squirrel control

[sam triple]

1 hour ago, Mice! said:

 

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

With the amount of rain we’ve had you’ve got to wonder if they’ve started to rot 

[Mice!]

22 minutes ago, sam triple said:

With the amount of rain we’ve had you’ve got to wonder if they’ve started to rot 

You would think so, they can't last forever in the damp leaf mulch

[sam triple]

 

from Saturday 

[Walker570]

Tidy. 

Feeder needs larger bits of seed to make the treerat nibble a bit longer. I use whole maize with a few peanuts(expensive now) treat with GameKeep powder.  They sit nice and still nibbling these.  I pour a drop of cooking oil on the seed which then makes the Game Keep powder stick to it.   It works, don't it Old Un ?

[sam triple]

2 hours ago, Walker570 said:

Tidy. 

Feeder needs larger bits of seed to make the treerat nibble a bit longer. I use whole maize with a few peanuts(expensive now) treat with GameKeep powder.  They sit nice and still nibbling these.  I pour a drop of cooking oil on the seed which then makes the Game Keep powder stick to it.   It works, don't it Old Un ?

As I don’t pay for the feed I get what I’m given ! This drum has a lot of barley and sun flower seeds in it and they’re raking through the barley to get to the sun flower seeds , however the 2 feeders the other end of the wood has another barrel containing millet , sunflower seeds and what else is laying around , as they beggars can’t be choosers as long as they keep coming I’ll keep hitting them 

[Walker570]

As you say beggars can't be choosers, but it is frustrating when they wont sit still, having said that your still doing a good job. Keep whacking and stacking.

[sam triple]

2 hours ago, Walker570 said:

As you say beggars can't be choosers, but it is frustrating when they wont sit still, having said that your still doing a good job. Keep whacking and stacking.

Cheers will do 👍

[old man]

11 hours ago, Walker570 said:

Tidy. 

Feeder needs larger bits of seed to make the treerat nibble a bit longer. I use whole maize with a few peanuts(expensive now) treat with GameKeep powder.  They sit nice and still nibbling these.  I pour a drop of cooking oil on the seed which then makes the Game Keep powder stick to it.   It works, don't it Old Un ?

Works for this old un.

[ratchers]

A lucky squirrel or not so lucky squirrel,  let me explain.

Back to the farm where I try to go on a weekly basis, I can sort of sneak up to the flip top feeder and I can see the level of peanuts as it has a perspex front, I could see the level had gone down about an inch since the last time so greys about but maybe not many. After quietly setting up it was time to wait and after about half an hour I could hear movement and about thirty yards left of the feeder I could see two greys high up in a tree playing chase, they were up and down and round and around, I brought the gun up waiting for a chance and sure enough one stopped for an itch,I got the shot away only to hear it hit the branch where the grey was,the pair of squirrels started with fright and ran down the trunk,I heard a thud hitting the ground and wondering what it was I went and looked under the tree and there lay a dead grey shot through the heart from a ricochet!

So a lucky squirrel for me but not so lucky for the squirrel.

[arjimlad]

@ratchers amazing!  

[Mice!]

Imagine being in work and being busy all day 😭😭

I got out this morning before work though, first squirrel arrived at around 7:50, through the tree tops, charged straight onto the feeder, but didn't lift the lid? I'd been watching the birds taking seeds from the small gap, but that's where the squirrel was trying to get seeds from?

He finally got something he was happy with and sat up nice, in the perfect position,  Pfft Whack drop. 

It was then on with the bird watching,  Robin, Great tit, blue tit, Nuthatch's,  coal tit, Willow tit, pigeon, blackbirds.

A squirrel went over me but didn't come to the feeder, around 8:30 two more squirrels charged in from the left playing kiss chase, things went wrong when they went up the tree behind the feeder, giving side on shot as the first squirrel stopped on the trunk, Whack drop. 

Then the other squirrel jumped up into almost the same spot as if I hadn't taken the shot, it was looking down obviously wondering what was going on,  Mistake Pfft Whack drop. 

