Jump to content

squirrel control


Mice!
 Share

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 3.5k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted Images

42 minutes ago, ditchman said:

41 pages of squirrell exercuting............there is an aweful lot of hate out there...becareful folks...

Says the man who wrote a self help book on mole molestation! 😂😂😂

Mice thanks for the photos, perhaps it was only me that couldn’t see them- you certainly have some big beggars there! Putting a Perspex lid might help keep the mice out 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

59 minutes ago, Sciurus said:

Mice thanks for the photos, perhaps it was only me that couldn’t see them- you certainly have some big beggars there! Putting a Perspex lid might help keep the mice out 

I left them open hoping to speed up the squirrels coming for a free feed, and with bird seed at £4 for 12.5kg I don't mind, but I'm sure its the birds eating most of it, two coming down tomorrow or Tuesday I'll see how I get on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@ditchmanyou had best look away mate!!

Rather an enjoyable day for me today, I normally go after work in the morning and have a few hours knowing I have to get to bed, been a while since I've been able to wander at my leisure. 

And today my plan came together,  I got on the M6 and it was awful but the weather said it was nice where I was heading,  and it was! It was a beautiful day,  no wind, no fog, no people. 

On site for 11:15 after the leisurely start and a squirrel in view straight away,  but it vanished on me, I'd tried getting hold of a thermal for today but left it too late in the week, the squirrel could have been looking straight at me but I couldn't find it, then a squirrel appeared further down the tree line and did the 100 yard dash but only went to a group of 4 or 5 trees, big mistake I followed it, found it and shot it, 1 down.

Moved along around the perimeter and two went up beech trees, I found one, hit it but it didn't drop, they were big big trees and it may have gone into a crevice high up.

I carried on and came across a fella walking a lurcher,  looked a nice dog, but he shouldn't have been there and he went off back to the footpath.

I went on up the hill to feeder 3, there was a squirrel on the deck but it went off up the pine and simply vanished? I couldn't see any movement but I could see another squirrel on feeder two further over so I headed that way,  it was head down bum up feeding happily,  I got up behind it but had no shot, I had to move around to get an angle but it was still head down showing me its rear, I squeaked, clicked and squeaked some more but had to wait, I didn't want it to bolt, head came up and PFFT whack squirrel down, and he was HUGE, #2

Made my way back to the buggy and saw a flash of grey going away from me, made my way towards it and waited,  it drops away sharply and I was wondering has it gone down the hill or into the scrub? It popped up on the lip of the hill, maybe 10 yards, luckily I was ready on the sticks looking straight at it, PFFT whack #3

I had a good look around but didn't see much around,  there might have been some in the cover but nothing on the move.

Carried on around the perimeter thanks to the buggy and spotted another sat up in an oak, didn't seem concerned at all, I'd parked and walked over to look when I spotted it,  down on one knee PFFT whack crash #4

I was certainly happy at this point, one off a feeder, one from above, one off the deck and a really nice shot off the knee, I headed back to the car for something to eat and realised it was 3pm.

I had another slope off from feeder 1, 3 times it happened today, it was on the ground each time and I'd not spotted it, that one got lucky today.

Had some food and thought I'll just have another quick look round, and got number 5, its happened a few times driving round squirrels have appeared but on the wrong side, this time I saw it going up a pine but it stopped, small gap through the twigs, (make a triangle with your index finger and thumb) showed enough and I managed to thread a pellet through Whack thump crash, shot from the buggy.

A really good day equaling my best days shooting,  love it when a plan comes together. 

20201128_180359.jpg.352d61ed7ef89cddaa73f62dcfdc2603.jpg

Size comparison,  between a huge buck and probably one of this years females

20201128_180416.jpg.1ceefcb0adfcea07218621e398f20aaa.jpg

@Sciurus pictures done properly 😉

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mice. May I just ask what is the buggy your using looks good with box etc?

