Squirrels, am I wasting my time?

[Starless]

OK, we live in a wooded area. We have neighbors, but lots of woods around us and then acres of tobacco fields. The amount of squirrels, both grey and red are increasing. Oh yeah, also the chipmunks. Here's the problem, they're getting destructive. We have a large deck off the back of the house. A portion is screened in. They are now tearing through the screen to get into the screened area. They is no food or anything else they would need. Right now all that is in there, since it's winter, is furniture for the deck and a grill. In the summer they dig through the vegetable garden, eat the parsley, chew the tomatoes, and just cause damage. The last couple of years I've been using a have a heart trap and taking them across the river and letting them go. But it's a pain in the ass to drive them over one at a time as I catch them. My wife said to just shoot them. We have nothing against hunting, but I'm not into killing an animal just for the fun of it. Will shooting them really make any impact on the population, or as people keep telling me, others will come to take their place. Any other solutions? We always had dogs and i think that kept them at bay, but we no longer have any and I don't see us getting any in the near future.

[vash]

is shooting/hunting them legal on your property?

if so, maybe invite a hunter? if i was in your area, i would hang out with a suppressed airgun and go stew meat shopping. squirrels are delicious actually.

i think if this happens, they will start to leave. i know at my old house, if the neighbors (an old lady!!) starts zinging pellets at them, they call kinda go away. she only wacks one or two a year. i never participated. i'm too cute for prison.

[stevej37]

https://www.ruralking.com/squirrelinator-trap-only.html

throw some birdseed in the top after setting it on the ground. The only way for a squirrel to get it, is through one of the doors. No way out.

[scottmandue]

This is apples and oranges but we have a coyote problem and they tell us if we start shooting them the females will reproduce more frequently (we live in the city so shooting is not an option anyway). Not sure if that is true of squirrels.

You could get a large portable cage (like they use at cat/dog shows) and collect three or four squirrels so you don't have to move them one at a time.

Someone will probably recommend getting a dog but be aware they are a lot of work, you are signing up to 10-20 years of daily feeding, picking up poo/going for walks. You really have to love dogs to do it. Not to mention doggie might go right through the screen chasing a squirrel.

[flipper35]

Mom and dad had an issue with them getting through the vents into the attic. Dad shot them all and they haven't had an issue since. They wanted to get in to nest and I bet that is what they are doing at your house.

Scott, he said they had dogs in the past but were not getting another.

For chipmunks and other ground squirrels you can gas them by putting a hose in their hole attached to an ICE. There is also a propane kit to make a FAE to kill them in their holes.

I use a pellet gun for them on our property as it is quieter than a .22 and more challenging. Though sometimes I fill the hole with water for our dogs to get them.

[KFC911]

Unless yer willing to kill dozens...just stop .

Dawgs & cats work....I like dogs...some folks like squirrels....good luck!

[Danimal16]

Originally Posted by stevej37

https://www.ruralking.com/squirrelinator-trap-only.html

throw some birdseed in the top after setting it on the ground. The only way for a squirrel to get it, is through one of the doors. No way out.

I had one of those, and the squirrels chewed trough the wire. The Squirrelinator is very cheap, get one of these: Black Fox Repeating Live Squirrel Trap - Information Page




The Black Fox is made like a tank compared to the Squirrelinator. I have two and do my trapping in the spring. Get the male and you reduce the number in your hard.

Squirrels are just destructive and carry a whole bunch of diseases. The males can be pretty aggressive.

[Danimal16]

Originally Posted by KC911

Unless yer willing to kill dozens...just stop .

Dawgs & cats work....I like dogs...some folks like squirrels....good luck!

Repeating traps will wipe them out a dozen at a time. I have had two traps with 6 each on more than one occasion. Of course this was when my idiot neighbor was feeding them.

[drkshdw]

My dad lives in a rural area. When he bought the place it came with cats. Lots of cats. He didn't like cats so he caught them all and took them to the humane society.

Over the course of a few years the tree rats took the place of the cats. It was horrible. The power company always coming out to replace transformers because the tree rats were using them as suicide cans. Neighbor told him to get some barn cats. In just a few months the tree rats were gone. And so were the cats because their food supply ran out and dad wasn't supplementing. Tree rats came back. He got more cats and the tree rats left again. This time he feeds the cats to keep them around. No more tree rats. As a bonus, the mice are also no longer coming into the basement.

[stevej37]

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by Danimal16

Repeating traps will wipe them out a dozen at a time. I have had two traps with 6 each on more than one occasion. Of course this was when my idiot neighbor was feeding them.

I'da just shot the neighbor with a pellet insead . One year when I was a kid, my dad dispatched 2 dozen over a few weeks with his 12 ga...they ate one too many of his apples . What do ya do with the trapped ones...take 'em to someone you hate and release them

[Crowbob]

Would you tolerate rats? Squirrels are rodents. Chipmunks I don't know if they are but to me it doesn't matter.

