squirrel control

[Longbower]

BSA Ultra se .22 with victims 

[Mice!]

37 minutes ago, Longbower said:

BSA Ultra se .22 with victims 

I've had a few drinks tonight watching the rugby but I'm sure it's your picture that's blurry 😅😅😅

[Longbower]

Yeh , mucky phone lens . 

[ratchers]

Back to the wood this morning but only had a couple of hours before I had to go to work. Feeder level down again but as I saw no greys in the two hours I was there and only the red which was busy eating and burying, it looked fantastic running from the shade in to sunshine, it just sort of lit up!  must take my camera.

[Mice!]

I had a good day yesterday,  I was out most of the day, 5hrs in Big wood and a few hours in another. 

I shot 8 in the first and two in the second, my top tip is when you go to fill up a feeder, don't take the wrong bag!

One bag contains feed, the other dead squirrels 🙈🙈 it's been one of those weeks, some good shots again from the trees,  mostly out the Oaks or under the Sweet chestnuts. 

It's hard to see, but there was a squirrel beyond this fallen tree with a banking behind it.

The reverse shot, the squirrel hadn't even twitched.

But the highlight was I think I saw a red, we have reds near by ish, I'd shot two when I went to collect them and saw a heat source, I followed it through the trees, and saw a redish brown tail, not a hint of grey, but it never stopped to let me get a good look at it.

I'm still shooting kits as well, it never seems quite right shooting the youngsters but they grow into big greys so there is no allowance given, there were three in one tree up above where I normally have a feeder,  three shots in the time it takes to reload.

I saw plenty of others as well that I just couldn't get near, normally in thick cover or beyond it heading away from me.

...................

I'd put two cameras out Monday so went to check one last night, it showed two squirrels at 9 ish Tuesday and Wednesday morning so the brolley went up,  but if I'd have checked the forecast I'd probably not have bothered,  it rained all night, stopping around 730, I was in the wood by 820, and the rain started again around 9 ish, there were Wrens, Robin's,  blackbirds and tits all over the place, it was a very dull morning when I thought I'd seen something Hi-Viz down the wood, but it was a Pheasant. 

The first and only squirrel suddenly charged in just after 1030, up onto the feeder and shot taken, the Pheasant wasn't happy and a second squirrel started shouting at the Pheasant,  but never showed itself,  and with the rain getting heavier I decided that's it.

Large healthy female.

Two very different days, but both successful 👍

[ratchers]

Was down to the wood yesterday afternoon and was quite shocked to see how much damage had been caused by Storm Babet with large limbs and tree tops broken off. Had to dodge around where the path had been blocked,arrived at the feeder to find it had been vandalised, I'm sure it was not storm damage as there was no branches near, mended as best as I could with no tools at hand. Spent the next 2 1/2 hours watching nothing,no greys or the red turned up, the next visit will be interesting in many ways.

[London Best]

@ratchers, wouldn’t it be interesting if a vandal turned up whilst you were hidden nearby?

[amateur]

41 minutes ago, London Best said:

@ratchers, wouldn’t it be interesting if a vandal turned up whilst you were hidden nearby?

Just carry a shovel and add 'em to the dead squirrel total

[Mice!]

5 hours ago, ratchers said:

feeder to find it had been vandalised

That's certainly not good mate, and it means somebody knows where your shooting!

I saw a post on FB yesterday on a bird watchers page, the picture was a squirrel feeder and they were asking what it was, lots of comments saying to take it or smash it 🤬

[Kalahari]

Considering the number of nestlings grey squirrels take you would think bird watchers would promote squirrel control! Thick or what?

 

David.

[Mice!]

Slim chance but is this the feeder?

[oldypigeonpopper]

hello, who makes a real cheap metal type feeder with lid

[Sciurus]

I was away last week, staying with two lots of old friends. At both houses, their gardens were constantly invaded by tame greys, which is something I have never really seen before. In the Lakes, the greys are normally very nervous and disappear as soon as you spot them . This spurred me on to get some autumn control done when I got home.

So yesterday morning at 6.30, the sky was crystal clear and full of stars- magical. I arrived at my destination by 7.15 and waited for it being light enough to distinguish red from grey. 