 Also nice r10 I like mine good length for in a hide  or walking about ,And just to ask all really do you feed wheat ,bird seed ,peanuts monkey nuts, maize in feeders I find I start of with wheat with a little anerseed mix and if plenty of activity then go to peanuts for the big one 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, Mice! said:

@ditchmanyou had best look away mate!!

Rather an enjoyable day for me today, I normally go after work in the morning and have a few hours knowing I have to get to bed, been a while since I've been able to wander at my leisure. 

And today my plan came together,  I got on the M6 and it was awful but the weather said it was nice where I was heading,  and it was! It was a beautiful day,  no wind, no fog, no people. 

On site for 11:15 after the leisurely start and a squirrel in view straight away,  but it vanished on me, I'd tried getting hold of a thermal for today but left it too late in the week, the squirrel could have been looking straight at me but I couldn't find it, then a squirrel appeared further down the tree line and did the 100 yard dash but only went to a group of 4 or 5 trees, big mistake I followed it, found it and shot it, 1 down.

Moved along around the perimeter and two went up beech trees, I found one, hit it but it didn't drop, they were big big trees and it may have gone into a crevice high up.

I carried on and came across a fella walking a lurcher,  looked a nice dog, but he shouldn't have been there and he went off back to the footpath.

I went on up the hill to feeder 3, there was a squirrel on the deck but it went off up the pine and simply vanished? I couldn't see any movement but I could see another squirrel on feeder two further over so I headed that way,  it was head down bum up feeding happily,  I got up behind it but had no shot, I had to move around to get an angle but it was still head down showing me its rear, I squeaked, clicked and squeaked some more but had to wait, I didn't want it to bolt, head came up and PFFT whack squirrel down, and he was HUGE, #2

Made my way back to the buggy and saw a flash of grey going away from me, made my way towards it and waited,  it drops away sharply and I was wondering has it gone down the hill or into the scrub? It popped up on the lip of the hill, maybe 10 yards, luckily I was ready on the sticks looking straight at it, PFFT whack #3

I had a good look around but didn't see much around,  there might have been some in the cover but nothing on the move.

Carried on around the perimeter thanks to the buggy and spotted another sat up in an oak, didn't seem concerned at all, I'd parked and walked over to look when I spotted it,  down on one knee PFFT whack crash #4

I was certainly happy at this point, one off a feeder, one from above, one off the deck and a really nice shot off the knee, I headed back to the car for something to eat and realised it was 3pm.

I had another slope off from feeder 1, 3 times it happened today, it was on the ground each time and I'd not spotted it, that one got lucky today.

Had some food and thought I'll just have another quick look round, and got number 5, its happened a few times driving round squirrels have appeared but on the wrong side, this time I saw it going up a pine but it stopped, small gap through the twigs, (make a triangle with your index finger and thumb) showed enough and I managed to thread a pellet through Whack thump crash, shot from the buggy.

A really good day equaling my best days shooting,  love it when a plan comes together. 

20201128_180359.jpg.352d61ed7ef89cddaa73f62dcfdc2603.jpg

Size comparison,  between a huge buck and probably one of this years females

20201128_180416.jpg.1ceefcb0adfcea07218621e398f20aaa.jpg

@Sciurus pictures done properly 😉

 

Well done, a good day out indeed before the golfers return next week 😳👍

Edited by Fisheruk
Link to comment
Share on other sites

57 minutes ago, Morkin said:

Mice. May I just ask what is the buggy your using looks good with box etc?

 Also nice r10 I like mine good length for in a hide  or walking about ,And just to ask all really do you feed wheat ,bird seed ,peanuts monkey nuts, maize in feeders I find I start of with wheat with a little anerseed mix and if plenty of activity then go to peanuts for the big one 

Morning mate, I had access to a golf course for the month while it was closed and they let me use a buggy,  shooting in style 😃

I just used bird seed on here with added sunflowers,  given the numbers around I thought they would be straight on it but it's taken them a month to start on them really. 

Normally I mix nuts, sunflowers and use chicken feed which I've been having good success with. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Golf - the ruination of a good walk! -Oscar Wilde

Great report Mice and now doing it in style with a buggy. Got to get them while you can. The photos come out well now thanks.

