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Squirrel Feeder Inspiration


Poor Shot
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Good evening.

I've never put used a squirrel feeder before so I'm looking for some inspiration and ideas in the form of pictures or plans for wooden constructed squirrel feeders.

I'm planning to put some time in over the coming months to thin out the squirrel population on the shoot. The place has plenty of squirrels as evidenced by the chewed pheasant feeders and feed bins. With feed costing what it does then cutting down on the amount of mouths taking the feed is more important than ever.

I've plenty of 6x1 gravel boards left over from a fence installation and hopefully these will be great for putting together a few feeders.

Many thanks in advance.

Edited by Poor Shot
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Yes, flip tops work and are as easy to make in tin as they are in wood.  Find some scrap tin sheet...I have just take the innard out of a bread maker and it will make a cracking flip top.  Drill and some pop rivets and a vice or means to bend the edges to fit.   Metal ones do not get chewed.  PM me an address and I will send you some plans.

The one shown is mounted on a corner sectuion from an IBC but you can just make a wooden support. Best to have a wooden feeding position as they can climb on to that more easily.   They soon learn to lift the lid and help themseleves. 

 

001.JPG

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14 hours ago, Walker570 said:

Yes, flip tops work and are as easy to make in tin as they are in wood.  Find some scrap tin sheet...I have just take the innard out of a bread maker and it will make a cracking flip top.  Drill and some pop rivets and a vice or means to bend the edges to fit.   Metal ones do not get chewed.  PM me an address and I will send you some plans.

The one shown is mounted on a corner sectuion from an IBC but you can just make a wooden support. Best to have a wooden feeding position as they can climb on to that more easily.   They soon learn to lift the lid and help themseleves. 

 

001.JPG

Thanks Walker570. Have you got more images of that? Is that style a flip top or is there a feed hole I can't see and that is the lid? 

8 hours ago, sam triple said:

A few of which I’ve made up from scrap laying about , if it’s going to be made of wood remember to squirrel proof it as much as possible or they’ll be munching their way into it  , look at teeth marks on the photo showing the feed hole 

C3823D84-15C5-4542-A862-BBDC3F5E48EF.jpeg

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C66EB309-BDBB-43F5-9B2D-38748F82C051.jpeg

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Many thanks Sam. The stainless tube design is a bit rich for me😅 but I like the wooden design you have. Have you fitted the metal plates to ensure they aren't chewed into or do you use the feeder itself as a back stop? 

The wire mesh is a good touch. 

How you are attaching them to the trees? I doubt the farmer would be pleased with me driving 200mm bolts into the trees to hold the feeder. 

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4 hours ago, jall25 said:

Good morning

I would not bother and would just shoot them as they visit the pheasant feeders

Yeah, I will be doing that also. A lot of the feeders on this shoot are out of the way and only accessible by quad or on foot. We also have them visiting the pens and it will be less than ideal to be blasting squirrels sat on the ground when the birds arrive and are in the pens. My thinking is I could cover a lot more ground by placing the feeders towards to the edges of the woods and then using the farm tracks to drive between them. They don't seem too bothered by vehicles so I could potentially forego setting up hides and shoot from the car. 

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8 minutes ago, Poor Shot said:

Thanks Walker570. Have you got more images of that? Is that style a flip top or is there a feed hole I can't see and that is the lid? 

Many thanks Sam. The stainless tube design is a bit rich for me😅 but I like the wooden design you have. Have you fitted the metal plates to ensure they aren't chewed into or do you use the feeder itself as a back stop? 

The wire mesh is a good touch. 

How you are attaching them to the trees? I doubt the farmer would be pleased with me driving 200mm bolts into the trees to hold the feeder. 

Also, what are you putting in the feeders? I can pick up wheat relatively cheap but I need something thats going to be more valuable to squirrels to get them to visit the squirrel feeders over the pheasant feeders. Wheat with peanuts mixed in? Aniseed oil mixed in? 

I also have a separate piece of land to shoot over on which we are hoping to establish a flight pond so I'll potentially have barley available. 

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8 minutes ago, Poor Shot said:

Thanks Walker570. Have you got more images of that? Is that style a flip top or is there a feed hole I can't see and that is the lid? 

Many thanks Sam. The stainless tube design is a bit rich for me😅 but I like the wooden design you have. Have you fitted the metal plates to ensure they aren't chewed into or do you use the feeder itself as a back stop? 

The wire mesh is a good touch. 

How you are attaching them to the trees? I doubt the farmer would be pleased with me driving 200mm bolts into the trees to hold the feeder. 

Like I say all made from scrap , metal plates are there as back stops and to stop them chewing they’re way in , as is the wire mesh but get as close mesh as possible chicken wire is no good attached to trees using wire around the trunk 

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Screenshot_20220127-181249_Gallery.jpg.d29bb38bbdcbfc3566c0323e3237766b.jpg

Here's two of mine, the one on the left is an open feeder, the one on the right is a flip lid.

