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How many Grey Squirrels are killed in 2020


steve_b_wales
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1 hour ago, Sciurus said:

Congratulations, you must be very pleased, it does make it all worthwhile. It will be interesting to see if it stays or is passing through. Best keep the camera going and doubling your efforts to keep the greys down in that wood as soon as they appear.

Ps Spotting your red might help you get more grey control in nearby woods ( this works well for us in Cumbria).  Good luck

Let's hope it stays and isn't just passing through, I will keep hitting the grays although I haven't had any pictures of them on the feeder for at least 3 weeks, whether that's because there still on the natural food and just not using the feeders. 

Fingers crossed I can get some more woodland close to this one and maybe the numbers of reds will increase 👍

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3 hours ago, Walker570 said:

Yes and even more now ..... 3077 to date and that is what collecting and handling them does to your hands, wears off around January but worth it.

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Impressive number of Walnuts there Nev, you supplying willy Wonka 😅😅

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Two trees given to me 25yrs ago and have produced in excess of 2000 nuts in each of the last four years. This year was a bumper crop.   One joy is seeing the number of nuts which our growing nuthatch population have had a go at, sometimes totally emptying the shell. This is all down to the wood being a no go zone for tree rats.

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14 hours ago, Walker570 said:

Two trees given to me 25yrs ago and have produced in excess of 2000 nuts in each of the last four years. This year was a bumper crop.   One joy is seeing the number of nuts which our growing nuthatch population have had a go at, sometimes totally emptying the shell. This is all down to the wood being a no go zone for tree rats.

Thats a very impressive amount and well worth the effort.

Two yesterday while out for a stroll.

1442

Mick

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6 minutes ago, Mice! said:

I could have done with the whippet and  .410👍

Sounds like your day was similar to ours, not an air rifle day. Do you fancy adding a moderated shotgun to your armoury? They are very useful this time of year.

The whippet is very switched on and will sit patiently  under the tree, if we haven’t spotted the grey and gives us a withering  look.  It’s a luxury to have a dog to pick up in the bracken.

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1 hour ago, Fisheruk said:

Go on spoil yourself, you know you deserve it 😀

 

1 hour ago, Sciurus said:

Sounds like your day was similar to ours, not an air rifle day. Do you fancy adding a moderated shotgun to your armoury? They are very useful this time of year.

I couldn't use one where I am, I'll just have to be patient, won't be long.

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21 hours ago, Sciurus said:

Three this morning, with some help from the thermal, .410 and a whippet!

1457

As a relative novice to the world of grey squirrel control I am intrigued as to how you use a shotgun and a thermal to control grey squirrels? I’ve only ever used a feeder and air rifle. 

Why do you use a moderated 410?

 

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34 minutes ago, hatter said:

As a relative novice to the world of grey squirrel control I am intrigued as to how you use a shotgun and a thermal to control grey squirrels? I’ve only ever used a feeder and air rifle. 

Why do you use a moderated 410?

 

A very good question.

Shooting grey squirrels with an air rifle and feeder (or trapping) can be very effective in season between January and July when natural food is scarce. 

However come July onwards, the greys prefer fresh acorns, Beech mast and hazel, which begins to appear and they are less likely to be attracted by a feeder and they also  become trap shy. So instead of making the greys come to you, you then have to hunt the greys.

Dependant upon which fruits are ripening the greys will move from feasting upon say acorns to feasting upon sweet chestnuts etc, so you need to keep an eye open to what and where they are eating and shoot them where they are feeding.

It can be difficult to shoot them with an air rifle at this time of year, because they are unlikely to stay still and are hiding in the leaves, so a shotgun can be used to shoot them running about the branches.

In the autumn and leaves fall, a thermal is very useful to spot greys in trees or under bushes and again it’s easier to shoot them with a shotgun- particularly if there are two of you on either side of a tree.

I like to use a 12bore, but I am a volunteer with a Red Squirrel Group and most of my shooting is on NT or Council woodland (with public access) or around Country House Hotels, so a moderated shotgun tends not upset or disturb the public or guests too much.

A moderated 12 bore is too long and heavy to carry about so the preferred weapon of choice up here is a moderated mossberg .410 pump, which is fun gun to use and pretty quiet.

Hatter, Keep up the grey control, if you haven’t got a shotgun, try shooting them with the air rifle while they are foraging on the ground for nuts.

Cheers

Scurius

 

 

 

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