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Grey numbers


Farmboy91
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31 minutes ago, Mice! said:

probably young that are moving about, I'm just seeing squirrels coming back into the wood behind me, it was over run but been fairly clear this year, hopefully it will be again by spring.

From what I remember it's been an even miss of adult and young, garden is only an acre, given what I've shot in the first half of the year it must be getting on for 15 total in this patch. 

But yeah I'll keep hammering them. 

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  • 2 months later...

Did nit have any in my garden 5 years ago. Not one. This year I caught 3 or 4 in a fenn trap set for rats in my chicken run and have shot a few more off the feeder. 

There is also a drey in my lane and some more in a  neighbour's wood. They have come from a large wood (fc) about 2 miles away. The wood is ram packed with them, almost like every tree has one in it. Devoid of all other life except deer and crows. 

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We’ve had an influx here, it was a good breeding season. We just need to keep at them.
Sadly our little group have had some issues with health, home, work and family which has meant we haven’t been able to keep at them enough. We need to re-group and re-commit for the forthcoming year. To clear the wood before they really start breeding in 2020. I know some will breed all through the year but it is the peak time we need to be ready for.

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Most certainly been a bumper year for them.  2018  my score was 220.... the same area more or less this year I am on 315 and they keep on coming. They are already chasing about after a sex session around here so proabably some early broods.  I have shot some of the biggest ever this year but also some really small ones which looked like youngsters but by their breeding equipment i don't think so.  Keep whacking and stacking.

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This is very intresting to read . Round our way we normally take 200-250 squirrels on the shoot and have a lot round the feeders and such (we have a lot of woodland ) . This year we have only had about 20 and have hardly seen a squirrel . I was going to post if Anyone had seen a dramatic drop in the numbers? 

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11 hours ago, Ferret664 said:

This is very intresting to read . Round our way we normally take 200-250 squirrels on the shoot and have a lot round the feeders and such (we have a lot of woodland ) . This year we have only had about 20 and have hardly seen a squirrel . I was going to post if Anyone had seen a dramatic drop in the numbers? 

That is strange, maybe a increase in natural predators but would not of thought they would impact to that extent. 

Mick

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22 hours ago, Ferret664 said:

This is very intresting to read . Round our way we normally take 200-250 squirrels on the shoot and have a lot round the feeders and such (we have a lot of woodland ) . This year we have only had about 20 and have hardly seen a squirrel . I was going to post if Anyone had seen a dramatic drop in the numbers? 

I've noticed a big drop in numbers in my main wood. The peanut feeder isn't attracting them like it normally does. I'm putting it down to the mild weather and abundance of natural food. Beech mast was exceptional this year

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4 hours ago, Fisheruk said:

The more you get at them the less there will be. If you don’t shoot and trap for a few weeks/ month the numbers will increase. The large bags come from areas which are only shot periodically IMHO 

I think you are correct. Two of my areas initially produced double figure days off just one feeder, but now lucky to take four or five.  My own small ten acre wood here at home we consider squirrel free. We get an influx mid summer which is sharply dealt with. Only had two in the last twelve weeks.  Just leave an area untouched for a couple of months and they will pour in again.   Whatever , keep whacking and stacking.

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Went out again this morning and drew a blank. The three flip top feeders had been hardly touched since being refilled on Sunday morning, when I had the last two. Scanned around the pinewood with the Thermal spotter and didn’t see a single squirrel, definitely thinned them out of that patch over the last few weeks. Seventeen in the last 8 wks from the pinewood patch. Looking forward to the new areas coming on next year. I’ve had 57 in the year.

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8 hours ago, Fisheruk said:

The more you get at them the less there will be. If you don’t shoot and trap for a few weeks/ month the numbers will increase. The large bags come from areas which are only shot periodically IMHO 

This is on a 2000 acre estate and our numbers are normally the same every year . I think stuartyboy is right as just this week I've all of a sudden noticed them to appear again had 10 in the last 3 days with the 410 when feeding and have seen a few appear round the feeders.  Seems like the natural food lasted longer then normally and now they are attacking the pheasant feeders ! 

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