Squirrels are taking over
 

The grey squirrels are just multiplying like mad here. The humane traps don't catch them and if I do grab one I can't keep up with the population. Help! What do I do? Poison? I can't use them for target practice, the neighbors are too close.

Could use a pellet or bb gun or pistol. A bb pistol might not kill them but it will at least plink them hard enough to relieve some frustration.

Re: Squirrels are taking over
 

Odd, we're in the middle os a squirrel shortage here. We have an abundance of food in the wooded areas, oaks and hickory trees for example, but maybe about 2-3 squirrels seen on over 11 acres, more if you include the neighboring property.

How many owls do you have hanging around?;)

Only two Horned, but they stay up on the hill.

I haven't seen any owls locally, but a number of hawks prowl the skys here. Every time the neighboring pasture is mowed, about 2-3 times a year, the hawks have a field day on varmints with no place to hide.

RWS .177 cal pistole..............179-199 bucks. RWS meisterkugen pellets. look up dynamit/nobel or RWS on web. pistol will knock them on their ass. model 48/52 rifle is full sized one cocker rifle that will flat send their ass into the next century!

problem with rifle............it looks like full size rifle and my neighbors saw me one sunday morning at 6am going after rat in my boxers. called cops. cops tried to bust me for shooting firearm within 1/4 mile of structure. when i whipped out CCW license they told me to just be careful and watch my backdrop!

so i went for RWS pistol. concealable for covert stealth delta force black ops against rock squirrals/pack rats/kangaroo rats etc. hell of alot of GIGGLES!

I'm a big fan of the Sheridan pneumatics for backyard pest control. They make a bit more noise than the spring-piston guns, but the .20 caliber pellet will cleanly kill anything right up to a possum. Plus, you get variable power so it's not out of the question to shoot it in the basement or the garage. Should be able to get a rifle for $150-$170, and a pistol for a little less. The pistol, unless you can find an older one, will have to be .177 or .22 as the .20 has been discontinued. The rifle is easier to hit with, and can ultimately have more power, so it would be my choice. Mine is head-shot accurate from anywhere inside the house to anywhere in the yard. By the way, I just got my '62 vintage rifle back from Mac1 Airguns, who did one of their "steroid" conversions on it; it now breaks 800 fps with a 14.3 gran pellet. About twice the power of an average spring-piston .177

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1170181276.jpg

If air rifles or CO2 pistols are not your thing, I'd suggest a nice little Walther P22 with supressor.http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1170181992.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1170183372.jpg

Consider a blowgun.
50 caliber, near silent, cheap, and a loads of fun. With some practice and the use of broadhead darts, 1 head or spine shot will do the trick.

mr higgins.........that pic is TOO FUNNY!

those rats are SLEEPING, AREN'T THEY?????? LOL!

Of course they are, Charles. They've had a hard day.

jeff was it...........if you run, you'll only DIE TIRED? LMFAO. since its been cold here, actually a couple of mornings down to 9 degrees F. the meeeccez have been attacking my garage.

came out one night after feeding dogs, and much to my surprise there is a meeece(mouse) sitting on top of battery charger handle,attached to p-car. WTF! went back in house grabbed glasses, grabbed RWS pistol and snucked up on him and "dry-gulched" him right thru the head!

all we could think of was he was cold and getting heat from battery charger or he had taken a bite out of 110 wire and he was stunned!

right now its getting so bad that a KATZ is being thought about real serious! only problem KATZ pee and coyotes smell katz and then have coyote cocktails and katz become chum!

The pneumatics seem like a good idea. I be shopping tonite!

thanks guys.

uhhh...I don't need a purchase permit for pneumos do I?

I asked for advice on pellet guns before, ended up going with the .20 Sheridan rifle on your recommendation...So far I've been extremely happy.

Thanks! :D

OHHH I thought U meant on the OT Board and were refering to Fastpat.

