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squirrel control


Mice!
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22 hours ago, Martlandhw100 said:

Nice shooting mate good result there 👍

 

1 hour ago, Ttfjlc said:

well done mate another good result for your efforts 👍

Cheers lads

9 hours ago, Sciurus said:

Mice, a good morning out indeed. Which perm was this at?

That was the golf course mate, been quiet then boom.

Out again this morning,  had another three, from big wood but I stayed low down today, there were two on the feeder when I arrived but they soon came back.

The interesting thing was the other squirrels that were about,  I saw at least 4 or 5 others, playing chase or in the tree tops on the leaves, its been quiet here but the leaves giving cover seem to have brought them back.

I big male, big mature female and a female kit, all had ticks.

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Well I have a flip top set on a new patch literally just walking distance from home but on the opposite side of the village and the owners are just fed up to the teeth with tree rats raiding their bird feeders and my occasional help here was biking up to the village this morning and three ran up the road infront of him into the property I am about to investigate,

Flip top and food on the ground been up now since Monday so will have a look tomorrow to see if they have found it and set another on the opposite side of the property which bounds a long slingy mature bit of wood and a 10 acre oak wood in the otehr direction a few minute run for a tree rat. Hope I am not being over optamistic but think I could be in double figures very quickly. Been itching to get over this side of the village for years.

Photos and report over the weekend.

 

 

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On 02/06/2021 at 15:54, Mice! said:

My morning went like this..

20210602_101650.jpg.dcfbc9edaea9646b38090fb3c117c2b1.jpg

The first took 35 minutes to arrive once I was set up, then took an age to settle,  it was feeding head down but just eating bits, it finally sat up nice.

Number two, ten minutes later went straight up onto the feeder, lifted the lid a sat up nice.

Number three, 30 ish minutes later came the same way as 1&2 along the ground but was cautious, messed with bits of food on the ground then hopped up to the feeder and sat up nice.

Number four came down a tree maybe ten metres in front of me, I was about to pack up, didn't move a muscle,  it had a good sniff of #3 before mooching around,  I took the shot on the ground but it moved and I missed!! But it wasn't alarmed,  just turned in a circle and hopped up onto the feeder before,  you guessed it sitting up nice. That tells me the gun is quiet.

I was about to pack up again but had a look about first and coming through the trees high up behind my left shoulder was number five, not sure if it clocked me, it messed around some through the trees before disappearing. 

I was still looking around high up when I look down and there is a squirrel on the deck, I'm guessing it was the same squirrel and had come in on the ground from the right.

It was back and forth scratching about in the leaves and I didn't expect it to go to the feeder but it did, Pfft whack crack, all five squirrels were in exactly the same place sat on the feeder, all five nose dived off the feeder, flipped about before stopping after maybe 3 seconds,  nothing for a few weeks then five show up, I'm wondering if it being cooler where I am helped this week?

2 mature males 3 females no kits.

With the exception of a magpie which tempted me the only birds at the feeder this morning were Nuthatch's,  two hours straight Nuthatch after Nuthatch, pigeons above me and a Tawny owl calling all morning. 

20210526_203335.jpg.2fda1afb26940b6f398db08c3f784ee9.jpg

It's a good job I moved that branch 😄

Superb K

One has to admire your dedication. 👍

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34 minutes ago, 7daysinaweek said:

Superb K

One has to admire your dedication. 👍

That's why there are still reds in the Lakes mate, lots of people doing the same, I'm on 63 so far this year, not a massive number compared to what others will get in different areas,  but I can see the effect on the birds in the woods I'm in.

And those 63 aren't breeding and spreading further north where the reds are, just need the reds to head south 😁

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On 02/06/2021 at 15:54, Mice! said:

My morning went like this..

20210602_101650.jpg.dcfbc9edaea9646b38090fb3c117c2b1.jpg

The first took 35 minutes to arrive once I was set up, then took an age to settle,  it was feeding head down but just eating bits, it finally sat up nice.

Number two, ten minutes later went straight up onto the feeder, lifted the lid a sat up nice.

