squirrel control

[Martlandhw100]

11 hours ago, Walker570 said:

It is amazing how sometimes they can go some distance just on automatic. With regard to your new set Martland, I think you will have a sizeable bag on your first visit, then they will taper off as you thin them out. Then a rest for a couple of weeks but still with some food there and a new bunch will turn up, eventually you clear the surrounding area and it can then go quiet for a while.   I would not be surprised if you do not get double figures on that first visit.  Get in there early and catch'em before they get out of bed.  Have fun , keep whacking and stacking.

Ye that's what I was thinking get in there before there morning feed.

I was out with me dog at the weekend and actually sore a red and just made me want to shoot the grays even more 👍

[Mice!]

2 hours ago, Martlandhw100 said:

Ye that's what I was thinking get in there before there morning feed.

I was out with me dog at the weekend and actually sore a red and just made me want to shoot the grays even more 👍

Great news spotting a red, I don't know where you are but be sure to report the sightings,  and nail those greys, having a red about should have you loading the car 👍👍

[Mice!]

Went out again yesterday after work, nothing else to do as I'd booked my tea for 8pm, I arrived in the wood about 4:15 and as usual a squirrel left the feeder.

After Sunday's events I went to position 2, and waited and waited. The Voles were active all over the place, song birds a plenty but no squirrels, nothing?

It got to around half 6 ish and I decided enough was enough, 7pm was the cut off to get out and back before my tea, it had also starred to rain lightly. 

I moved back to the comfort of position 1, gun in the slip, sticks not set up, no veil just watching the birds, after ten minutes I decided to set the sticks up and get the rifle back out, I'd decided I was staying till 7 so best be ready on the slight chance a squirrel showed up, and blow me, five 2 seven, crash crash a squirrel heads past behind the feeder!!

 

I couldn't believe it, nothing for hours then it was like my movement disturbed one?

I pulled my veil back down and waited, it reappeared on the tree behind the feeder tree! I could see most of it but not enough, the sticks came into there own again, the one handed operation is great, I was leaning to my right with one hand on the gun, the other on the trigger sticks, expecting the squirrel to bolt at any second , looking around tree 1 I can see an ear, edge of the eye that's enough, pause pfft, squirrel down  5 past 7 so nearly 3hrs, saw one squirrel maybe two got one squirrel.

 

Camera is going up next week, I can't figure out why there aren't loads about.

Certainly plenty to go at 😉

Young male.

[Ttfjlc]

Nice report mate patience paid off in the end. 

[Mice!]

1 hour ago, Ttfjlc said:

Nice report mate patience paid off in the end. 

Cheers pal, after seeing a few on Sunday and in the afternoon the week before I expected a few about, but one is better than none.

[JKD]

This has to be one of the best threads on PW,,,, very informative, helpful and a joy to read, and we get to look at pics of shot squizzers 😁👍

[Mice!]

https://www.lancasterguardian.co.uk/news/uk-news/five-grey-squirrels-found-dead-dog-walker-woodland-near-carnforth-calls-are-made-ban-culling-2911869

@Sciurus have you seen mate? Very one sided.

[Sciurus]

Thanks Kev, It wasn’t me. Honestly!

I hadn't heard of this till you pmd me . Very odd story, sounds like the trapper was collecting traps and carcasses after a session and had probably gone off to pick up the rest of the traps, when someone stumbled on the carcasses. Some contractors will work a wood for a set period and then move on, depending upon the length of the contract. If you look at June’s figures (near the bottom) circulated today, you will see the guy had 45 greys just from that wood!

Urban Squirrels are based in London, but do appear at some of our local shows spouting their nonsense , followed up by unhelpful letters in the local press. You do wonder how she got to hear about it.  I think it is just a one woman band. She was last sighted driving towards Barrow - so keep your head down!😂

Last year, one of our volunteers shot a grey in the garden of the gardener at a Religious Retreat. He was about to bin it but the gardener said leave it on the lawn for the buzzards. An hour later, a complaint was received that there was a dead grey outside the dining room window of the Retreat which was upsetting the guests. We never found out whether a buzzard dropped it or a fox shifted it, but it was the same grey. Another instance of zombie greys!

[Mice!]

1 hour ago, Sciurus said:

Thanks Kev, It wasn’t me. Honestly!