With that I went to check them as they'd dropped out of sight.

Both dropped,  a large male and a small female the first was a really big male.

Guessing they have only just found the feeder, already chewed the front!! Can't yet lift the lid and got shot for it.

Plus there was very little feed gone but hopefully a few more show up, the first squirrels from this wood in over two months. 

[sam triple]

1 hour ago, Mice! said:

Imagine being in work and being busy all day 😭😭

I got out this morning before work though, first squirrel arrived at around 7:50, through the tree tops, charged straight onto the feeder, but didn't lift the lid? I'd been watching the birds taking seeds from the small gap, but that's where the squirrel was trying to get seeds from?

He finally got something he was happy with and sat up nice, in the perfect position,  Pfft Whack drop. 

It was then on with the bird watching,  Robin, Great tit, blue tit, Nuthatch's,  coal tit, Willow tit, pigeon, blackbirds.

A squirrel went over me but didn't come to the feeder, around 8:30 two more squirrels charged in from the left playing kiss chase, things went wrong when they went up the tree behind the feeder, giving side on shot as the first squirrel stopped on the trunk, Whack drop. 

Then the other squirrel jumped up into almost the same spot as if I hadn't taken the shot, it was looking down obviously wondering what was going on,  Mistake Pfft Whack drop. 

With that I went to check them as they'd dropped out of sight.

Both dropped,  a large male and a small female the first was a really big male.

Guessing they have only just found the feeder, already chewed the front!! Can't yet lift the lid and got shot for it.

Plus there was very little feed gone but hopefully a few more show up, the first squirrels from this wood in over two months. 

So the same what’s happening to me is also happening to you ! Long may it continue 👍

[hatter]

After Tuesdays rather wet and disheartening visit to the wood I made another visit today with the promise of better weather. 

Dry and mild weather and three greys. Two females and a male. A great start to the weekend. 

[Mice!]

3 minutes ago, hatter said:

After Tuesdays rather wet and disheartening visit to the wood I made another visit today with the promise of better weather. 

Dry and mild weather and three greys. Two females and a male. A great start to the weekend. 

Excellent,  good shooting. 

[hatter]

5 minutes ago, Mice! said:

Excellent,  good shooting. 

Thanks mate. 

The feeder is getting busy now as there is less natural food available for the greys. I’ll be getting busier too. 😊👍

[sam triple]

3 this pm , that’s 7 in 2 trips , was just about to move when I caught 2 running in ( bore and a sow ) bore took his place on the feeder and got a head ache then the sow came in for a sniff and got the same treatment, few minutes later a lone bore arrived but never left 

 

[old man]

Another blank for me Thursday, feeder untouched too. A very damp miserable day so not surprised.

[hatter]

Two more of the feeder yesterday with AA S410. A small male and a very large male which I’m sure would have been a prolific breeder next year. Hopefully I’ve weakened the gene pool by removing him. 

More birds of the feeder which I couldn’t identify so I’ll be busy with my spotters books over the next couple of wet days. 

[Mice!]

10 hours ago, hatter said:

More birds of the feeder which I couldn’t identify so I’ll be busy with my spotters books over the next couple of wet days. 

Brilliant,  I love the challenge of identifying a bird I've not seen before. 

[Mice!]

Make a brew chaps.

I was out in the dark last night checking the feeder at strip wood, I wasn't expecting much really, it had an inch of feed in it last week (Wednesday) and stunk of mice!

I cleaned it out, filled it with fresh seed (cheap B&M with added molasses) and put up a camera.

 

Imagine my shock last night to find it half full or empty depending on how you see things, I took the camera down, added some nuts and sunflower seeds, put up my brolley and left.

The camera is set for 2 photos and a 15 second video, with a 5 minute lag, I had over 500 to look through!!

 

The camera is a mini one, and I'm far from impressed,  but I had squirrels from 0730 ish till half 3, every day, game on.

 

PLUS I had several images which I was sure could be reds!!

