself laughing.......

Now that's a good one. Was thinking about one of those 2 mile electric fence solar chargers with a couple of wires.:wink:

[Boerrancher]

I wish I had some tree rats to educate. Season has been open for nearly a month and I have only seen one squirrel, and he went into the frying pan. It has been a nice wet spring so the hickory nuts will be thick this August.

Best wishes

Joe

[square butte]

Where's Jim when you need him?

[JeffinNZ]

Gather them up and send them to me. I would love to hunt squirrels.

[EMC45]

Gather them up and send them to me. I would love to hunt squirrels.

I prefer squirrel hunting to deer hunting (more like watching and waiting).

[Bad Water Bill]

Gather them up and send them to me. I would love to hunt squirrels.

When they see you in them PURPLE things they will laugh so hard they will fall out of the tree and break their own necks.

That just isn't hunting to me. :kidding:

Unless you consider hunting for their broken bodies a sport.:bigsmyl2:

[searcher4851]

Heck, I reckon we got tougher squirrels here. I've had 2 in my garage this year and the pellet guns just make em chatter at me.

[firefly1957]

I rigged a camera flash (strobe) Charger to a guys bird feeder to keep a squirrel out of it 2 AA batteries what harm could it do? It killed the squirrel dead and i removed it the next day. The charging circuit that is neighbors cat got the squirrel.

[Ed Barrett]

I wish I had some tree rats to educate. Season has been open for nearly a month and I have only seen one squirrel, and he went into the frying pan. It has been a nice wet spring so the hickory nuts will be thick this August.

Best wishes

Joe

Down here in the Ozarks the Squirrels are pretty thick this year. My neighbor thinks it's the shortage of .22 ammo. I sure wish I could shoot them legally with centerfire lead loads, it's only legal with rimfire and shotgun.

[BCall]

Down here in the Ozarks the Squirrels are pretty thick this year. My neighbor thinks it's the shortage of .22 ammo. I sure wish I could shoot them legally with centerfire lead loads, it's only legal with rimfire and shotgun.

Huh? Where did you get this info? Since you are in Missouri, the rimfire/shotgun regulation is only for during firearms deer season. Pretty much anything else goes the rest of the year. Season from May 25th to Feb 15 2014. The rimfire/shotgun reg also does not apply if you are on your own land.

[Down South]

Squirrel is one of my favorite foods. I'm thankful that I don't have to worry about neighbors wondering what I just shot. I'll shoot them out of season when they are in my fruit trees or garden. It's their tuff luck no matter what time of the year it is if they are giving me a problem.