squirrel control

[sam triple]

1 hour ago, Mice! said:

Well my morningat Big Wood, going off the amount of feed gone I decided on feeder 1, but I only saw one squirrel, it went past on the floor amongst the bracken and I swear it was zig zaging!!

Then shortly after this a Buzzard glided through the trees and perched behind the feeder. 

 

I've no idea if Buzz had been there all morning,  the small birds and voles were busy, but there all safe and the canopy was alive,  even a couple of thrushes about which are always nice to see, so after 2hrs I decided to call it.

 

I wasn't going to go to feeder 2 today, I wanted to be there at first light, but I was a bit nippy,  I'd kept my fleece on, it was 7°C when I arrived this morning and it was a lovely morning so a walk seemed a good idea ( plus no one likes to blank)

 

Making my way around and up the hill, two F35s went over, they didn't seem to clear the trees by much and the noise was incredible.

 

I made my way up to look over the bank, gun out elbows resting on the ground one knee down, there were a couple of branches bouncing in the canopy so I just waited. 

 

It didn't take long, I was trying to watching both areas when a grey came along the broken dry stone wall with an acorn in its mouth, maybe 7mtrs away,  I managed to slowly turn as it just watched me, no waiting as soon as the crosshairs were on her head the shot was away knocking her off the wall.

 

Then two were chasing each other through the trees, the lead squirrel stopped looking down at where #1 would be, Pfft whack and crashed to the floor, I watched the chaser head up into the oaks, followed it through the scope but it never gave me a shot.

 

I looked across and there is a squirrel sat on the feeder? No idea where it came from, but it was just sat there eating!

Lined her up, Pfft crack and she tumbled off the feeder, 3 in ten minutes. 

 

I was just thinking wow nothing for two hours and three in ten minutes when another came along the wall from the opposite direction, it paused then moved along,  stopping around 10mtrs away Whack, this one was also knocked off the wall.

 

4 females in probably 15 minutes,  two youngsters and two mature females. 

 

I keep looking at new scopes, but days like this make me wonder why,  no messing around with focus, just point and shoot.

👍👍

[Mice!]

Single female this morning,  nothing at the feeder for 1.5hrs so I went looking and found her sat up high in an oak, Pfft whack splat.

[old man]

6 hours ago, Mice! said:

Single female this morning,  nothing at the feeder for 1.5hrs so I went looking and found her sat up high in an oak, Pfft whack splat.

A laser shot bud.

[old man]

Another cool start, sitting by 07.30 after a quick peek in the feeders. Not touched.

Number 1 arrived on the estate farm track to gorge on the pheasant food within 10 minutes, stopped to check for buzzards for a bit too long. 10 minutes later one did a Houdini arriving in the main fork of the feeder tree, wrong decision, into the brambles he went to feed the night crew. Nothing then for an hour and a half and then another appeared on the track to feed up, again wrong decision.

Air Arms again. 2 old lactating sows and one in the brambles, again no interest in the feeders. Home for lunch at 12.10.

What a dreadful old gun, I must knock some fence posts in with it to improve it's accuracy?

[Mice!]

45 minutes ago, old man said:

Another cool start, sitting by 07.30 after a quick peek in the feeders. Not touched.

Number 1 arrived on the estate farm track to gorge on the pheasant food within 10 minutes, stopped to check for buzzards for a bit too long. 10 minutes later one did a Houdini arriving in the main fork of the feeder tree, wrong decision, into the brambles he went to feed the night crew. Nothing then for an hour and a half and then another appeared on the track to feed up, again wrong decision.

Air Arms again. 2 old lactating sows and one in the brambles, again no interest in the feeders. Home for lunch at 12.10.

What a dreadful old gun, I must knock some fence posts in with it to improve it's accuracy?

Good morning out for you there, the early temperature is certainly dropping now.

1 hour ago, old man said:

A laser shot bud.

Cheers, it wasn't showing much, but it was too much 😉

[Walker570]

1 hour ago, old man said:

Another cool start, sitting by 07.30 after a quick peek in the feeders. Not touched.

Number 1 arrived on the estate farm track to gorge on the pheasant food within 10 minutes, stopped to check for buzzards for a bit too long. 10 minutes later one did a Houdini arriving in the main fork of the feeder tree, wrong decision, into the brambles he went to feed the night crew. Nothing then for an hour and a half and then another appeared on the track to feed up, again wrong decision.