Number three, 30 ish minutes later came the same way as 1&2 along the ground but was cautious, messed with bits of food on the ground then hopped up to the feeder and sat up nice.

Number four came down a tree maybe ten metres in front of me, I was about to pack up, didn't move a muscle,  it had a good sniff of #3 before mooching around,  I took the shot on the ground but it moved and I missed!! But it wasn't alarmed,  just turned in a circle and hopped up onto the feeder before,  you guessed it sitting up nice. That tells me the gun is quiet.

I was about to pack up again but had a look about first and coming through the trees high up behind my left shoulder was number five, not sure if it clocked me, it messed around some through the trees before disappearing. 

I was still looking around high up when I look down and there is a squirrel on the deck, I'm guessing it was the same squirrel and had come in on the ground from the right.

It was back and forth scratching about in the leaves and I didn't expect it to go to the feeder but it did, Pfft whack crack, all five squirrels were in exactly the same place sat on the feeder, all five nose dived off the feeder, flipped about before stopping after maybe 3 seconds,  nothing for a few weeks then five show up, I'm wondering if it being cooler where I am helped this week?

2 mature males 3 females no kits.

With the exception of a magpie which tempted me the only birds at the feeder this morning were Nuthatch's,  two hours straight Nuthatch after Nuthatch, pigeons above me and a Tawny owl calling all morning. 

20210526_203335.jpg.2fda1afb26940b6f398db08c3f784ee9.jpg

It's a good job I moved that branch 😄

Very nice!

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Yesterday was kitt day. 4 kitts came over 75 yards of open ground to the woodland edge by the feeder. Only 1 stopped,the others ignored the feeders and went straight to the tree tops not to he seen again.

Given instruction to move location as birds going in pen this weekend, bit of a faff to find another suitable location first off. At least the feeders up to hopefully draw some in whilst I look around further.

^6 cucks from a cuckoo, first this year followed by a Mistle thrush on the grassland, the first for years.

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10 minutes ago, old man said:

Given instruction to move location as birds going in pen this weekend, bit of a faff to find another suitable location first off. At least the feeders up to hopefully draw some in whilst I look around further.

At least you can still get on there mate, plenty of folk get kicked off when the birds go in, never understand it when your using an air rifle.

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On 05/06/2021 at 12:10, Mice! said:

At least you can still get on there mate, plenty of folk get kicked off when the birds go in, never understand it when your using an air rifle.

Me neither bud, at 1 previous site they used 30-06's for fox control alongside the pens without any effect. for years. 

Not concerned about the move as I will never run out of tree rats here in 50 lifetimes.

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Well in returns I mentioned an escappee. I hadn't a clue at the time how but today had a bit more time to look and decided the squrrel had flattened itself out to slightly less than 1/2 inch and gone around two 90deg turns before managing to squeeze through a 1/1/4 inch gap where we pour in the peanuts. The heavy wire peanut feeding holder was slightly bent making a gap of at most 3/4 inch.  It is still in the wood as I saw it this morning when feeding round.  5am in the morning it is for a surprise.

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Managed to get out this afternoon to the shooting syndicates wood, not my favourite time to shoot but beggars and all that.

I had topped up the hopper type feeder two days previously and it had been empty so was optimistic although this is the feeder that has a clever pheasant that jumps up on to it.

A hot and windy day that took 45 minutes for the first customer, a grey came down the tree to sample the wheat for the last time, a young female. A long time followed until the next bit of action, a crow flew in, not sure if it was after the wheat or the dead squirrel, its on the hit list of the sydicate but was hidden by some foliage and as its was psychic it didn't stay long.

Two hours later just as I was about to pack up, another grey climbs on to the feeder for a last time, a lactating female.

I thought that will do nicely, will just drive up the track and check on the peanut feeder in the same wood and lo and behold, there was a squirrel on it which of course scarpered when I drove up, but its there for next time.

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23 minutes ago, ratchers said:

Managed to get out this afternoon to the shooting syndicates wood, not my favourite time to shoot but beggars and all that.

I had topped up the hopper type feeder two days previously and it had been empty so was optimistic although this is the feeder that has a clever pheasant that jumps up on to it.

