squirrel control

[Mice!]

I should have finished work yesterday and been out shooting today, but I checked the weather and today looked like a wash out, so work was binned and I got out yesterday.

3 spots to choose from, and I decided on the golf course wood, I knew the feeder would be empty but I've still only got a small feeder up that I'll change in the New year, there was a fine drizzle and everything was dripping as I walked in.
I often walk past the feeder here, scan the woods to see if there is anything about then make my way in, I couldn't spot the feeder even though I know where it is, but I could see the squirrels up the hill in the Oaks!

I went up and put my brolley up, chair out then filled the very empty feeder, I know the birds hammer this, it's open and filled with cheap seed but I'm OK with it.
Then I headed for the Oaks.

There aren't a lot of them, few nice trees spread out with lots of brambles bellow them, then other scrub and trees scattered about.
Straight away I spotted two in separate trees, messed around trying to get a clear shot without wispy twigs in the way while the squirrel patiently waited, off my knees on the sticks, Pfft Whack drop #1
But there's a problem, I'd forgotten my overtrousers, I normally sit or kneel anywhere I please, but it's surprising just how much brambles grab and ***** you, gives a whole new level of respect to dogs that just crash though when beating like it's long grass.

The second had vanished, but there was another further away, picked up a small female and headed towards it.
This one moved forwards with me rather than sit still, then moved into an odd tree, there's a couple on the edge of the wood that look like giant dreys, I spotted it with the thermal, found it with the scope, then found the eye, Pfft Whack and it just rolled back with no chance of falling out.

Strange tree, like it's two that have merged.

Unfortunately after I took the tree picture my phone died, no idea how the battery was so low, but it was?

I ended up circling the same few acres a few times, because squirrels kept popping up, then moving away, I'd follow along often spotting another, I ended up with 5 for the morning two small females, a huge male that was sat up high amongst the Ivy thinking he was hidden and I lost another in the brambles that was dropped out of an Oak again.
I made my way back to my brolley, watched the birds for half an hour then packed up and headed off.
It had sort of rained all morning, but it was wet not bouncing down so I can handle that.

Then it was back for lunch, nothing fancy this week, a tidy up then off to another wood to check on things before heading for home.

Trying to fit in a day over Xmas, but with things planned and no doubt things that aren't I'll be lucky, but I'll try 😁

Merry Christmas everyone, hope you have a good one.

[Morkin]

Well done boi, Happy Christmas to you 2 🎄🎄🎄🍷🍷🍷👍

[old man]

7 hours ago, Mice! said:

I should have finished work yesterday and been out shooting today, but I checked the weather and today looked like a wash out, so work was binned and I got out yesterday.

3 spots to choose from, and I decided on the golf course wood, I knew the feeder would be empty but I've still only got a small feeder up that I'll change in the New year, there was a fine drizzle and everything was dripping as I walked in.
I often walk past the feeder here, scan the woods to see if there is anything about then make my way in, I couldn't spot the feeder even though I know where it is, but I could see the squirrels up the hill in the Oaks!

I went up and put my brolley up, chair out then filled the very empty feeder, I know the birds hammer this, it's open and filled with cheap seed but I'm OK with it.
Then I headed for the Oaks.

There aren't a lot of them, few nice trees spread out with lots of brambles bellow them, then other scrub and trees scattered about.
Straight away I spotted two in separate trees, messed around trying to get a clear shot without wispy twigs in the way while the squirrel patiently waited, off my knees on the sticks, Pfft Whack drop #1
But there's a problem, I'd forgotten my overtrousers, I normally sit or kneel anywhere I please, but it's surprising just how much brambles grab and ***** you, gives a whole new level of respect to dogs that just crash though when beating like it's long grass.

The second had vanished, but there was another further away, picked up a small female and headed towards it.
This one moved forwards with me rather than sit still, then moved into an odd tree, there's a couple on the edge of the wood that look like giant dreys, I spotted it with the thermal, found it with the scope, then found the eye, Pfft Whack and it just rolled back with no chance of falling out.

Strange tree, like it's two that have merged.

Unfortunately after I took the tree picture my phone died, no idea how the battery was so low, but it was?

I ended up circling the same few acres a few times, because squirrels kept popping up, then moving away, I'd follow along often spotting another, I ended up with 5 for the morning two small females, a huge male that was sat up high amongst the Ivy thinking he was hidden and I lost another in the brambles that was dropped out of an Oak again.
I made my way back to my brolley, watched the birds for half an hour then packed up and headed off.
It had sort of rained all morning, but it was wet not bouncing down so I can handle that.

