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squirrel control


Mice!
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Had similar thoughts about finding another gun for next season as I don't know if I will be able to control the blighters on my own - this year I only shot 2 woods due to illness but I have yet to get a report as to how we have done collectively so next season I might be asked to cover far more ground - my 47 this year is a little down on last years tally but it might depend on the others performance. Hoppers were filled Friday and I have been told that that's it for this season  so I have 6 months to decide what to do. The little Spinney where they just kept appearing has not been visited since the end of Feb (ish) because of the Rookery and the din that the birds make when you enter the wood but the guy filling the Hopper reckons he was still seeing them there every time he filled. Got a new .17 HMR to play with over the summer and I need to trim down my collection of 13 Shotguns so with a bit of Roost shooting and decoying I will be as busy as I like and will just have to hope my health improves but who knows

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On 4/24/2018 at 13:32, Headshot 303 said:

Hello mate Yes I have got an BSA R10 22 it's come in the original walnut stock but I changed a lot of different pieces to brass fittings and to a camouflage stock  I have just gone  camouflage mad  I love hunting grey squirrels as I do it in a couple of places i use feeders topping them up with peanuts which cost a fortune but they you go any sport cost you money if it's something you enjoy  why not yes I love sitting like I do in the house as well as in the Hide  I am new to this forms I will soon get used to it yes I logged a male and female Grey squirrels  on the Liverpool grey area on Facebook there is a guy that keeps a log of numbers in different ar

Where or how did you get your stock camo'd? My old R10 needs some love and attention.

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6 hours ago, DC177 said:

Where or how did you get your stock camo'd? My old R10 needs some love and attention.

I bought it on eBay I have my original stock you can pick them up pretty cheap if I see one send you the link ?

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F162697189546

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3 hours ago, DC177 said:

Thanks! What's the trick to putting it on without any creases or bubbles?

 What area do you live in they will be a body near you I have just found one close to me by Wigan my stock needs re-doing so I am going to look into getting mine done again would not bother with that link I sent you for eBay looks a bit complicated mate

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strange game this squirrel shooting.

last week fisherUK and another chap spent 6-8 hrs in the woods and never saw a single squirrel? We often see them perched up high out of reach but not often you see nothing, plus feeders had hardly been touched.

That was sat/sun i went Thursday and all 4 feeders were empty no nuts just a touch of grain in the bottom, i saw three and managed one, with fisherUK getting another on the Sunday. All feeders had been used with one being nearly empty, i thought we were just on top of them, now i have no idea, maybe had some move in to fill the void?

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Keep filling and sooner or later they will return - beginning to wonder if feeding them is actually increasing their numbers - there seems to be an inexhaustible supply of the beasties and it seems impossible to bring them under control for more than a couple of weeks, mind you, it's good fun trying. BTW - got the final tally for the year and it's a bit disappointing - 147 in total with 47 down to me makes me question what the other 5 guns have been doing?

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5 hours ago, bruno22rf said:

Keep filling and sooner or later they will return - beginning to wonder if feeding them is actually increasing their numbers - there seems to be an inexhaustible supply of the beasties and it seems impossible to bring them under control for more than a couple of weeks, mind you, it's good fun trying. BTW - got the final tally for the year and it's a bit disappointing - 147 in total with 47 down to me makes me question what the other 5 guns have been doing?

Not going out in the rain and snow by the looks of it, doesn't look like you'll be able to take it easy next year.

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7 hours ago, bruno22rf said:

Keep filling and sooner or later they will return - beginning to wonder if feeding them is actually increasing their numbers - there seems to be an inexhaustible supply of the beasties and it seems impossible to bring them under control for more than a couple of weeks, mind you, it's good fun trying. BTW - got the final tally for the year and it's a bit disappointing - 147 in total with 47 down to me makes me question what the other 5 guns have been doing?

If you are providing an artificial food source for any animal you are supporting the population. If you are shooting them then obviously that reduced them but if you aren't shooting at a high enough rate it's likely you are supporting litters of kits that may well have otherwise either not been born or not survived. 

