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Varmint Hunter said:
I've had a large organic vegetable garden for many years. Squirrels have always been around but haven't been a big problem in the past. But 2 years ago, I had so many squirrels that they ate, or bit into, every single tomatoe before they could be harvested. I live in a dense suburban area with neighbors all around me so I can't shoot them, not even with a pellet rifle. I set up a couple of Hav-a-hart traps and would catch one every morning. The flow of squirrels slowed down but it didn't go away. I planted corn for the first time because my 3 yo grandson wanted to. The squirrels pulled them all down when they were only 3 feet tall.

I'm tired of relocating squirrels and have just about given up. If I lived in a more rural area it would be easy to resolve the problem. That's why the 10-22 was invented; isn't it? This may be my last year of growing the garden.
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I have a silencer on my pellet rifle. My neighbors would have to see me doing it to know what's going on.
 
I have a squirrel problem as well and any removed by my pellet rifle are quickly replaced. I found this item below which looked like a great idea. CO2 plunger. Fasten to a tree, add a little peanut butter and feed the fox/coyotes as the squirrels drop to the ground. Unfortunately has been made illegal to sell in the U. S I understand.

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GunHawk said:
I have a silencer on my pellet rifle. My neighbors would have to see me doing it to know what's going on.
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Most of my neighbors are ok with me shooting the squirrels, in fact last year , I was out under a tree and just shot one and while it was crashing down through the limbs , my neighbors were out on a morning stroll , and I Hear the woman say , ( you got that one ! ) .
 
Two years ago I decided to thin out the squirrel population decimating my cornfield. I sat in a turkey blind on the edge and nailed them with a .22 as they ran between the woods and the corn. Every day for two weeks I got 5 to 7 of them buggers. Then it dropped down two 2 then 1 per day. So I stopped. A month later my son sat out there and got 5 to 7 a day. Nothing had changed. There's a machine out there cranking them out faster than the .22 can do its job.
 
Mike Matteson said:
Some feed stores have live traps. They are about 30" sq. and about 4" high. You can set it on a small sheet of plywood. Place some grain at the bottom in and under the cage. There is a couple of one way doors in the trap. There a plastic box the can be purchase too. Fill it with water. When you get some takes. Place the trap in the water. It's over quickly. No noise either. You can have Squirrel for dinner. I had lots of ground squirrels a few years back. Got as many as 7 at one time. They are gone now.
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Now that sounds like an interesting option. If you had a link that would be helpful. Either way, I'll look around for what you have described.
 
cornshank said:
We also have the wire chewing red squirrels, cost a friend three trips to dealer for repairs .
I have regular system for getting rid of them,
If they are in front yard ,I open the door ,throw a shoe at them,
They go up the tree onto the house and jump into the tree in backyard , where I am waiting with .177my silver streak .
Not many get away!
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Grey's will chew wires too. Several years ago my brothers work car wouldn't start, a little investigating revealed that squirrels had chewed the wires off the fuel pump at the tank. They left just enough wire on the pump to splice them with a butt connector. The war had started.

I live in a rural area but still have neighbors so a .22 rimfire isn't always an option. I have pecan trees in my yard and bought a good pellet gun to dispatch them and sparrows that try to inhabit my bluebird boxes.
 
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Squirrels have 2-3 litters per year of up to 12 per litter. They start breeding at about 4-6 months old. As long as there is food, it will be a challenge to control them. My neighbors cheer me on when I shoot them with my .22 pellet rifle. They were getting into their attics chewing wires, etc.

I had squirrels eating my garden so I installed an electric fence. I used 2x2 posts and attached a 2ft high chicken wire fence to the wood stakes so I could step over it to harvest vegetables. I purchased an electric fence charger and wired the ground to the chicken wire. Then I ran the positive wire around the outside top sticking out from the stakes about 1-2" using a fence insulator. The squirrels would climb up the chicken wire and try to squeeze under the positive wire. Fried their little brains. Never lost any garden vegetables to squirrels or raccoons after that. There are 2 choices for chargers, one for dogs and one for cattle/horses. The one for dogs is strong enough. Either will work. Be sure to turn the fence off before stepping over it to get your vegetables.
 
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justinp61 said:
Grey's will chew wires too. Several years ago my brothers work wouldn't start, a little investigating revealed that squirrels had chewed the wires off the fuel pump at the tank. They left just enough wire on the pump to splice them with a butt connector. The war had started.

I live in a rural area but still have neighbors so a .22 rimfire isn't always an option. I have pecan trees in my yard and bought a good pellet gun to dispatch them and sparrows that try to inhabit my bluebird boxes.
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Didn't realize that the greys were chewing up wires on vehicles , but now that you mention it , I think they chew telephone lines also, so it makes sense.
I think I might have imported a red squirrel, 70 miles into the mountains ,where there weren't any, because one took off running across the yard at the cabin , right after I got there , I couldn't believe my eyes.
I think he was in the undercarriage of the truck and hitched a ride .
 
GunHawk said:
I have a silencer on my pellet rifle. My neighbors would have to see me doing it to know what's going on.
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A great addition is to crack the door or window and shoot from the window about 5-10 feet inside the room. Even old school springer or ??? is crazy quiet outside. Sucks to hit the vinyl window frame.... a friend told me. LOL
 

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