I hadn't heard of this till you pmd me . Very odd story, sounds like the trapper was collecting traps and carcasses after a session and had probably gone off to pick up the rest of the traps, when someone stumbled on the carcasses. Some

That makes a lot of sense, and the dog walker was probably somewhere they shouldn't have been!!

[Mice!]

I've popped out the last two evening's topping up my feeders, last night there was a squirrel on the feeder at 8:15pm I topped up and set my camera up,  hopefully find out what times they are enjoying my nuts!! Watching the bats coming and going I spotted another squirrel, possibly the same one at around 9pm still mooching along through the top of the pines, left the wood at 10pm and it was still lovely,  I tried recording the noise I think was roe, but it had stopped by the time I got it working. 

Different wood tonight,  hasn't been much seen since I got the 8, feeder was finally empty but the area was covered in freshly chewed green pine cone bits, so I've got business there next week.

[old man]

On 13/07/2020 at 23:22, Mice! said:

https://www.lancasterguardian.co.uk/news/uk-news/five-grey-squirrels-found-dead-dog-walker-woodland-near-carnforth-calls-are-made-ban-culling-2911869

@Sciurus have you seen mate? Very one sided.

There always seems to be one to ruin everything?

I seem to have lost my Squirrel cull area over lock down, no replies to any communications about it,

Thought I had responded as requested, safe and reliable but now looking round again as beginning to feel like a stalker over it.

[Mice!]

58 minutes ago, old man said:

There always seems to be one to ruin everything?

I seem to have lost my Squirrel cull area over lock down, no replies to any communications about it,

Thought I had responded as requested, safe and reliable but now looking round again as beginning to feel like a stalker over it.

There could be any number of reasons they haven't got back to you, might be worth popping round for a socially distanced chat?

 

[bruno22rf]

Natalia Doran from "urban squirrels" - always thought that it was illegal to assist or release vermin?

[Fisheruk]

It is

37 minutes ago, bruno22rf said:

Natalia Doran from "urban squirrels" - always thought that it was illegal to assist or release vermin?

 

[Sciurus]

47 minutes ago, bruno22rf said:

Natalia Doran from "urban squirrels" - always thought that it was illegal to assist or release vermin?

Bruno, they originally had a licence from Natural England to keep& release rescued grey squirrels. In 2019 Natural England stopped issuing licences to release invasive species, so they now only have a licence to keep rescued grey squirrels but they can’t release them. - a bit of a problem for a rescue charity!😁

If you have a spare 5 minutes, have a look at their website, it’s the grey squirrel equivalent of the Flat Earth Society!

[old man]

20 hours ago, Mice! said:

There could be any number of reasons they haven't got back to you, might be worth popping round for a socially distanced chat?

 

Nope, don't think so when a text takes 30 seconds, communication being a two way street.

Edited July 16, 2020 by old man

[Mice!]

1 hour ago, old man said:

Nope, don't think so when a text takes 30 seconds, communication being a two way street.

They may have lost their phone? This reminds me I need to back up my numbers. 

[Mice!]

I called at the Big wood on my way home today for a long hour, meaning 2 ish, and I was rewarded with a squirrel after about an hour and a quarter,  the trees, leaves, breeze and shadows had been teasing me for some time when I noticed a squirrel a good way off sat up in a tree beyond my reach, it was probably 15-20 minutes before it made it's way over, it didn't make it to the feeder she chose to sit up and look at me, mistake and the first squirrel I've shot between the eyes front on, backflip and done, a large healthy female,  the first female after 8 males.

O yes, I've got roughly 800 pictures and 400 ten second video clips to look through as well. Let's see what they've been up to.

Edited July 16, 2020 by Mice!
Extra

[Martlandhw100]

So was stood at my top window tonight looking out next minute squirrel is heading towards the feeder I have got up at the back, my guns down stairs so run down grab my gun come back up and it's still there I know the feeder is dead on 30m from the window which is what the rifle is zeroed at. So line up the cross hairs and down he goes a nice healthy male. This is the second I have had from this feeder first being a female. Still not really had a decent session at the wood yet but there time will come. 

