Squirrels! Pests!

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Countryside : One Thread

The squirrels are running all over the outside of the house. Heard a noise and one was on the screen of the kitchen window. They even knocked a brick into the chimmney! They are too close to shoot. Has any one had any luck with a BB rifle?? The one we did have just bounced off. I want them gone!! Any Ideas??

-- PJC (zpjc5_@hotmail.com), January 16, 2001

Answers

First, why are they attracted to your house? Do you or your neighbors have bird or squirrel feeders? Natural food sourch in your yard? Has their natural habitat been recently destroyed? Eliminate what is drawing them and they will leave on their own.

-- Terri Perry (teperry@stargate.net), January 16, 2001.

"They are too close to shoot."

Cheaperthandirt.com usually has shot rounds available for .22, .38, 9mm, and .45. The shot is so small that it is unlikely to do any damage to your buildings and doesnt fly very far with any force. They are good for bats, rats, squirrels, etc.

-- William in WI (thetoebes@webtv.net), January 16, 2001.


If you're worried about damaging your buildings, try sub sonic 22 shorts. They will kill a squirrel with a head shot quickly, or a little longer with a body shot. They are good to eat, cook like chicken.

-- JLS in NW AZ (stalkingbull007@AOL.com), January 16, 2001.

I use .22 CB shorts. I don't know if that's the same shell that JLS is referring to or not. I use them on squirrels, rabbits and crows. I was surprised how well they worked on the crows ! And they ar super quiet which means I can usually kill 2 crows before the rest figure out what's happening and take off. I also have a LGD who does NOT like gunfire, but these don't bother her a bit. And I have to agree with Terry, your first responsibility is to find out what is attracting them and remedy that. Though population control will probably still be an issue for you for a couple of months. Good Luck. Monica. P.S. My little terrier is death on squirrels too. Much better than a cat on mice actually !!!

-- Monica (zpepenovia@excite.com), January 16, 2001.

I'm not into killing something I'm not going to eat and I don't eat rodents. When squirrels get to be a problem I use a wrist rocket. I spend about two days shooting at them. They move on and and it takes them awhile to come back to my yard.

Having an alert dog also keeps those critters in the trees where they belong.

-- Laura (gsend@hotmail.com), January 16, 2001.



Use a PELLET rifle. b.b.s don't have enough smack to do them in.Ditto for bird shot in .22s.The subsonic loads are still quite powerful and therefor potentialy damaging to property.CB caps in .22 though they have no powder still can break things.The other problem is that all the sight adjustments that you make for normal .22lr loads will not work for these much lower powered loads.You will miss.If using "cheaper than dirt" they sell a good cheap chinese air rifle.The finish is not pretty but they pack a lot more wallop than the daisy and crossmans that you can buy at walmart.Use hunting pellets and try for head shots.

-- Greg (gsmith@tricountyi.net), January 16, 2001.

Pellet gun - .22 cal and get the pointed pellets, not the flat target stuff. And maybe borrow a cat or a squirrel dog. We have a god that's 1/2 feist, and never see squirrels in our yard any more.

-- Eric in TN (eric_m_stone@yahoo.com), January 16, 2001.

I live trap them ALL winter long,, bait with peanuts tied to the trigger,, works great

-- Stan (sopal@net-port.com), January 16, 2001.

I had a squirrel jumping on my house once. It even hung on my screen, talking to me. It turned out her nest in the chimney broke through, dropping her babies into my basement. We put commercial chimney covers on after that.

My cat keeps the squirrels away from my house.

-- Dee (gdgtur@goes.com), January 16, 2001.


Use a live catch trap with peanut butter on the pan. Check it every ten minutes because action comes fast. If you don't eat them drive them far from your place to someone you don't like and release them.

-- Nick (wildheart@ekyol.com), January 16, 2001.


We live in squirrel heaven, we also have four dogs, one that patrols the property constantly, big German Shepard going about 100 pounds or so, ears like radar dishes; no squirrel problem, no raccoons, no deer eating the garden or shrubs, no coyote problem (and we have chickens), no varmint problems at all, this includes two legged varmints too! Have not seen anything outsmart a German Shepard, they are uncanny in their intelligence, and he stays on his territory and doesn't chase cars, etc.

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), January 18, 2001.

Every so often we have a bunch of squirrels move in, and they are indeed pests. My husband did get one with his pellet gun, but usually the cats will clean them up in a few days.

If left alone the squirrels will eat through the plastic lids of my feed barrels and ruin them. They will steal the eggs out of my chicken nests, bite the tops off and feast away.

-- Lela R. Picking (stllwtrs55@aol.com), January 21, 2001.


Lots of good ideas! A standard rat trap baited with peanut butter will get them! Unfortunately, it might also get your favorite cardinal or other bird. Pellet gun works very well. But if you don't have one, and do have a .22, there is a cartridge (from Mexico, as it turns out) that has no powder and is propelled by only the primer. It had power similar to that of a pellet gun. It makes virtually no noise, yet is fairly accurate and very quiet. I have some. Can't find them? Drop a direct e-mail. GL! OH! Do NOT forget that (gray or fox) squirrels are the finest fare ever to tickle your palate! Absolutely Deelicious!

-- Brad (homefixer@SacoRiver.net), January 22, 2001.

I don't so much have an answer, as I have an urgent question:

A family of small reddish-brown squirrels has made their home IN our house. At first I thought in the attic. But they have access to the entire house by running across and down between the studs and rafters. I have caught three (must have been young ones) but today a squirrel escaped two times! through the Havahart trap as soon as I entered the attic and the storage room, where these two traps were set up. Must have been the mother or father, very strong, and very determined! I NEED HELP BADLY. Thanks, ellen

-- ellen k parrella (friendsofmusic@snet.net), June 11, 2001.


I also have a squirrel problem. They are not only on the outside of my house, but in the walls as well (at least it sounds like it)! I have a huge doublewide mobile home that sits under two huge oaks. I rent, and so getting rid of the oaks is out of the question. Besides, I love the trees, even love watching the squirrels during the day...outside. However they play and scratch and run and make all kinds of noise to keep me awake ALL NIGHT LONG! Plus it sounds like whatever they're doing is pretty destructive! Will a cat help (like a barn cat)? Please, any help would be very welcome!

-- Betsy LeHew (e9l@aol.com), June 17, 2001.


Use a .177 caliber pellet rifle. A VERY good one is a Benjimin. These guns are powerful to do the job!!! I would not use a .22 Cal. because if you miss it can go into your house or worse yet into someone else's yard or house!

-- Big Jim (shooter@bigjim.nety), September 10, 2001.

Do you live in town? If you do forget using the gun and ammo. You can buy yourself a couple of live traps to catch them alive. Take them out to the country and release them very close to a tree. Find all openings into your attic and repair. Being a former electrician I have seen squirrels electrocuted and almost start a fire in attics. Also, as for not eating squirrels because they are a rodent. If you can eat a chicken than you can eat a squirrel. Squirrels are much cleaner eaters than chickens. Squirrels are mostly vegetarians while a chicken will eat all kinds of things.

-- r.h. in okla. (rhays@sstelco.com), September 12, 2001.

try http://www.compasseco.com/ and look for the Tech Force package with model 97 or better. Get the better scope if you can, do not need variable power, just 4X.

-- sasquatch (sasquatch@excite.com), January 08, 2002.

Moderation questions? read the FAQ