Sciurus

Hi Stuartyboy At the last management meeting, our Society decided to buy a couple of Goodnatured traps to trial in an area far away from the nearest red squirrel. The idea sounds interesting but as always there could be disadvantages like the public sticking their fingers in! And catching non intended species. These traps are the ultimate recycling machine that leaves no evidence, so it is intended that the traps are monitored by trail cameras to see if they are as good as advertised. I am not involved in this scheme but as soon as I hear something I will give you feedback.

I have just been given my grandfathers old BSA Cadet Major (1949-1954) which I first used as a six year old, nearly sixty years ago. I have taken it apart and am going to replace the breech seal, main spring and main washer , both the seal and washer are leather. I understand the breech seal should be inserted dry, trimmed and then soaked in oil, but do not know whether the main washer should be oiled before or after fitting. If a few drops of oil have to be dripped in after assembly, what oil should I use and how do I stop it dieselling? Does the piston body need oiling or a touch of grease? Finally, what does the sear adjustment spring do? In my photo, it doesn’t seem to do anything. Any advice will be gratefully received. Thanks Garnet

Robbiep Some good and very interesting advice. Am I right in thinking that because the shares are held in Trust that they could not be wrapped in a stocks and shares wrapper? And if so, what were the advantages of a trust, bearing in mind the cost of setting up the trust and CGT liability? Thanks

Same here, I have been out to my usual woods a couple of times this week with the thermal. Not seen a thing - just got wet and cold. No call out to the traps either.

Mattheius, that’s a hell of big bag of greys, well done. Was this around the Potteries?

Gavin/Nev I didn’t mean to put you on the spot😅 It’s just you often get 3 or 4 and more at a time and I only get singles! I’ll keep the tails of any I get in the next fortnight and will post them off if you need any more. PW at its best.

Hi Gavin From what I understand the jury is still out about the relationship between reds and martens, there are a few theories, all I know is greys hate them and clear off, whilst the reds thrive. This has been noted in Scotland as well. Now that Walker has kindly offered to supply some tails, It would be better if you take up his generous offer. It would only take him a couple of days to get that sort of number and more importantly he is a fisherman and knows what to look for! Cheers Garnet

Gavin Pine Martens, - we could do with a few to help our reds! PM sent Cheers Garnet

Island gun, thankfully Red squirrels look a lot cuter than grey squirrels. The only complaints are when people don’t see one! - not understanding that they are still a wild and scarce animal . Guns are abit of a problem for me. My patch is riddled with rights of way, which are constantly used by tourists, walkers, mountain cyclists and joggers. Then there is the close proximity to houses and hotels. There are only two Woods I can use a 12 bore. When hunting with a thermal, I usually use a .410 moss berg hushpower with subsonic cartridges but personally I don’t like them, I have to let a lot go without a shot in tall trees. When I finish my supply of subsonic, I will use the ordinary extra long cartridges but will still be limited to a closer range than a 12 bore. Dreyshooting is also a problem. I can only do it in areas that I am sure there are no chances of a red using it! I do use a silenced .177 pcp a lot in gardens, hotels and caravan sites, which I do enjoy and is very discreet.

Henry I am afraid I think the situation is a bit harder than you might have first thought and you are now thinking of making it a lot more difficult. If you propose to let the property at all, you will need a BTL mortgage- more expensive than a normal mortgage. In near future (if not now), HMRC will not allow you to offset mortgage interest against income tax, but you will pay tax on rental income. The first and most important rule in residential letting is never, ever consider letting to a friend. It is a recipe for disaster if not disappointment. If you do have let it to a friend, do a credit check, get a guarantor for rent and do get them to sign an AST. Do not break this rule. I think most councils now charge 100% Council tax from day one. You can check on the Councils website. House insurance is expensive/declined on empty properties. If you do take a conventional mortgage, Lenders are very reluctant to lend to pensioners, due to their fixed income and age. You would have to pass their affordability tests to confirm that you can afford to run two properties (& eat, heat shoot and run a car etc at same time). See Weston Salop above. In view of your age and circumstances, the first thing you need to do is get advice from an independent mortgage advisor, he will be able to advise you which lenders will consider lending in your circumstances. For example it might be better to remortgage or get a loan on your existing property to buy the English house rather than getting a loan for a second property. You will also need to consider any financial penalties you might incur if you pay the mortgage off early. It is extremely unlikely you will incur capital gains tax if you move into the 2nd house within a few years. You both will have an annual capital gains allowance. The mortgage adviser will be able to best advise you on the best way forward. In situations like this, the simplest ways are best. Hope this helps.

