squirrel control

[old man]

Another blank for me yesterday.🤔

[Sciurus]

After 5 months of ignoring feeders, the greys round here are only just half heartedly showing interest in some of my feeders filled with sunflower seeds, peanuts and maize.  There is just so much acorns & beech still on the floor. Yesterday, I disturbed a large flock of woodies (& a single grey, which I shot) feeding on acorns . The two greys below were shot on Sunday, within 20 feet of an ignored feeder in another wood.

All still very well fed. Trapping here is basically still a waste of time at the moment but the thermal is working well on these murky mornings.👍

[Mice!]

@Sciurus well.....

I've been preparing and topping up in the dark as you all know, this morning I executed the plan, along with several squirrels. 

First off was the strip wood, I know the squirrels here are transient,  so I wasn't worried that it was around 7:15 when I walked in.

I'd put my brolley and nets up last night so it was just a matter of sitting down and getting the gun out, the feed was down with lots scattered on the ground, I added some good stuff and left.

The birds were flitting about, Coal tit, blackbirds and Robins enjoying the free feed and the sun shining through the trees.

 

It was around 8am when the movement caught my eye,  squirrel,  no squirrels, up and down looking at the feeder.

The first seemed to circle, the second went and down onto the log of doom, took a nut, sat back and Pfft Whack flip.

He landed belly up and the other vanished,  but not well enough for the thermal. 

She was high up obscured by a few branches and clearly not happy,  messed around a little looking down, head twitching and bobbing then froze, Pfft Whack drop. 

This one flopped and flipped around,  I think this is due to being on high alert, the adrenaline pumping.

Because the female didn't want to come down I broke cover and picked them up.

Two big squirrels. 

 

I was thinking that's probably it, I'll head off to the golf course wood, but give it till half 8, when from the corner of my eye I see a squirrel drop down onto the log of doom!

I couldn't believe it, I'd only just sat down, gun on the sticks, line up and waited, I had the trigger against the sear, waiting,  gave a touch more pressure and missed!! I saw it move as I released the shot, couldn't believe I'd seen it move, just turned it's body all at once, the pellet whizzed past and the squirrel jumped onto the tree, looked around then came back down. I waited again while it got another morsel to eat Pfft Whack drop,  it was like a carbon copy of the first shot, with the same reaction from the other squirrel with it, only this time there were two more 😳😳

They both jumped around,  twitching going up and down, circling the feeder, it took a while before they started looking for food again,  but one settled enough on the tree, head pointing down and was shot through the crown.

 

This caused the other to shoot upwards, hissing,  barking and tail twitching,  but in its agitation it moved into the open and froze again, Pfft Whack drop.

The first two were a mature pair. On the log.

With the next three all males, and some big critters.

 

Now I was sure I wouldn't see any more, so I did pack up and head to my next location.

 

20mins later I'm walking through another wood, I spotted a squirrel running but couldn't do anything about this, with this feeder I can walk past and check it with the thermal while the leaves are off, three squirrels! But no real quiet way to get in, so I just got in, gun out and waited.

 

I'd say it was 10-15mins at the most before the first squirrel came back.

This feeder is a flip lid but also has a slot so the birds can take feed, but the squirrels need to move the feed after some has been taken,  and all three squirrels used the slot not the lid,  the first two just charged in, sniffed around then jumped up onto the ledge, took some feed then sat at a nice angle, around 30° to my position resulting in both squirrels falling violently off the ledge.

Then the noise began,  I hadn't seen the third, it could have just left but the barking started, it was jumping about, changing trees, up and down, under the feeder, behind it.

It messed around so much that I just sat back and waited.

It was on and off the ledge, and totally unpredictable in its movements so I waited, and it finished up the same as the first two, it looked like I'd marked each squirrel with a bingo pen in just the same spot.

 

 

Another 3 big males, I didn't need to worry about ranges or angles, I've shot these positions enough to know that it's point and shoot.

 

Knowing I was near to my elusive 10 I headed up to the big Oaks where I've had success before,  I saw lots of different wildlife but not a single squirrel so I called it and headed for the car.

 

The only problem with my day was I went into work for the afternoon and never stopped,  typical when I wanted to be typing this out 😅😅

 

Big wood tomorrow where I've not shot a squirrel for a long time.

 

Cheers fellas.

 

 

 

[sam triple]

11 hours ago, Sciurus said:

After 5 months of ignoring feeders, the greys round here are only just half heartedly showing interest in some of my feeders filled with sunflower seeds, peanuts and maize.  There is just so much acorns & beech still on the floor. Yesterday, I disturbed a large flock of woodies (& a single grey, which I shot) feeding on acorns . The two greys below were shot on Sunday, within 20 feet of an ignored feeder in another wood.