Good show, Charles. Keep them raidin' little bastards at bay. I don't get many in the house or garage (at least no evidence of them), but the very first one I ever shot was in the house. I was about eight years old and yes, it was that very Sheridan rifle. Couldn't get more than about three pumps in it when I was that little, but the rat didn't seem to notice.

At the crack, mom and dad both came running into the rec room, hollaring "I thought I told you to take that outside!" When I held up the rat, my very first kill, mom started screaming and dad started laughing. It was great.

Flatbutt!, no waiting period, no permit, nada. Do ask about local laws - Lynnwood considers any device that launches a projectile a "firearm", be it a .30-06 or a spit wad. I just stand inside so the noise is muffled and the neighbors don't see.

You should be able to get away with a Sheridan .20 caliber, or the Benjamin .177 or .22 caliber, complete with scope, mounts, and 500 pellets for less than 200 bucks. Both are available as combo sets that include everything. The Sheridan and Benjamin are essentially the same rifle these days, but I prefer the .20 caliber Sheridan as a pest control caliber. The Sheridan cylindrical pellets, at 14.3 grains, are the ones you want. They are actually heavier than most .22 pellets and penetrate very well. They are as accurate as you can shoot, too. My rifle will cut one ragged hole on full power at 50 yards with them. It will also go right through the biggest rat, or a possum's head, all the way accross the yard.

Great, Matt! They really are pretty good little rifles, and not just "for the money". I find they are as if not more accurate than spring-piston guns costing several times as much. More powerful when you need them to be, too.

One Airdale...one dead Rat, Possum or Skunk.

Half a dozen Airdales...one dead Lion, Tiger or Bear.

That's hardly sporting, Wayne. And not much fun. Seriously though, in my case that would mean removing some neighbors. One of the many trappings of living in a formerly semi-rural area that has seen a great deal of encroachment on my formerly lonely lot. As woods come down and houses go up, the denizens of those woods start hiding in and about the houses. Not just rats, squirrels, possums and the like, either. We include racoons, coyotes, and very rarely even black bear and cougar on that list. Kinda give a whole new meaning to the "lost cat" signs on the telephone poles, but I digress.

Many of these new neighbors see no need to keep their place clean, pet food inside, and such. No matter how much the old hands try to explain the co-existance with suburban wildlife to them. That, and some pretty oak (yes we have some up here), walnut, and various fruit trees that we are not willing to take down that feed and harbor the less offensive critters.

I do simply keep poison in the house for the ones that make it inside. I won't put it outside, due to the many desireable species that populate our area. The pellet rifle provides some relief (more psychological) that can be targeted at the more invasive and annoying creatures. Until we can get all of the neighbors on board in cleaning up their wood piles, pet feeders, and other stuff, we are kind of stuck. Besides, it's rather good, plain ol' redneck fun. "Thar's another one. Here, hold mah beer..."

IN New Jersey used to be you could buy if 18 or older. Show your liscence and have fun.

Now you need the following to purchase an air or other type BB/pellet RIFLE

-NJ Firearm Purchaser ID card
-Additional form of ID
-Age 18+

You must have the above and be 21+ to purchase an air/pellet/bb PISTOL

Any Air/bb/pellet gun that has a capacity of 15 or more "projectiles" is considered an assault weapon and is banned in NJ.

OHHH Geezus New Jersey....and for $40 you could buy a pump Pellet gun from China with 2 tins of pellets...

If you do shoot any of the grey squirrels, don't waste them. They are great to eat! Just skin & gut them, cut off the head & tail & fry them up like chicken. Ummm, I live them.