Then it was back for lunch, nothing fancy this week, a tidy up then off to another wood to check on things before heading for home.

Trying to fit in a day over Xmas, but with things planned and no doubt things that aren't I'll be lucky, but I'll try 😁

Merry Christmas everyone, hope you have a good one.

Excellent buddy your perseverance is amazing.

[Mice!]

9 hours ago, Morkin said:

Well done boi, Happy Christmas to you 2 🎄🎄🎄🍷🍷🍷👍

 

3 hours ago, old man said:

Excellent buddy your perseverance is amazing.

Cheers lads, we all enjoy being out, I'm lucky enough to shoot in some spectacular locations.

Apparently the tree I've pictured above is a Lime.

[ratchers]

Had the gamekeeper text me the other day saying there were some greys about so off I goes to have a look.Straight away I disturbed one nicking grain off a pheasant feeder but couldn't get a shot. I walked around the wood on lookout and saw another four but all in the distance,a couple off another feeder. Walked my way back around to the first feeder in the hope the squirrel had returned and sure enough it was there but it spotted me again.

Which brings me to today, I thought I would stake out the first feeder so sneaked up to it but again the grey was on high alert and was off up a tree. I settled in to wait and after a hour, not one but two turned up,one on top and the other underneath,I choose the easier high target and dropped it with a head shot,of course the other one scarpered but no doubt we will both be back.

I put a peanut flip top up in another part of the wood to entice the others as the pheasant feeders weren'y easy to decoy at.

[Fisheruk]

Grandkids home from University. Two decided they wanted to come out with me this morning before daybreak to see the squirrels

6 Red Squirrels appeared at the same time, but no greys.

 

[sam triple]

Another 3 bores taken yesterday afternoon in 2 hours then the rain set in again !

[old man]

16 hours ago, Fisheruk said:

Grandkids home from University. Two decided they wanted to come out with me this morning before daybreak to see the squirrels

6 Red Squirrels appeared at the same time, but no greys.

 

Superb!

[sam triple]

This one arrived at the feeder and danced about took a shot just as it moved and missed , but he stayed and ended up with the follow up shot millimetres under his ear 

[Mice!]

Anyone of a nervous disposition look away,  we went to Chester last year and there were squirrels everywhere being fed by a local nutter, well this year we went to York, had a lovely overnight stay and....

Not sure if I've seen so many in such a small area before,  we were losing count at 13-15 because they were all moving around with some leaving the area and others coming in.

there was one squirrel climbing up a woman's leg taking food from her hand!

that's what any cull is up against in a city centre. 

[Fisheruk]

We keep removing the interlopers that trespass into the Red Territory!

 

[Fisheruk]

Out this morning before daybreak. Sitting under a bush opposite a woodland feeder.

8.15am using my thermal spotter I saw a grey come out of its drey about 100 metres away and after a little sit and preen it made its way to the feeder.

8.48am and it arrived for its last feed. A young male 470grams. 
That’s 3 from the same location in the past week.

 

[Walker570]

Seems they are starting to come back to feeders as natural stuff starts to run out. Unfortunately with the heavy rain lately I am unable to get on the golf course but delivered some top up food to the Head Green Keeper to see to my flip tops in the meantime.  He said he had not seen so many about but had another spot which may produce a few. Not easy to fimd a place to set a feeder out of view and safe to sit from flying golf balls.

Since the 12 in five days at the farm gone very quiet and have not seen one in our own wood now since way before Christmas.   Down almost 200 on last year.(2021)

Edited January 4, 2023 by Walker570

[Mice!]

3 hours ago, Walker570 said:

Seems they are starting to come back to feeders as natural stuff starts to run out. Unfortunately with the heavy rain lately I am unable to get on the golf course but delivered some top up food to the Head Green Keeper to see to my flip tops in the meantime.  He said he had not seen so many about but had another spot which may produce a few. Not easy to fimd a place to set a feeder out of view and safe to sit from flying golf balls.

Since the 12 in five days at the farm gone very quiet and have not seen one in our own wood now since way before Christmas.   Down almost 200 on last year.(2021)

That's what we want Nev, I'm well down on last year.

I should have shot this morning,  but an irritating cough has turned into a cold which has left me feeling like a wet paper bag.

My alarm went off and I just rolled over!

