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squirrel control


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4 minutes ago, Walker570 said:

Almost failed on both

Only almost I hope.

I've seen a few posts recently about squirrel damage on crops, I would never have thought they had much of an impact but people are shooting them in the fields.

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11 hours ago, leakyseals said:

Hello everyone.

Ive spent a deal of time lurking on this thread before signing up. Ive recently moved into a semi-rural village, smallish back garden of around 60 m2, bounded by a hawthorn/elder/maple hedge and a massive leylandii hedge that runs along multiple properties. I get a massive variety of wild birds, including a couple of amber-list endangered species...also lots of greys.

The circumstances of my location mean it is extremely difficult to shoot (i shoot inside a large detached garage on the property, but cant shoot openly in the garden) and possible that a grey taking even a fatal hit would still be able to leave the bounds of my property, so my longwinded process is to live-trap, then dispatch and dispose. 

From the 21st to the 30th of June I took 5 of the little darlings; managed 2 weeks free of their attentions then another popped up. Spent 2 weeks trying and failing to take that 'one', finally bagged it this morning at 6:30 and by 8:00 another was at bird-feeders! 

Hopefully, I am making some impact on them; it would be way more efficient if I could shoot openly, but the battle will continue...the magpies are next on the hit-list.   

Everyone counts. Whichever way suits, just keep at ‘em. Don’t forget to post your kill numbers on the other Grey Squirrel thread.

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Great stuff! I knew whatever the weather you would be out there this morning determined to get the Century before month end. Nothing breeds success like determination.🐿👍x100 !!!

I bet you were slip sliding up and down that hill, covered in mud!😂

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9 hours ago, Sciurus said:

Great stuff! I knew whatever the weather you would be out there this morning determined to get the Century before month end. Nothing breeds success like determination.🐿👍x100 !!!

I bet you were slip sliding up and down that hill, covered in mud!😂

Well, I must have checked the weather for Friday morning 50 times over Thursday and resigned myself to not getting out,  imagine my surprise walking out to see dry ground and light cloud? Driving away from work there was even a nice sunrise!!

Well that can mean only one thing, the woods.

I was in the wood for around 615 and as I approached the feeder a squirrel was moving away!! Hopefully it will be back. 

I'd decided to sit in a different position,  looking down and across the feeder rather than up, I struggled to get the sticks at the right height but otherwise the position was good, or so I thought.

I had to kneel up to get the angle right so not ideal, but shortly afterwards I can hear claws on the tree above me,  so I freeze and wait. 

Across the canopy and down the tree, then onto the ground where I couldn't see it clearly,  then up she hopped onto the feeder,  Pfft Whack and roll away,  6:45, straight away the woodpecker and birds were straight back in.

Number 99, I gave it half an hour and nothing else was seen, the rain had started and I wasn't comfy. 

So I moved up the hill a touch to another spot I had looked at, with this view, much better. 

20210730_180741.jpg.f9d5b82d13acd732df4b29a5c1974e0b.jpg

20210730_180756.jpg.e63780f4ce6a0f283dc36ec73dc0982c.jpg

So I'd moved my gear a few metres, been and filled the feeder, it was slightly down and collected #99

20210730_091650.jpg.0e4e2421ea6998f86629e61e2fbe38fe.jpg

I had a sit down to double check things were comfy, thinking I'll pack up at 8,  no sooner had I sat down than the barking started!

I wasn't expecting this, it was above somewhere,  then 5 mins later down the tree it came, twitching and nervous,  it never made the feeder, he paused head down on the tree and waited too long, Pffft Whack flop onto the ground,  not a twitch number 100 was down.

20210730_091634.jpg.154a07a328c1d7f8314d886183858575.jpg

I took 23 from feeder 1 here last year, these two today make 45 this year, I've shot three locations with feeders and picked up a few moving around. I don't doubt there are more around,  there are signs they are starting on the Hazelnuts despite them being small,  but there are certainly less breeding than when I started.

20 squirrels in total for July. 