 

The forecast was shocking,  but looking at the satellite Images the rain should start to ease after 9:30 so that was the plan, be in position before 9 and be sure of what I'm shooting. 

I was in on time, with a squirrel going up the feeder tree, I just ignored it, got in position and 5 mins later it was back down, Pfft Whack #1 with another  bolting off to the right.

40mins later and two make there way in from the right, the first had flipped around and one stopped sniffing it, when another came down the feeder tree, I took that one off the top of the feeder, one bolted up a tree on the right again and the noise started from above.

Problem is the one on the right had settled in the open, Pfft Whack drop #3

 

The noise didn't last long before the squirrel cautiously came down the tree, twitching around, unsettled for obvious reasons, before hopping onto the ground in the same position as the first.

Pfft Whack flop. #4

Time was 10am I waited another ten minutes but nothing moved except the birds.

 

All females. 

My oldest feeder,  kept off the tree to keep the feed dry.

 

Quick conversation with the land owner telling them what I'd seen and saying I'd be in touch as soon as I new What was on the camera.

 

Off to another wood, I filled the very empty feeder, then went for a walk through the oaks with the thermal,  not a whole lot of stealth,  when the pigeons are bursting from the trees I find it easier to just go slowly from tree to tree, I saw a couple of squirrels moving about,  what a difference when the leaves are off, mostly. 

 

There is definitely something about walking the woods and knocking squirrels out of big Oaks, I took two off my knees and sticks, having to drop down to get the angle, Pfft Whack and the long drop as the JSB heavies did what they do, both around 30-35mtrs, the third I had to sit down with just it's head poking up.

The fourth was high up, in a strange position like a bird would be, totally exposing itself,  but as I made my way through the brambles it moved down into the Ivy, I could see it with the thermal,  but not with the scope, it seemed to take forever to find it, swapping between the two, I finally made out it's eye,  took the shot and it just slumped in the Ivy.

I went further around the small wood but didn't see anything else

All females again.

I left for lunch, had other plans to go to another wood but road works and diversions stopped that one.
A really good mornings shooting, a surprising one.

But the disappointment was when I looked on the laptop, I haven't been through all the images yet, but the ones I thought were reds, weren't, it seems the light in the wood is messing with my camera, a few squirrels seem darker than they probably are, I'll still be looking at a few again though, image 163, the way the squirrel is sat just makes me think red, I really thought I'd got reds at my feeder, even though I knew that would bring problems it had me floating.

You can tell the temperature has dropped, I got home and the bird feeders have been hammered, then this lot came in uninvited.

One failed, so I need some new traps, bleeding Mice 😄

[sam triple]

5 hours ago, Mice! said:

Make a brew chaps.

I was out in the dark last night checking the feeder at strip wood, I wasn't expecting much really, it had an inch of feed in it last week (Wednesday) and stunk of mice!

I cleaned it out, filled it with fresh seed (cheap B&M with added molasses) and put up a camera.

 

Imagine my shock last night to find it half full or empty depending on how you see things, I took the camera down, added some nuts and sunflower seeds, put up my brolley and left.

The camera is set for 2 photos and a 15 second video, with a 5 minute lag, I had over 500 to look through!!

 

The camera is a mini one, and I'm far from impressed,  but I had squirrels from 0730 ish till half 3, every day, game on.

 

PLUS I had several images which I was sure could be reds!!

 

The forecast was shocking,  but looking at the satellite Images the rain should start to ease after 9:30 so that was the plan, be in position before 9 and be sure of what I'm shooting. 

I was in on time, with a squirrel going up the feeder tree, I just ignored it, got in position and 5 mins later it was back down, Pfft Whack #1 with another  bolting off to the right.

40mins later and two make there way in from the right, the first had flipped around and one stopped sniffing it, when another came down the feeder tree, I took that one off the top of the feeder, one bolted up a tree on the right again and the noise started from above.

Problem is the one on the right had settled in the open, Pfft Whack drop #3

 

The noise didn't last long before the squirrel cautiously came down the tree, twitching around, unsettled for obvious reasons, before hopping onto the ground in the same position as the first.