But I went out with my lad mid day to top up after Xmas,  two feeders empty with squirrels seen in the area doing squirrel things, dinner then on to big wood, as normally happens now the leaves are off the easy feeder has been abandoned,  wet feed in the open feeder, and nuts/sunflower seeds just left in the flip top.

So the big feeder came down and can go back to the golf course next week. 

 

[Fisheruk]

Another male came for it’s last peanut this morning 

 

[Walker570]

Sad news up in Wales with the pox hitting the reds.

[ratchers]

Was at the sydicates wood today and was walking up to my feeder which passes a pheasant feeder,at about ten yards away I noticed a squirrel underneath not it the bit bothered by me,as it happened my air rifle was in its slip case unloaded so I quietly slouched off round another way hoping to sneak up on it,arrived in postion ready and looked over the bank and it was stil there but due to the brash and trees I couldn't get a clear shot, plus the grey was jiggling about,after a few annoying minutes I got a heart and lung shot which stopped its free breakfast. On to stake out the feeder now and after an hour there was a grey on the feeder but he wouldn't stop still and I think he didn't have a clue how to open the lid so after some acrobatics he was off. Saw some other squirrels in the trees running about but nothing else came down.

[Sciurus]

This week has been a washout,  the lakes and rivers are flooded again and today is the first morning with no rain forecast.

I decided to go to the start of the red zone, the hotel was still closed to visitors but there were a few hardy campers in the bigger field, which curtailed my movements. Surprisingly, it was 15 minutes before I spotted a grey in the same Douglas fir in the gardens as two weeks ago. I had a single shot with the 410 hushpower but this one was armour plated and escaped into the foliage never to be seen again. (That’s twice its escaped me).

A few minutes later  I got a squirrel signal on the thermal in some rhododendrons, but just couldn’t spot it with the binos. This squirrel  soon got bored with taunting me and did a houdini on me.

Up the steep hill to the start of the wood. The going was hard and slippy in the waterlogged ground. There was a tremendous amount of bird activity, buzzards, long tailed tits, tree creepers and a very industrious woodpecker. At the top of the bank three roe deer watched me struggle up.

Finally, I spot two greys about 100 yds away, running up and down a large broken branch. One problem- how was I going to get close to them through all the brash and mud, without disturbing them?

The answer was very slowly and painfully. You can see the brash and fallen trees I had to climb over but not the mud! It was at this position I stopped and got the thermal out and located the two greys in the upper branches. Bang* -one down. A quick sweep with the thermal found the other grey, trying to flatten itself against an upper branch. Bang, down came the other larger female . 

* bang- I wasn’t using subsonics.

I had a mooch around for another hour but didn’t see any greys (or reds).

Coming back to the car park, there was some movement in a yew- a red!

 

I apologise for the photo- I was literally 4 foot beneath it. - they are just so nosey.

The day wasn’t finished, I had promised to lend a trail camera to a chap who lived on the Estate. Blow me, if he didn’t casually point out this red feeding outside!

 

He told me he had 3 reds visiting daily - these were probably the reds I saw a fortnight ago. - It is not surprising he had them visiting regularly- they lived on a diet of hazelnuts, walnuts and peanuts! They were so well fed they wouldn’t eat sunflower seeds.

 

 

 

[Mice!]

2 hours ago, Sciurus said:

This week has been a washout,  the lakes and rivers are flooded again and today is the first morning with no rain forecast.

I decided to go to the start of the red zone, the hotel was still closed to visitors but there were a few hardy campers in the bigger field, which curtailed my movements. Surprisingly, it was 15 minutes before I spotted a grey in the same Douglas fir in the gardens as two weeks ago. I had a single shot with the 410 hushpower but this one was armour plated and escaped into the foliage never to be seen again. (That’s twice its escaped me).

A few minutes later  I got a squirrel signal on the thermal in some rhododendrons, but just couldn’t spot it with the binos. This squirrel  soon got bored with taunting me and did a houdini on me.

Up the steep hill to the start of the wood. The going was hard and slippy in the waterlogged ground. There was a tremendous amount of bird activity, buzzards, long tailed tits, tree creepers and a very industrious woodpecker. At the top of the bank three roe deer watched me struggle up.

Finally, I spot two greys about 100 yds away, running up and down a large broken branch. One problem- how was I going to get close to them through all the brash and mud, without disturbing them?

