squirrel control

[old man]

Dry, cold and bright this morning.

Sitting by 08.30, one  scooting across the track 100yds before the feeder tree.

Nothing till 09.20 when one appeared on the ground from behind the feeder tree ignoring the feeder completely. It nosed about behind a big beech rooting in the leaf litter, I thought it had scarpered until it made the mistake of showing around the base.

The AA S200 and AA field did the job, 1 fat old boar not going home. Nothing else showed.

 

[Walker570]

Yes, I have noticed that they are still rooting around in the leaves. Mind the ones shot have been so fat they don't need to eat.  Good to hear the trusty AA S200 is still doing the job.  Had another from the top end of the village this morning in a live cage trap. The second in it so far and I think you need to catch a couple to get the smell in there before they really bravely enter where no tree rat returns

[Mice!]

23 minutes ago, Walker570 said:

Yes, I have noticed that they are still rooting around in the leaves. Mind the ones shot have been so fat they don't need to eat.  Good to hear the trusty AA S200 is still doing the job.  Had another from the top end of the village this morning in a live cage trap. The second in it so far and I think you need to catch a couple to get the smell in there before they really bravely enter where no tree rat returns

Have you not tried rubbing a dead one around in your traps?

[ratchers]

One very flighty one from under a pheasant feeder, it had already been on the peanut feeder but I never got a chance,it was in for a peanut and then off.

[sam triple]

Both feeders emptied again I’m expecting a busy few hours tomorrow afternoon 

[Walker570]

3 hours ago, Mice! said:

Have you not tried rubbing a dead one around in your traps?

Do not nnormally have a problem because they have all caught almost from the word go and so have had a naturall smell about them. In fact I had another in a trap today  Again, I think it is often location location location because this trap was on a feed table I moved about 10 paces at most to the opposite side of the ride from a position where it had not caught or very rarely. Moved it and had four in as many weeks.  PLUS the site now attracts a whole bunch of birds which it didn't before.

[Mice!]

2 hours ago, sam triple said:

Both feeders emptied again I’m expecting a busy few hours tomorrow afternoon 

Sounds good 👍 

2 hours ago, Walker570 said:

Do not nnormally have a problem because they have all caught almost from the word go and so have had a naturall smell about them. In fact I had another in a trap today  Again, I think it is often location location location because this trap was on a feed table I moved about 10 paces at most to the opposite side of the ride from a position where it had not caught or very rarely. Moved it and had four in as many weeks.  PLUS the site now attracts a whole bunch of birds which it didn't before.

Must have been in a draft?

[Fisheruk]

Into the woods this morning just before sunrise.

Spread some nuts on the ground beneath the feeder.

Another two this morning. Female 600grms and male 390 grms 

Went underneath the Yew tree where I shoot from. Tied up a piece of camo netting to sit behind.

Loaded the rifle and sat down, looked across to the feeder and there was a big fat mamma sitting on the feeder already. 
 

Another young male appeared soon afterwards. Had to leave afterwards to get on with chores. But 2 in 20 minutes was a good result.

The Chiappa doesn’t take prisoners.

Nice to see the brook returning to normal levels after the week of storms.

 

[Walker570]

Clever how those brooks up there run sideways without spilling out

[old man]

Out again yesterday morning, nothing in 4 hours other than a pair of Robins to keep me amused.

Trying again next week.

[sam triple]

 

well today didn’t turn out as expected feeders filled Thursday mate text me this morning to say 6 squirrels around the old feeder , I arrived this pm to see 1 squirrel on new feeder that promptly bolted as I approached it , checked both feeders 3/4 empty so filled them up and sat and waited and waited and waited some more , 2 squirrels 1 magpie and 1 Jay at least the deer kept me occupied, that’ll be it on the squirrels until the Xmas break now 

[Fisheruk]

5 hours ago, Walker570 said:

Clever how those brooks up there run sideways without spilling out

I’ll lay down tomorrow morning on my side and see if I can get the photo to come out right way up 😳

[Fisheruk]

22 hours ago, Walker570 said:

Clever how those brooks up there run sideways without spilling out

Stood on my head this morning to take another photo that came out the right way round just for you Nev. 🙄😀

 

[Rimfireboy]

A few more with the impact....

[Mice!]

11 minutes ago, Rimfireboy said:

A few more with the impact....

Your certainly getting stuck into them, it's a glorious sunny day here today,  I'm not jealous at all 👍

[Walker570]

37 minutes ago, Fisheruk said:

Stood on my head this morning to take another photo that came out the right way round just for you Nev. 🙄😀

 

What a pretty bit of river.  My sort of fishing.

[sam triple]

Saturdays haul 

[oldypigeonpopper]

20 hours ago, Rimfireboy said:

A few more with the impact....

Hello, how are you finding your modern FX air rifle, 

1 hour ago, sam triple said:

Saturdays haul 

Hello, a fly fisherman's friend , I have magpie/jay feathers and Squirrel tails in my fly tying kit 

[sam triple]

1 hour ago, oldypigeonpopper said:

Hello, how are you finding your modern FX air rifle, 

Hello, a fly fisherman's friend , I have magpie/jay feathers and Squirrel tails in my fly tying kit 

The woods have come alive with them at the mo , !!!!

[Rimfireboy]

On 13/12/2021 at 07:49, oldypigeonpopper said:

Hello, how are you finding your modern FX air rifle, 

Hello, a fly fisherman's friend , I have magpie/jay feathers and Squirrel tails in my fly tying kit 

Yerr, the impact is great. I’ve got it set up to run from 19ft lb to 41ft lb just on the power wheel. Only running 95 bar regulator pressure so shot count is brilliant, even at 40ft lb. Also the smooth twist X barrel is super accurate with both pellets and slugs.

