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squirrel control


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Hi lads Im wondering who  Controls Grey squirrels in the Lake District Grizedale Forest I was cycling on the red Trail. near the end of my cycle trial there was a tree coughed out into a bench looking over at hawkshead and I seen 3 grey squirrels  whilst having a break I could not believe it ? if I had my gun they would not be alive now. I asked a couple of questions about the grey squirrels at the cycling centre they said they have seen a couple of them  around go ape. I was just wondering if there was anyone controlling them in that are I visit  Grizedale couple of times throughout the summer seasons and Im wondering if they need any help controlling them if I can. 

Thanks 

jay

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Hi, Grizedale Forest is within the Westmorland Reds Squirrels geographical area. It’s not my patch but am sure that trapping there is carried out  by us on a rotational basis. FC used to trap, but due to cut backs, this not a priority. FisherUk is quite correct that F.C. will not allow shooting.

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I got out this morning, covered my arms neck face head in SSS, and was bitten within two minutes!!! 

walking towards the woods i stopped because I could hear a wren giving its alarm call, I'm looking around and can hear a buzzing, i ignored it thinking just a bee, when i look around and at chest hight about a foot in front of me is a huge hornet!! At least that's what i think it was, i jumped back quick it hovered then went off into the trees, looked like the thing they chase on harry potter quidich?

In the woods, gun out lots of noise, i can hear a tawny owl and what sounds like lots of magpies, stayed in one place for probably twenty minutes seeing nothing but a robin and midges, the feeder i had been watching was empty.

carried on to the next feeders and the magpies are still making a proper racket, do magpies have crèches? There were probably twenty about in small groups all around a slightly open area, didn't see or smell a fox and the owl had gone quiet. I started giving my squirrel call a tap and the magpies were going nuts, a lot that looked like young birds were coming really close and didn't seem to see me at all, every time i called they seemed to be shouting me down.

I carried this on for probably ten minutes wondering how many magpies i could have shot if i was somewhere else, got up to go and check the feeder when movement and noise stopped me, bushy tail!! A small squirrel had jumped from an oak onto a pine and landed on a bat box, then came around the tree and started barking, at me or the magpies I'm not sure, the magpies and squirrel kept up the noise at each other then the squirrel fell out the tree? with a satisfying thud. Another for the caller.

small female must be this years only 13 ounces. 3 out of 4 feeders were empty again so something is eating the nuts, I've now got several bites, how do you not notice something biting you on the knuckles and fingers, don't scratch don't scratch.

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Lots of horse flies about on top of more midges than I've seen for a long time in this area (west Leicestershire).  Vampire horse flies as well according to the press.

Squirrels have disappeared on some of my areas but think they are going out of the woods into wheat fields to eat as they did last year . Flip Tops hardly touched.   I have seriously depleted the breeding magpie population this year and have only seen one fledge of youngsters (5) now 2 remaining. One adult this morning on the slurry pit got closer to the slurry than it intended.

Must try one of those callers one day.

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15 hours ago, Sciurus said:

Hi, Grizedale Forest is within the Westmorland Reds Squirrels geographical area. It’s not my patch but am sure that trapping there is carried out  by us on a rotational basis. FC used to trap, but due to cut backs, this not a priority. FisherUk is quite correct that F.C. will not allow shooting.

Yes I gathered that they wouldn't allow shooting I wonder why there is nothing in place to catch them with traps at Go ape Grizedale  Centre the people who work there say they always see grey squirrels I said how long have you seen Grey squirrels here they said every yeah.

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Nuff about blatting Nutty now - bout 6 weeks till my season on them starts again (hope they bred well) so I'm counting the minutes - fitness is better than this time last year so, at the moment, I'm looking forward to beating last years 49 - not covered a fraction of the land so maybe I will shake some trees in different woods and see what falls out.

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13 minutes ago, bruno22rf said:

Nuff about blatting Nutty now - bout 6 weeks till my season on them starts again (hope they bred well) so I'm counting the minutes - fitness is better than this time last year so, at the moment, I'm looking forward to beating last years 49 - not covered a fraction of the land so maybe I will shake some trees in different woods and see what falls out.

??????????????

Ok I'm curious, why?

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It’s a problem  I am afraid, so much woodland in the Lakes and not enough volunteers, that’s why some areas are only trapped periodically. We do tend to concentrate our time on trying to stop greys invading the areas occupied by reds. I don’t think F.C. is doing much if any trapping. Anyway, thanks for highlighting the problem, I’ll pass the message onto our sightings secretary, who will log it and pass it onto whoever covers that area. Keep up the good work.

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Dekers - I shoot over VERY public spaces where members of the public have free access 24/7 - summer is the busiest time for people to be wondering around the Woods so the Squirrel control (under advice from the local council H&S Team and the Police) is restricted to , roughly, end of August till end of April when A / the woods are seeing fewer visitors & B / when it's out of breeding season

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6 hours ago, bruno22rf said:

Dekers - I shoot over VERY public spaces where members of the public have free access 24/7 - summer is the busiest time for people to be wondering around the Woods so the Squirrel control (under advice from the local council H&S Team and the Police) is restricted to , roughly, end of August till end of April when A / the woods are seeing fewer visitors & B / when it's out of breeding season

:good:

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Its been a strange weekend! All the feeders in the woods  (4), have been topped up with bird seed , and peanuts .

Two of us have staked out these, sitting in natural hides where we have in the past achieved steady scores on grey's.

This weekend 'NOTHING' we have not even seen one as we have been going around the wood shooting our bows

and crossbows, (Field Archery ! Simulated hunting).  

Very strange!

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I didn't see anything other than the one i shot last week but the feeders are getting hammered, then fisher UK went out today shot 2 but saw 5 or 6 and the feeders were nearly empty again in 3 days.

other folk are saying the same as you though Longbower that the squirrels are going back onto natural foods and not bothering with the feeders.

 

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They were certainly up in the top of the canopies. Only one came down to a feeder in 3 hours but I did get one which was being chased by another, scampering around the tree trunk of a large pine, as I was walking into the pinewood.

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Fickle creatures these squirrels, i was out this morning after work, 645 am same spot as Fisheruk and never saw a single squirrel. 

lovely morning as it had rained most of the night, magpies were at it again feeders all still being heavily used, the forest floor was like Christmas island only baby toads not crabs.

Midges did me again down my back, in my face veil and hands ( fingerless gloves)

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Yes, gone earily quiet here in West Leics and also last week in three woods in Lincolnshire I visited expecting a lot of shooting. Flip tops not getting much attention either.  I have two walnut trees absoluted laden with nuts and a Kentish Cob Nut tree also heavily laden and into August I seem to see an influx of tree rats after these but at the moment nothing.  One satisfying experience this week was when i was moving a large pile of logs and found a tree rat skin and bones where one had run to when I thought I had missed it last November time. Obviously didn't. Too late to log that now.

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