squirrel control

[Mice!]

31 minutes ago, Goldfish said:

@Mice! From the photos and description I would say they have too much food and the only reason you are not overrun with Greys is because you are diligently popping them off before their numbers can explode. I assume you are doing this for tree protection and to protect the Reds, with such an abundance of natural food and so few squirrels your doing a cracking job 👍

The reason Im getting so many squirrels is because lockdown no.1 occurred in March and ran on for a number of weeks which allowed the Greys to produce litters undisturbed as we were banned from shooting. This lockdown has made an allowance, please everyone don't slow down, vermin control is permissible and mileage is unlimited as long as you don't go to Wales or Scotland from England, OK if you live there 😆

 

Thanks fella, its predominantly about protecting Reds where the pictures above are taken, I get passing reds, they probably wouldn't stop because of the greys but there are plenty of us working on that, this area I'm in is mostly ancient woodland.

I did expect to get 50 with ease last year, started in May or June after the original lockdown, but you can't predict nature and the massive acorn harvest arrived. 

I often wonder how far squirrels will travel to food, I should have had other feeders up in here, but its tricky ground with public everywhere. And my initial success made me lazy, but hopefully the bigger feeder being moved up the hill will make a difference but there are a lot of young oak trees up there, plus some big Yew trees. 

I'll probably pop up next week to see how the feed level is. 

[Goldfish]

@Mice! The void you have created will soon be populated by transient squirrels looking for a mate and territory, just make sure your hitting them hard from May to July as thats when they will be sat in the Oaks under 40 years old stripping bark and challenging their neighbours but they do it in plain sight so can be easily shot 😁

[Mice!]

9 minutes ago, Goldfish said:

@Mice! The void you have created will soon be populated by transient squirrels looking for a mate and territory, just make sure your hitting them hard from May to July as thats when they will be sat in the Oaks under 40 years old stripping bark and challenging their neighbours but they do it in plain sight so can be easily shot 😁

That's probably just beyond where I've put the feeder, big area of oak. And its getting lighter earlier now so I can get out more 👍

[Goldfish]

16 minutes ago, Mice! said:

That's probably just beyond where I've put the feeder, big area of oak. And its getting lighter earlier now so I can get out more 👍

😉perfect

[bruno22rf]

My landowners are now so desperate for Squirrel shooters that they have just given my neighbour free rein over the 5k acres that I shoot, on my recomendation alone!! Normally a 6 month membership to a local range and then a proficiency test by the range owner is required just for an interview. 

[Goldfish]

46 minutes ago, bruno22rf said:

My landowners are now so desperate for Squirrel shooters that they have just given my neighbour free rein over the 5k acres that I shoot, on my recomendation alone!! Normally a 6 month membership to a local range and then a proficiency test by the range owner is required just for an interview. 

A lot of squirrels about, I really do believe its due to the lack of vermin control in spring last year plus a very good natural harvest. Great to hear your landowner trusts you to such an extent, just make sure your neighbour realises and puts in the work, well done mate👍

[Mice!]

1 hour ago, bruno22rf said:

My landowners are now so desperate for Squirrel shooters that they have just given my neighbour free rein over the 5k acres that I shoot, on my recomendation alone!! Normally a 6 month membership to a local range and then a proficiency test by the range owner is required just for an interview. 

Strange that they haven't had people queuing to get in there, I sometimes wonder if folk aren't happy only being able to shoot squirrels?

You read so many things about people not being able to get shooting permission, unless they only want to shoot when the weather is nice?

[Goldfish]

I was sat with a deer rifle today when I saw this squirrel......typical!

He spent at least 10 minutes running around on the Ice getting access to buds on the growth overhanging the pond, he wouldn't have been able to access the buds without the ice due to the water and his weight. What a bright squirrel.......I will be back 😁

[Fisheruk]

3 minutes ago, Goldfish said:

I was sat with a deer rifle today when I saw this squirrel......typical!

He spent at least 10 minutes running around on the Ice getting access to buds on the growth overhanging the pond, he wouldn't have been able to access the buds without the ice due to the water and his weight. What a bright squirrel.......I will be back 😁

I think I would have popped him with the deer rifle. I did one with my 6.5x55, dead is dead!