Air Arms again. 2 old lactating sows and one in the brambles, again no interest in the feeders. Home for lunch at 12.10.

What a dreadful old gun, I must knock some fence posts in with it to improve it's accuracy?

Heh don't do that give it to me it can keep mine company. Brilliant little gun.

[old man]

13 hours ago, Walker570 said:

Heh don't do that give it to me it can keep mine company. Brilliant little gun.

👍👍 Oh yes.

[sam triple]

Set new hide and feeder up in another part of the wood , bought a pheasant feeder in to double our chances of attracting them 

[Mice!]

4 hours ago, sam triple said:

Set new hide and feeder up in another part of the wood , bought a pheasant feeder in to double our chances of attracting them 

Well that pheasant feeder won't run out after a few days 👍

[sam triple]

13 minutes ago, Mice! said:

Well that pheasant feeder won't run out after a few days 👍

Got to maximise your options 😂👍

[old man]

Sitting by 07.30, half a dozen transients bumbling through on the ground without pausing within the first hour. 1 sauntered down the track and paused at 09.00, oops!

Nothing then seen in 3 hours.

[Mice!]

1 hour ago, old man said:

Sitting by 07.30, half a dozen transients bumbling through on the ground without pausing within the first hour. 1 sauntered down the track and paused at 09.00, oops!

Nothing then seen in 3 hours.

Similar morning for me, it got light late as well, two hours watching the feeder, twice a squirrel was above me in an oak but nothing came to the feeder.

But there was a squirrel in the oaks behind me, only it shot off when I came out from under the Holly tree. 

[Walker570]

Slid down our wood at about 1 oclock this afternoon and within minutes had one on the feeder table.  Then I saw a movement alongside the large water tray I have for the small birds to drink and bathe in. Scope revealed a squirrel having a drink.... a first time for me.  I put a stop to that game. Anyone else seen squirrels drinking?

[ratchers]

52 minutes ago, Walker570 said:

Slid down our wood at about 1 oclock this afternoon and within minutes had one on the feeder table.  Then I saw a movement alongside the large water tray I have for the small birds to drink and bathe in. Scope revealed a squirrel having a drink.... a first time for me.  I put a stop to that game. Anyone else seen squirrels drinking?

Yes I have, I was in the hide waiting for the next customer and a grey came down a tree and jumped on to a pheasant feeder to drink from the collected rain water on the top, couldn't get a shot though.

[old man]

2 hours ago, Walker570 said:

Slid down our wood at about 1 oclock this afternoon and within minutes had one on the feeder table.  Then I saw a movement alongside the large water tray I have for the small birds to drink and bathe in. Scope revealed a squirrel having a drink.... a first time for me.  I put a stop to that game. Anyone else seen squirrels drinking?

Yes birdbath at home rarely?

[Mice!]

3 hours ago, Walker570 said:

Anyone else seen squirrels drinking?

Just the once from the river behind me.

[sam triple]

48 minutes ago, Mice! said:

Just the once from the river behind me.

From a pheasant waterer

[Mice!]

Tuesday morning was a blank, the feeder is getting used but nothing other than birds came close in 2.5hrs, twice there was a squirrel above me in the the oaks, but they moved away.

When I packed up and headed out there was a squirrel behind where I'd been sat which promptly legged it.

Onto today, and it's raining!! Which wasn't forecast, and it's very dark still at 6am, thankfully the rain eased after ten minutes so I geared up and headed out.
I was set up for 6:45 and almost straight away a squirrel went past on the floor, followed by a Tawny owl being chased by Jays!!

Over the next 30 minutes I was like an owl, trying to look in front and behind because a squirrel kept going up and down an oak then disappearing into the bushes, teasing me.
Then when I look back around there is a squirrel on the wall where two were shot last week, slowly revolve back round that way, gun up and track the squirrel, it slowly moved along then stopped again, Pfft Whack!

That acorn isn't going anywhere,  this fella was infested with ticks again. 

After this I decided to take a walk, the squirrels were clearly happy in the trees so I thought I'd go looking.

There were a few around, in Oaks or Yew, sometimes on the ground, but with the wind blowing and them moving around I couldn't get a shot, but then one got unlucky, it went over a rise and carried on mooching with its back to me, it was a very close shot, I clipped it high and needed another shot but number two was down, a mature female.