[Walker570]

On 13/12/2021 at 09:21, sam triple said:

The woods have come alive with them at the mo , !!!!

Never ever seen so many jays about   I'm on 25 since 1st Sept just in our 10 acres wood.   Imagine what damage they would do this coming spring.

[oldypigeonpopper]

34 minutes ago, Rimfireboy said:

Yerr, the impact is great. I’ve got it set up to run from 19ft lb to 41ft lb just on the power wheel. Only running 95 bar regulator pressure so shot count is brilliant, even at 40ft lb. Also the smooth twist X barrel is super accurate with both pellets and slugs.

Hello, that sounds good 👍

[Sciurus]

 Since the storms, the local woods have been closed to the public on safety grounds, so I haven’t been out shooting.

Yesterday, two of us went to my favourite permission. Arriving before dawn, I scattered some feed in a clearing of a wood at the Estate entrance, where greys are often seen.

After the obligatory thermos of tea, it was light enough to set off. Part of the first wood was still cordoned off. Huge Beech trees lay across the woodland adventure playground . We picked up a tawny owl with the thermal sheltering in some rhododendron. Nothing else was seen in the first wood. It looked like the aftermath of a bombing raid. Huge beeches flattened everywhere. The oaks had major limbs torn off. The missing branches were often vertically embedded into the ground looking like original trees. The major footpaths had been cleared but it was still dangerous, with huge torn off branches dangling precariously overhead. I was glad to get out. 

On the way to the second wood, there was a small copse in the middle of a field, where I have had the odd grey. It had been flattened, only 3 trees remained but 3 greys were spotted. Two on the ground and one in a larch. By the time we crossed the field, two were in the trees and one disappeared into a tree, lying on the ground. 

Circling the tree, we couldn’t get too close because of the fallen branches, but I could detect the outline of one lying along a branch. My 1st shot with the.410 livened it up and it dived into the other conifer. The thermal showed it clearly together with a hint of the other grey above. I knocked it down with the 2nd shot and my pal shot the other grey as it bolted with his 20 bore. The 3rd grey was never seen again.

The 2nd wood was eerily quiet. The third wood had all the entrance paths blocked with trees, but a grey was spotted feeding on my bait on the ground. This disappeared into a large oak. I stayed put and my pal circled the tree. The grey duly sidled round the trunk and was promptly  dispatched by me to squirrel heaven.

We then travelled to a local campsite, which is a new permission. Unfortunately, there were 3 teams of foresters working in the woods clearing the damage so we couldn’t shoot.  we had a walk round instead and came across this safari tent which had been flattened by 3 trees.

It should look like this!

On the way home, I got a call to cull a grey in a loan trap and then another call from another villager, who had just caught and culled one in his trap.

Total 3 shot and 2 trapped.

This year I have seen/caught very few greys at houses because of the glut of hazel, however I suspect the storm and food shortage is now forcing the greys to forage further afield.

Edited December 15, 2021 by Sciurus

[Rimfireboy]

50 minutes ago, Sciurus said:

 Since the storms, the local woods have been closed to the public on safety grounds, so I haven’t been out shooting.

Yesterday, two of us went to my favourite permission. Arriving before dawn, I scattered some feed in a clearing of a wood at the Estate entrance, where greys are often seen.

After the obligatory thermos of tea, it was light enough to set off. Part of the first wood was still cordoned off. Huge Beech trees lay across the woodland adventure playground . We picked up a tawny owl with the thermal sheltering in some rhododendron. Nothing else was seen in the first wood. It looked like the aftermath of a bombing raid. Huge beeches flattened everywhere. The oaks had major limbs torn off. The missing branches were often vertically embedded into the ground looking like original trees. The major footpaths had been cleared but it was still dangerous, with huge torn off branches dangling precariously overhead. I was glad to get out. 

On the way to the second wood, there was a small copse in the middle of a field, where I have had the odd grey. It had been flattened, only 3 trees remained but 3 greys were spotted. Two on the ground and one in a larch. By the time we crossed the field, two were in the trees and one disappeared into a tree, lying on the ground. 

Circling the tree, we couldn’t get too close because of the fallen branches, but I could detect the outline of one lying along a branch. My 1st shot with the.410 livened it up and it dived into the other conifer. The thermal showed it clearly together with a hint of the other grey above. I knocked it down with the 2nd shot and my pal shot the other grey as it bolted with his 20 bore. The 3rd grey was never seen again.

The 2nd wood was eerily quiet. The third wood had all the entrance paths blocked with trees, but a grey was spotted feeding on my bait on the ground. This disappeared into a large oak. I stayed put and my pal circled the tree. The grey duly sidled round the trunk and was promptly  dispatched by me to squirrel heaven.

We then travelled to a local campsite, which is a new permission. Unfortunately, there were 3 teams of foresters working in the woods clearing the damage so we couldn’t shoot.  we had a walk round instead and came across this safari tent which had been flattened by 3 trees.

It should look like this!

On the way home, I got a call to cull a grey in a loan trap and then another call from another villager, who had just caught and culled one in his trap.

Total 3 shot and 2 trapped.

This year I have seen/caught very few greys at houses because of the glut of hazel, however I suspect the storm and food shortage is now forcing the greys to forage further afield.

Nice write up fella, looks like you got some serious damage up there.

[leakyseals]

Ive had a huge uptick in activity by 'a' grey over the last 2 weeks, generally from late morning through to mid-afternoon, aggressively hitting the bird feeders and digging merry-hell out of my lawn; but showing no interest in the baited traps.

I picked up a couple of Fenns as I have been getting visits from rats that live under next doors decking, so have a ground tunnel and a tree-cage active now, as well as my live-trap cage.

Ive been playing about with the trap positioning and bait mixes and finally got #12 this morning, a big boar. Hopefully, this set-up will be productive.