[Goldfish]

I would have done but focus was fallow does and I didn't want too much noise 😆

Edited February 13, 2021 by Goldfish

[Walker570]

OUCH!!!!!   Hors de combat at the moment as I have developed GOUT and struggling to get a slipper on never mind a boot.

Have not had it for 20years or more and it still as ####y painful.  Supplies of anti gout cream being collected as I type this so may be back out again by Friday ish.      Don't know whether to blame Brexit or Trump

[Fisheruk]

8 hours ago, Walker570 said:

OUCH!!!!!   Hors de combat at the moment as I have developed GOUT and struggling to get a slipper on never mind a boot.

Have not had it for 20years or more and it still as ####y painful.  Supplies of anti gout cream being collected as I type this so may be back out again by Friday ish.      Don't know whether to blame Brexit or Trump

Yes, ouch indeed, hope it passes off quickly. Don’t think it’s Trump or Brexit. I think it’s the Antis 😎

[old man]

19 hours ago, Fisheruk said:

Yes, ouch indeed, hope it passes off quickly. Don’t think it’s Trump or Brexit. I think it’s the Antis 😎

Maybe port and pies?

[Mice!]

Just the one today, spent an hour at a feeder this morning but saw nothing, although I got a little excited when a pigeon appeared in the ivy.

I went walk about and spotted a squirrel on the ground,  it disappeared up into the trees and hid in the ivy, but couldn't hide from the thermal,  it moved a touch probably wanting to keep an eye on me, I lined her up and waited for the swaying of the trees to ease then Pfft whack but didn't drop.

Took an age to fall through the branches,  must have clung on as the pellet hit, and seemed to snag on every branch on it's way down.

Big female, not lactating but I think pregnant. 

I was out for around three hours and that was the only squirrel I saw.

[Goldfish]

Going by the size of her, very pregnant and a job well done 👍 

[Mice!]

1 hour ago, Goldfish said:

Going by the size of her, very pregnant and a job well done 👍 

Cheers fella,  she looked and felt it, but I'd left my knife in the car.

[ratchers]

I got a call the a week ago saying a place I had shot squirrels from last year needed me back as  two greys where robbing his bird table of nuts etc. I went up to his house and peeked around the corner to the bird table, nothing so I went and changed the feeding box that was still there from last time and topped it up with wheat. Left it a few days and then returned, I looked at the bird table but nothing again so got my gear out of the car and was about to go to the hide when a car pulled up and a lady got out, here I was standing in my camo gear with a gunslip and I didn't know her, thankfully it was the mans daughter and I expalined I was the volunteer from the red squirrel group. Sadly she had come to do some gardening for her dad which meant she was too close and would disturb the ambush,no problem I said I'll just check the feeder and top up if neccessary,guess what Mr Squirrel was there tucking in on the feeding box and must have been hungry as it was half empty. I'll be back.

[Mice!]

44 minutes ago, ratchers said:

Sadly she had come to do some gardening for her dad which meant she was too close and would disturb the ambush,no problem I said I'll just check the feeder and top up if neccessary,guess what Mr Squirrel was there tucking in on the feeding box and must have been hungry as it was half empty. I'll be back.

Typical,  but like you say theres always next time. Hopefully the single brings a friend. 

[ratchers]

There was a next time, early this morning, drove slowly past the house to see if there was anything on his bird table but nothing. Got to the driveway and theres a grey on the gate stoop,off it goes up the adjacent tree,gone! got my gear together and walked to the hide and a flippin grey is on the feeding box,can't sneek up so just get in to position. After about half an hour sees it come back and settle for her last feed,easy head shot. Another two hours,nothing but although very cold at the edge of the wood it was pleasant enough.

[Mice!]