The added bonus this morning was the Roe buck, he was magnificent,  I spotted him when I went down to collect the second squirrel, I'm wearing dark green and in the gloom and shadows,  I'd looked around with the thermal and couldn't believe I hadn't seen him, once I knew he was there it seemed obvious,  we just watched each other before he started tossing his head and roaring at me, such a surreal sound.

I reached for my phone and realised I'd left it on my gun slip!! Maybe next time. 

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Excellent work.  Yes, I#m \expecting visitors to my wood shortly as the 400 plus hazels are loaded with nuts and I get an influx about now most years. One has been seen in the last 48hrs but not gone in a trap and did not turn up this morning when I was locked and loaded. Better morning tomorrow so good chance he goes on the list.  The golf course I was hoping to get on may be coming up again as the Green Keeper was barracked by a friend for not returning my calls.  He counted 18 running infront has he trimmed some boundary hedges for them. That roe buck is one of the joys of waiting for tree rats. Yesterday in Lincolnshire I must have had anywhere from 40 to 60 dragon flies in the clearing, the air was full.

Another memory.

Edited by Walker570
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59 minutes ago, leakyseals said:

number 7 snagged this morning. Not sure if it was the same as I saw on the 29th, but size is comparable. Mature boar in great condition (barring being damp, bedraggled and dead)

Onwards and upwards.

7.jpg

Slowly does it 👍

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Keep whacking and stacking. Funny thing here in our own wood. My wife has spotted a tree rat twice feasting on the peanuts on one of our tables and at around the same time 07.30 to 07.45.  I have now sat in the cabin overlooking from 0600 to 0800 two mornings and it has not shown.  I think she's on the wacky backy and told her so.  She is now down in the wood every half hour trying to see it again.  Another fanatstic thing again this morning though. I heard jackdaws in the trees above the feeder so put rifle up and had the feeder sighted ready. Saw a flick of movement and a litle wren came through the window, landed on and inspected my scope six inches from my nose, then turned and looked at me , hopped off and continued to search around the window frame totally unperturbed. Another memory in the bank.

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As laborious as my method of squirrel control is, I must admit I enjoy the hours spent waiting for the tree-rats to make their move on my trap; watching and hearing everything come to life around me of a morning is wonderful.

Pests notwithstanding, the variety of wildlife I see here is great. Some are daily visitors, some seasonal, others have been one-offs. I started a list as soon as I moved in nearly a year ago...

Garden visitors up to 31/07/2021

wood pigeon; rock dove (pair); white dove (pair); collared dove
starling
red kite (x2)
magpie; jackdaw; rook
black bird; song thrush (x1)
robin
blue tit; great tit (occasional); coal tit; long tail tit
bull finch; chaffinch; gold finch
gold crest (x1)
siskin
wren (x2)
tree sparrow
dunnock
nuthatch (x1)
blackcap warbler (x5) 
pied wagtail

Grey squirrel (7 x KIA @31/07/2021)
brown rat (x1)
field mouse
hedgehog

bats (unknown species)

 

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Brilliant.

 

I set up a new flip top position only yesterday and put a camera on it . Went to swop cameras over this morning and a tree rat jumped of the feeder and ran up the tree. At least two different ones seen on the camera so looks like this spot could result in one or two ib the next week or so. Once the farm have graded the sirroundins of a new cow shed extension I can put up a box high seat which covers this flip top and the yard for maggies etc.

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11 hours ago, leakyseals said:

As laborious as my method of squirrel control is, I must admit I enjoy the hours spent waiting for the tree-rats to make their move on my trap; watching and hearing everything come to life around me of a morning is wonderful.

Pests notwithstanding, the variety of wildlife I see here is great. Some are daily visitors, some seasonal, others have been one-offs. I started a list as soon as I moved in nearly a year ago...

