Squirrels are much worse then I thought

[Mayne]

i killed one by accident..i will never be the same afterwards....it haunts me.

 

[Mayne]

it feels like yesterday

 

[Red Squirrel]

I've had close calls, and even situations where I was not sure if I did hit it or not with my car but as far as I know I never did kill any. One particular one did make it under the car before I had a chance to react though but don't think it actually got hit. I stopped to go check.

They tend to dart out of nowhere sometimes though, hard to avoid sadly.

 

[Iron Woode]

I've had close calls, and even situations where I was not sure if I did hit it or not with my car but as far as I know I never did kill any. One particular one did make it under the car before I had a chance to react though but don't think it actually got hit. I stopped to go check.

They tend to dart out of nowhere sometimes though, hard to avoid sadly.

squirrels: nature's little speed bumps.

😀

 

[NAC4EV]

Squirrels are much worse then I thought



Is it then or than??????
We need to clear this up before I can continue!!!

 

[Muse]

I can't think of a single time in my life a squirrel caused me problems. Humans OTOH...

I had major squirrel problems for years. They would attack my kabocha pumpkin (a kind of squash) plantation, sometimes hitting multiple squash in a single day. They'd nibble through the outer portion, all the way into the center to get at the seeds, leaving a big mess. I would lose a significant percentage of my crop. I tried numerous means of solving the problem:

1. I grow the vine-like squash plants up tall trellises of bamboo, sometimes ten feet and higher. They even grow up into a plum tree. Each year I completely dismantle the previous year's trellis construction and store the bamboo in my garage. I have to construct each year's trellis from scratch. Pumpkins growing high off the ground are harder for the rodents to reach. They have attacked some, though, so it's a struggle.

2. I put out rat traps. They'd hit those, sometimes escape, but I killed 3 or so, would bury them or put them in plastic bags and into my trash can.

3. I bought a trap. It just didn't work, was a cheapie, so I bought a better one, a Have-a-Heart trap. I still have that trap in its original box. It's capable of capturing them live and I released at least 3 into a large local park in the hills.

4. I bought a pellet gun. A cheap single shot basically BB gun rifle that you have to pump up by repeated cocking between each shot. I still have that. I practiced with it, got pretty dead-eye using targets I would print off the internet. But I have never actually aimed it at a squirrel or any animal much less tried to kill with it. Instead, by virtue of internet research I discovered a great, simple, cheap, easy, effective way to stop the damned rodents from devastating my crop:

5. Now, when the pumpkins begin to reach maturity and the seeds within them begin to attract the rodents, I spray each pumpkin with a solution that repels the varmints. I make this by briefly simmering hot pepper flakes in some water, then filtering the solution with a fine strainer. I transfer the solution to a simple hand sprayer and spray each pumpkin. I repeat the treatments every couple weeks or so until harvest (near end of October). The rodents hate the taste and I haven't had significant damage for a few years now. Left over spray is stored in the freezer (left in the refrigerator it loses its hotness in fairly short order). When I harvest the squash I wash them immediately -- they don't taste from the pepper spray. They are delicious and usually keep very well, they are what is known as winter squash.

 

[Iron Woode]

I had major squirrel problems for years. They would attack my kabocha pumpkin (a kind of squash) plantation, sometimes hitting multiple squash in a single day. They'd nibble through the outer portion, all the way into the center to get at the seeds, leaving a big mess. I would lose a significant percentage of my crop. I tried numerous means of solving the problem:

1. I grow the vine-like squash plants up tall trellises of bamboo, sometimes ten feet and higher. They even grow up into a plum tree. Each year I completely dismantle the previous year's trellis construction and store the bamboo in my garage. I have to construct each year's trellis from scratch. Pumpkins growing high off the ground are harder for the rodents to reach. They have attacked some, though, so it's a struggle.

2. I put out rat traps. They'd hit those, sometimes escape, but I killed 3 or so, would bury them or put them in plastic bags and into my trash can.

3. I bought a trap. It just didn't work, was a cheapie, so I bought a better one, a Have-a-Heart trap. I still have that trap in its original box. It's capable of capturing them live and I released at least 3 into a large local park in the hills.