Now to make you all laugh, I got a little bit lost making my way back, it's a big wood, I deliberately didn't back track hoping to bump some more squirrels, but I was following deer paths and pretty much turned myself around, I wasn't where I thought I was but I got back on track finally, its surprising how many trees and dips look the same 

And obviously there was another squirrel on the wall when I got back, which trotted off
So I was a sweaty mess but that's 62 now from big wood this year, I'm moving around careful but it's making a difference. 

[sam triple]

4 minutes ago, Mice! said:

Tuesday morning was a blank, the feeder is getting used but nothing other than birds came close in 2.5hrs, twice there was a squirrel above me in the the oaks, but they moved away.

When I packed up and headed out there was a squirrel behind where I'd been sat which promptly legged it.

Onto today, and it's raining!! Which wasn't forecast, and it's very dark still at 6am, thankfully the rain eased after ten minutes so I geared up and headed out.
I was set up for 6:45 and almost straight away a squirrel went past on the floor, followed by a Tawny owl being chased by Jays!!

Over the next 30 minutes I was like an owl, trying to look in front and behind because a squirrel kept going up and down an oak then disappearing into the bushes, teasing me.
Then when I look back around there is a squirrel on the wall where two were shot last week, slowly revolve back round that way, gun up and track the squirrel, it slowly moved along then stopped again, Pfft Whack!

That acorn isn't going anywhere,  this fella was infested with ticks again. 

After this I decided to take a walk, the squirrels were clearly happy in the trees so I thought I'd go looking.

There were a few around, in Oaks or Yew, sometimes on the ground, but with the wind blowing and them moving around I couldn't get a shot, but then one got unlucky, it went over a rise and carried on mooching with its back to me, it was a very close shot, I clipped it high and needed another shot but number two was down, a mature female.

Now to make you all laugh, I got a little bit lost making my way back, it's a big wood, I deliberately didn't back track hoping to bump some more squirrels, but I was following deer paths and pretty much turned myself around, I wasn't where I thought I was but I got back on track finally, its surprising how many trees and dips look the same 

And obviously there was another squirrel on the wall when I got back, which trotted off
So I was a sweaty mess but that's 62 now from big wood this year, I'm moving around careful but it's making a difference. 

Good report 👍 I’m back out tomorrow pm to see if new feeders been touched

[Mice!]

26 minutes ago, sam triple said:

Good report 👍 I’m back out tomorrow pm to see if new feeders been touched

Cheers fella, nothing at these two feeders over two days, but both had been used, so later on might work out 👍

 

[old man]

Out again this morning,feeders not touched. Almost immediately they were tracking back and forwards on the ground like lunatics for half an hour no chances to shoot.

Number 1 came on the ground at 08.00 from the track way and paused so popped it freehand at about 8 yds a boar kitt in vgc. At 10.00, number 2 crossed the track going away but paused climbing at 35 yds and fell into the brambles. Then nothing seen for 2 hours.

Nice dry day.

[Walker570]

Well I had sat for almost two hours this lunch time and then a tree rat came down the walnut tree, walnut in mouth and set off at 45degs away from my position at speed. I tracked it in the scope and it stopped for a breather at the the top a bank I estimated as 40yrds. I settled the 40yrds dot on it's chest and eased one off. The tree rat leapt about 3ft in the air dropping the walnut and then leapt a similar height into a forest of brambles over a fence in my neighbours orchard .  I was happy with the hit and thought  Hmmmmmm ? that walnut looks about the same size as a tree rats chest. I settled the 40yrd dot on that and it leapt in the air about the same height and on inspection the pellet had half sckinned it. I'm happy to claim the kill for my own wood records but will not enter it on here as not confirmed.

I continue to be amazed at the accuracy of this quite old AA S200 which I purchased second hand.  I'm told it is a Mk2.

[sam triple]

Managed to get out for a few hours looked at feeders old feeder 3/4 empty which I was a bit shocked at because the last few times of checking it there was hardly any movement in the amount of food in it so I filled it and moved on to the new feeder hardly any food gone which I had expected as it’s not even been up a week but I gave it 3/4 of an hour and saw nothing back to the old feeder for hour and half had 3 all came running in to it , 2 off the feeder itself 1 on the ground which still had a nut in its mouth , thinking about it there’s a hole in the base of the tree maybe this is where it was stashing his haul , that’s 31 since July only shot for a few hours a week 

Edited September 23, 2021 by sam triple

[Walker570]

Nice one

[Eddie B]

Excellent thread this. Some great write ups, and pictures to match👍