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Squirrel repopulation


stuartyboy
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I was asked to remove a 'couple' of squirrels from a garden that were causing problems. I've now caught nearly 2 dozen this month and the householder is still seeing more and catching every day.

I appreciate that as the saying goes 'nature abhors a vacuum', but how many squirrels can you catch before you notice a reduction in their population. There's no vast forestry around, just gardens and parks in an urban setting. It makes you wonder if you're p**sing against the wind though I would like to think the song birds will be grateful in the spring

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I was asked to remove a 'couple' of squirrels from a garden that were causing problems. I've now caught nearly 2 dozen this month and the householder is still seeing more and catching every day.

I appreciate that as the saying goes 'nature abhors a vacuum', but how many squirrels can you catch before you notice a reduction in their population. There's no vast forestry around, just gardens and parks in an urban setting. It makes you wonder if you're p**sing against the wind though I would like to think the song birds will be grateful in the spring

 

Is someone letting em out the back door ?

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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 !

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Thanks for your replies guys. Yeah, intend to keep trapping and shooting them for as long as I can. Would like to think that even though they soon migrate back in, its x amount of squirrels less in the area to predate the song birds. With any luck, someone may also be controlling them elsewhere locally

Suburban shooter: that's some amount of shooting. Is that from one site or from several? Keep up the good work! I never knew urban tree rats bred all year round either, suppose there is plenty of food and shelter for them.

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Consider your area a “sump”. Grey Squirrels will keep coming from a great distance, probably 1km radius.

You are therefore thinning out a large patch.

Keep it up and you will see the average weight drop, which will show you are dealing with younger Squirrels as you have removed the older larger ones.

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Haven't had a squirrel in my garden for over a week now, I find shooting and trapping, which has just been catching rats lately gets me a lull before others come and find the bird food.

 

I don't think we'll ever completely get rid of greys but knocking them back has got to help, I'm hoping for a lot more song birds come spring as there are plenty of squirrels that won't be breeding and eating eggs around my garden, every little but has got to help.

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i live just 200 yards from local woodland,that has a large grey population,,,have made feeders to fisheruks spec,,but still cant get them to visit,shot 2 early this year havent seen another one in the garden since,but see them,on the playing field outside collecting hazels.dont know how to lure them in,,,but go just 3 miles to a perm,where i shoot them every winter.any advice how to get them.

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High mate, The ones in my garden like the fat balls, suet blocks and sunflower seeds, they don't seem to bother with the nuts I have out, just put the fat balls or suet in a position that suits the birds and your shooting position.

 

If you build it, they will come.

 

I put the fat balls and suet candle in a cage feeder, the squirrels very kindly then hang onto it.

Edited by Mice!
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Over 150 now from a ten acre wood in three years and still they keep coming. Every time I drive down lanes around where I live these tree rats are darting across the road. I was returning from a barn pigeon foray last week up a narrow lane and saw a flash of white on the verge ahead. I could see a brown 'lump' in the grass which suddenly sprang large wings and a buzzard lifted off. I stopped and could see a tree rat neatly spread out on it's back ready to be consumed. Enemy No.1 for me.

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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.

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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 !

 

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