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squirrel control


Mice!
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35 minutes ago, Mice! said:

I msgd a land owner (strip wood) to say I was going to come check the feeder, and I got the reply saying OK, and we saw a red squirrel on Monday 😳😳

I questioned if they were sure and was told two of them saw it and were sure!!

I'm not convinced it will have been a red, but I'm hopeful , it would certainly be epic news, a red has been spotted around 5 or 6 miles away so I'm not sure how this one could have popped up here?

I wasn't going to shoot the strip today, I went up big wood yesterday and caught sight of two greys in two hours, despite there being sweet chestnuts everywhere, but it's been quiet for months and there's been forestry work going on. 

The feeder at strip wood has been quiet but with news like this I had to go out.

I was out at the crack of dawn, in the wood before the rooks had left and settled down in the dark to wait.

Nothing showed  till the decoy pheasant,  then around 8:30 they arrived,  squirrel came in and straight up on the feeder, Pfft Whack drop #1

Straight away the noise started.

Ten minutes later another and a magpie popped up, I'd put some bread out on the log of doom last night, movement in front of the white tiger bread catches the eye well 😉

Number #2 was up on the log Pfft Whack flip!

Still the noise!

Problem with the brolley and nets is you can't see well with the thermal,  so I could hear it but not find it?

Maybe 9am and another came in but was spooked by the bodies, stayed up in a tree looking down, Pfft Whack drop #3

And still the calling, I gave it till 9:15 then came out, I could find it in the thermal,  but couldn't get a shot.

So 3 down,  another about, not good if there's a red about, but better than it was 😉

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Two big males and a young female. 

A good result bud. Can only do your best for the Reds?

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Nice going. Hope the red shows up and you get the remaining grey.

Still a lot of acorns down here and a bit of movement on the flip tops this week. My 'Forestry Ranger' saw two more in our little wood this morning. All the walnuts now collected 1730 harvested, so not much wild food available and they are showing near the feed tables. From the shells under the tree I estimate probably a hundred more walnuts which have been enjoyed by the woodpeckers and the badgers and a few lucky ones by tree rats but they have had a rough time with a sudden death syndrome rampant.

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27 minutes ago, Walker570 said:

Nice going. Hope the red shows up and you get the remaining grey.

1 hour ago, old man said:

A good result bud. Can only do your best for the Reds?

Absolutely. OM

I know there will be more than one, but there's nothing like the numbers there were.

Same up here with the acorns, I'm expecting it to be a month before there gone.

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Well that's good news. I can get back to whacking tree rats over in Lincolnshire. The good old Landie left on a trailer yesterday sold into a new life and the Duster is proving to be a good buy and at 50 plus mpg then a run to Lincolshire is back on and the keeper says there are still plenty of targets around his pheasant feeders.  I've noticed also that they have begun to seek out food again and started to use the feeders.   Are we going to hit 5000 by the new year?

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2 hours ago, Walker570 said:

........ Are we going to hit 5000 by the new year?

Statistically unlikely, unless the kill rate doubles during November and December.

The numbers are slightly down on end October 2021's figures and I haven't seen one in the garden since February!

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Down to the farm this morning to stake out the feeder,had only been there five minutes when I spot a grey high in the trees to the left running towards the feeder, happened so fast didn't have time to get ready so when I swung the gun up it was already on the box and must have seen the movement and scarpered, so disapointing as greys have been scarce the last few months. Ever the optimist, thought it might come back but as it happens one came down an oak tree into my sights after an hour,a juvenile female.

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1 hour ago, amateur said:

Statistically unlikely, unless the kill rate doubles during November and December.

The numbers are slightly down on end October 2021's figures and I haven't seen one in the garden since February!

I'm hoping I'll more than double my rate, I've hardly seen any squirrels since summer!

57 minutes ago, ratchers said:

there five minutes when I spot a grey

I read that the first time as shot, not spot but at least another turned up 👍

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It was my weekly visit to check the pheasant pens and feeders, and I was making my way back along a track to the car when I noticed this one's tail a little way up an oak, fluttering in the wind.

I lined up, a standing shot at 7 yards and whack... the broadside of squirrel which I thought I was lining up on was actually a bit of old tree. The tail was all I could see of the animal.

The customer put his head up for a look around just after my shot, but before I could reload, put it down again. I was very surprised he didn't run off altogether. I moved around a little until I could see the very top of his bonce, just a thin line of fur was visible - not enough for any sort of shot.

I pursed my lips and blew out a little squeak - which caused chummy to lift his head and receive his medicine like a good boy.  A young-ish boar cut down in his prime. 

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Two days with no phone 🥶

Still, I'm doing better than these three, had dome gun with the kids pumpkins,  squirrels are coming to a dwarf mapple/sycamore for the seeds, but I've tempted them further up the garden, all youngsters.

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With another running around this mornin, it'll come back.

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Wrong choice this morning.  I have just two flip tops set at the golf club at the moment and last week saw two or three playing in the trees above one of them so this morning got there well early and had a 45 min wait for the light to come up. Evetually at 7.45 one appeared on the feeder and duly went to the 'happy hunting ground'. Ok here we go I thought and sat there until 9 oclock and nothing.  Checked the feeder and in 10 days it had only gone down about an inch, so pretty obvious the now deceased squidger was probably the only one using it.    I drove across to check the other feeder and it was empty all but for a few chewed grains in the bottom and this feeder is twice as big as the other one.  Top both off and will hit the second one Sunday morning if the weather holds.  To rub it in there was one sat on a stump waving at me as I turned through the exit gate into the car park. Too many lady golfers about to deal with that one.

BUT it was good to not see any running around on the course like when I first went there. I have only killed 60 so far but it seems to have reduced the numbers somewhat.

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2 hours ago, Walker570 said:

BUT it was good to not see any running around on the course like when I first went there. I have only killed 60 so far but it seems to have reduced the numbers somewhat.

Strange how shooting a load means there are fewer around 👍

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I've finally got a big feeder back out, it'll only be here for a few weeks till the leaves come off, but I know it won't be emptied by the birds so I'll be out on it next week.

Then it can go up the hill to where it should be. 

Still acorns everywhere. 

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1 hour ago, Walker570 said:

Managed to whack two at the golf club before golfers started to filter round the 18th. They must have started on the 13th.

Squirrels or something had scratched a whole pile of maize out of the feeder onto the floor where I shot one of them.

Worth another look mid week when golfers may have to go to work.

 

19 hours ago, sam triple said:

A better day on the squirrels mate filled up my feed bin 3 bores and 1 sow off 2 feeders in 2.5 hours not the most productive but at least they’re feeding off the feeders again 

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Good to know there heading back to the feeders, those acorns on the ground must lose there sweetness after a while. 

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