Eight down and ninety-two to go

[Phillip Allen]

The first murdered squirrels of the fall...I killed about one hundred last year in my three-quarter acre yard and got one hat-full of pecans for my trouble...they were good. I'm starting again a little earlier and hope to get as many as come within the range of my pellet rifle... (The cats will be fat on them)

[ 09-11-2005, 10:46 AM: Message edited by: Phillip Allen ]

[Paul Pless]

what, you don't make squirrel dumplings, the cats, my god what a waste.

[Phillip Allen]

If I were hungry enough I might eat rats...if you could see me you would know I'm not hungry

[Sue H.]

I love our backyard squirrels and chipmunks and birds. You'd be up a creek without a paddle in my house, Phillip. I'd have your BB gun out on the curb.

The squirrels do indeed get all of our pecans, but we're not going hungry and I figure they need to eat, too.

We had to put a double layer of chicken wire around the tomatoes to keep the critters out, and that works just fine.

It was so funny to see a little squirrel running along the top of our wooden fence with a big red tomato, and Heidi running along the bottom of the fence barking her head off until the frightened squirrel would drop the tomato, which Heidi would then proceed to eat.

[Ian McColgin]

Don't know if you've got mature trees yet or not, but it sounds like you've ground for five or maybe six nicely spaced trees. A two foot metal banding - any good forestry text or county extension agent can give details - about five feet up the trunk will stop them unless your trees are so close to others that the squirrels can jump from the branches.

Shooting squirrels has its pleasures but it's not an efficient way to get enough pecans to win a pie contest.

[Bruce Hooke]

From what I've seen, your chances of success via that means are small indeed. You might as well be trying to dig a hole in a lake with a bucket.

[Phillip Allen]

Originally posted by Sue H.:
I love our backyard squirrels and chipmunks and birds. You'd be up a creek without a paddle in my house, Phillip. I'd have your BB gun out on the curb.

The squirrels do indeed get all of our pecans, but we're not going hungry and I figure they need to eat, too.

We had to put a double layer of chicken wire around the tomatoes to keep the critters out, and that works just fine.

It was so funny to see a little squirrel running along the top of our wooden fence with a big red tomato, and Heidi running along the bottom of the fence barking her head off until the frightened squirrel would drop the tomato, which Heidi would then proceed to eat.Sue, you’re on your way to becoming a blue-haired lady...cute flea carrying, tapeworm carrying, house burning (had one cut a power line in my attic)...thousands of dollars of damage over the years...and they breed like...like rats. I guess rats would be cute too.

I like them in the woods and leave them alone there. If I want to see a squirrel, I'll go to the woods and not protect them so they can burn down my neighbor's house or do other damage to my neighbor's property so I can have convenient cute...(a rant you say?)

[Phillip Allen]

Oh yeah, my pecan tree is about thirty years old...and I have way too many trees

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

Ian Said:<hr>Shooting squirrels has its pleasures but it's not an efficient way to get enough pecans to win a pie contest.<hr>

Depends on the kind of PIE (http://www.jerrysbaitandtackle.com/Recipes/Squirrel/Pie.htm)

[Sue H.]

Sue, you’re on your way to becoming a blue-haired lady...cute flea carrying, tapeworm carrying, house burning (had one cut a power line in my attic)...thousands of dollars of damage over the years...and they breed like...like rats. I guess rats would be cute too.

I like them in the woods and leave them alone there. If I want to see a squirrel, I'll go to the woods and not protect them so they can burn down my neighbor's house or do other damage to my neighbor's property so I can have convenient cute...(a rant you say?)[/QB]And you're on your way to becoming a crusty ol' redneck cooter. :D

None of those disasterous things you've described have happened to us, and this house is a post WWII. Maybe we've just been lucky, or maybe the squirrels like us better cause we let em' eat the pecans. ;)

[Phillip Allen]

tongue.gif

[Bruce Hooke]

Originally posted by Phillip Allen:
(had one cut a power line in my attic)Sounds to me like you should be fixing your house so they can't get in the attic rather than sitting on the back porch taking pot shots at squirrels! tongue.gif

I don't really mind squirrels, but I am not a big fan of them either...so as far as I'm concerned you are welcome to continue to try to dig a hole in a lake. :D

[Phillip Allen]

I'd poison them (which would be VERY affective) but don't want to kill the possums and cats who would then eat them. The possums 'cause they would stink under the neighbor's house and the cats cause ...well I just don't want to kill the cats...

[Meerkat]

An excess of squirrels suggests something has happened to their natural predators. Where are your owls?

[Phillip Allen]

For several years there were owls hanging out here but they've gone (I think they were barred owls)

[L.W. Baxter]

Who barred them? What an outrage!

[Phillip Allen]

Just came in from getting five more...took about thirty minutes...all males (the easiest ones to find...just shake the tree till you hear the nuts rattle) There were four cats hanging around and looking up at the finish

a cheapo Daisy pellet rifle...longest shot prolly fifty feet

[George.]

Originally posted by Phillip Allen:
Just came in from getting five more...took about thirty minutes...all males... Useless in terms of population control. You want to go after the reproductive-age females. A single surviving male will service them all, and remember, they are rodents... ;)

[Phillip Allen]

I figure they're this summer's hatch. Last year I got all that I could find...about 100...all from the same shooting spot (about 10X30 feet hiding area for me) I think if I could push a magic button and kill the nearest 1000, I wouldn't have them this fall but they would show up in the spring again

[Meerkat]

How do commercial growers cope with squirrels?

[Phillip Allen]

With a lot of acres and trees far apart and they kill all squirrels in the region...prolly with poison

[Ken Hutchins]

We don't have too great a squirrel population so I let them exist, however as of late yesterday there is one less bristle pig, tongue.gif them I don't tolerate at all, I've spent too many hours pulling quills out of the dogs and this one was bigger than both our dogs combined. :eek: Besides they eat wood :eek: and I'm building a wood boat. :eek:

[Phillip Allen]

don't gottem down here...

(could use about a dozen hungry fishers for about a week though...do they eat cats too...)

[ 09-11-2005, 12:41 PM: Message edited by: Phillip Allen ]

[Memphis Mike]

Killing.....and on Sunday too. Man you're gonna burn.

[Phillip Allen]

Sokay...I gots sun blok... smile.gif

hmmm...gives me an idea "Take up thy bed and walk"...gonna make myself a nice blind suitable for a nap...

[ahp]

Poison? Is there not a poison specialy for rodents. Squirrels are rodents aren't they (dirty little hairy tailed tree rats. I thinks it is called "waferin" or something like that and doesn't bother other animals.

[Phillip Allen]

I don't want to poison the critters that will eat the fallen squirrels...(or I would)