squirrel control

[old man]

1 hour ago, bruno22rf said:

Don't beat yourself up about it Mice! Chances are the little blighters are dead as dead can be but they have an uncanny ability to vanish in the undergrowth. Time and Time again I have seen them leg it with a hole through the head so ,following what somebody suggested on here, I shot the last 3 in the chest - they all dropped like a sack of spuds! Beginning to wonder if aim point is relevant to calibre choice.Very well done BTW.

Certainly a bit odd at times, the last but one chest shot with a sub .22 went 30 feet vertically up a trunk ran horizontally for 10 feet and died mid jump going for the adjacent tree. Was a through and through wit AA field.

The last one went straight down out of it.

[Sciurus]

Mice, great stuff!  At least you have been proved right about the benefit of larger feeders. However, whatever you do, I think Greys will always do whatever they can to frustrate you. They are tough critters and often ‘disappear’ into the undergrowth after been head shot, I think it is the adrenaline. The ranger that taught me, sticks his mobile phone camera right down the rabbit hole if he loses one to see which way it’s facing then pulls it out .  I think I would rather have a terrier! 

Have you started shooting/feeding at your new permission? If so, you will notice Stone dead ones still roll down hills and disappear! 😂

[Robertt]

When they're buzzing about they can be very challenging targets and quite often move just a wee bit as you fire so as the pellet goes not quite where it should.

Have seen this on youtube were the shooter was totally unawares and only after a slow motion replay can the blighter be seen to move just a bit.

Things like this can rattle your confidence but dont go changing pellets as that is not the problem.

[Mice!]

1 hour ago, Sciurus said:

Mice, great stuff!  At least you have been proved right about the benefit of larger feeders. However, whatever you do, I think Greys will always do whatever they can to frustrate you. They are tough critters and often ‘disappear’ into the undergrowth after been head shot, I think it is the adrenaline. The ranger that taught me, sticks his mobile phone camera right down the rabbit hole if he loses one to see which way it’s facing then pulls it out .  I think I would rather have a terrier! 

Have you started shooting/feeding at your new permission? If so, you will notice Stone dead ones still roll down hills and disappear! 😂

I've got to print some stuff off and speak to the coordinator still  yet, hopefully meet up and see how the land lies, I've had a couple of visits looking about, finishing two new feeders this weekend ready to put up, seen a couple of nice looking spots,  especially where the big yews are, if they pull in the squirrels like this feeder is I'm going to be busy!!

I bought mixed corn chicken feed, added some sunflower hearts and stripped sunflowers,  I had walnut halves but didn't bother adding them, didn't seem necessary when they are coming anyway. 

I was amazed at the numbers this morning,  it seemed to be youngsters early then bigger squirrels later, with the wood being the shape it is the position for a feeder is really awkward,  I didn't want to be in the wood if possible so the squirrels travel through, but the way they seemed to ignore me today it might not matter, if I had been looking down on them instead of up I should have hit double figures.

1 hour ago, Robertt said:

When they're buzzing about they can be very challenging targets and quite often move just a wee bit as you fire so as the pellet goes not quite where it should.

Have seen this on youtube were the shooter was totally unawares and only after a slow motion replay can the blighter be seen to move just a bit.

Things like this can rattle your confidence but dont go changing pellets as that is not the problem.

Cheers fella, I've watched a few things like that, I'm trying. 177 because people say it's faster and shoots flatter, and I can't argue with that,  I still haven't decided on which pellet I want to use yet, there is as much argument for light as heavy, I bought a full kit which came with Jsb and AA exacts, there really isn't anything between them at 25mtrs,  but for me it will come down to which pellet kills best, I was surprised there wasn't an exit wound on the big buck I hit today, the two on the trunk were hit in the body really close, so that was my fault, but I've nearly always had an exit wound with  .22 on head shots, I struggled to find the entry point which was the base of the skull( the squirrel was facing down, so may have moved down a touch or I pulled up) and there was no exit wound,  now that could be seen as perfect,  it dropped without so much as a twitch. 

Had the others had an exit wound they might have just twitched around and dropped or bled out quicker?

I appreciate what your saying but I'm sure none of us like the idea of wounding,  I normally only get one or two shots and I may have just been unlucky today, I'll certainly be checking a few things just to be sure.

