suburban shooter

Yes understand how big 200 tonne big planes can fly better than light weight crisp packet but there must be some wind force against side of plane even if just pushing against overflow from lift over wings. But your explanation does correlate with fact that Crossman Powapell deflects less than Accupell which is same weight and speed. However I have said before that I feel that the .177 version ( 7.9g) is deflected less than the 14.3g .22 version. Are you sure that .177 is same ballistic co efficient to .22 version of the same pellet ?

A cross- wind doesn't just affect the pointy end of a jumbo jet surely ? Like the Coriolis force in water there must be an effect on the plane from the large body of air . Fast pellets are affected less than slow ones as there is less time for the force to be applied. Same speed pellets of differing size and mass I don't know but this is the most interesting bit.

Two this evening big adults one female one male 1513

Makes my one today very measeley. 1492 + 1 = 1493

Are the peanuts fresh ? Are the birds feeding from your feeders? If not then empty feeders and give them a wash with hot soapy water, rinse and then try again. Spread peanut butter on the feeders the smell will carry in the breese and bring them in. Then prop the lid open on the squirrel feeder to let them know that there is food in it they won't have seen one before and not work out what to do at first. They will come !

One yesterday afternoon I was check- zeroing from bedroom window using halloween pumpkin as target. I felt that I was being watched and so curiosity killed the squirrel there a band name in there somewhere. 1476

Hi Hawkfanz spread peanut butter over your feeder and as Mice says suet blocks in one of those square cage feeders work well. Pound shops even do them and the suet. The birds will feed as well and give the squirrels the impression that it is safe to feed there. They will definitely come from only 200 yds but fresh hazelnuts off a tree are the most attractive they travel 800 yds easy to the hazel tree at the bottom of my garden.

Ah apologies Longbower. I was looking at a picture of Daystate sovereigns whilst meaning to type Falcon Accuracy pus. How the subconcious works

Deer populations are much healthier and stable when wolves are present in the ecosystem; red squirrel population would be healthier with Pine Martens present as they kill the old and infirm. They have seen this in the Republic of Ireland and the martens eradicate the greys entirely.

Awaiting the answer with interest as questions I would have asked' Spoke to a .25 FX Impact user who said that the pellets don't go beyond 300m so better for his squirrel shooting than .22 rimfire as the 40 grain bullets go on for lot further distance.

Need to get pine martens into Kielder Forest as the humans have failed to reduce the grey population there and I fear that the reds will soon be wiped out.

One same location as yesterday's small female a male similar size probably her brother. 1467

This is another reason why we are seeing more in suburbia targeting the grey squirrels. The rabbits have been hammered over the last couple of years by that VHD ,RHD and other names for the same thing. Seems the Mexicans are the only people to have got rid of it,( wonder how they managed it and we haven't).

I have only seen it happen once on a live squirrel but they often take the ones left after being shot. I regularly see them piling into a tree and not emerging so assume that they are eating their kill behind the leaves. More chance of seeing it clearly once the leaves have fallen. I have only once seen a fox get a live squirrel but it is accepted that they do commonly kill squirrels.

Hi Stuartyboy you can probably guess from my name that my main shooting area is as you have described. The density of greys in these leafy suburban areas is far higher than in the countryside as there is more natural food and idiot humans purposely feed them as well as the high concentration of bird feeders to keep them going all year. As people specifically "help" the birds through the winter months they are giving the greys a boost. You will have noticed that they are also bigger than their country cousins so their winter mortality rate is negligible. Suburban greys breed all year so they produce great numbers of offspring that then migrate out to colonise any spaces created by us shooting conservationists. Keep feeding them and bringing them in to your attraction point. They leave a scent trail as all rodents do and others pick up the scent trail and end up at your killing area. The answer to your question will be answered when you stop killing them. I have been doing this for 11 yrs in south Liverpool and rarely do they stop coming for more than 2 weeks. Since Spring I have not had a time gap at all and I am at it 6 days a week. I have evolved from trapping and bashing them with a brick to PCP air rifle 130 since Jan and over 1100 in total. Good luck; the birds do appreciate it when you get the greys robins, blackbirds and song thrushes start singing a victory song when you get them !

Increase in buzzards here in Liverpool over that period, has been very noticeable they are increasingly going into woods and gardens. As there are no rabbits here they must be taking a good number of greys because the squirrels scurry quickly down the trees and take cover under evergreens when they hear the cry of the buzzards overhead. The Warfarin would have had a greater impact on the reds as they are only half to a third the body weight of the greys.

One fat male yesterday in my mum's garden ( 24th from her garden since xmas ) and one today at normal Monday location small female 463 g 1461

Two more as going dark, in drizzle. Under a yew tree. (them not me) 3-9 x 40 AO Hawke Vantage nowhere near as good as my old 3-9 x 50 AO Hawke Airmax but still got them. 1445

As long as BASC believe that they are currently THE voice of shooting there will be no progress and we need them to get into the 21'st century.

Birds can't taste chilli soak chilli flakes in water and then spray on bird feeder, there is no reaction from the birds but squirrel reaction is spectacular ! Pheasants can taste aniseed as it is used in their feed to keep them staying local. Chicken tastes like chicken!

An American policeman who is a famous hand gunner once showed me a map of the US states and their gun crime and gun murder stats. He then put an acetate overlay which showed the states and their gun law strictness. The states with the toughest gun laws ( some are like the UK ) had the highest gun crime whereas the states with the slackest gun laws had the lowest. They are adamant that their citizens must be able to own the same rifle that their government gives to it's armed forces; as it is the armed citizens that kicked us British out and created their country via revolution. We have a faith that our government will always be on the side of the citizens and so don't see their point. He also said that the stats show that skinny 4 ft 6 blonde girls with .357 magnums in their handbags don't get raped. Anyone in the UK can buy a silencer but in the USA you need a section 5 licence go figure !!!

That is really good of you Turmoil It would be a great step forward for the reds if they had some local protection so that they could advance further South into more populated areas. As soon as people in Garstang and The Fylde get them in their gardens they will feed them and report greys as well. Getting enough food for the young ones to overwinter is key as their "chlid" mortality rate is much higher than the greys.

one three weeks ago in the Conway valley that i forgot to post; very red coat but was deffinitely a grey, two on Saturday in the storm and one tonight out of the bedroom window. 1424

Weighed him 616 grams then small squirrl jumped down from hedge jumped up pole of my bird feeder and started tucking into suet block with added meal worms grabbed my drying rifle and rotated the front of the AO scope to maximum close .Opened the patio doors to high wind and rain but bedraggled squirrel carried on eating. Shot it from 6 metres in the head and it dropped like a stone. Put waterproof on put shoes on went out and picked it up by wet tail and it squeaked. Flattened it's head as I always do to remove all chance of life. Did it squeak because the air passed through it's voicebox like it does with magpies when you pick them up by the body or was it still alive? Flattened it's head within 40 seconds of shooting it but will be using hollow points next to see how they do at energy transfer / penetration / killing. It weighed 532 grams so interesting perception that 616 is big and 532 is small I used to think that 820 was big and 675 was small. The attrition is working

DC177 Long and upsetting story involving my old fashioned and ultimately miss placed faith in our boys in blue. If I had the money I would buy it back as it is advertised somewhere at the moment.