The answer was very slowly and painfully. You can see the brash and fallen trees I had to climb over but not the mud! It was at this position I stopped and got the thermal out and located the two greys in the upper branches. Bang* -one down. A quick sweep with the thermal found the other grey, trying to flatten itself against an upper branch. Bang, down came the other larger female . 

* bang- I wasn’t using subsonics.

I had a mooch around for another hour but didn’t see any greys (or reds).

Coming back to the car park, there was some movement in a yew- a red!

 

I apologise for the photo- I was literally 4 foot beneath it. - they are just so nosey.

The day wasn’t finished, I had promised to lend a trail camera to a chap who lived on the Estate. Blow me, if he didn’t casually point out this red feeding outside!

 

He told me he had 3 reds visiting daily - these were probably the reds I saw a fortnight ago. - It is not surprising he had them visiting regularly- they lived on a diet of hazelnuts, walnuts and peanuts! They were so well fed they wouldn’t eat sunflower seeds.

 

 

 

Brilliant mate, I was thinking about you this morning when I saw it was sunny, massive bonus seeing the reds again. 

I've had my garden grey in and out three times today, it's hiding in branches,  twitchy, won't sit up nice when it eats, taunting me 😅

[Sciurus]

34 minutes ago, Mice! said:

Brilliant mate, I was thinking about you this morning when I saw it was sunny, massive bonus seeing the reds again. 

I've had my garden grey in and out three times today, it's hiding in branches,  twitchy, won't sit up nice when it eats, taunting me 😅

I could have done with your sharp shooting prowess today, I am still under doctors and physios orders and  only managed to do a quarter of the Estate before I had enough !

[Walker570]

Great report well done.  Good to hear your on the mend, if slowly.

[Mice!]

2 hours ago, Sciurus said:

I could have done with your sharp shooting prowess today, I am still under doctors and physios orders and  only managed to do a quarter of the Estate before I had enough !

Pretty sure I'd have struggled today, just wheezy,  next week mate 👍can you sort some frost 😉

[old man]

16 hours ago, Sciurus said:

This week has been a washout,  the lakes and rivers are flooded again and today is the first morning with no rain forecast.

I decided to go to the start of the red zone, the hotel was still closed to visitors but there were a few hardy campers in the bigger field, which curtailed my movements. Surprisingly, it was 15 minutes before I spotted a grey in the same Douglas fir in the gardens as two weeks ago. I had a single shot with the 410 hushpower but this one was armour plated and escaped into the foliage never to be seen again. (That’s twice its escaped me).

A few minutes later  I got a squirrel signal on the thermal in some rhododendrons, but just couldn’t spot it with the binos. This squirrel  soon got bored with taunting me and did a houdini on me.

Up the steep hill to the start of the wood. The going was hard and slippy in the waterlogged ground. There was a tremendous amount of bird activity, buzzards, long tailed tits, tree creepers and a very industrious woodpecker. At the top of the bank three roe deer watched me struggle up.

Finally, I spot two greys about 100 yds away, running up and down a large broken branch. One problem- how was I going to get close to them through all the brash and mud, without disturbing them?

The answer was very slowly and painfully. You can see the brash and fallen trees I had to climb over but not the mud! It was at this position I stopped and got the thermal out and located the two greys in the upper branches. Bang* -one down. A quick sweep with the thermal found the other grey, trying to flatten itself against an upper branch. Bang, down came the other larger female . 

* bang- I wasn’t using subsonics.

I had a mooch around for another hour but didn’t see any greys (or reds).

Coming back to the car park, there was some movement in a yew- a red!

 

I apologise for the photo- I was literally 4 foot beneath it. - they are just so nosey.

The day wasn’t finished, I had promised to lend a trail camera to a chap who lived on the Estate. Blow me, if he didn’t casually point out this red feeding outside!

 

He told me he had 3 reds visiting daily - these were probably the reds I saw a fortnight ago. - It is not surprising he had them visiting regularly- they lived on a diet of hazelnuts, walnuts and peanuts! They were so well fed they wouldn’t eat sunflower seeds.

 

 

 

Superb, well done.

[Mice!]

15 hours ago, Mice! said:

I've had my garden grey in and out three times today, it's hiding in branches,  twitchy, won't sit up nice when it eats, taunting me 😅

Must have been a different one today? Big brash male came in and climbed up the sunflower pole, bold as you like, died on the fallen fat balls. 

[Sciurus]

4 hours ago, Mice! said:

died on the fallen fat balls. 

I am not surprised it’s balls were fat after falling from a tree!😂😂😂

I’ll  whats app you later.👍