Mine are attached with ratchet straps, no screws used, and I've got two there so they don't run out, I need to be able to carry them into the wood, big is better 😃 or two is better than one.

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Wow you guys really go to some effort with this

 

18 hours ago, Poor Shot said:

Also, what are you putting in the feeders? I can pick up wheat relatively cheap but I need something thats going to be more valuable to squirrels to get them to visit the squirrel feeders over the pheasant feeders. Wheat with peanuts mixed in? Aniseed oil mixed in? 

I also have a separate piece of land to shoot over on which we are hoping to establish a flight pond so I'll potentially have barley available. 

I just use wheat thats in for the pheasants

 

Be great to set up a pond !

18 hours ago, Poor Shot said:

Yeah, I will be doing that also. A lot of the feeders on this shoot are out of the way and only accessible by quad or on foot. We also have them visiting the pens and it will be less than ideal to be blasting squirrels sat on the ground when the birds arrive and are in the pens. My thinking is I could cover a lot more ground by placing the feeders towards to the edges of the woods and then using the farm tracks to drive between them. They don't seem too bothered by vehicles so I could potentially forego setting up hides and shoot from the car. 

Thats what i do

Shoot from the disco window with 22 rf or 17 hmr and stalk with moderated pump from feeder to feeder depending on the weather

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If you have pheasant release pens and feed rides then I rarely bother with flip top feeders. They will come to the pheasant feeders, so I just set up with the air rifle or sub sonic 22RF and plink away from the Landy passenger window.  These one man pop up blinds are also very useful, easy to carry into spots where you cannot get a vehicle and set up in seconds. Problem for me is my ld limbs struggle to get out of a low seat these days and looking for a higher folding version.  I made my own but as said unless I am by a handy tree to grab hold of then getting back on my feet is a struggle for an Octenagerian.    My best 1 1/2 hr sit on a flip top with the 22RF was 19.

Keep whacking and stacking guys the little song birds will be very grateful.

If I get chance I will put a 'How to' on here, puting a flip top together.

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28 minutes ago, Walker570 said:

Don't you get rats up that lean too?

If the squirrels come along the ground they go up my branch every time. 

Screenshot_20220323-141841_Gallery.jpg.c37d972faca30790404675c3e0d2cef8.jpg

They do exactlyexhe same as this woodpecker, lean across and take food.

branch or not a rat would go up the tree as  easily as a squirrel,  just depends if you have rats around.

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27 minutes ago, Walker570 said:

Yes, I have rats climb the tanalised posts on my feeder tables in the wood. I'll like to bet that woodpecker has a small hole there he can put a peanut in to work on it.  I have a couple do exactly that on an old knot hole in one of the support legs.

There certainly is, it's a double socket, tge birds can get bits from the edge but once the woodpeckers have reached in and moved stuff the other birds steam in.

Screenshot_20220330-155146_Gallery.jpg.d269fa5d713be53950a7fd759f984733.jpg

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Got accosted by a local twitcher yesterday between van and wood ( mad spaniel in tow - ( or was no where near my ‘toe’ like she should have been ) 

look a little taken aback when he noticed the air rifle slung over the shoulder ! 

long story short he was commenting that he had heard more common woodpeckers calling a mate in The wood for last couple of weeks than previously ! Usually he only hear one or two !
 

so I politely made my excuses and said I was there to ensure that hopefully they would find a mate and successfully get some chicks to adolescence and next year it may be a few more. 
 

Definitely more smaller birds about the wood after clearance last year - no new drays built as far as I can tell - though one that was ‘checked’ with an old 12 bore shell last year appeared to have new bedding pulled in when I repeated the process this year 

atb agriv8

 

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Thanks All. I appreciate the time you've put into posting the images of your squirrel feeders. Additional thanks to Walker570 who took the time to post out some plans for sheet metal feeders. 

I'll have to get imaginative and take the best of what I can see on this thread and make it work with the scrap materials I have lying around. 

I'll get an image posted once I have put some together and hopefully get some posts on the How Many Squirrels thread soon. 

Edited by Poor Shot
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9 hours ago, Agriv8 said:

Two of mine empty after a week - I spent 3 hours sat staking em out and nothing ! 
 

might have to change my routine maybe an early morning visit !

Agriv8

Early morning wins every time,  unless you have a camera set up telling you differently. 

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10 minutes ago, Mice! said:

Early morning wins every time,  unless you have a camera set up telling you differently. 

Noted Mice ! 
 

might have to get a little more organised to get out first thing !

( typed while laid in bed having a cuppa !) 

Agriv8

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