Just watch out for this guy....http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1170202999.jpg

Oh My.......

geez what next rodents with kevlar flak vests!

in arizona any weapon that shoots ANY PROJECTILE is considered a deadly weapon. yep even your old daisy red rider bb gun!

when i got popped by neighbors they were out having coffee on their porch early one morning. i had just downed cup of coffee and saw rat. went into full combat wombat i'm gonna get a rat mode with new RWS rifle. i was focused on rat and where he went. neighbors saw me w/big-a$$ed rifle (RWS-.177 cal model 52) and called 911. as mentioned, the cops came off pretty nasty at first , until i explained what i was doing, showed them dead rat, and then showed them RWS rifle. they let me go but advised me of above law. didnt matter if it was a daisy red ryder.

therefore we went to RWS pellet pistole. i have slit little holes in area window screens so barrel will be unobstructed as well as pellet. kinda like sniper play land!

here we not only worry about vehicles being made into rat condos and all the wiring gnawed on, but also rabies and the very deadly HANTA-VIRUS!

my dogs food is in garbage can sealed and NO FOOD whatsoever anywhere around. their food source is the dezert. ie. my yard. and surrounding undeveloped land.

also where there are pack rat nests, you get rattlesnakes............more fun than you can stand late at night!

and yes we have highly beer/napalm fueled pack rat nest burning parties! we call them burning RAT PARTIES! always a laugh until mr rattlesnake comes out and then its..........WHERE THE HELLS THE SHOVEL! this is only done when moisture levels are still high and no present fire danger. but give 'em a few months a they will be back again! was told, a rat can remember food source and urine smells for up to one mile. dont know the truth in that but its enough to keep the RWS and pellets always loaded nearby!

the days of shooting varmints around here with .22 snake shot, .410's or 9mm/.38/.357/.45 snake shot are long gone. too much encroachment.

Boy, I wish I lived somewhere in the country w/ just enough of a pest problem to provide some entertainment, and w/o uptight neighbors.

Last time I shot a rat was in Berkeley, was in my garage so neighbors unlikely to notice, but point-blank w/ 22LR shotshells was not as fun as I think sniping w/ rifle would be. Not too effective either, had to shoot it a couple times.

I think shooting vermin is fun. Does that make me a bad liberal? [sad face]

i doubt anyone is going to peg you a donkey or an elephant!

just someone that has a little more time than most to take care of the problem quickly and cheaply! i'd rather dump money in my p-car than hire a pest control guy that twitches and blinks alot due to over exposure to pesticide! LOL! and then all he does is overcharge me for traps and secret bait! read that peanut butter whizz bang/cheezzze whiz concoction!

no need for background check on air guns. just be smart about it and COVERT!

FYI during the day of napoleon and his sawed off escapades thruout europe. the austrians came up with a pneumatic rifle and scared hell out of the french(what couldnt?) the french labled it " silent death"! they summarily executed any austrian found with an air rifle on his person! kinda shows you what a present day sniper faces when he goes to work each day!

As is usual in the east, the neighbors will have an issue w/ any ballistic solution.

Have-a-Hearts work well for squirrels, bait w/ bird seed. They can't resist.

Have a properly sized plastic storage container filled w/ water handy.

End of problem.

one morning i shot a mouse in my pajamas, how he got .....never mind.

There must be some handy loophole in the local law. Crossbow, maybe? Hey, remember wrist rockets?

No, I don't mean these

http://www.sxwarehouse.net/2849_Wrist_Rocket_984.html

I had a similar conversation with a Lynnwood cop years ago, Charles. We had just been annexed into the city, so the guy kind of used that as an excuse to not have to press the issue with me. He thought it was as silly as I did. He only came over to discuss it with me because a neighbor, whose miscreant thief son was being hauled off to jail, thought he might lighten his own load (or share the wealth) by telling the arresting officers that he had seen his neighbor out shooting in his yard. Hell, the ass hole had even come over to shoot with me a couple of times. This cop was good-natured about the whole thing, as he was really there to haul the kid off, but he was very clear about what he said. It's the law.

Silly or not, that's the age in which we live. No more kids (no matter their age) with BB guns. If you live in a suburban or urban area, almost gauranteed it is illegal to shoot even a BB gun, even in your garage or something. Wrist rockets, pea shooters, rubber band guns - you name it, they are all classified as "firearms" in many jurisdictions. Just be aware of that and act accordingly.

The Health Dept here in NJ, just sent out an advisory last week about eating squirrels. Seems they have a high level of lead and toxins in them.

Toxins in NJ? Whouda thought......