A hot and windy day that took 45 minutes for the first customer, a grey came down the tree to sample the wheat for the last time, a young female. A long time followed until the next bit of action, a crow flew in, not sure if it was after the wheat or the dead squirrel, its on the hit list of the sydicate but was hidden by some foliage and as its was psychic it didn't stay long.

Two hours later just as I was about to pack up, another grey climbs on to the feeder for a last time, a lactating female.

I thought that will do nicely, will just drive up the track and check on the peanut feeder in the same wood and lo and behold, there was a squirrel on it which of course scarpered when I drove up, but its there for next time.

Nice work, you did well waiting 2hrs.

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1 hour ago, arjimlad said:

Some great squirrel control going on here. Has anyone had any success with a Primos squirrel call?

 

Only ask because I'm stuck for ideas for a birthday present & the family are asking.. 

I use one sometimes,  its worked occasionally, sometimes it just gets them to sit still long enough for a shot.

 

I tried hard today to blank but avoided it,  there was a squirrel on the feeder again and off it went.

I waited an hour before I saw another squirrel, there was a breeze blowing so everything was moving which was making things hard work, the problem was the squirrel came from a blind spot behind me,  I looked forward and left and it was about three metres away!! Gone, albeit slowly. 

I carried on watching,  saw my first Stock Dove, watched the voles and mice, the song birds were thin on the ground today just blue tits and coal tits, then a pair of Chaffinches. 

20210608_152536.jpg.7fb9fbef5bec47fa477c308afde98450.jpg

This little fella was keeping me amused,  I'm sat in and under a Holly bush, it makes it a lot harder to see me, but also makes things other than the feeder hard to spot, there was a squirrel directly in front of me but I hadn't seen it,  it was up and behind the feeder,  it must have seen me because it went off through the trees, I had no shot because of the branches.

After that one had gone I definitely thought I'd blown it for the morning,  a buzzard appeared from through the wood and sat up silently off to the left hand side of the feeder, I just froze and watched, it didn't see me or the crow that came in from behind it hitting it in the head, I'm sure the crows are nesting close by so the buzzard wasn't welcome. 

Probably two hours gone now and time to pack up really,  only problem is there are two squirrels away and behind me, I spent ten minutes stood watching but there a good way behind me and either busy or obscured. 

Then I checked the feeder and there's a squirrel on it?? Two hours then one appears when I'm out of position,  I managed to turn and take a step before dropping it off the feeder, phew I'd avoided the blank,  rolled him over, big buck with plenty of ticks left where he was for the buzzard. 

20210608_152602.jpg.cc04714629ab332188b2b989e5f24ff7.jpg

So pack up and head out, stopped for a look in the Yew tree, the heat source was still there, no one about so I set the sticks and took the gun back out, sat down and the squirrel was high up looking straight at me, quick shot and down she came, immature female that thought she was safe sitting still.

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So I'm chuffed with two seeing as I was thinking I'd blanked,  long morning but plenty going on. 

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4 hours ago, Mice! said:

Then I checked the feeder and there's a squirrel on it?? Two hours then one appears when I'm out of position,  I managed to turn and take a step before dropping it off the feeder, phew I'd avoided the blank,  rolled him over, big buck with plenty of ticks left where he was for the buzzard. 

Just doesn't that always happen!

Patience patience and more patience,I just don't seem to have enought of it.

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38 minutes ago, ratchers said:

Just doesn't that always happen!

Patience patience and more patience,I just don't seem to have enought of it.

I would probably have packed up if I'd got one earlier,  the second squirrel to show up just sat there for however long was a sucker blow, you don't like to not get a shot when they show up, but getting the two was a definite bonus.

I've actually shot more here now than I did last year, but I've spread out into the woods which obviously helps. 

And it's much easier to sit and wait when the weather is nice.

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18 hours ago, arjimlad said:

Some great squirrel control going on here. Has anyone had any success with a Primos squirrel call?

 

Only ask because I'm stuck for ideas for a birthday present & the family are asking.. 

No success with mine.

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