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Call for everyone to take up arms against the grey squirrel


il cacciatore
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Should we accept the grey squirrel and move on?  

54 members have voted

  1. 1. We should accept the grey squirrel as British now.

    • Yes
      10
    • No
      41
    • I have no idea
      2
    • 0
    • 0


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http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=1497162006

 

Spotted this artical in the paper today.

 

This is too little, too late I'm afraid. What exactly are we supposed to do now; so late in the day? Is this just a wake up realisation now of the eventual extinction of our native red squirrel?

 

What do you think of this? Should we just accept the grey squirrel as a native britsh species now after being in this country for over a century and the virtual (or eventual) extinction of the red squirrel?

 

Found this artical of how vicous squirrels can be:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4489792.stm

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I always shoot them when I see them on my shoot, even to the point of ignoring everything else if I'm following one. They are smart little ****, always hiding round the other side of the tree! If I had a shotgun, they wouldn't last. Wouldn't have to wait for them to stand still then!

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on the estate where my dad is the keeper

he is seeing as many reds as greys now

but that with heavy trapping and shooting of the greys :lol:

:) Shot on sight(then casseroled),remember to get out and poke those dreys in february followed by some pigeon flighting........................

 

 

 

 

..........because they`re pests not sport :good:

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Them antis should be rounded up too. :):lol:

 

Frank.

 

 

**** :good:

 

I keep shooting them out of the acorn tree outside my house... and I get a fair few....

 

they just keep comming and comming.. like the energiser bunny... ahhhhhhh

 

oh well.

 

I never seen a red in this country.. and would love to.... but Id be so lucky I think.

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This was in the English Sunday papers a few months ago, perhaps things take a while to filter to Scotland. :good:

 

I have never seen a red squirrel in England and I wonder when they were last here in any numbers.

According to the Forestry Commission website, the majority are in Cumbria.

 

They eat the same as grey squirrels, live the same as grey squirrels, look the same as grey squirrels (except they are red), so why should we protect them from the grey squirrel ?

Just because they are rare and English ? :)

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This was in the English Sunday papers a few months ago, perhaps things take a while to filter to Scotland. :good:

 

I have never seen a red squirrel in England and I wonder when they were last here in any numbers.

According to the Forestry Commission website, the majority are in Cumbria.

 

They eat the same as grey squirrels, live the same as grey squirrels, look the same as grey squirrels (except they are red), so why should we protect them from the grey squirrel ?

Just because they are rare and English ? :)

 

 

Cranfield, as far as I know (and that's not a lot) Grays do a lot more damage to saplings and other young plants than Reds do.

 

Apart from the Lake District they can also be found at Formby Above Liverpool and of course on Brownsea Island in Dorset.

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I voted yes purely on the fact that they are here to stay, you can say any different.

 

However, if the vote had been should we be called to arms to radically reduce the numbers of the grey I would have voted yes.

 

As a child we used to see the odd Red and there was also a good population of them at Kew gardens. But the last time I spied one must be some 20 years ago.

 

The grey has all but wiped out our Red and does much damage to woodland etc. call to arms....absolutely. :good:

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how many times have we heard 'kill all the greys' poisen them..... blah blah blah

 

wont work, too many, us shooters simply make a small dent in their population. Nothing too significant.

 

But it's the thought that counts sweeteie :)

We don't want to exterminate them just have a good time shooting them! (Where they are being a pest ofcourse :good: )

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My log says I have shot 133 squirrels :good:

 

But I still voted 'I have no idea' as to be honest I dont. They are all just as destructive, the only differance is their colour. Sure it would be nice to have original reds back, but its a little too late, and when I hunt greys I dont think of removing them because they are grey and dont belong here.. if there were too many reds and no greys, im sure we would have to shoot them too.. if you see what I mean. Im not hunting greys in hate because they took over..

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We shoot greys on sight and the new 20 bore is proving to be a very efficent squirrel bashing weapon. Dad particularly enjoyed walking up behind me when I had the air rifle waiting for the squirrel walking along the fence with a walnut in it's gob to stand still, and blasting him with the 20 bore. Just like the one by the duck pen, and the one I recently shot 5m away with 1/2 choke and 28g of 6's. :lol: I could see him in the field 25m away and I crept up behind the thing we cut logs on when he started running in my direction with an walnut in its mouth and onto the fence. I didn't let him get any closer. :lol: Our trapping campain is very effective as well and accounts for many by our bird feeders. :)

 

I currently have 2 young ones in the freezer for when I'm bold and hungry enough to try one. :good:

 

FM :lol:

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. They are all just as destructive, the only differance is their colour.

 

I'm not sure but I belive the reds are not as destructive to trees and other wildlife. The grey is bigger and more agressive than the red that much I do know but I'm sure the reds are kinder to the enviroment :good:

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