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squirrel control


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Yes, I use GameKeep powder and have a cement mixer so throw a bag of maize in that with a few handfuls of peanuts, pour half a bottle of cheapest kitchen oil on it and mix, then throw in a scoop of GameKeep and mix again. The oil helps the powder stick to the maize.  They are not put off by dead friends and more than often will come up and attack them.

Lots of activity started here as well.

Edited by Walker570
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The one flip top I have on a pear tree by a pond is a 60yrd shot across a field from a high seat. Yes, I have shot  a fair few with both the 17hmr and 22RF but I wondered if I could get a hide in closer for the air rifle as there are well used footpaths close by, so this lunchtime I went to have a look and on arrival there was a tree rat feeding on the flip top . It looked annoyed at being disturbed. I didn't have a gun with me just tools to adjust the feeder and make room for a hide in the vegitation about 10yrds away.  That done I went back home and collected some hide stakes and camo netting and in return a tree rat was on the feeder which I had moved around to a different position.  I started to put up the hide and it stayed there and only when I threw the camo net over the frame did it react but only jumped on top of the feeder and swore at me flicking it,s tail. I completed the job setting up for tomorrow morning and walked away and it was still there.  It may need a little more than an Anadin tomorrow morning.  I saw the farmer and now have permission to move an IBC hide there when they next cut the silage.  The fliptop had been 3/4 emptied in two days so a few of his family may also join him.

Full report tomorrow.

Edited by Walker570
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In a situation like Walker570 describes above I find a Bush hide from Bushwear very useful. They are a comfy camping chair with a built in hide which folds over. The lot comes in a bag with a sling and weighs about 11 lbs.  Takes literally seconds to set up. I have never used mine for squirrels but you can set one up in the open and deer/foxes take no notice whatever. I have even had a sparrow hawk perch on the roof.

I have no connection with this company.

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Yes, I have also looked at one of those but fortunately I have good relations with all of my landowners and as long as what I put up doesn't interfere with farming operations I can do much as I wish.

Set a very rough pigeon pole hide up yesterday afternoon as mentioned and crept in there at 7am this morning ..walked out at 9am having tidied up six tree rats. This definitely a good spot for an IBC hide and as soon as the next silage cut is done I will have one down there.  10yrds safe background so all head shots and within a few months the natural herbage will envelope anyhting I put there.  Being lucky enough to put up permanent hides makes it so easy to just slip in quietly and set up.  IBCs make superb hides and just cutting and lifting the top of the plastic container makes them weather proof.

Very succesful morning and the old AA S200 popped a few heads as usual.

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Only four there I know. Two bounced into the pond behind the pear tree.

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On site by 06.45 today. 1st candidate at 07.15. An old boar. Next a lactating sow followed by 1 that flipped into the brambles. Next 3 more old boars followed by an old sow which was in superb condition. Nothing after 10.45. Home for mid day.

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Sitting out by 06.30 today, first customer at 07.15 went into the brambles. second customer followed into the brambles at 07.45. 

Message from the GK at 08.00 to redeploy to the farm where the animal feed is stored as it's under constant attack by corvids fouling the feed stock. Nothing seemed to put them off.

Greeted on site by about 50 roosting/raiding and 200 flying around getting up courage to come in.. All i had with me was the AA S200. But you do what you can?

A position at the back of a barn gave me a 40 yd shot at 3 with a metal roof backstop. A touch of hold over and 1 dropped like a stone, upper chest shot. The others using their in built radar were gone in 30 seconds not to return for 40 minutes or so. Decision, back to the squirrels.

Heavy rain on arrival, thinking wrong decision when 3 kitts bounced around as they do. Headed to my dark corner tree to wait it out. 45 minutes later another customer a really good looking sow followed 10 minutes by and old boar.

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43 minutes ago, ratchers said:

Out this morning where I shot three last week so wasn't expecting anything but a young female juvenile duly obliged.

Well done, I will have been house bound for two weeks come Friday as my kids had to isolate again,  I was on for a bumper month as well.

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And still they keep coming. This morning within 15 minutes I had 3 off a woodland feeder. First one came along and straight onto the feeder, where I have changed to peanuts in competition with the natural Beech mast. 10 minutes later another two arrived and the dominant male went straight to the feeder. A youngster tried to get on but the mature male chased it off. Back on the feeder and it dived in for a nut. Sitting up nicely for the shot when I saw the other one about 2 metres up above the feeder. One shot and the big male dropped off stone dead, not even a twitch. Not 10 seconds later the youngster was on the feeder platform. Quick and silent reload and the third fell to the ground. There are more about but I had to leave for work.

 

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I've sort of been out, yesterday afternoon and this morning was spent filling feeders, bringing a feeder home for TLC, the bracken was chest high so I'm done going up there till winter, too warm and too much cover.

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Looks really bad, but it's just the thin ply lids, mixture of chewing and weather.

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The 18mm ply looks fine, might have a design tweak. 

The feeder I moved two weeks ago was empty which is a good sign, I'll add another smaller feeder here and a camera see what shows up.

Another feeder empty,  so topped up and put a camera up. 

Last feeder was just about empty, all the good stuff was gone, quick look at the camera and I've got two thousand hits!! A third videos, so the lap top is going on later.

I put out a fair amount of food so I'm confident there are plenty of squirrels still coming,  if it hadn't been for losing two weeks shooting I'd have had an amazing month I'm sure, but I still took 25 without a blank session.

 

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Was looking forward to going out shooting this morning but it was raining, where did that come from as it was not forecast.

Did some work until about 10 and it dried up so back to plan A. Got settled in and could see the feeder had gone down so was hopeful and after about an hour a grey duly appeared, got lined up and missed!! drat it, only 20 yards and no score. Waited and the lure of the peanuts dragged it back and I missed again. Zero must be off I thought so I lined up on a tree knot the same distance away and bang right on, nothing wrong with zero so thought back to what I had done and played it through my head and realised I had the moderator resting on the camo net, it must have been putting slight pressure on the barrel but enought to put the accuracy off, a novice error really, thank goodness I didn't wing it but missed completely. It started raining and I wasn't expecting it to come back but it must have been really hungry but it was very fidgetty and took a long time to settle and the rain was coming down like stair rods so bad it soaked me in minutes. It was worth it though as this time I made no mistake.

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I never rest my big rifle barrels or the gun itself on a hard surface to shoot BUT I did a little experiment with my AA S200 .22 air rifle and shot a series of shots...about twenty resting the mod, the barrel the air chamber the stock on a wooden frame of the cabin I was in and it made absolutely no difference to fall of shot at 20yrds. The experts on here will no doubt have a reason/explanation. Is it because the air rifle does not build up sufficient twisting effect on the barrel or just because it does not recoil as much so doesn't bounce?

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A Saturday outing best forgotten?

Stared off in drizzle, periods of sharp rain when the best option was to use the gun bag to keep the knees reasonably dryish. 

Not a squirrel to be seen despite the feeders being totally empty?

A wash out on the crow situation too again. A dog walker with a demented spaniel repeatedly walking on a crossing footpath and farmyard activity like Piccadilly Circus.

Hopefully better next time.

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37 minutes ago, ratchers said:

Hope you got a back door to get in, wouldn't fancy diving in through the front window!

Seriously, great set up, only jealous.

Cheers , yes it’s got a back door , made up from 5 pallets and a tarpaulin 

Edited by sam triple
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