Garden visitors up to 31/07/2021

wood pigeon; rock dove (pair); white dove (pair); collared dove
starling
red kite (x2)
magpie; jackdaw; rook
black bird; song thrush (x1)
robin
blue tit; great tit (occasional); coal tit; long tail tit
bull finch; chaffinch; gold finch
gold crest (x1)
siskin
wren (x2)
tree sparrow
dunnock
nuthatch (x1)
blackcap warbler (x5) 
pied wagtail

Grey squirrel (7 x KIA @31/07/2021)
brown rat (x1)
field mouse
hedgehog

bats (unknown species)

 

Just watch the numbers grow next year 👍

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Question...................how much of an impact is all this squirrel shooting having on the population of greys...seems to me for every 1 squirrel shot 2 take its place..........will you (the shooter) ever get ontop of the problem.........

have seen on several occasions the damage they do to forestry plantings where they gnaw off in squares the top bark of trees.............

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1 hour ago, ditchman said:

Question...................how much of an impact is all this squirrel shooting having on the population of greys...seems to me for every 1 squirrel shot 2 take its place..........will you (the shooter) ever get ontop of the problem.........

have seen on several occasions the damage they do to forestry plantings where they gnaw off in squares the top bark of trees.............

A lot depends on where you are and what goes on around you.

Where I'm shooting is mostly greys with a couple of small patches of reds, move north a touch to where @Sciurusis and he has more reds with greys again. 

If we and many many others weren't keeping the pressure on, then these greys would be free to breed and move, this would then put pressure on the reds.

The area in Westmoreland with the most reds probably kill less greys because the areas around them stop the greys getting there.

This screenshot is from a fella who does full time squirrel control for the purpose of stopping tree damage down south, shoots off feeders, lots of them.

############$$

20210801_114705.jpg.85ab478a425a1bb4e3e1223de8c56f20.jpg

#########

815 squirrels,  so how many squirrels would there be damaging trees if they were left to breed?

 

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IMO every one counts, every one taken out matters.

My garden is nothing special, maybe 60 m2; I currently have 2 bird feeding stations. At the moment when full, the 2 seed feeders I have out will last 10 to 14 hrs of constant attention from the birds...before I started dealing with the greys, they would monopolise and empty both under 2 hrs.

So far only 7 removed since the 21st June, with a whole 2 weeks completely free of their depredation.

I cant measure the damage to the bird population that this level of predation on an important supplemental food source causes, but the sheer quantity of food taken should be an indication. And that's not taking into account the losses from greys raiding nests.

Every one removed is one less to breed.

***edit*** I had just posted the above, when I looked out the window and saw #8! Active in broad daylight, on the feeder. Took a couple of hrs and he took the trap nice as you like. Immature male in vgc (had a couple crawling with ticks)

8.jpg

Edited by leakyseals
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5 hours ago, ditchman said:

Question...................how much of an impact is all this squirrel shooting having on the population of greys...seems to me for every 1 squirrel shot 2 take its place..........will you (the shooter) ever get ontop of the problem.........

have seen on several occasions the damage they do to forestry plantings where they gnaw off in squares the top bark of trees.............

In the areas where I do this grey control we have Red Squirrels either in the same wood, or nearby. That’s Merseyside, Lancashire and North Wales. A. Few months ago we removed grey squirrels from a ladies garden and just recently she has reported that the Red Squirrels are back. By removing the greys we make room for the Reds.

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1 minute ago, Fisheruk said:

In the areas where I do this grey control we have Red Squirrels either in the same wood, or nearby. That’s Merseyside, Lancashire and North Wales. A. Few months ago we removed grey squirrels from a ladies garden and just recently she has reported that the Red Squirrels are back. By removing the greys we make room for the Reds.

to see a result so quickly like that ...must make it all worth while:good:

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5 hours ago, ditchman said:

Question...................how much of an impact is all this squirrel shooting having on the population of greys...seems to me for every 1 squirrel shot 2 take its place..........will you (the shooter) ever get ontop of the problem.........

have seen on several occasions the damage they do to forestry plantings where they gnaw off in squares the top bark of trees.............

Simon, all I can say is that in my own wood , which I consider squirrel free, the song bird population has exploded. 

As you are aware I spend a lot of my free time whacking and stacking these aliens and it is agreat pity more people do not do the same. Unfortunately we have the wuffly duffly town and city and in some cases village folk who just think they are the bees knees.

I am now on something like 500 plus on two areas and they are now showing huge increases in small song birds.

Get out there and join us man.

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