3 hours ago, ratchers said:

There was a next time, early this morning, drove slowly past the house to see if there was anything on his bird table but nothing. Got to the driveway and theres a grey on the gate stoop,off it goes up the adjacent tree,gone! got my gear together and walked to the hide and a flippin grey is on the feeding box,can't sneek up so just get in to position. After about half an hour sees it come back and settle for her last feed,easy head shot. Another two hours,nothing but although very cold at the edge of the wood it was pleasant enough.

Well done,  good perseverance, she would have no doubt added a good few more greys to the area shortly. 

[ratchers]

Bit of a failure today, was at two different venues but no luck.

Was up at seven and it was still dark and when I popped my head out it was raining aswell, decided to leave it an hour as in my experience nothing much stirs when its wet. Arrived an hour later after the rain had stopped and saw nothing at all,put a different feeder up with peanuts in to tempt them.

The afternon was lovely with the sun shining so went to the sydicates wood where I have a feeder and a hide up, half an hour later I could see a grey making its way towards the box, I had put a branch up to the box at an angle so squirrels could walk up, it stopped for a smell half way up and then went and sat on the feeding box top, lovely I thought just go and start eating to give a still target, Mr squirrel had other ideas though, he had a scratch and then went down the tree trunk and disapeared, damn thats when you think you should have taken the shot when he was smelling the branch.

Same thing happened over the next two hours, three squirrels(or the same squirrel three times)flirted with the feeder and disapeared but the box was half empty so theres a Mr Fatty somewhere.

PS. I am sure I saw a firecrest at the first venue or was it a goldcrest with a very vivid red crest?

[Mice!]

4 minutes ago, ratchers said:

PS. I am sure I saw a firecrest at the first venue or was it a goldcrest with a very vivid red crest?

Firecrest is red, goldcrest is gold, brilliant little birds to watch in the pines.

You'll catch up with the fatty next time hopefully. 

[Mice!]

I had an opportunity today and grabbed it. According to my weather app it was raining this morning,  only it wasn't,  so I looked at something else and it showed a satellite image giving me till 830-9 before it rained. 

I was only planning on filling/ Checking the feeder, but the weather looks wet up here this week so a short trip is better than no trip.

I got in the wood, set up my brolly and net, then went and looked at the feeder, almost empty,  perfect.  I added some nuts and seeds then went back, got the gun out and settled in.

It was maybe 20 minutes and I've got a squirrel on the feeder! Came straight in, took some food and sat up Pfft CRACK, one down,  not sure why but the noise was different today, it might be because the pellet went straight through.

I'm watching the squirrel on the floor, making sure there is no movement when I realise there is another squirrel on the feeder, I'm looking out through the ghost net so the imagine isn't clear but I've no idea where it came from, Pfft CRACK again,  number two down.

15 minutes later a squirrel starts barking, really agitated,  it came down went up and around,  it would not settle,  and didn't go on the feeder.

Then it poked its head out, quick shot, and I pulled it, I was leaning right pushing the muzzle left and missed clean. Off it went, but it didn't go far, for the next hour this squirrel went up down and around again,  any time it sat still there were branches covering it, then it went down onto the floor and strangely enough picked something up to eat from next to the first dead squirrel??

It was then head down facing me, Pfft Crack no mistake this time, I checked the time 8:20, at half past I started packing up, took the photos and typed a msg saying I was leaving, it was just then that it started raining,  absolutely perfect. 

The bottom two were the first two squirrels,  both big girls, the top one is a skinny male, probably the smallest I've seen here.

The lid was already a bit battered but the chewing on the side is new! Someone posted on FB last week that chewing can be caused by a dominant animal keeping others off the feeder?

Some running repairs to do next week.

[Walker570]

Best laid plans and all that.....   I did plan to hit one of my flip tops which was showing signs of visitors this morning but woke to a gale blowing outside and seeing the shot to target is a touch over 60yrds I thought OK this will die down this afternoon so I will see them for tea.  It idin't die down in fact it increased and although I found one flip top in a relatively quiet spot(it had not been touched) nothing other than the usual robin turned up although I spread a new layer of maize and peanuts.  It is still blowing.  Tomorrow ?????

[Ttfjlc]

great report @Mice! looks like you had a great morning, especially judging the weather correctly 👍