All still very well fed. Trapping here is basically still a waste of time at the moment but the thermal is working well on these murky mornings.👍

The same way down south I’d honestly thought the acorns would have rotted out in the rains but a shot woody had a crop full of them 

5 hours ago, Mice! said:

@Sciurus well.....

I've been preparing and topping up in the dark as you all know, this morning I executed the plan, along with several squirrels. 

First off was the strip wood, I know the squirrels here are transient,  so I wasn't worried that it was around 7:15 when I walked in.

I'd put my brolley and nets up last night so it was just a matter of sitting down and getting the gun out, the feed was down with lots scattered on the ground, I added some good stuff and left.

The birds were flitting about, Coal tit, blackbirds and Robins enjoying the free feed and the sun shining through the trees.

 

It was around 8am when the movement caught my eye,  squirrel,  no squirrels, up and down looking at the feeder.

The first seemed to circle, the second went and down onto the log of doom, took a nut, sat back and Pfft Whack flip.

He landed belly up and the other vanished,  but not well enough for the thermal. 

She was high up obscured by a few branches and clearly not happy,  messed around a little looking down, head twitching and bobbing then froze, Pfft Whack drop. 

This one flopped and flipped around,  I think this is due to being on high alert, the adrenaline pumping.

Because the female didn't want to come down I broke cover and picked them up.

Two big squirrels. 

 

I was thinking that's probably it, I'll head off to the golf course wood, but give it till half 8, when from the corner of my eye I see a squirrel drop down onto the log of doom!

I couldn't believe it, I'd only just sat down, gun on the sticks, line up and waited, I had the trigger against the sear, waiting,  gave a touch more pressure and missed!! I saw it move as I released the shot, couldn't believe I'd seen it move, just turned it's body all at once, the pellet whizzed past and the squirrel jumped onto the tree, looked around then came back down. I waited again while it got another morsel to eat Pfft Whack drop,  it was like a carbon copy of the first shot, with the same reaction from the other squirrel with it, only this time there were two more 😳😳

They both jumped around,  twitching going up and down, circling the feeder, it took a while before they started looking for food again,  but one settled enough on the tree, head pointing down and was shot through the crown.

 

This caused the other to shoot upwards, hissing,  barking and tail twitching,  but in its agitation it moved into the open and froze again, Pfft Whack drop.

The first two were a mature pair. On the log.

With the next three all males, and some big critters.

 

Now I was sure I wouldn't see any more, so I did pack up and head to my next location.

 

20mins later I'm walking through another wood, I spotted a squirrel running but couldn't do anything about this, with this feeder I can walk past and check it with the thermal while the leaves are off, three squirrels! But no real quiet way to get in, so I just got in, gun out and waited.

 

I'd say it was 10-15mins at the most before the first squirrel came back.

This feeder is a flip lid but also has a slot so the birds can take feed, but the squirrels need to move the feed after some has been taken,  and all three squirrels used the slot not the lid,  the first two just charged in, sniffed around then jumped up onto the ledge, took some feed then sat at a nice angle, around 30° to my position resulting in both squirrels falling violently off the ledge.

Then the noise began,  I hadn't seen the third, it could have just left but the barking started, it was jumping about, changing trees, up and down, under the feeder, behind it.

It messed around so much that I just sat back and waited.

It was on and off the ledge, and totally unpredictable in its movements so I waited, and it finished up the same as the first two, it looked like I'd marked each squirrel with a bingo pen in just the same spot.

 

 

Another 3 big males, I didn't need to worry about ranges or angles, I've shot these positions enough to know that it's point and shoot.

 

Knowing I was near to my elusive 10 I headed up to the big Oaks where I've had success before,  I saw lots of different wildlife but not a single squirrel so I called it and headed for the car.

 

The only problem with my day was I went into work for the afternoon and never stopped,  typical when I wanted to be typing this out 😅😅

 

Big wood tomorrow where I've not shot a squirrel for a long time.

 

Cheers fellas.

 

 

 

Nice 

[old man]

16 hours ago, Mice! said:

@Sciurus well.....

I've been preparing and topping up in the dark as you all know, this morning I executed the plan, along with several squirrels. 

First off was the strip wood, I know the squirrels here are transient,  so I wasn't worried that it was around 7:15 when I walked in.