[Robertt]

'The pellet that kills the best' is one that's in the right place.

What distance is your feeder from hide.

 

[Walker570]

This last three weeks all the squiges I have seen have been hunting on the deck, searching around in the forest floor for something. Only had one on the feeder .  I have thrown a sprinkle of whole maize around in the killing area and found they do stop and pick one up...the last one for them. I have had them walk right through such an area. I'm wondering if they are after scent of other female squiels because most that I have shot in the last three weeks have been males.  Keep whacking and stacking because it loks like it has been a good breeding season, lots of youngsters about.

[Mice!]

2 hours ago, Robertt said:

'The pellet that kills the best' is one that's in the right place.

What distance is your feeder from hide.

 

25 mtrs ish, up a slope, week after next I'll be taking my gardening bits and big tape measure,  possibly move the feeder if I can find a better location.

[Robertt]

I'm lucky that my main ambush point, by virtue of the position of the trees allows me to set up without spooking stuff, including corvids,  at 16y.

Getting closer makes things so much simpler.

 

 

[Sciurus]

Most of the greys I have trapped this week have been adults, however on Tuesday I was putting up a feeder in copse of a few mature beeches and lots of self seeded Beech saplings and was amazed to see 3 or 4 youngsters zooming up and down the saplings, twisting and turning and hanging like snakes. They were not at all bothered by me. Unfortunately I didn’t have a gun with me and suffering from a badly twisted knee, I couldn’t face going home to fetch the air rifle and trudging back up the hill again. I guess they must have been stripping the bark off the young shoots.

Anyway, I’ll check the feeder tomorrow and hopefully shoot it a few days later. Hopefully they won’t have moved on.

Mice, save the walnuts for lean periods or for for trapping - you don’t want to spoil them!

I find the greys here, hang around near the yews all year round, either eating or sheltering in them, so it’s not a bad idea to put your feeder nearby. If they are hungry and used to a feeder, they will quite happily travel overhead if you are sitting quietly. Get stuck into HH as soon as you can, come July/August  they will prefer eating the hazel, then the Beech and acorns.

Cheers G

 

[Ttfjlc]

Good shooting @Mice! and a nice report to read, those others I would bet on being dead in a hole somewhere. As for calibre and pellet choice don't mess about mate and go with FAC .25 you know it makes sense 😉, my air ranger hits with authority. 

[Mice!]

20 minutes ago, Ttfjlc said:

Good shooting @Mice! and a nice report to read, those others I would bet on being dead in a hole somewhere. As for calibre and pellet choice don't mess about mate and go with FAC .25 you know it makes sense 😉, my air ranger hits with authority. 

Cheers mate, we need to see a pic of this .25 with a couple of dead squirrels,  I've been doing some fiddling today,  I'll post it in a bit 👍

[Mice!]

On 30/05/2020 at 11:37, Robertt said:

Getting closer makes things so much simpler.

Can't argue with that,  today's shots were taken at 15 and 11mtrs, I'd rolled up nice and early @11:15 am😁 I was going to do some repairs and gardening and obviously took the gun just in case. 

I'd done some checks and chrono'd some pellets,  I don't like getting runners so you have to rule out the obvious things,  and decided to try JSB heavies. 

From 10-30 basically point shoot what more could you want.

I wasn't expecting to see anything really but there were two squirrels on the deck when I arrived and both dived into cover as I approached,  I waited 20 minutes or so and one reappeared in a tangle of undergrowth moving along slowly,  I  watched him for a few minutes until his head was clear and it was lights out, twitch of the tail then still.

Around 12 now so I did some repairs on the feeder, got out my folding saw and started doing some gardening and clearing,  forgot my shears!! I look around and...

I hadn't been quiet at all, moving around in plain view, throwing branches around, I just ignored it,  my rifle was off to the right of my bag still leaning as it is in the first picture. 

I decided to just go slowly past it, picking up the rifle as I went, I could hear its claws on the tree as I walked away.  Moved behind a tree and waited, it flicked its tail then came back down to the far balls, pulled a bit off then moved, came back again then got shot in the head, so one became two.

Two seen, two shot, no runners, repairs done and I'm a happy bunny  

Bonus for me today was spotting a wrens nest.

It just looks like the leaves have fallen and gotten caught in the branches,  a few mtrs from where I've been standing. 