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10 hours ago, Mice! said:

strange game this squirrel shooting.

last week fisherUK and another chap spent 6-8 hrs in the woods and never saw a single squirrel? We often see them perched up high out of reach but not often you see nothing, plus feeders had hardly been touched.

That was sat/sun i went Thursday and all 4 feeders were empty no nuts just a touch of grain in the bottom, i saw three and managed one, with fisherUK getting another on the Sunday. All feeders had been used with one being nearly empty, i thought we were just on top of them, now i have no idea, maybe had some move in to fill the void?

I am definitely not seeing the number I saw last year. As logged I shot three yesterday on a feed ride which I had not shot before and I sat 4 hrs to do that. The other three spots I went to ..zilch..nothing, where normally the rides would be heaving.    Either our efforts are paying off or squirrels have had a bad winter ..... hope so.

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On 08/05/2018 at 05:57, Mice! said:

Not going out in the rain and snow by the looks of it, doesn't look like you'll be able to take it easy next year.

That's what you want mate keep them coming they sense trails from other squirrels as long as you keep on top of your feeders you are doing a great job, that's what I think myself  sometimes where are they coming from they are coming from the outskirts where you are not shooting that's what we want one of the places I go to you may not see them for awhile then all of a sudden they come back that's what we want.

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As Clemfandango says, if you feed them and don’t kill them then you will certainly be feeding the population explosion, but if you keep at them then you will be pulling them in from a great distance and thinning out the population for probably a kilometre diameter, per feeder.

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Yes, I feed year round in my small 10 acte wood which after 5yrs of attrition is now as good as tree rat free and any which do poke their noses in last at best 48hrs. 

There is little doub that I have thinned a fair distance out around me as well as locals are not seeing as many.....word out that Fluffy is not coming to the bird feeder these days;).

 

You have to keep at 'em.  The patch I have in Linconshire I visit every seven to ten days, just wish it could be more often, but even then there are much fewer about this year after I thrashed 'em last year.

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2 minutes ago, Walker570 said:

Yes, I feed year round in my small 10 acte wood which after 5yrs of attrition is now as good as tree rat free and any which do poke their noses in last at best 48hrs. 

There is little doub that I have thinned a fair distance out around me as well as locals are not seeing as many.....word out that Fluffy is not coming to the bird feeder these days;).

 

You have to keep at 'em.  The patch I have in Linconshire I visit every seven to ten days, just wish it could be more often, but even then there are much fewer about this year after I thrashed 'em last year.

:good:

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Found one of my feeders had started to disintegrate due to weather so this evening I have started to make up one in aluminium (photos tomorrow). I will put a wooden landing stage and wooden facing on the front ...... did think of sharpening the top edge and leaving the box empty ...tree rat..."what no maize/" looking backwards and forwards, slits it's throat ...but heh! just dreaming.....  Used stronger chequer plate for the hanging plate put a bend in the top for a strap to fit around.  Will trial one first and if they take to it I have enough material for five or six more.  

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Maggies can though.  Movement and the three essess....SSS  ...shape, shine and shadow with most things although I am convinced some birds/animals know their environment like we know our front room.  I can be sat in my pop up blind and a pheasant will walk out and go into that head lift, stationary stare for a moment, sometimes slowly turning and walking back into cover.  They seem to know that big thing was not there yesterday.   Even deer will check it out with that head bob they do. 

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OK photos of flip top feeder made in ally.  Have to put a further piece of chequer plate strap piece on the bottom to make it really secure.

No grill in the bottom as I found that I was feeding more mice than tree rats as they could climb the tree and access by the grill on the bottom. Will also feed direct into the feeder so it will hold a fair bit of maize.

Anyone read the Telegraph. Good article in there this morning saying how putting feed out for birds aids the spread of grey squirrels which do lots of damage and surpise surprise actual mention they eat song birds eggs and chicks as well.  They say that all bird feeders should be covered with squirrel proof wire mesh.

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