I'd put my brolley and nets up last night so it was just a matter of sitting down and getting the gun out, the feed was down with lots scattered on the ground, I added some good stuff and left.

The birds were flitting about, Coal tit, blackbirds and Robins enjoying the free feed and the sun shining through the trees.

 

It was around 8am when the movement caught my eye,  squirrel,  no squirrels, up and down looking at the feeder.

The first seemed to circle, the second went and down onto the log of doom, took a nut, sat back and Pfft Whack flip.

He landed belly up and the other vanished,  but not well enough for the thermal. 

She was high up obscured by a few branches and clearly not happy,  messed around a little looking down, head twitching and bobbing then froze, Pfft Whack drop. 

This one flopped and flipped around,  I think this is due to being on high alert, the adrenaline pumping.

Because the female didn't want to come down I broke cover and picked them up.

Two big squirrels. 

 

I was thinking that's probably it, I'll head off to the golf course wood, but give it till half 8, when from the corner of my eye I see a squirrel drop down onto the log of doom!

I couldn't believe it, I'd only just sat down, gun on the sticks, line up and waited, I had the trigger against the sear, waiting,  gave a touch more pressure and missed!! I saw it move as I released the shot, couldn't believe I'd seen it move, just turned it's body all at once, the pellet whizzed past and the squirrel jumped onto the tree, looked around then came back down. I waited again while it got another morsel to eat Pfft Whack drop,  it was like a carbon copy of the first shot, with the same reaction from the other squirrel with it, only this time there were two more 😳😳

They both jumped around,  twitching going up and down, circling the feeder, it took a while before they started looking for food again,  but one settled enough on the tree, head pointing down and was shot through the crown.

 

This caused the other to shoot upwards, hissing,  barking and tail twitching,  but in its agitation it moved into the open and froze again, Pfft Whack drop.

The first two were a mature pair. On the log.

With the next three all males, and some big critters.

 

Now I was sure I wouldn't see any more, so I did pack up and head to my next location.

 

20mins later I'm walking through another wood, I spotted a squirrel running but couldn't do anything about this, with this feeder I can walk past and check it with the thermal while the leaves are off, three squirrels! But no real quiet way to get in, so I just got in, gun out and waited.

 

I'd say it was 10-15mins at the most before the first squirrel came back.

This feeder is a flip lid but also has a slot so the birds can take feed, but the squirrels need to move the feed after some has been taken,  and all three squirrels used the slot not the lid,  the first two just charged in, sniffed around then jumped up onto the ledge, took some feed then sat at a nice angle, around 30° to my position resulting in both squirrels falling violently off the ledge.

Then the noise began,  I hadn't seen the third, it could have just left but the barking started, it was jumping about, changing trees, up and down, under the feeder, behind it.

It messed around so much that I just sat back and waited.

It was on and off the ledge, and totally unpredictable in its movements so I waited, and it finished up the same as the first two, it looked like I'd marked each squirrel with a bingo pen in just the same spot.

 

 

Another 3 big males, I didn't need to worry about ranges or angles, I've shot these positions enough to know that it's point and shoot.

 

Knowing I was near to my elusive 10 I headed up to the big Oaks where I've had success before,  I saw lots of different wildlife but not a single squirrel so I called it and headed for the car.

 

The only problem with my day was I went into work for the afternoon and never stopped,  typical when I wanted to be typing this out 😅😅

 

Big wood tomorrow where I've not shot a squirrel for a long time.

 

Cheers fellas.

 

 

 

Well done bud.

[Mice!]

On 22/02/2023 at 15:56, old man said:

Another blank for me yesterday.🤔

I blanked today bud, I went up to big wood, tge repaired feeder went up early Feb, its been emptied once so I thought game on. 

I'd been there half an hour or so when I spotted a squirrel a few hundred yards away making its way through the tree tops, I really like watching them come into the feeders, knowing I'm bringing them in to where I can shoot.

15 mins later and no squirrels? 30 mins later I notice one just sat on a bough not far from the feeder tree, I didn't move, I thought it'll hop into the Yew in a minute and make its way to the feeder like many have before,  it hopped,  dust or pollen falling from the branches.

The problem is the squirrel didn't do what it was supposed to, it was acting like a woodpecker,  spiralling around the boughs, taking bits of moss or lichen, I watched it go round three or four oaks like this before it went out of sight.

I went walkabout trying to find some squirrels and saw a few but there were on the ground and running each time I spotted them,  and I was a good bit away from where I normally shoot. 

Very odd indeed. 