Pfft Whack flop. #4

Time was 10am I waited another ten minutes but nothing moved except the birds.

 

All females. 

My oldest feeder,  kept off the tree to keep the feed dry.

 

Quick conversation with the land owner telling them what I'd seen and saying I'd be in touch as soon as I new What was on the camera.

 

Off to another wood, I filled the very empty feeder, then went for a walk through the oaks with the thermal,  not a whole lot of stealth,  when the pigeons are bursting from the trees I find it easier to just go slowly from tree to tree, I saw a couple of squirrels moving about,  what a difference when the leaves are off, mostly. 

 

There is definitely something about walking the woods and knocking squirrels out of big Oaks, I took two off my knees and sticks, having to drop down to get the angle, Pfft Whack and the long drop as the JSB heavies did what they do, both around 30-35mtrs, the third I had to sit down with just it's head poking up.

The fourth was high up, in a strange position like a bird would be, totally exposing itself,  but as I made my way through the brambles it moved down into the Ivy, I could see it with the thermal,  but not with the scope, it seemed to take forever to find it, swapping between the two, I finally made out it's eye,  took the shot and it just slumped in the Ivy.

I went further around the small wood but didn't see anything else

All females again.

I left for lunch, had other plans to go to another wood but road works and diversions stopped that one.
A really good mornings shooting, a surprising one.

But the disappointment was when I looked on the laptop, I haven't been through all the images yet, but the ones I thought were reds, weren't, it seems the light in the wood is messing with my camera, a few squirrels seem darker than they probably are, I'll still be looking at a few again though, image 163, the way the squirrel is sat just makes me think red, I really thought I'd got reds at my feeder, even though I knew that would bring problems it had me floating.

You can tell the temperature has dropped, I got home and the bird feeders have been hammered, then this lot came in uninvited.

One failed, so I need some new traps, bleeding Mice 😄

Micely done 👍 , I’m seriously thinking natural for now has run it’s course my feeders are being empty every few days , I know there a lot of , tits , finches , nuthatches on them but I also know that’s not all I’ll be up agsin at the weekend to see what’s what 

[Mice!]

4 hours ago, sam triple said:

Micely done 👍 , I’m seriously thinking natural for now has run it’s course my feeders are being empty every few days , I know there a lot of , tits , finches , nuthatches on them but I also know that’s not all I’ll be up agsin at the weekend to see what’s what 

I'd agree, there will still be stuff about but it can't sit on the wet floor forever,  they'll know where the feeders are, bag em up 👍

[Sciurus]

@Mice! a great report as always and yes, the mice are a pain! One day, you’ll get your red, they are not far away. Anyway, better make another brew….

I haven’t posted for a couple of months due to an unexpected heart attack which was quickly sorted, but I came out of hospital with another dose of covid, which flattened me for another month.

Feeling better, I had 3 forays in the last week and got 2 greys each trip. Each trip, I took a different gun- 12 bore, 410 and .177 and each trip, I wished I had brought a different gun! On a side note, I am on blood thinners and the bruising to my shoulder from the 12 bore is unbelievable.

Anyway, this morning, I was off to my favourite permission, a period property open to the public, with 3 small woods running down to the lake. The largest wood is still closed after Storm Arwen (a year ago), as damaged trees are still falling, so I was limboing over and under massive oaks whilst scanning with the thermal. I soon spotted a grey, then two, then three playing kiss chase, I crept closer and spotted a fourth clinging to a separate tree, bang- one down, then a hidden fifth grey ran straight across a branch in front of me - bang- a miss. For those, who don’t use a shotgun, a squirrel zigzagging along a branch is a challenging shot - especially with a drainpipe at the end of your gun! (I have a .410 Hushpower).

The original 3 headed off towards the lake and one mounted sentry duty at the top of an ash at the cliff edge, bang, down it dropped onto the shore, where it would be seen by the public, so I had to climb and slide down the cliff to retrieve it and return via a different route. The other two wisely disappeared.

