Squirrel control

[Clinton]

On another forum I frequent, a guy has been shooting at red squirrels that have overrun his yard and house to no avail and asked for other suggestions to get rid of them. A few replies:

Bucket o' water with birdseed floating on top. Fill half way, float the seed, check daily to remove carcasses.

Works on chipmunks too.

I shoot them with a pellet rifle at every opportunity. Hate the damn things. If you keep a trap set all the time, you can shoot the one in the trap the first thing you do in the morning, and then blast any you see all day. You will never win the battle, but you can keep the herd under control.

A slight addition to the bucket bird seed trap is to use a dowel (or hunting arrow) stuck through the lip of the bucket with a soda can skewered on it. Yes you have to drill the bucket to do this. Smear peanut butter on the soda can and make sure its free to spin. The critters go for the peanut butter and fall in the bucket of water. This is very effective for mice and squirrels. If you have to do that in a hunting camp that is unoccupied for a few months each year, use antifreeze rather than water, it pickles them so they don't smell so bad. But don't use anti freeze near the dogs obviously.

I had a squirrel problem, they would do the same thing, get in my attic and nest in the insulation. I live in town so shooting is out of the question. My dog would love to get them but they just run along the top rail or my cedar fence and get away, teasing her as they run. I cut a piece of Lexan about 1 foot square and put it on the top rail between two of the pickets. When I see a squirrel in the backyard, I yell at the dog "GET THE SQUIRREL!". She tears out the backyard, they jump up the fence and haul ass along the top rail...until they run into the lexan at top speed. If that doesn't break their neck, the dog gets them when they bounce off the ground stunned. I haven't caught it on camera yet but it's hilarious. I have to move the lexan once in a while because they figure it out but that's minor. Smug little bastards. I feel like Bill Murray in Caddyshack.

 

[dpricenator]

After changing over my garage to a smoking/game room, I noticed a rat running in the rafters. BUMMER, I had never seen signs of rats or mice. So my father inlaw brings me this trap and says it is supposed to be the best. It is a black plastic tunnel about 6 inches high and wide and a foot long. It runs on 4 C batteries. All you have to do is put some bait on the outside and then a little more in the tunnel. After the mpouse enters, and starts eating, the metal plates it is standing on FRY that little sucker. I have set this thing 4 days in a row, with 4 different baits, Snickers bar, peanut butter, Brie cheese, and a hot dog pieces. All 4 days the trap had caught something. A rat the first day and either baby rats or mice the next 3 days. I love this thing.

 

[RigilKent]

i like the last one thats funny

 

[Jwrussell]

OMG, the lexan thing sounds hilarious!

Sounds like this guy needs to learn to like the taste of squirrel!

 

[Clinton]

Ya, that last one's hilarious. I'm trying to convince the guy to get it on video.

I assume you guys have seen the squirrel catapult?

http://www.botl.org/community/forums/showthread.php?t=14537&highlight=catapult

 

[Huizer]

I love the squirrel catapult.
I have a sort of love hate relationship with squirrels. I hate the damage that they can do to the yard and my house.....but I kind of like watching them tear around the property. (Maybe I am a bit anal about the grass but the cedars kill more grass than the squirrels) I am not into killing them for the sake of getting rid of them. But I would set traps if they got into the house or the garage. Our back yard seems to attract them with the tall cedars and a very large pine. So, for sporting fun I got myself a softair gun. I keep it on the kitchen counter with a fully loaded clip. In the mornings I have been known to jump up from eating breakfast, open the back door and bust off a few rounds at any Tree Rat that just happens to be in our back yard.

The sqirrels around here are pretty tough...most are missing the tips of their tails (near misses from cars I guess) so I think they could handle a few plastic BBs.

Dan

 

[surfish1961]

If you want to relocate them, the Hav-a-hart #4 trap works good. Just smather up a piece of bread with pb and put it in the trap.

Of course my brother brought my trap back to me and it was a little rusty. I asked him why and he said don't ask.

BTW, if you relocate, make sure to take the little bassards at least 10 miles away or they'll find their way back. Don't believe me, I put a fluorescent racing stripe on one and let him go five miles away. He was back within four days.

 

[jwintosh]

this thread is hillarious! quite ingenious!! ever since they stole my chocolate bars and i couldn't make som'mores, i swore to get even!! got milk? (fade to black, 'thump thump')