[Sciurus]

@Mice!Cracking day yesterday👍 All that midnight black magic paid off!

[hatter]

On 22/02/2023 at 17:28, Sciurus said:

After 5 months of ignoring feeders, the greys round here are only just half heartedly showing interest in some of my feeders filled with sunflower seeds, peanuts and maize.  There is just so much acorns & beech still on the floor. Yesterday, I disturbed a large flock of woodies (& a single grey, which I shot) feeding on acorns . The two greys below were shot on Sunday, within 20 feet of an ignored feeder in another wood.

All still very well fed. Trapping here is basically still a waste of time at the moment but the thermal is working well on these murky mornings.👍

Do you shoot the 410 off the Primos sticks? 

[Sciurus]

1 hour ago, hatter said:

Do you shoot the 410 off the Primos sticks? 

😂 - Well spotted, they just happened to be in the boot!

[arjimlad]

@Mice! great write-up as always!

I'm excited for my first foray into drey-poking tomorrow.

I got some UKshootwarehouse lofting poles and have attached a garden hoe to the top pole, for ease of shoving the dreys out of the trees. We have 3 or 4 guns who will be waiting for the squirrels to break out.

We have eye protection, headgear & gloves for the poker.   

All we need is the squirrels to be at home in the morning!

I'll report back!

 

 

[Mice!]

2 hours ago, arjimlad said:

@Mice! great write-up as always!

I'm excited for my first foray into drey-poking tomorrow.

I got some UKshootwarehouse lofting poles and have attached a garden hoe to the top pole, for ease of shoving the dreys out of the trees. We have 3 or 4 guns who will be waiting for the squirrels to break out.

We have eye protection, headgear & gloves for the poker.   

All we need is the squirrels to be at home in the morning!

I'll report back!

 

 

Cheers fella, good luck with the poking, glad your doing it that way and not just blasting them 👏👏

Took me a while deciding what this heat source was this morning,  had it been in a drey!!

[arjimlad]

@Mice! Thanks - yes - there are owls about so care is needed.  Lovely sight ! 

 

[hatter]

16 hours ago, Sciurus said:

😂 - Well spotted, they just happened to be in the boot!

I did wonder. Loving my Mossberg 410 I just should use it more. 

[Sciurus]

5 hours ago, hatter said:

I did wonder. Loving my Mossberg 410 I just should use it more. 

The mossberg 410 hushpower is very popular round here for grey control. Took me a long time to get used to it because of the drainpipe at the end and its a bit agricultural but a bit of foam as a cheek riser has sorted that. It’s my go to gun now.

This morning started badly, whilst Mice was watching owls, I went to the ‘cold’ wood on the other side of the hill. As I was crossing the field to the wood, I saw a hippie dog walker, complete with dreadlocks and MC Hammer pants. Living in an area where the National Dress is walking cargo pants and North Face jackets, he really stood out.

As I entered the wood, I found out where he was living as well 😡:-

Oh joy! The cheeky beggar had also camped next to a lifetime supply of logs!

Deciding it wouldn’t be a good idea to shoot near the tent, I walked about half a mile till I saw a grey that I could safely knock off. As I raised the gun, there was the sound of violent coughing and retching, I looked round and there was another flaming tent!😡😡

The camper sounded in a bad way and I wasn’t feeling at all sympathetic, so I packed up and went to another wood.

As it happened, there was a Ranger station in the other wood, so I popped in and gave them the bad news. They knew about the smaller tent, it was a woman with a history of aggressive and violent behaviour-just as well I didn’t shoot.

I left them to go and deal with MC Hammer and went looking for more squirrels. I soon saw one but it wanted to play ‘hide and seek’, by the time I had found it, it was taunting me from a neighbouring garden. Time to move on.

Squirrel number two was also in the mood to play hide and seek, I tracked it for 50 yards, where it was hiding ineffectually in a rhododendron. Bang- first one down. A young male.

As I clambered out of the bushes, dead squirrel in hand and gun over my shoulder, I nearly tripped over squirrel number 3, which ran up the nearest tree, I dropped the dead grey and took a quick shot, it was heavily hit but continued up the tree and needed a second shot. This grey had the last laugh and dropped on the other side of a 5 ft stone wall….! A larger female.

It was nowgetting on for 10am, and the public were out in force so time to go home for a coffee.

On the way to the car, I bumped into the two rangers again, they had been to see MC Hammer and had only just chucked him off another wood a few day’s ago!

Squirrel shooting is never boring.😂

 

 

[Mice!]