Following, the footpath along the shore, another grey ran from the grass up another ash. I waited only a minute and a face appeared round the trunk and bang that came down.

Rounding the beautiful old stone boathouse, I got an unusual signal in the bushes  on the thermal, too hot to be a pigeon but I couldn’t spot anything through the binos. I crept forward, trying to get a better view and a grey ran up a near by oak. I waited to see if it would reappear, whilst scanning around at the same time- blow me there was a different grey sitting nicely in the forks of an oak in front of me. Bang, number 4 down.

Into the small second wood, there was nothing but sheep and unwanted canada geese making a racket. On returning, I got another vague signal up a scots pine, out with the binos, another grey. Bang, another one down, but its head was up and very much alive. As went to pick it up, the B thing ran up my leg!!! I screamed like a girl and shook it off and gave it the last rights with my priest. Phew!

Back along the steep path to the car park, I got another signal, quickly checking there was no member of the public yet in the car park, bang - sixth down, this grey was having a kick about and disappeared down a rabbit hole. I am not brave and decided not to stick my hand in- I would be hopeless in “I am a celebrity….!!!!”

Dropping off the greys into my boot, I picked up a few more cartridges and went into the third wood. This used to be an arboretum in Victorian times and was usually popular with the greys but had been been devastated and flattened by Arwen and I only spotted a single large grey disappearing up a large beech with cracked and broken limbs everywhere. I thought I would have no chance but again within a few minutes a small face appeared, bang, seven down.

The public had started to arrive, so I didn’t have time to do the Chapel and walled garden, so off I went to a nearby campsite.

It was there that my exciting morning came to an end. I had just shot the eighth (which I couldn’t pick), when the battery on my thermal went.- time to go home!

 

I couldn’t believe it, last year there were very few greys about and I thought we had pretty well shot them all. A colleague had shot the place twice whilst I was incapacitated and had six and yet I must have seen at least 16 today. Where have they all come from? Needless to say I will be back soon.

On a different note, it has been interesting to read other peoples experience with baits and feeders. Where I shoot, it is nearly all mature oak and beech, with lots of sweet chestnut, hazel and yew. There is no way a self respecting grey would consider eating maize or wheat- ever! I do have success in the summer shooting and trapping with a mixture of nuts and aniseed but it is the sunflowers and peanuts they are after, but will rarely eat this after June as there is just so much natural food about (& still is!).

The other thing that is different here, is it rains alot- no drought. Wooden feeders become sodden, I can’t use them except in summer. I make my feeders from pvc soil pipes or aluminium flue pipes, with waterproof lids, but the atmosphere and woods are so damp, that bait just decays. I put four feeders out in September, they have not been touched but last week I have shot 4 greys within 5 yds of them. Its just a waste of bait, at the moment. The ground is still covered with acorns and beechmast. However  In poor years, the feeders wouldn’t go damp as they would be emptied quickly.

 

[Mice!]

49 minutes ago, Sciurus said:

yet I must have seen at least 16 today. Where have they all come from? Needless to say I will be back soon.

The leaves are coming off and there more visible I think mate, the amount of rain we've had has to have had an effect on the nuts that have dropped. 

A great day out for you, but take it easy 👍 

[hatter]

On 23/11/2022 at 19:08, Mice! said:

Brilliant,  I love the challenge of identifying a bird I've not seen before. 

Saturday trip to Duxford, Sunday spent with my spotters books. It’s going to be a good weekend 👍😊

21 hours ago, Sciurus said:

@Mice! a great report as always and yes, the mice are a pain! One day, you’ll get your red, they are not far away. Anyway, better make another brew….

I haven’t posted for a couple of months due to an unexpected heart attack which was quickly sorted, but I came out of hospital with another dose of covid, which flattened me for another month.

Feeling better, I had 3 forays in the last week and got 2 greys each trip. Each trip, I took a different gun- 12 bore, 410 and .177 and each trip, I wished I had brought a different gun! On a side note, I am on blood thinners and the bruising to my shoulder from the 12 bore is unbelievable.

