Gray Squirrels

uglymailman

Bronze Member
Feb 3, 2010
1,266
1,463
Gray squirrels had about died out around here until 15 yrs or so ago, now they are nearly as many as the Reds. I once had 10 loaded tomato plants 2 or 3 days away from pickin. Went out one morning and ALL the tomatoes were gone, even the green ones. The groundhogs had cleaned me out. I feel your pain and frustration. I'd suggest live snakes instead of decoys but I always escort live snakes away from my property. Good luck.
 

ToddsPoint

Gold Member
Mar 2, 2018
5,208
12,179
Todds Point, IL
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
You need a few Red-tailed hawks. Gary

squirrel3.jpg
 

newnan man

Gold Member
Aug 8, 2005
5,098
15,637
Beautiful Florida
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
I feed the squirrels in my yard everyday. Peanuts & sunflower seeds. The BlueJays get in on the action too. I have a bird feeder built that the squirrels cannot get into. That was a feat to build as the dang squirrels were very resourceful. They do love my mangos but only take a few each season. We have tomatoes, sweet peppers and other vegetables & they never touch them. There is a big hawk that keeps the squirrels to a manageable level.
 

pa plateau hiker

Bronze Member
Jul 15, 2012
1,077
1,276
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
We have a lot of squirrels in the woods here, but they don't bother my garden. It's the dang chipmunks that eat my strawberries and blueberries. Rat traps are very effective at getting rid of them. And the woodchucks, eating my wifes flowers and the young plants in my garden. I had to replant my cucumber 3 times because of the woodchucks. I declared war on the woodys and have killed 9 of them.
 

ticndig

Silver Member
Apr 17, 2009
3,137
7,329
Cumberland Va
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
T-2-SE
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
oh yea put out more feed that will fix it :icon_scratch: the more food they have the more squirrels you'll end up with.
 

VaGent

Full Member
Apr 20, 2021
195
764
Central Virginia
Detector(s) used
Currently Deus XP, also have 2 Minelab Explorer XS as backups.
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
They will pick every tomatoe just as they start to turn red, take one bite then go pick another one. Destructive as heck, let alone what they can do if they get into your attic space.

I find that limiting the population with either a .22 or a 410 works quire well.
 

FreeBirdTim

Silver Member
Sep 24, 2013
3,757
6,731
Scituate, RI
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Pro
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
And you wonder why people are against hunting. You guys make it easy for them...
 

Duckshot

Silver Member
Sep 8, 2014
4,455
9,643
trapped on the earthly plane of causation
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
And you wonder why people are against hunting. You guys make it easy for them...

Come on FreeBird, try a bit of stew. You'll like my New Brunswick stew. It's got potatoes and corn and a bit of heavy cream and tree-rat parts in it. Quite the delecacy.

Meh, maybe you just ain't hungry enough yet. :laughing7:
 

FreeBirdTim

Silver Member
Sep 24, 2013
3,757
6,731
Scituate, RI
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Pro
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I guess it's what you're brought up on, Duckshot. Lobsters look disgusting, but they're delicious.
 

Tpmetal

Silver Member
Jan 4, 2017
4,407
7,507
Western ny
Detector(s) used
equinox 800, Whites mx sport, Garrot carrot, bounty hunter time ranger
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
And you wonder why people are against hunting. You guys make it easy for them...

have you ever hard to rely on your garden or hunting to eat? or do you simply go to the store and buy your meat/food with no connection to where it came from or what it takes to get it? or when you have a pest problem do you let them destroy your house? or do you call some guy in a van to come poison them or catch them for you?
 

Last edited:

Charlie P. (NY)

Gold Member
Feb 3, 2006
13,003
17,106
South Central Upstate NY in the foothills of the h
Detector(s) used
Minelab Musketeer Advantage Pro w/8" & 10" DD coils/Fisher F75se(Upgraded to LTD2) w/11" DD, 6.5" concentric & 9.5" NEL Sharpshooter DD coils/Sunray FX-1 Probe & F-Point/Black Widows/Rattler headphone
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
And you wonder why people are against hunting. You guys make it easy for them...

I didn't think we were talking about hunting. Original poster had nuisance animals he wanted dead.

Big difference in methods and approach.
 

pa plateau hiker

Bronze Member
Jul 15, 2012
1,077
1,276
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
And you wonder why people are against hunting. You guys make it easy for them...

