Mice! Posted July 21, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2018 2 hours ago, DC177 said: Or Pine Martens? Another observation: sqizzers vanish if there are lots of magpies around. Anyone else notice this? I think the one i shot on the 12th came in because of the magpies?? Had another squirrel yesterday, it wasn't on the feeders, they are still getting used, this one was in in birch tree not far from a feeder and thankfully i clocked it going up, not sure if had seen me but it just seemed to sit against the trunk happily. Took maybe ten minutes with an occasional tap on the caller before i could get a shot because of the twigs, another satisfying thud as she hit the ground, got a lovely bite on my arm from keeping still while something crawled up my sleeve? i had already seen a young tawny owl buzzard and kestrel, the magpies were about but quiet today, and not long after the shot another tawny owl flew out of an oak and I'm 90% certain it was carrying a squirrel. can you see me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walker570 Posted July 21, 2018 Report Share Posted July 21, 2018 ....the wood for the trees..... Good article in the Telegraph Magazine today on aliens species, mainly on the Green Menace, parakeets but including grey squirrels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longbower Posted July 22, 2018 Report Share Posted July 22, 2018 Only one this weekend , a large male eating part of a 'fatball' that had fallen from the cage after the woodpeckers had pecked apart . One more to an Eley sub sonic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walker570 Posted July 23, 2018 Report Share Posted July 23, 2018 You did not add it to the total in VERMIN Longbower, every little helps us hit 2000 by 31st Dec. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted July 26, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2018 ?????????? this will be you lot laughing at me. Went out after work this morning but left my midge stuff at work after taking a picture of it!! It gets worse, i arrive and get my gear out but where is my jacket with my midge net and head net ?? There still in the garage. so I'm walking through the wood at just before 7 in a wax jacket!! (spare in car) and my cap, long fingered gloves, i was getting attacked from everywhere, and warm. Ears seemed favourite followed by the back of my neck, i ended up have a quick scoot round topping up two feeders which seemed hardly used this week, didn't see a squirrel till i was out the main wood and sprinting away, looked liked it had been on the acorns already, quite a bit on the ground bellow an oak. what i did see which made me stop for ten minutes was a family of sparrow hawks in the wood, the young were giving a really high pitched call and chasing the female around probably wanting food, something else i hadn't seen before. And no itchy bites ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted July 28, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2018 Much better day today, planned on being out early early and beat the joggers, but had a snooze ? at the wood just after 6, gentle ish breeze and only about 20degress so lovely compared to how warm its been. already a car there when I arrived, pretty sure it was one of the guys who also shoots the squirrels but had a walk where i thought he would be, and yep there he was with me trying to get his attention with owl noises, quite funny watching him looking up and around but not at me. knowing where he would go in a while i went well out of the way, only three out of five feeders had been used, I've pinched walkers idea and put sticks under the lids, no point waiting by a feeder that hasn't been getting used. I had a good wander about trying to see if there were any squirrels on any of the oak trees but never saw a thing, started working my way back the way i had come and stopped watching the sparrow hawks, I'd already seen one young blackbird missing its head and now the female was flying around with a blackbird in her talons why the young followed her about, really good to watch. I was thinking this was why the wood was so quiet when i spotted a squirrel some distance away, moving towards the feeder i was about 15yards away from. Watched it from under the cover of a small oak, it was in no rush as it went from tree to tree, then came down the trunk, but went past the feeder and stopped just off the ground, catching an accupell between the shoulder blades. An old buck, looked like he had had a good summer. Made my way back to my bags after ten mins, sticks were missing because the other chap had been along behind me and topped the feeders up. He'd had one earlier on so we saw one each and shot one each. And not many midges ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walker570 Posted July 28, 2018 Report Share Posted July 28, 2018 Have not seen one for two weeks now on my usual areas but have two new woods coming on line shortly where there has been a lot of bark stripping damage. Flip tops not being used at all, so either I have terminated all in that area...doubtful...or they have another source of food. I now have three cameras out and no tree rats showing and all other mammals not showing until well after 11pm or very early morning. Hopefully the rain/cool spell will have them on the move again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted July 28, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2018 9 minutes ago, Walker570 said: Have not seen one for two weeks now on my usual areas but have two new woods coming on line shortly where there has been a lot of bark stripping damage. Flip tops not being used at all, so either I have terminated all in that area...doubtful...or they have another source of food. I now have three cameras out and no tree rats showing and all other mammals not showing until well after 11pm or very early morning. Hopefully the rain/cool spell will have them on the move again. just been for a walk and my daughter said what's this? Squirrels already on the hazel nuts even though next to nothing in them, and saw a squirrel, first for a while in this area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longbower Posted August 3, 2018 Report Share Posted August 3, 2018 The 28 acre wood with three feeding stations has not produced one squizzer in three weeks. There are beech, and oak trees , pine and chestnut trees , but zero ?? Any one want to buy some air rifles????