Anyway, this morning, I was off to my favourite permission, a period property open to the public, with 3 small woods running down to the lake. The largest wood is still closed after Storm Arwen (a year ago), as damaged trees are still falling, so I was limboing over and under massive oaks whilst scanning with the thermal. I soon spotted a grey, then two, then three playing kiss chase, I crept closer and spotted a fourth clinging to a separate tree, bang- one down, then a hidden fifth grey ran straight across a branch in front of me - bang- a miss. For those, who don’t use a shotgun, a squirrel zigzagging along a branch is a challenging shot - especially with a drainpipe at the end of your gun! (I have a .410 Hushpower).

The original 3 headed off towards the lake and one mounted sentry duty at the top of an ash at the cliff edge, bang, down it dropped onto the shore, where it would be seen by the public, so I had to climb and slide down the cliff to retrieve it and return via a different route. The other two wisely disappeared.

Following, the footpath along the shore, another grey ran from the grass up another ash. I waited only a minute and a face appeared round the trunk and bang that came down.

Rounding the beautiful old stone boathouse, I got an unusual signal in the bushes  on the thermal, too hot to be a pigeon but I couldn’t spot anything through the binos. I crept forward, trying to get a better view and a grey ran up a near by oak. I waited to see if it would reappear, whilst scanning around at the same time- blow me there was a different grey sitting nicely in the forks of an oak in front of me. Bang, number 4 down.

Into the small second wood, there was nothing but sheep and unwanted canada geese making a racket. On returning, I got another vague signal up a scots pine, out with the binos, another grey. Bang, another one down, but its head was up and very much alive. As went to pick it up, the B thing ran up my leg!!! I screamed like a girl and shook it off and gave it the last rights with my priest. Phew!

Back along the steep path to the car park, I got another signal, quickly checking there was no member of the public yet in the car park, bang - sixth down, this grey was having a kick about and disappeared down a rabbit hole. I am not brave and decided not to stick my hand in- I would be hopeless in “I am a celebrity….!!!!”

Dropping off the greys into my boot, I picked up a few more cartridges and went into the third wood. This used to be an arboretum in Victorian times and was usually popular with the greys but had been been devastated and flattened by Arwen and I only spotted a single large grey disappearing up a large beech with cracked and broken limbs everywhere. I thought I would have no chance but again within a few minutes a small face appeared, bang, seven down.

The public had started to arrive, so I didn’t have time to do the Chapel and walled garden, so off I went to a nearby campsite.

It was there that my exciting morning came to an end. I had just shot the eighth (which I couldn’t pick), when the battery on my thermal went.- time to go home!

 

I couldn’t believe it, last year there were very few greys about and I thought we had pretty well shot them all. A colleague had shot the place twice whilst I was incapacitated and had six and yet I must have seen at least 16 today. Where have they all come from? Needless to say I will be back soon.

On a different note, it has been interesting to read other peoples experience with baits and feeders. Where I shoot, it is nearly all mature oak and beech, with lots of sweet chestnut, hazel and yew. There is no way a self respecting grey would consider eating maize or wheat- ever! I do have success in the summer shooting and trapping with a mixture of nuts and aniseed but it is the sunflowers and peanuts they are after, but will rarely eat this after June as there is just so much natural food about (& still is!).

The other thing that is different here, is it rains alot- no drought. Wooden feeders become sodden, I can’t use them except in summer. I make my feeders from pvc soil pipes or aluminium flue pipes, with waterproof lids, but the atmosphere and woods are so damp, that bait just decays. I put four feeders out in September, they have not been touched but last week I have shot 4 greys within 5 yds of them. Its just a waste of bait, at the moment. The ground is still covered with acorns and beechmast. However  In poor years, the feeders wouldn’t go damp as they would be emptied quickly.

 

A very interesting write up. Glad your feeling better after your heart attack, your contributions to this thread have been much missed.