And while @Sciurus was playing spot the campers I was playing chase with the squirrels,  I must have got lucky on the last couple of visits here, not today.

I'd spot a squirrel,  gun up and have twigs in the way or joggers in the foreground,  then the squirrels vanished, I watched two in some Larches running around and eating things, changing trees and just not playing ball.

I probably saw three that Sciurus could have shot, they weren't running alarmed, they just weren't going upwards or sitting still for me, and if they did it was when they were obscured,  clever squirrels this week.

I'd followed a few, heard the double pop of the 410 and seen deer and rabbits plus the owl but just not got a clean shot.

Then I sent a msg saying I'm calling it, but ten minutes later I've spotted a squirrel in those Larches again,  Sciurus rang but I ignored it, just sent squirrel,  can't see it.

20-30 mins later after another phone call he found me sat on the floor looking up into the trees, I'd finally managed to see it through the scope, hit two separate twigs and then not been able to find it again.

Another lovely morning out but unfortunately no squirrels for me.

[sam triple]

Sat in my hide contemplating life , and marvelling at the amount of song birds that now frequent the woods , after removing approximately 200 greys over the last 2 years , patiently waiting and waiting, 2 pop up on the feeder  and took them both , 5 mins later I spot another coming along a fallen tree within seconds he was on the feeder , he got a .22 hades in the head , then another appears very cautious of his dead mates but eventually he gets on the feeder only to receive the same as the others , all in about 20mins , best session of year so far after a really slow start and 3 blank sessions, trail cameras show more greys at my other feeders too , these were all boars 

Edited February 25, 2023 by sam triple

[Mice!]

2 hours ago, sam triple said:

Sat in my hide contemplating life , and marvelling at the amount of song birds that now frequent the woods , after removing approximately 200 greys over the last 2 years , patiently waiting and waiting, 2 pop up on the feeder  and took them both , 5 mins later I spot another coming along a fallen tree within seconds he was on the feeder , he got a .22 hades in the head , then another appears very cautious of his dead mates but eventually he gets on the feeder only to receive the same as the others , all in about 20mins , best session of year so far after a really slow start and 3 blank sessions, trail cameras show more greys at my other feeders too , these were all boars 

Nice shooting Sam, guessing you aren't seeing many because you've hammered them, keep it up.

[arjimlad]

I recommend drey poking for some high-octane sport

There were three of us and a lad in attendance. We began on some of those little clumps you see halfway up oak trees and had a couple out of those, then onto the bigger dreys, some with 2 or 3 squirrels in them.

We bagged 8 and lost 2 in the undergrowth. We could have had more with more guns. My mate was poking a drey up a small solitary oak when the squirrel literally flew out of it sideways over his head, jumping six feet across and then dropping 12 feet down into brambles never to be seen again. I will update the total squirrels shot post shortly! 

[sam triple]

10 minutes ago, Mice! said:

Nice shooting Sam, guessing you aren't seeing many because you've hammered them, keep it up.

As I’ve probably said before numbers haven’t been at the feeders since last summer

not sure why , heat , more natural food , I even put water at the feeders , But just not been there , I’ll keep chipping away at them though 

[Mice!]

3 minutes ago, sam triple said:

As I’ve probably said before numbers haven’t been at the feeders since last summer

not sure why , heat , more natural food , I even put water at the feeders , But just not been there , I’ll keep chipping away at them though 

Your not alone, I'm thinking I need to move some of my feeders, but it means further to walk, so you don't always top up like you should, I've not decided yet.

[sam triple]

1 hour ago, Mice! said:

Your not alone, I'm thinking I need to move some of my feeders, but it means further to walk, so you don't always top up like you should, I've not decided yet.

I don’t move them , but add to them , they’ll come back into play sometime or another 

[sam triple]

A thank you from the land owner 

[old man]

Yet another blank but evidence of rodent scat on the back of 1 feeder? Didn't sniff it to decide which.

Vile cutting wind today.

[Walker570]

My feders are empty in a week but they must be using them all hours because on my early morning visits very few are showing.  They will of course always find the best feed and I sippose acorns have always been a favoite.

[Morkin]

Hello all, Had a few days away so this afternoon got the quad out and check feeders, the feeder I intend to start shooting from next is a new wood to me for squirral shooting in, but I thought I would check this feeder first, as I entered the little wood there was 3 SQUIRRALS  on feeder so I reversed back out of wood and got R10 out of case, put 3 pellet in mag and walked in the wood, I see 2 run away but see something move in v of tree , but it peeped a bit 2 much and wack it fell into ditch , so good result 👍