And thankfully its cooler, back out friday 👍

[Sciurus]

Great stuff, are you able to build a hide there?

[Mice!]

1 hour ago, Sciurus said:

Great stuff, are you able to build a hide there?

I was looking at that today, I'll be honest I didn't expect much when I first went there but the way there are coming in it might be worthwhile. 

[Sciurus]

A hide saves time and humping stuff about!

I bet you are pleased the new gun is now performing - it’s ideal to use in a hide.

[Mice!]

2 hours ago, Sciurus said:

A hide saves time and humping stuff about!

I bet you are pleased the new gun is now performing - it’s ideal to use in a hide.

I'm close enough to my car I could listen to the radio if I wanted 😉

[Sciurus]

Lucky you!

[oowee]

After being pretty much squirrel free for the last 18 months my garden is invaded. All the feeders this end are squirrel proof but they are gathering the fallen seed.

Two last week with the 20g on the lawn, another two on the lawn and tree with the airgun and 1 on the ash tree with the 12g making 5 in total. I saw another two this morning that saw me first but I am hoping that if I can get rid of them that will be clearance. Roughly how many are likely to be in a litter?

[Mice!]

3 hours ago, Sciurus said:

Lucky you!

The new spot will make up for the lack of walking here, the new gun is certainly lighter so that's going to help 👍

2 hours ago, oowee said:

Roughly how many are likely to be in a litter?

It varies, I would just take out a couple of feeders in the short term, leave one or two you can shoot onto, if your feeding them,  they will come. Although I still haven't had in my garden yet, it's like there avoiding me😁😁

[Mice!]

A good morning for me, trapping and shooting today, bit of team work.

Started with 3 in the traps, and a couple mooching around. Managed 3 with the rifle, then sorted the traps and moved everything so six in an hour.

twenty minutes later another turned up followed by another after half an hour ish, so 8 today and ten for the week.

I only got the last one because I'd stayed watching the birds feeding their chicks, great watching all the small birds coming out to the fat balls and spilt grain.

3 mature males, 1 immature male.

2 mature females & 2 immature,  the first females I've had at the feeder, there is no way the strip of wood I have access to is holding this number of squirrels so they are obviously coming in for the food. Result. 

I still had one runner that went 5 or 6mtrs, before dropping dead, and I had two side by side, both taken with head shots, I was moving the cage when one twitched!! I thought they were both dead so that got a follow up shot. 

I'm still surprised that the  .177 pellets aren't going clean through the head, entry wound but no exit? JSB heavies this week.

And once everything was away it rained, absolutely perfect. 

[Mice!]

MK11 feeder is going up tomorrow,  hopefully pull the squirrels from a BIG wood where there hasn't been much control for a while, it's a real mix of trees and steep in places so hoping they come to me.

[Sciurus]

 I like the way you have combined a wire feeder to the main feeder.

Just as well you are strong and fit, I couldn’t hump that and a load of feed up the slopes.

I can also recommend the cafe for a brew and cake (& toilets), when it reopens. 

Good luck with the new permission, I think it has great potential.

 

[Mice!]

3 minutes ago, Sciurus said:

 I like the way you have combined a wire feeder to the main feeder.

Just as well you are strong and fit, I couldn’t hump that and a load of feed up the slopes.

I can also recommend the cafe for a brew and cake (& toilets), when it reopens. 

Good luck with the new permission, I think it has great potential.

 

Cheers mate, I'm a little bit excited. 

[Walker570]

That is a serious delux flip top feeder and a good idea with the mesh on the front which the small birds can feed on which as we know attracts the enemy.  My flip tops are all metal and I drill a few holes in the front just below the lid where the birds can help themselves.    Always exciting to get into a new area and sounds like that one could be productive.

[Mice!]

1 hour ago, Walker570 said:

That is a serious delux flip top feeder and a good idea with the mesh on the front which the small birds can feed on which as we know attracts the enemy.  My flip tops are all metal and I drill a few holes in the front just below the lid where the birds can help themselves.    Always exciting to get into a new area and sounds like that one could be productive.

Cheers Walker, there is a small gap at the front to mimic your holes, small bits can be got at by the birds, I'm hoping the suet in the mesh speeds things along but its freshly painted, so a bit smelly.

Obviously things normally go quiet in July and August but we'll see how it goes.