Hunting and pest control are 2 different things. I hunt and obey the hunting regulations. Pest control is not hunting It's protecting your crops. From the Pennsylvania Hunting and Trapping Digest. "Protection is removed from wildlife when personal property, other then an agricultural crop, is being destroyed or damaged. Wildlife may be taken only by the owner or person in charge of the personal property affected." I have every right to kill small animals destroying my garden
 

CASPER-2

Gold Member
Jan 3, 2012
17,153
19,933
NEW ENGLAND
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
6
Detector(s) used
WHITE'S XLT, PI PRO, GARRETT 2500, 3- FISHER CZ21s, JW FISHER 8X
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
my father got a silent but powerful pellet gun for them
also remember him using a powerful and accurate paintball gun = non lethal
but they would feel it for days
 

newnan man

Gold Member
Aug 8, 2005
5,098
15,637
Beautiful Florida
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Kind of like here in Florida, the state allows developers to build in areas heavy with wildlife without any regard for the displaced animals. Then when the Yankees see a bear or bobcat in their trash or lord forbid a dog barking at a 300# bear gets it's head slapped they cry on TV about why doesn't the state come shoot or trap them. The real solution is stop destroying nature to move in more useless bumpkins.
 

DizzyDigger

Gold Member
Dec 9, 2012
5,787
11,447
Concrete, WA
Detector(s) used
Nokta FoRs Gold, a Gold Cube, 2 Keene Sluices and Lord only knows how many pans....not to mention a load of other gear my wife still doesn't know about!
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Hunting and pest control are 2 different things. I hunt and obey the hunting regulations. Pest control is not hunting It's protecting your crops. From the Pennsylvania Hunting and Trapping Digest. "Protection is removed from wildlife when personal property, other then an agricultural crop, is being destroyed or damaged. Wildlife may be taken only by the owner or person in charge of the personal property affected."

I have every right to kill small animals destroying my garden

What you just quoted says you can't do so, legally.

The squirrels are just doing what squirrels do...feeding themselves.

Get yourself some small firecrackers..just toss a couple out when
you see the squirrels.

If you have to kill them, rat traps can be insufficient for killing a squirrel,
the suggestion of a #110 conibear is much better. If you're going to
kill an animal, then kill it cleanly. No reason for any animal to suffer
just for doing what comes naturally.

If it were me, I'd let the squirrels eat the veggies, which will make them
fat and tasty. Then, come October I'd be hunting/trapping them after hitting
up Duckshot for some recipes. 8-)

hog veg.jpg
 

Last edited:

bowwinkles

Bronze Member
Nov 3, 2012
2,075
2,416
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I dislike gray squirrels with the flaming fire of a thousand burning suns. This is the time of year that they steal my apples and tomatoes. They do this during the day when I can't snipe them with a pellet gun. It is illegal to poison them (and frankly, I haven't heard of gray squirrel poison). There is a very effective device called the A18 Squirrel Destroyer but it only appears to be available in British Commonwealth countries.

What advice do you all have for the eradication of these furry little devils? The neighborhood stray cats are useless because the dementia-addled old ladies down the block feed them so much, they are not interested in channeling their inner savanna lion on the squirrel population. I use owl and snake decoys, but the squirrels in my neighborhood must have not covered common predators in squirrel school.

I have a large population of the critters here and I do feed them daily. Just for grins I went ahead and put a fresh picked ripe red apple and a fresh picked red tomato next to the in shell peanuts and they did not touch them. Please take the time and maybe capture a picture of these little friends carrying off one of your tomatoes or apples. There are other animals of that same size but with a slick tail (rats) that will eat about anything. There is some battery motion sensed devices that will work also.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=motion+sensor+squirrel+control&t=h_&iax=images&ia=images
 

Last edited:

releventchair

Gold Member
May 9, 2012
22,243
69,763
Primary Interest:
Other
What you just quoted says you can't do so, legally.

The squirrels are just doing what squirrels do...feeding themselves.

Get yourself some small firecrackers..just toss a couple out when
you see the squirrels.

If you have to kill them, rat traps can be insufficient for killing a squirrel,
the suggestion of a #110 conibear is much better. If you're going to
kill an animal, then kill it cleanly. No reason for any animal to suffer
just for doing what comes naturally.

If it were me, I'd let the squirrels eat the veggies, which will make them
fat and tasty. Then, come October I'd be hunting/trapping them after hitting
up Duckshot for some recipes. 8-)

View attachment 1941018

Rat trap head shot leaves fine eating. Obviously don't run one with a weak spring. Coni's are often body shots , often enough to fracture ribs ect..

Squirrels get acquired tastes. No they don't always eat the same things they do other places.

One ol timer couldn't get a pear to maturity and live trapped. No , that does not mean some one elsewhere can't get pears to maturity.

Another ol timer I spotted with a live trap in woods I hunted that had only a rare squirrel visit.
I'm no fan of live trapped critters being relocated. It increases competition in the area they are introduced to. And risks disease introductions.
Territorial disputes are one thing. But another is resources. I add four people to your home with the same amount of groceries allowed prior , and there is increased strain on resources.
Anyways , I are more squirrels after that ol timer relocated several....
 

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Top