The upper and lower campsites were grey free, which is very unusual for the time of year.

 

I then began the long slog uphill to the Red area.

 
 

The woods to the right also appeared to be squirrel free, it was pretty cold so I think they were staying in bed.

From the top, I turned round and checked out a long coniferous wood across a stream. Soon a dark red was spotted frolicking in the undergrowth. A little further down, I spotted a grey on sentry duty in an oak, crossing a rickety bridge, I climbed up the steep bank, the grey was on the move. Bang, down it came, then it kicked its way down the slope. Sliding down the slope to pick it up, another red quietly ran across my path, quite unconcerned. I picked up the grey and slithered back up the bank to recross the rickety bridge. Once I got to the other side, I rescanned the wood,- blow me, the grey was still on sentry duty and I had shot a different grey! I retraced this torturous route but of course it had disappeared by the time I had climbed the other bank.

On the way back, I saw a third red cross the stream and disappear into the woods in the second photo.

I had been out for 3 hours and only seen 2 greys and 3 reds, so the control is having some effect.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sciurus]

On 19/10/2023 at 15:20, Mice! said:

I had a good day yesterday,  I was out most of the day, 5hrs in Big wood and a few hours in another. 

Two very different days, but both successful 👍

@Mice!- I am glad Big Wood is productive again. 👍
I had two very different days as well.

Today, out again just after 6.30- it was drizzling but nice and overcast. I arrived at the car park at the other side of the Lake. 2 bream fishermen were already setting up in the dark.

I was going to walk a 2 mile section of foreshore, in summer the path is like the M6, but in Autumn early morning I wasn’t expecting to see many folk.I had a chat with one of the fishermen, he asked if I would give him any shot squirrels to feed his border terrier- Raw!

I had only gone a hundred yards, saw a sentry grey,- bang. Grey down but not picked, the wood was unpenetratable due to the latest windfalls from last week’s storms.

Another hundred yards, spotted a grey in a spindly oak with ivy- No - it’s two greys close together. The hushpower .410 has a very tight choke but I was definitely going to try and get 2 with one shot. Bang- one down but the other wobbled off and needed a second shot.

I shot 3 more before turning round.

On the way back, I had a shot at a stationary grey in a large oak, it disappeared, presumably untouched. I knew it hadn’t left the tree so kept circling it with the thermal but couldn’t spot it. After about 5 minutes, I gave up and started to walk off, when a massive dead grey fell out of the sky and hit my shoulder- I have no idea where it has been hiding.

The next and final shot was satisfying, I was scanning another oak and saw nothing but I was suddenly showered with rain droplets, a grey was crossing overhead and was shot and down within seconds.

Shot eight but could only pick up 5. 
 

The fisherman was happy- he had only caught a small roach!

A lovely autumn day out.

 

[Mice!]

53 minutes ago, Sciurus said:

Bang, down it came, then it kicked its way down the slope. Sliding down the slope to pick it up

Some good shooting mate, but I wouldn't going down those slopes if I were you yo pick up a grey, the squirrels will have the last laugh.

And great that you saw more reds than greys 👍👍

[Sciurus]

@Mice! Normally, I wouldn’t risk life and limb unless the public would see the carcass, but being a red area, I daren’t risk any chance of cross contamination. This grey was exactly where you saw the red last time you were there.

One thing I have noticed is greys on the ground no longer seem to run up the nearest tree but prefer to disappear into the undergrowth, never to be seen again. I am also seeing/shooting more red/greys next to water either lakeshore or above streams than in woodland.

[Mice!]

14 hours ago, Sciurus said:

@Mice! Normally, I wouldn’t risk life and limb unless the public would see the carcass, but being a red area, I daren’t risk any chance of cross contamination. This grey was exactly where you saw the red last time you were there.

One thing I have noticed is greys on the ground no longer seem to run up the nearest tree but prefer to disappear into the undergrowth, never to be seen again. I am also seeing/shooting more red/greys next to water either lakeshore or above streams than in woodland.

Interesting mate, always handy to know where they might be, but it makes it harder when they vanish through the scrub.

Just you be careful,  don't want you getting washed away 😅

 

[Mice!]