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted August 3, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2018 I've just spent two hours trying to put up my trail camera out of reach, but its ended up at head height because it wasn't picking up when i had it at height, so I'm hoping its still there next week?? I've emptied one feeder that's not been touched, while another is getting emptied every week( camera) one of the others has had a little bit out of it. 5 hours ago, Longbower said: Any one want to buy some air rifles????? I'm up your way tomorrow I'll bring my wallet ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walker570 Posted August 3, 2018 Report Share Posted August 3, 2018 I'm seeing more tree rats crossing lanes hedge to hedge miles from woodland. Not a sign of one locally... hope that is a good sign. Left a wood quiet, where I shot 18 in one morning a few weeks ago, quiet for almost two weeks now. Laced it with maize, both in flip tops as well as a tray type pheasant feeder. Intend having a look next Friday. I can't believe the 18 I shot was all the stock in a 40 acre wood !! Pheasants to wood/pens this next week so feeders will be filled and maybe then we will see some activity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted August 4, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2018 I've noticed a good few road kill lately. I was out early doors this morning, woke up before my alarm?? so in the woods before 6, thinking happy days, spent 45 mins at the first point, open bird tables and never saw a thing. moved into the woods but on the way stopped talking to a photographer, he was showing me his shots, he had a great shot of a kingfisher from the previous week, bird and reflection, when out walked a young roe, followed by its mum for a drink, pretty normal for some of you but i was chuffed. spent an hour and a half in the woods but never saw a squirrel, i think the sparrow hawks were enjoying the chicks having gone, it looked like the male and female were just flying around for fun and screeching. but i did get a squirrel coming to the feeder at 20:40, wasn't far off dark, going back out Wednesday so I'll see what else is on camera. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted August 11, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2018 We'll I've failed, i repositioned the feeder to suit the camera having gone back Wednesday and finding a half empty feeder but no more pictures, a couple of times the camera has been triggered but i cant see anything. I went back again today and came into the wood from a different direction so i could check out the beech trees but not a squirrel to be seen, then when watching where my feet were going i looked up and there is a big grey squirrel looking straight at me! Tail twitch and up the tree it goes!! So the only squirrel i saw was in a shootable position and i didn't even get the gun up. To make matters worse the feeder was half empty again and no pictures, is it possible the squirrels aren't triggering the camera because their against the trunk? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruno22rf Posted August 11, 2018 Report Share Posted August 11, 2018 (edited) With so much natural food around you might have to bribe them with something that they cannot refuse - peanuts at the very least but shops like Lidl do mixed bags of nuts or buy a couple of bags of various types and mix them yourself - Brazil and Walnuts seem effective if mixed with peanuts. Should be a few youngsters around by now - Natures version of a pellet catcher . Edited August 11, 2018 by bruno22rf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted August 12, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2018 On 11/08/2018 at 16:01, bruno22rf said: With so much natural food around you might have to bribe them with something that they cannot refuse - peanuts at the very least but shops like Lidl do mixed bags of nuts or buy a couple of bags of various types and mix them yourself - Brazil and Walnuts seem effective if mixed with peanuts. Should be a few youngsters around by now - Natures version of a pellet catcher . Only seen a few youngsters about, which i think means were on top of the greys mostly, we only put peanuts in the feeders as were not paying ? it was just annoying not having lots of video and the times the squirrels have been coming, I'll get it next time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walker570 Posted August 12, 2018 Report Share Posted August 12, 2018 I always start the flip tops with peanuts and mixed them with peanut butter...just a 2 litre container almost full of peanuts and then pour half a jar of Aldi peanut butter on top and give it all a good mix so they are all covered in a greasy smelly covering. Having said that I have just four flip tops out at the moment and non of them are being hit hard. Something is visiting because the little wooden peg has been knocked out but very little food gone ..could be a woodpecker maybe. I will put the camera on the ones nearest home...the others are 70 miles away. Once they are being used I change over gradually to maize as it is much cheaper. Looks like we will have a bumper crop of walnuts this