My Saturday was a little different, back to the Estate at the start of the red zone and where there is zero tolerance for greys.

We started in the gardens where we are allowed to shoot during the lockdown as there were no guests or campers. It was so cold the trees were warmer than the ambient temperature and the Pulsar thermal wasn’t much  use. Luckily the first grey was spotted running along a branch on a solitary oak. Surrounding the tree my pal, had it down with 2 shots of his .410.

Further on , I spot one with the thermal at the base of a giant hemlock, up it ran and I had a shot as it passed into the adjacent hemlock, but missed. The Mossberg .410 has a full choke (that’s my excuse). We couldn’t see where it went, so will go back for it in a few days.

Up into the woodland, we walked for quarter of a mile, we saw what looked like a black stoat running in the leaves and over fallen branches. Up it went into a sapling. Out with the binos, and it was a very dark red watching us with interest before disappearing.

We walked the full length of the wood without seeing anything else, the sun was now out and warming things up. We returned on a different path and the thermal picked the darkish red in photo one, but we couldn’t get a closer photo.3FDC3FD3-17F5-459B-A71D-5EFD4D3E908A.jpeg.7e2eece7006358afc2371a74c5f3c9ed.jpeg

Another 100 yards further on and the thermal picked up the red in photos 2 & 3 and we could walk within 10 yds before it decided to disappear.

6FCA2ECA-B3B1-4CF9-9435-9C5C6C36F8B7.jpeg.30fb0e05693685f6b0c4dcc5b199c60e.jpeg7105C741-D638-4B86-B8E3-CAD7DAD7C7E0.jpeg.ee22a5e924bcdf359d00b2de99cfec4c.jpeg

So, for the second time at this place, I had seen more reds than greys. The grey in the hemlock is living on borrowed time....

After the statutory stop at Greggs for a bacon butty, we called in at a country house hotel for a quick walk round. We normally use air rifles there but with no guests, we took the .410s. There was nothing doing in the car park, but in the 1st wood a solitary grey was spotted high in a large Beech, I hit it with the first shot and my pal finished it before I could get a second shot.

10yds further on, we were talking and walking, when he suddenly fired into the canopy and down came a plump male. I hadn’t seen a thing but his eyes are 40 years younger than mine.

Into the second wood and my pal was telling me where he had last seen a grey there and he fired again and down came a youngster. Next minute there was lots of shouting and an angry Polish waiter was telling us in no uncertain way that we were poaching and b.....r off. Unfortunately, no one at the hotel had told him we were shooting that day. International relations were quickly resumed and he went back to the living quarters.

A good morning out, 4 greys and 3 reds.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

36 minutes ago, Sciurus said:

We started in the gardens where we are allowed to shoot during the lockdown as there were no guests or campers. It was so cold the trees were warmer than the ambient temperature and the Pulsar thermal wasn’t much  use. Luckily the first grey was spotted running along a branch on a solitary oak. Surrounding the tree my pal, had it down with 2 shots of his .410.

Superb that Pal, IL doesn't have a thermal unfortunately,  I'd have loved to seen where the squirrels were disappearing to but I was very happy with my day,  seeing reds would have made it fantastic. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Mice! said:

Superb that Pal, IL doesn't have a thermal unfortunately,  I'd have loved to seen where the squirrels were disappearing to but I was very happy with my day,  seeing reds would have made it fantastic. 

I must admit I thought there was a thermal somewhere in the Rusland area. These misty mornings are perfect for a thermal. I’ll pm you later.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Morkin and Hatter, on my own patch, I rarely see reds, but we are working hard to create the right conditions for the reds to return naturally. At this new permission (for me), it is the start of the grey free zone, there are 3 red squirrel organisations busy controlling greys around the area, mostly by shooting and the Estate and local householders trap. The system works well.

Keep on wacking them, you are doing the local wildlife a favour.