I made a start at a new place yesterday,  I put up a small feeder to get things ticking, it's a small tricky site attached to a much larger wood, so hopefully the feeder brings the greys down where I can shoot safely,  but it still seemed bigger than when I first looked around. 

I then had a walk along a separate bit on the same ground,  more or less just a line of mature trees, mostly oaks.

I knew there were a couple of greys in them from my first visit,  but things are always different with the thermal and rifle,  I shot 6 in a couple of hours, two large mature females showing signs of a recent litter despite the time of year, even having shot these there were still more moving around, I was going to pack up on 4, but others would pop up, then it got to the point I could see them with the thermal but not clear enough with the scope, I spent a long time looking at something which turned out to be a pigeon sat on a nest.

Once the sun had set and it was going full dark I could see three warm dreys despite the numbers shot, and still see a couple of squirrels moving through the canopy,  hopefully there'll be a lot less leaves on the trees when I next visit, and the bonus is nice easy access 😀 

[Mice!]

Two feeders hammered yesterday chaps, one empty, one almost,  get em checked then get shooting 👍👍

[old man]

On 01/11/2023 at 12:35, Mice! said:

I made a start at a new place yesterday,  I put up a small feeder to get things ticking, it's a small tricky site attached to a much larger wood, so hopefully the feeder brings the greys down where I can shoot safely,  but it still seemed bigger than when I first looked around. 

I then had a walk along a separate bit on the same ground,  more or less just a line of mature trees, mostly oaks.

I knew there were a couple of greys in them from my first visit,  but things are always different with the thermal and rifle,  I shot 6 in a couple of hours, two large mature females showing signs of a recent litter despite the time of year, even having shot these there were still more moving around, I was going to pack up on 4, but others would pop up, then it got to the point I could see them with the thermal but not clear enough with the scope, I spent a long time looking at something which turned out to be a pigeon sat on a nest.

Once the sun had set and it was going full dark I could see three warm dreys despite the numbers shot, and still see a couple of squirrels moving through the canopy,  hopefully there'll be a lot less leaves on the trees when I next visit, and the bonus is nice easy access 😀 

Superb bud.

[Mice!]

2 hours ago, old man said:

Superb bud.

Cheers mate, are you not seeing much?

[old man]

12 hours ago, Mice! said:

Cheers mate, are you not seeing much?

Not been able to get out much for a while, you know how it can be. 

Not seeing anything much before though, odd behaviour on natural foods but not as expected. At home locally they were murdering spanish chestnut and hazel but on site, no interest seen. Hopefully out again in a couple of weeks.

[ratchers]

Its the syndicates first pheasent shoot today and I was talking to the organiser who said there were squirrels on the pheasant feeders, specifically one feeder he continually saw the greys on.

So yesterday afternoon the weather was set fair and I went to the wood,got ready and walked to the feeder,with this feeder you can see it from 50 yards away,I couldn't see anything so I approached quietly just in case and spooked a grey that I hadn't seen, it scurried up a tree but made the mistake of leaving a gap through the branches, one dead grey later,barely bigger than a kit. I cleared some brash out of the way so I had a clear shot and waited in ambush just in case, during an hours wait I saw a buzzard back or fro in the trees and wondered if it was after the dead grey I had put a few yards away. I was packing up quietly when I saw a flick of greyness about 30 yards away, so back in position and waited, 10 miutes later kit number 2 took a jsb.

I have a feeder in  this wood but its never been touched in months but I thought I would check it, gave me a chance to look at all the pheasant feeders on the way and I did see a grey running away from one so will stake that one out in due course, my feeder untouched when I checked.

[Mice!]

7 hours ago, old man said:

Not been able to get out much for a while, you know how it can be. 

Not seeing anything much before though, odd behaviour on natural foods but not as expected. At home locally they were murdering spanish chestnut and hazel but on site, no interest seen. Hopefully out again in a couple of weeks.

Yeah mate things get in the way 👍 

I got a bonus session today because the kids rugby was off, I'd forgotten about that earlier in the week, but I'm just the coach 😅

So with two feeders on the go that's where I went, I was expecting rain and clouds but it was a beautiful morning. 