year so will take your advice and crush some of the smaller ones for tree rat bait. I have shot three youngsters in my own little 10 acres this week and they were all hitting the hazels and burying treasure. I have nine live catch cage/feeders in there but they have not been near them. Keep the faith and keep up the good work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruno22rf Posted August 13, 2018 Report Share Posted August 13, 2018 A bumper crop of Walnuts - now I'm green with envy. Only one tree I know of locally and it's a magnet for tree rats - too near to kids play area to shoot and the situation with the squizzers is so bad that the owner has cut back any saplings around the base and put an upside down plastic dustbin lid around the trunk to stop them getting into the tree - not much help cos they still somehow manage to clear the tree of it's nuts. Not long now till I get started - the landowners now have 6k acres so there must be some of the little pests lurking around . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted August 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2018 17 hours ago, bruno22rf said: A bumper crop of Walnuts - now I'm green with envy. Only one tree I know of locally and it's a magnet for tree rats - too near to kids play area to shoot and the situation with the squizzers is so bad that the owner has cut back any saplings around the base and put an upside down plastic dustbin lid around the trunk to stop them getting into the tree - not much help cos they still somehow manage to clear the tree of it's nuts. Not long now till I get started - the landowners now have 6k acres so there must be some of the little pests lurking around . Strangely enough i only know of one walnut tree and its also by a kids play area, sounds like a trip out to see if there are nuts or squirrels on the tree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pigeon Shredder. Posted August 16, 2018 Report Share Posted August 16, 2018 Today rain stopped most play until after lunch when swmbo said have you seen what's in the garden, on tearing myself away from web surfing l looked out only to be confronted by Squizzer's digging the lawn and scuttling along the fence. TX200 removed from the locker and l position myself by the window, they are coming back with monkey nuts and hazelnuts and stashing them in my lawn, the monkeys from some silly old women further down the street who always feeds them, the hazels grow in abundance around us and always provide good sport ?. Suffice to say 3 did not return to the dray and it looks like a few days of action are in order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longbower Posted August 16, 2018 Report Share Posted August 16, 2018 All day for just one ! I must get a life. Listened to 'pop master' though scored 21.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted August 17, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2018 6 hours ago, Pigeon Shredder. said: Today rain stopped most play until after lunch when swmbo said have you seen what's in the garden, on tearing myself away from web surfing l looked out only to be confronted by Squizzer's digging the lawn and scuttling along the fence. TX200 removed from the locker and l position myself by the window, they are coming back with monkey nuts and hazelnuts and stashing them in my lawn, the monkeys from some silly old women further down the street who always feeds them, the hazels grow in abundance around us and always provide good sport ?. Suffice to say 3 did not return to the dray and it looks like a few days of action are in order. cut out the middle woman, get your own feeders up so they stop by, I'm still seeing nothing in the garden or wood, BUT fat balls have been vanishing fast so camera is up to check its working and see what's going on. 4 hours ago, Longbower said: All day for just one ! I must get a life. Listened to 'pop master' though scored 21.. We'll you got 7? Last week didn't you. I'll be happy with 1 in about 2hrs time ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pigeon Shredder. Posted August 17, 2018 Report Share Posted August 17, 2018 Have made feeders but relocated them in other venues as shooting is restricted to ground level, gravel boards make a very good backstop though. Hazels grow in the garden which attracts ? And they also try to attack the bird feeders but everything must be shot at ground level, and l don't do too badly in the garden. Main squizzer control is at other sites where hmr and lr come into there own. Happy hunting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted August 17, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2018 No joy today, two squirrels were seen in the tree tops, lost one in the oak leaves, other was near the footpath, feeders largely ignored as there's so much other stuff about. but it was quiet as the sparrow hawks weren't about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walker570 Posted August 17, 2018 Report Share Posted August 17, 2018 (edited) Has anyone tried a squirrel decoy? .....now don't collapse in uncontrollable laughter .... I'm serious. There are some very good look alike cuddly toys on the market but I had considered skinning one I shot and making a model for it to fit on, maybe even put a small battery operated motor in it to wiggle the tail. Put this on or close to a feeder and maybe use a caller as well. ANYTHING to kill tre rats!! Edited August 17, 2018 by Walker570 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TIGHTCHOKE Posted August 17, 2018 Report Share Posted August 17, 2018 Sounds like a good idea, I guess they are territorial and it might cause one to come in and challenge your decoy. Just don't shoot the wrong one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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