[Martlandhw100]

So I finished work about half 5 this morning and decided I would go and spend a few hours at the wood. Got there just after 6 got set up and my first sighting came about half 6 which was two young ones chasing each other around the tops of the trees, sadly I didn't have a clear shot so left them. At this point the squirrels where definitely up and about I spotted 7 more moving in the tops of the trees but again no clear shot. So I waited watching the trees when I glance at the feeder and there is one sat there. So I get into position line him up and down he goes clean head shot. Waited around for another couple of hours but no more came to the feeder they where too busy in the tops of the trees. But I know now seeing as many as I have done there is a lot more to be shot there. 

[Mice!]

1 hour ago, Martlandhw100 said:

So I finished work about half 5 this morning and decided I would go and spend a few hours at the wood. Got there just after 6 got set up and my first sighting came about half 6 which was two young ones chasing each other around the tops of the trees, sadly I didn't have a clear shot so left them. At this point the squirrels where definitely up and about I spotted 7 more moving in the tops of the trees but again no clear shot. So I waited watching the trees when I glance at the feeder and there is one sat there. So I get into position line him up and down he goes clean head shot. Waited around for another couple of hours but no more came to the feeder they where too busy in the tops of the trees. But I know now seeing as many as I have done there is a lot more to be shot there. 

Have a good kip, I'll be doing the same this week,  just hope the squirrels oblige by coming to the feeder for breakfast. 

[Martlandhw100]

2 hours ago, Mice! said:

Have a good kip, I'll be doing the same this week,  just hope the squirrels oblige by coming to the feeder for breakfast. 

Ino so annoying when you can see them but can't shoot them. Hopefully you can bag a few this week then. 

[Mice!]

Lovely couple of hours in the woods today, much cooler under the canopy. 

Popped out to top up ready for morning. 

You can guarantee a squirrel will show up if you don't take a rifle!! Thankfully this one didn't seem to bothered about me being there, we just watched each other for some time.

Fresh nuts and fat bslls ready, hope he brings some friends for breakfast. 

Also had a wander, the bonus was a greater spotted woodpecker, which was trumped by a beautiful roe doe that was glowing in the afternoon sunshine.

@Sciurus boy have I found a lot of hazelnuts!! Hopefully if there are less squirrels there's more chance for any Dormice. 

Bring on the morning.

[Martlandhw100]

12 hours ago, Mice! said:

Lovely couple of hours in the woods today, much cooler under the canopy. 

Popped out to top up ready for morning. 

You can guarantee a squirrel will show up if you don't take a rifle!! Thankfully this one didn't seem to bothered about me being there, we just watched each other for some time.

Fresh nuts and fat bslls ready, hope he brings some friends for breakfast. 

Also had a wander, the bonus was a greater spotted woodpecker, which was trumped by a beautiful roe doe that was glowing in the afternoon sunshine.

@Sciurus boy have I found a lot of hazelnuts!! Hopefully if there are less squirrels there's more chance for any Dormice. 

Bring on the morning.

Good look hopefully we will have some good pictures too see today 

[Mice!]

6 hours ago, Martlandhw100 said:

Good look hopefully we will have some good pictures too see today 

Cheers mate, the morning was spot on but strange as every squirrel session seems to be, I was still getting set up when I had number 1 on the deck, I'd just put the gun on the sticks and had one glove on when it just popped up through the ferns, no warning just there on a little rock.

Number 2 was pretty much the same, appeared through the ferns along the ground sniffing around then sat up.

Two down in under 15 minutes then the birds just poured in, what I did notice yesterday was the floor was spotless under the feeder, when I left last week there was a good amount of of corn and sunflower hearts on the ground under the feeder, it looked swept. Busy voles and birds.

 

I waited watching the birds watching the trees and could hear a squirrel calling up the hill somewhere, probably an hour went by before another showed up, again no crashing through the trees, but along the ground and up the feeder tree, first one to make it, it went up down and around then sat up sniffing the air, another head shot and she rolled down the bank finishing under the feeder.

I'm not sure what happened to number 4, it got lucky, same as the others it came along the floor, sniffing around, but agitated possibly because there were three dead squirrels around the feeder, it wouldn't settle, up down and around, it looked small so probably a youngster while the three down were all mature animals, I think I clipped a branch, took the shot and it just looked around without any concerns and ambled away. 

I really think this is the benefit of the feeder not running out, these squirrels knew there was food there and came straight in.

 

2 males and a female and a great morning after work.