Getting rid of squirrels.

you're the guest. Trees are its bailiwick and your access to them is by permission.

trees. The Squirrels are the thieves of Crowsfoot's industry and investment. It might be nice to collect all the ripe nuts, but that's impossible, the squirrels are not being deprived of a meal, they're being deprived of the ability to gorge without let or hindrance, which isn't compatible with either capitalist or socialist belief systems.

I grant that capitalists are inclined to wrap the tree in nylon netting and funnel all the fallen nuts into a 55 gallon drum sealed against the entry of all squirrels. Socialists would work out a way to collect a just portion for the people who raise the trees, but windfalls end up in the paws of the squirrels. That's where the term windfall originated.

Windfall apples used to be the ones that passers-by or organized gangs used to go after, they weren't the ones that the growers got to collect most of the time, because once fallen to the ground they were liable to attack by every species in the animal kingdom. Our rather uncultivated orchard when I was a teen, had lots of wasps who would gorge on the bruised fruit. A great place to get stung. Though it did teach me not to be too upset by wasps bees etc. If trees can sway in the breeze and not be stung, so can people, so you can wave them away, just don't swat. Dying or stinging wasps send out pheromones which attract other wasps bees whatever. Just wave them away until they go some where less wavy.

Rob

of another person's planted tree is a political metaphor?

maybe not in quite the same way.

A lot of folks would have popped the trunk open while driving on the highway. But squirrels and a lot of other animals have adapted very well to living around humans. It's largely because we accidentally feed them. If they're not struck on the roadways or electrocuted on utility poles , their lifespans are longer in the city than in the wild. Unfortunately for them, their diets are not as healthy. Some animals have learned what fast food and junk food bags look like and will actually fight over them. So maybe we don't like some of their habits but we've given them a standing invitation to join us.

Get a pitbull pup. When you're raising him put his meals out and when he goes to eat, snatch it away and beat him with a stuffed squirrell. Soon, he'll be a squirrell terminator. Cats work well too given that they can climb trees.

Dafydd.

I didn't see y'all down here. What a lot of thoughts! Thanks. The forum's little green dots aren't changing to red for me all the time. Don't know why.

Well. My trees are too close the house for the slick metal sleaves aroung the trunks to work. The last good harvest I had was when they were much smaller and I wraped the trunks w/ aluminium. I got 5 gal.s that year. I can't shoot around here. If I missed, that could be bad. I don't want to go with poison. From your sugesstions I think regular old rat spring traps, nailed up in the trees might be the answer. (If nobody steals and recycles my dang ladder.) Anyhow, I eat 'em.

I hear it's best to harvest the little critters after the cold has had a chance to kill most of the fleas and ticks and such. This week has surly done that. So peanut butter and HomeDepot are on the list. If I get a batch, I'll let you know how cooked up. That deep frying vid looked good.

Thanks again. Back to reading the rest.

Oh yeah. I'm in Dallas. Pecan territory! And squirrel territory too.

when you punch up the first link Ziks gives right above?
https://www.google.ca/#q=combatting+squirrels+in+a+suburban+environment

maybe you can sell the movie rights. ......Digger

I hit #1 for the most hillbillyest subject imaginable.

Snap the shot!

Squirrels are hard workers. But so are rats and pigeons. They are admirable for the effort they put into life. Other than that, they taste real good! My neighbor accross the street has one eating out of his hand. He puts csat food out. I told his to paint his tail pink so I wouldn't shoot him. If the traps get him, my neighbor may end up eating him without knowing.

There are many great youtube vids about squirrel sling-shots. And squirrel obstacle courses and such.

A slow news day I guess.

for one another. True red squirrels tend to be nocturnal and much smaller than gray or fox squirrels. They also prefer pine forests to deciduous so I don't think you'd see them fighting. Fox squirrels are another matter. They tend to be a bit larger than grays, eat the same diet and compete for territory. I see large numbers of fox and gray squirrels when in the metro parks but I really don't see them fighting other than amongst their own species.

use .22 target load, or .22 short. Not much sound being subsonic shot, won't travel far if it even exits the squirrel. Of course you'll have to wait till the flopping around is done and then clean the blood.

I can't imagine them still to exist. I wonder how they got away with it. Just enough powder to clear the muzzle but not much more maybe.

...smooth bored and a bit oversized, anything to make it difficult to get a constant shot pattern.

in a crowded area aiming at something other than the target. I was underage when I'd see this so don't know how dangerous they were. Maybe no more than the old Mattel Shootin' shell guns.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKFVsgQxVBk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hR9ojNddiSI

Can you imagine a bunch of kids ducking between houses today shooting at each other with these...like we did.