Just caught the 5th one in 5 days in the same loaned trap. The house owner has broken his leg, so he is sat in his conservatory watching each grey get caught “better than watching tv” he said ! total 363

Personally, I haven’t come across any negative comments from the public - far from it, it is normally encouragement or at least understanding. I think there are several reasons for this. The locals still remember the reds being a common sight in their gardens- until the greys came and the reds disappeared and they want to see them return. Unbeleivably, there are 14 Red Squirrel Groups in The Lakes (check out Northern Red Squirrels website). Each group looks after their own area, Each group attends local shows (I think we attend 11 including the Westmorland Show) and spread the word to the public. The shows are a great way of educating the public and attracting new members but also meeting landowners and householders, who either allow us to trap or shoot on their land or even better take responsibility for grey control on their land - hence the impressive cull figures for our group. As you can see from our annual review, we do not hide the fact that greys have to be controlled or the large numbers culled. Unfortunately, I don’t know the total figure culled by all the groups but will try and find out. Even better we have a very good relationship with National Trust and Local Authorities, who willingly let us shoot/trap on their land. The only stipulation is that it is done discretely and in the case of shooting, done early morning or late evening when there are fewer members of the public about. The National Trust, local hotels and camp sites all benefit financially from visitors coming to see reds on their property as indirectly does local authorities, so our work is actively encouraged. It is very rare that a land owner will not allow us to carry out control on their property. Mice kindly joined me for a day having a walk round 4 sites with his gun and I think he was surprised at the response/encouragement we received from every one we met. ‘Makes a pleasant change from skulking about the bushes with a gun’ was his considered opinion.

Kev, that’s so true. It is a constant battle because greys have more and larger litters than reds. Typical Yanks - oversexed and over here! I have been called out twice this morning to cull two males from the trap I caught the female in yesterday. That’s the fourth in 4 days - the power of female scent is obviously very attractive. It’s taken two weeks to get the 1st though. Total 361

I think we must have had the same teacher! He used to write it in my school reports 3 times a year....😂

The 2018 Annual Review from Westmorland Red Squirrels has just been released and 4691 greys were shot/trapped in our area last year. My modest 142 contribution has already been counted so if 142 is deducted from 4691 , is it possible to add 4549 greys to the 2018 Pidgeon Watch total please? 1 trapped yesterday and another today in same loaned trap. Total 359

I attach the 2018 annual review from Westmorland Red Squirrels for those who are interested. http://westmorlandredsquirrels.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/WRS-2018-Review.pdf In our area, 4549 Grey Squirrels were culled in 2018, mainly by encouraging Landowners and Shooting Estates to actively shoot or trap greys on their land as well as by the efforts of our volunteers in order to stop the decline of Red Squirrels and encourage their population growth. Even if there are no Red Squirrels in your area, Please do all you can to encourage all your local landowners, game keepers and shoot captains as well as yourselves to actively reduce the population of grey squirrels in your area as this can reduce the pressure on grey squirrels to move into Red areas. Thanks Sciurus

Two today, enjoying the sunshine in the branches. total 351

Red leg, I think you need a bigger truck! Well done and keep it up.

It must be very satisfying. I am situated just out of the red border so rarely see a red within my area, but when I do, it’s a great feeling.👍

A bad week for me. Been out for two mornings with gun and thermal, shot once and missed.... Culled 3 under loan trap scheme total 309

Accuspell, what a great and interesting article. Plenty of food for thought. Thanks It was good to see a dog involved as well. Without derailing the post, does anyone else use a dog, if so what breed? Cheers

I would also be very interested to hear other people’s experiences with callers. I was watching the Squirrel Hunting Channel yesterday and he was trying to entice a grey out that was hiding behind and chewing the rear of a feeder He tried a caller and clapping his hands. To be honest the grey seemed more interested to find the source of the clapping than the caller. In similar circumstances, I have tried the old recommended trick of rubbing and tapping two coins together with little success. (They took no notice). Whilst, a caller might not work well on a feeder, they might be more useful when walking through woodland to try and entice a grey to show itself after it has run up a tree or when you hear one calling but can’t see it. Mice has a caller, no doubt he will give us his opinion soon.

A friend of mine used to buy boxes of reject Club biscuits directly from the Jacobs factory in Aintree. At least a third of them were solid chocolate. I think he paid a pound for a box of 25. Definitely a bargain.

Not been the best week for me. It started very well. On Monday, I was asked for a loan trap and when I dropped it off, the offending grey was swinging on the bird feeder. So the Daystate did the business and the householder was very happy. I then called in to my local hotel, there were 3 greys chasing each other round and round the tree trunks for ages, eventually the tail end Charlie stopped for a breather and I had a shot (& missed) and didn’t see them for dust! I returned next day and saw one in the same tree. It waited until I got out the air rifle out of the car and then ran straight into a hollow trunk. I haven’t seen any there since. I have had no further succcess at the caravan site, so pulled out since it was reopening this weekend. I did however get one on Wednesday with the .410 at a NT site early morning before opening time. The rest of the week was ruined by having to redecorate the lounge, I should be finished this weekend, so hopefully will have better luck next week. Total 197

Hi Nev, I think my comment came out a bit wrong! Like you, I control them at least 5 days a week and often 7 days a week, but as a volunteer It’s only a few hours a day. I should have said, I don’t fancy controlling greys full time, 5 days a week. It would drive you mad- you would be eating, sleeping and dreaming greys! Keep whacking and stacking....