7.55 this morning, I couldn’t lie in bed any longer, I got up,  dressed, ignored the complaints from under the duvet and by 8.05, I had parked up and was heading into the copse at my local park where I had a date with a grey that had avoided my attention last week.

It is only a small copse and just like last week, I quickly spotted the grey with the thermal hugging a trunk as I was stood in the open and just as the dog walkers arrived by car and foot.

Into the trees and it had disappeared, a few minutes later I spotted it in a fork, fairly close to me but no back stop. It moved a few feet but turned its back to me, so no shot. A few moments later it moved another couple of feet and looked me in the eye. That’s all it took, pssst, slap, it fell like a bag of spuds, then thud! I got up quickly to retrieve it before it rolled down the slope onto path. Just then a dog walker came round the corner, I had left the air rifle behind and I am standing in the open pretending to be a bird watcher whilst desperately trying the spot the corpse in the grass but it had gone! I mumbled a quick ‘morning’ to the dog walker as he passed then  THUD, the squirrel fell out of the sky and missed me by inches! Obviously it had hit a branch below when I had shot it and clung on for minute whilst I was looking for it!

713A453C-4859-47BA-81E2-EE9FBCF71CE7.jpeg.e37c9afe16d19ee81b379fac0e882cd4.jpeg

A large male, I think that’s the last one in this copse for a while.

8.40, I was home, having my breakfast.

Tomorrow, it’s .410 time- none of this skulking about!😂

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Sciurus said:

7.55 this morning, I couldn’t lie in bed any longer, I got up,  dressed, ignored the complaints from under the duvet and by 8.05, I had parked up and was heading into the copse at my local park where I had a date with a grey that had avoided my attention last week.

Up and out in ten minutes!! Do you sleep dressed 😅😅

The early bird got the squirrel well done mate👍

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, Fisheruk said:

 

On the farm where I am living in Wales at the moment I haven’t seen a squirrel for a week, 3 Feeders up an none been used this week.

I think I’ve cleared them out.

That’s because I heard that they have all moved up to Preston, while you are away! 😇😇😇

7 hours ago, Mice! said:

Up and out in ten minutes!! Do you sleep dressed 😅😅

The early bird got the squirrel well done mate👍

It’s true! Because of lockdown, I have been out squirrelling nearly every day. If I haven’t got up for a pre arranged shoot, I can lie in, look at the weather and decide just to go. My shooting clothes are in a neat pile on the floor ready for action. My pellets,  binos and priest are in my coat hanging on the backdoor. The air rifle is kept in a rucksack type gun bag, just grab the thermal and I am off. No traffic or car parking problems, I have 4 permissions within 1 mile. Breakfast and a cuppa upon my return.

It will be different when the tourists return this week.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I forced myself to go out this afternoon, it was a wet miserable day so thought I could go and put up a camera and have a play with the thermal, food is flying out of the feeder but I'm not seeing any squirrels.
I had a mooch about, spotted the deer which I never would have without the thermal given where they were, watched the songbirds moving around the scrub, but in bad light its surprising how hard it is to find what the thermal shows, I spent ages trying to work out where a robin was despite its serious glow, I haven't changed any settings.
I stayed in the wood long enough to watch the pigeons coming into roost, which was another opportunity to see how things looked in the tree tops, no squirrels showed but it was better than watching the telly all afternoon.

I'm half expecting to see the deer on there hind legs with there heads in the feeder, but I'll know Thursday.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Mice! said:

I forced myself to go out this afternoon, it was a wet miserable day so thought I could go and put up a camera and have a play with the thermal, food is flying out of the feeder but I'm not seeing any squirrels.
I had a mooch about, spotted the deer which I never would have without the thermal given where they were, watched the songbirds moving around the scrub, but in bad light its surprising how hard it is to find what the thermal shows, I spent ages trying to work out where a robin was despite its serious glow, I haven't changed any settings.
I stayed in the wood long enough to watch the pigeons coming into roost, which was another opportunity to see how things looked in the tree tops, no squirrels showed but it was better than watching the telly all afternoon.

