Help! Squirrel Infestion

[1acrefarm]

A pellet rifle works well. My whole neighborhood is fed up with the little boogers. At least 8 people in my neighborhood are harvesting them to thin them out. We are just beginning to make a dent. They love to make nests in our attics. Out of literally hundreds of pecan trees in the area you are lucky to get a pecan. I don't eat them so I give them away or feed them to the cat.

 

[ivan3]

Cats are effective, after a fashion. They can't be tasked. If this `natural' (not cruelty free) method of solving the problem by proxy isn't viable. Then a scoped .177/.22 pellet rifle will make short work of the tree rats.

This one didn't have a chance to burn up when blowing the fuse on the transformer down by the road (have lost power owing to this nine times over fifteen years). Get `em, Major Woobie!!!

 

[Dulcijean]

Thank you all for your suggestions. Being that my cats and dogs (Aussie shepard and a poodle) have been flooded with squirrels to the point of thinking that the squirels too must be our pets, I am left with the .22 as a solution. Will it kill them? I am a very good shot and would enjoy the effort, but really don't want want to end their little lives.

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[Clay In Iowa]

Quote:
I've taken one of the fuzz tailed rats out with a well placed shot from a BB gun, and often hunt them with a pellet gun. I've used a .22 on many occasions and it will with most certainly do the job.

 

[Skip]

Try rocks in a slingshot.

Also, there's a simple snare you can use on squirrels. It's a long stick with lots of little wire snares along it's length. Lean it up against a tree that you see squirrels going up and down a lot.

 

[Wifezilla]

I haven't managed to kill and squirrels with my wrist rocket yet...but I have made them think twice about coming in the yard

Hubby suggested something like this...

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8016651369765126082

Embedded media from this media site is no longer available

http://video.google.com/videosearch...w.google.com&emb=0&aq=0&oq=squirrel &start=10

 

[annmarie]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but my husband was just telling me about 4 days ago that he read an article in one of the big papers that for some unknown reason that scientists can't figure out, there was almost 0 acorns produced this year, all along the eastern US, and in some major parks they're actually having a problem with fairly emmaciated squirrels going after people, dogs, whatever, and it's expected to get worse since the squirrels were not able to pack away their usual stores of acorns this winter. Crazy story, I know! But since he told me this I've seen 2 postings from BYCers here in the east having squirrel problems. I would suggest everyone start working on solutions to keep the squirrels out now before things get even worse.

 

[Wifezilla]

That got me curious so I looked it up. Here is what someone in Britain said concerning their low acorn yield...

"oak trees (and many other trees) work on cycles where some years they produces lots of acorns and some years very few and some years somewhere in between. It is thought to be an evolved anti herbivore strategy I believe, it prevents a population of squirrels or rodents of other acorn munchers from growing to a size where it always eats all the acorns. - By having starve years this then causes the acorn munchers populations to decline meaning that there's fewer of them to eat acorns if the tree produces a glut in the subsequent year.

Interestingly all the trees in a woodland seem to follow the same cycle so presumably it is climatically influenced or Terry Pratchett has it spot on and tree conversations are just too slow for us to hear.

Apologies if this is a slightly ropey description, it was something that I was taught at Uni which was a good 11 years ago now!"

Found a cool article from New Jersey about this too...
http://www.nj.com/homegarden/garden/index.ssf/2008/11/garden_diaryburning_issue_of_t.html
"Inquiring minds want to know. Looking into this phenomenon, I find that fluctuations in acorn production are poorly understood, even by tree scientists. It's no wonder the rest of us are at a loss.

Data shows that the crop varies from year to year, species to species and region to region. While some here are seeing a lack, California homeowners in Walnut Creek are being driven to extremes this fall by abundant acorns -- or rather, by the woodpeckers that are stashing the bumper crop in the exterior woodwork of their homes. "

 

[chickorama]

Chickens seem to come with squirrels. Squirrels LOVE

chicken food more than life itself!!

 

[tileman@prodigBird Raiser]

i have a farm cat that catches the rats and the squirrels. Also i have a hunting english setter dog. She chases the squirrels away and has even killed a couple. I also use a few pellet rifles and pellet pistols. They are preet quiet. Some of the sound like nothing. I use a .177 caliber which kills that pretty fast if shot in the head. I also haev a .22 pellet gun rifle with an open scope and that works great with one shot. You really need an accurate gun and it does not matter what pellet caliber. It is like snipping then.