I was in the wood before 7:30, but no brolley or nets so I just sat on a log, it's worked here before but I was going to move if any squirrels reacted to me.

Probably only a few minutes and the first is spotted,  straight in, roots about and sits up on the log of doom, Pfft Whack.

Twenty minutes of bird watching,  listening to individual leaves tumbling down the trees, a gentle breeze against my right side and the sun shining from behind me, a sparrowhawk went through the canopy and when I turned back I caught movement in front again. 

The grey came in again and straight to the feeder tree, sniffed at where the dead one was and went straight up to the feeder, sniffed then lifted the lid, sat up nice, Pfft Whack drop.

It was probably 20 minutes again when another came in from my right which might have meant it came from behind, straight in and up on the feeder, but the Jays were screeching which unsettled it, so that one was shot off the tree.

3 females which looked like fat rabbits, 

Half 8 with nothing else seen and I was off to another wood.

I didn't see anything walking in, I gave it a good hour with nothing but birds at the feeder, which was funny because they were going in under the lid and popping out with the good bits, magpies and Jays screaming which made me think there was an Owl about then I went walk about. 

I went up into the Oaks, pigeons everywhere,  then a woodpecker,  which I thought was a squirrel because it was there after the pigeon flew out, a big Hare moved through the brambles and down through the wood, but my picture was rubbish. 

I'd seen nothing, just a mass of birds on the berries when I spotted movement,  and it went straight into the Ivy, thermal showed it was looking straight at me, big mistake.  I sat down, opened up the sticks, gun up, Pfft Whack, nice shot, and it just slumped on the bough, but then it twitched and dropped.

Walking back to the start of the wood a saw another on the berries in a Hawthorn Bush, it just froze!

After that I only saw one other off through the scrub going up an Oak, so just two from here, which is two more than I was expecting when the usual spots didn't show anything. 

Happy with another 5 for the morning, all seemed really big, but none were over 700 grams

[old man]

14 hours ago, Mice! said:

Yeah mate things get in the way 👍 

I got a bonus session today because the kids rugby was off, I'd forgotten about that earlier in the week, but I'm just the coach 😅

So with two feeders on the go that's where I went, I was expecting rain and clouds but it was a beautiful morning. 

I was in the wood before 7:30, but no brolley or nets so I just sat on a log, it's worked here before but I was going to move if any squirrels reacted to me.

Probably only a few minutes and the first is spotted,  straight in, roots about and sits up on the log of doom, Pfft Whack.

Twenty minutes of bird watching,  listening to individual leaves tumbling down the trees, a gentle breeze against my right side and the sun shining from behind me, a sparrowhawk went through the canopy and when I turned back I caught movement in front again. 

The grey came in again and straight to the feeder tree, sniffed at where the dead one was and went straight up to the feeder, sniffed then lifted the lid, sat up nice, Pfft Whack drop.

It was probably 20 minutes again when another came in from my right which might have meant it came from behind, straight in and up on the feeder, but the Jays were screeching which unsettled it, so that one was shot off the tree.

3 females which looked like fat rabbits, 

Half 8 with nothing else seen and I was off to another wood.

I didn't see anything walking in, I gave it a good hour with nothing but birds at the feeder, which was funny because they were going in under the lid and popping out with the good bits, magpies and Jays screaming which made me think there was an Owl about then I went walk about. 

I went up into the Oaks, pigeons everywhere,  then a woodpecker,  which I thought was a squirrel because it was there after the pigeon flew out, a big Hare moved through the brambles and down through the wood, but my picture was rubbish. 

I'd seen nothing, just a mass of birds on the berries when I spotted movement,  and it went straight into the Ivy, thermal showed it was looking straight at me, big mistake.  I sat down, opened up the sticks, gun up, Pfft Whack, nice shot, and it just slumped on the bough, but then it twitched and dropped.

Walking back to the start of the wood a saw another on the berries in a Hawthorn Bush, it just froze!

After that I only saw one other off through the scrub going up an Oak, so just two from here, which is two more than I was expecting when the usual spots didn't show anything. 

Happy with another 5 for the morning, all seemed really big, but none were over 700 grams

A superb session bud, thanks for sharing. Looks magic ground too?