4. I bought a pellet gun. A cheap single shot basically BB gun rifle that you have to pump up by repeated cocking between each shot. I still have that. I practiced with it, got pretty dead-eye using targets I would print off the internet. But I have never actually aimed it at a squirrel or any animal much less tried to kill with it. Instead, by virtue of internet research I discovered a great, simple, cheap, easy, effective way to stop the damned rodents from devastating my crop:

5. Now, when the pumpkins begin to reach maturity and the seeds within them begin to attract the rodents, I spray each pumpkin with a solution that repels the varmints. I make this by briefly simmering hot pepper flakes in some water, then filtering the solution with a fine strainer. I transfer the solution to a simple hand sprayer and spray each pumpkin. I repeat the treatments every couple weeks or so until harvest (near end of October). The rodents hate the taste and I haven't had significant damage for a few years now. Left over spray is stored in the freezer. Left in the refrigerator it loses its hotness in fairly short order. When I harvest the squash I wash them immediately, they don't taste from the pepper spray. They are delicious and usually keep very well, they are what is known as winter squash.

I would shoot and kill them. Then I would put each of their carcasses on stakes surrounding the patch as a warning to others.

I call it the Vlad Tepes solution.

😀

 

[Fritzo]

They also secretly run the world. DO NOT TELL ANYONE.

 

[Muse]

I would shoot and kill them. Then I would put each of their carcasses on stakes surrounding the patch as a warning to others.

I call it the Vlad Tepes solution.

😀

Actually (and I don't know for sure, but strongly suspect I'm right), it would probably be illegal to shoot them... with a gun or BB gun or whatever. I live in a pretty regulatory area (Berkeley, CA). Putting the carcasses on stakes might ward off the critters, but might get me in trouble, trouble I don't need! That's probably one reason I never shot one. Fortunately, I found the pepper spray solution (pun!), and don't have to stake out my yard like Elmer Fudd! 😀

 

[Iron Woode]

Actually (and I don't know for sure, but strongly suspect I'm right), it would probably be illegal to shoot them... with a gun or BB gun or whatever. I live in a pretty regulatory area (Berkeley, CA). Putting the carcasses on stakes might ward off the critters, but might get me in trouble, trouble I don't need! That's probably one reason I never shot one. Fortunately, I found the pepper spray solution (pun!), and don't have to stake out my yard like Elmer Fudd! 😀

It was all in fun.

People do hunt squirrels. Not me. I prefer buying my meat at a store.

 

[clamum]

My dad used to shoot the red squirrels, when he'd see them, cause they scared away other squirrels and birds and hogged the food they'd put out.

Looks like iDubbbz has got the wrong idea with Save the Squirrels initiative, lulz.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

No one expects the squirrel inquisition.

 

[Muse]

It was all in fun.

People do hunt squirrels. Not me. I prefer buying my meat at a store.

Actually, I have an idea that putting their carcasses on stakes WOULD ward them off.

There used to be a major problem with rats in the attic of this house. I put rat traps up there for years, caught probably 2 dozen, maybe more with the old fashioned thwack traps that break their necks. Finally, they stopped coming. I figure they used to come from outside the house. I don't know that I did anything that would prevent them from access, but not sure. Over the years I did fix a lot of stuff. A complete roof tear-off and replacement may have helped. Anyway, although I leave a couple baited traps up there it's been at least 8 years I figure, likely more, since I've seen or heard any evidence of a rat up there. After the roof job I vacuumed the entire attic to remove their shit. Never see any now. I have the idea that they sense that my attic isn't a healthy environment for them. Maybe they can sense that an early death awaits any rat that goes up there!

 

[kage69]

No one expects the squirrel inquisition.

Amongst it's weaponry; fear, surprise, and a ruthless devotion to birdseed.

 

[kage69]

Actually, I have an idea that putting their carcasses on stakes WOULD ward them off.

There used to be a major problem with rats in the attic of this house. I put rat traps up there for years, caught probably 2 dozen, maybe more with the old fashioned thwack traps that break their necks. Finally, they stopped coming. I figure they used to come from outside the house. I don't know that I did anything that would prevent them from access, but not sure. Over the years I did fix a lot of stuff. A complete roof tear-off and replacement may have helped. Anyway, although I leave a couple baited traps up there it's been at least 8 years I figure, likely more, since I've seen any evidence of a rat up there. After the roof job I vacuumed the entire attic to remove their shit. Never see any now. I have the idea that they sense that my attic isn't a healthy environment for them. Maybe they can sense that an early death awaits any rat that goes up there!

It could just be an odor, or maybe you wiped out that community. I've never known mice and rats to care much about their dead compatriots, stuck in traps mere inches from where they are feeding.

On the other end of the spectrum are crows, ravens and coyotes. They get the message loud and clear with no delay when they see Carl strung up for maggot bait.

 

[IronWing]

F'ing squirrels!!!!!!!!

That was acorn woodpeckers. My wife works at a place where the acorn woodpeckers are filling up a building wall with acorns. The owner is procrastinating on opening up the wall to drain them out. Eventually, there will be a movie. 😛