Both are destructive pests whose populations are quite capable of rebounding even after severe predation.

I used those small, medium and large old-style mouse traps for chipmunks, voles, mice and whatever else obnoxious little critters were lurking about. The spoils of each days trapping were laid out in nice rows in the same spot every day. It was interesting to watch the local fox carry the corpses away.

I also made friends with the neighbors' cats and made them feel right at home in my garage, on my deck and wherever else they chose to stalk the disease-ridden little beasts.

[scottmandue]

Not much help but...

There were five houses of religion in a small town: The Presbyterian Church, The BaptistChurch , The MethodistChurch , The Catholic Church and The Jewish Synagogue.

Each church and Synagogue was overrun with pesky squirrels.

The Presbyterian Church called a meeting to decide what to do about their squirrels. After much prayer and consideration, they determined the squirrels were predestined to be there and they shouldn't interfere with God's divine will.

At the Baptist Church, the squirrels had taken an interest in the baptistery. The Elders met and decided to put a water slide on the baptistery and let the squirrels drown themselves. The squirrels liked the slide and unfortunately, knew instinctively how to swim so twice as many squirrels showed up the following week.

The Episcopal Church decided that they were not in a position to harm any of God's creatures. So, they humanely trapped their squirrels and set them free near the Baptist Church. Two weeks later the squirrels were back when the Baptists took down the water slide

But the Catholic Church came up with a very creative strategy. They baptized all the squirrels and consecrated them as members of the church. Now they only see them on Christmas and Easter.

Not much was heard from the Jewish Synagogue, but it's rumored that they took one squirrel and circumcised him. They haven't seen a squirrel on their property since.

[KFC911]

That's it CB....the cats, hawks, and other natural predators seem to keep things in balance around here. If you're surrounded by woods....a dawg will keep 'em outta the yard at least .

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by drkshdw

My dad lives in a rural area. When he bought the place it came with cats. Lots of cats. He didn't like cats so he caught them all and took them to the humane society.

Over the course of a few years the tree rats took the place of the cats. It was horrible. The power company always coming out to replace transformers because the tree rats were using them as suicide cans. Neighbor told him to get some barn cats. In just a few months the tree rats were gone. And so were the cats because their food supply ran out and dad wasn't supplementing. Tree rats came back. He got more cats and the tree rats left again. This time he feeds the cats to keep them around. No more tree rats. As a bonus, the mice are also no longer coming into the basement.

^^^^^ This...

[Evans, Marv]

I live on the other side of the country and have only ground squirrels to contend with. As a young guy, I hunted tree squirrels. I liked to eat the critters but I consider ground squirrels vermin. When I first moved in nine years ago, there were tons of ground squirrels everywhere. I invited a friend over one afternoon. He brought his air rifle with a scope and I had mine (just with iron sights). In a short period of time never leaving the perimeter of the house, we shot 15 squirrels. They were not a problem after that. Usually a couple of new ones try to move in each year. I usually just open a window and shoot them. I assumed they would multiply after I eliminated most of them, but that hasn't been the case. YMMV.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by Starless

We always had dogs and i think that kept them at bay, but we no longer have any and I don't see us getting any in the near future.

Originally Posted by flipper35

Scott, he said they had dogs in the past but were not getting another.

My bad... scanned and didn't read the last sentence of the OP.


How about a huge azz boa constrictor?

[Danimal16]

Originally Posted by KC911

I'da just shot the neighbor with a pellet insead . One year when I was a kid, my dad dispatched 2 dozen over a few weeks with his 12 ga...they ate one too many of his apples . What do ya do with the trapped ones...take 'em to someone you hate and release them

As far as disposal, I checked with Fish and Wildlife and local animal control. Since the varmints are considered pests I was told you cannot trap and release. I used to drown them but that is no longer an option as I had my pool removed. Back to the pellets. Really hate the blood, but they get out of hand.

Oh, and we can't have cats because out local coyotes eat the cats.

As far as that neighbor; she pretty much pissed off the whole neighborhood. Told us all where to go. She was reported to animal control more than once, but the AC only warned her. One day I trapped five and dispatched them with a pellet each. Placed the carcasses on her front door stoop. When she called the cops, the story goes that she admitted to feeding the squirrels. AC got involved and she was cited. The neighbor eventually moved. I was never contacted by the authorities.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by Danimal16

As far as disposal, I checked with Fish and Wildlife and local animal control. Since the varmints are considered pests I was told you cannot trap and release. I used to drown them but that is no longer an option as I had my pool removed. Back to the pellets. Really hate the blood, but they get out of hand.

Oh, and we can't have cats because out local coyotes eat the cats.

A Diana air rifle would be deadly

[Sooner or later]

I think youi are wasting your time.