I'm half expecting to see the deer on there hind legs with there heads in the feeder, but I'll know Thursday.

It’ll be interesting to see what’s eating your feed. My feeders are still hardly being touched here in Wales. Still a lot of natural food.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

57 minutes ago, Fisheruk said:

It’ll be interesting to see what’s eating your feed. My feeders are still hardly being touched here in Wales. Still a lot of natural food.

Probably 5kg gone since last wed/Thursday but thankfully it is just cheap bird seed, I'm not expecting it to be squirrels but we will see, I can guarantee the golf course feeders are empty and the other feeder which has never been chewed had been last week.

Hopefully the rain goes away and I can start finding out what's going on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, powler said:

I once had a feeder near a brook and a busy little rat spent every night going back and forth to the feeder until it was empty, it wasn't a massive feeder probably only held about a sugar bag of feed but this little guy emptied it.

Happily no rats on camera,  just squirrels and a few mice!

So I waited and watched again this morning, overcast and still, no rain I'm having it.
Arrived at 8am and made my way into the wood and settled in to wait, one squirrel had already gone over me, like it was on red bull!

Sat watching the birds still surprised at how open things are now the leaves have gone when the wrong quarry turns up and sits perfectly still:facepalm:

20201210_173853.jpg.1cd4d0b66f803b12b20d9c1105ee8644.jpg
Watching him strut around I heard something to my left, look round and in the same spot as last week at bayonet range is a squirrel giving me a funny look, I started to turn but this one was off, zig zagging like it had been trained.

I'm thinking great one chance and I've fluffed it, but maybe 10 minutes later there is a squirrel behind the feeder tree, or two, maybe three playing chase me, they just appeared :eek: up down and around they went, no real interest in the feeder just each other, one made the mistake of pausing going up a trunk with another trunk behind him, looking through the holly I found a gap Pfft whack and the others vanish.

One came back mooching along but never gave a shot then wandered off, so I added some metal to the feeder as they've recently started chewing this feeder in strange places, it's like they have forgotten how to lift the lid.

20201210_173920.jpg.49133db6298c15ce53dc3fba345fd7d1.jpg

So then I decided to go and get my camera, went into the wood gun ready but not expecting much, it was very quiet, few tits calling, the wrens and Robin's busy in the cover, I had a quick walk through but nothing moved not even a pigeon.

I went back to the camera and feeder, half hoping a squirrel might have shown up, turns out from looking at the pictures and video they had been there most of the morning and had left 30 minutes earlier, having been there all morning and the day before, a pair there together enjoying the free food and spilling it about to feed the other locals which are various tits, blackbirds, magpies, robins some mice which you can see moving around on the ground and the tree, didn't get the stoat unfortunately.

Well played squirrels but I know your there, and I'll be back, I need to sleep but I can put traps out!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well was out this morning and it turned out be be a bit of squirrel surprise.

Was out at the sydicates wood and positioned myself behind a oak waiting for said greys as I had seen them in this vicinity before. About an hour had gone by with no squirrels but had I had got a pigeon when I heard claws on bark going very fast,looked around to see a squirrel running towards me and stopping in a holly bush four feet away! at the same time there was a whoosh and a buzzard landed on a branch ten feet away, scared the squirrel silly, it sat there barking quietly at the buzzard, now I think the buzzard had spotted the dead pigeon and was coming in for it when the squirrel bolted. I sat watching both for a good few minutes until the buzzard flapped off,minus any prey(think it must have seen me),the big brave squirrel then and came and sat on a branch at eye level still only four feet away, cos I hadn't moved, it hadn't seen me, when I did move, boy did that squirrel shift, might have got it with a 410 but only had my hw100.

That wasn't the end of the fun, I decided to go for a mooch round, there's a compound with mesh link fencing and as I was going up along one edge a grey popped up in front of me and went through the fence, it ran twenty yards across the corner to the other fence and tried to wriggle through, I thought my luck was in as it got stuck and as I was just about to get the gun up when it got through.

So although I never got any greys it was an eventful day which was great, topped off by seeing deer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...