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Posted: 8/8/2005 1:57:05 PM EDT
[#1]
get one of them Gamo air rifles.
ETA: make sure they drop in your yard. |
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Posted: 8/8/2005 2:00:02 PM EDT
[#2]
 |
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Posted: 8/8/2005 2:01:04 PM EDT
[#3]
chicken wire / hog wire........I built a (virtual cage) around a small garden that I used to have problems with.
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Posted: 8/8/2005 2:01:13 PM EDT
[#4]
Chicken-wire... Build a safety zone on insulators and then hook up an electric fence generator to it.
Short of S.S.S. with a BB gun, that's about your only option. |
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Posted: 8/8/2005 2:03:33 PM EDT
[#5]
Air rifle from just inside the door....problem solved.
A little suburban hunting! |
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Posted: 8/8/2005 2:03:56 PM EDT
[#6]
Try quiet Aguila Super Colibris (20gr bullet,primer only .22's at 500fps)+ long barreled .22rifle. Shoot from indoors through an open window or door. It lessens noise and ensures that no one will see you. Make sure you have a good backstop. They're quieter than many air rifles,and aren't very powerful.
If that's too risky, you could try traps. Havaheart makes squirrel sized traps that aren't lethal and are too small for suburban pets. Bait with peanut butter and bird seed and wait. I find that the rifle provides a more immediate solution. |
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Posted: 8/8/2005 2:04:04 PM EDT
[#7]
the bastards eat the nectarines right off of my tree too.. its a hoot to see them running across the fence with a huge piece of fruit thats bigger than their heads..
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Posted: 8/8/2005 2:06:48 PM EDT
[#8]
Blast off and nuke them from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.
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Posted: 8/8/2005 2:18:06 PM EDT
[#9]
Mean or bored cat will solve the problem.
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Posted: 8/8/2005 2:19:11 PM EDT
[#10]
okay, I did some basement testing against a piece of 5 layer compression molded fiberglass. My .177 caliber 1000 fps Gam would NOT penetrate. Even repeated, close shots at about 15 feet didn't do it. So........I tried a Aguila Super Colibris! (yeah, I know.....no ears, but I did put on eye protection) It did NO BETTER than the .177 caliber pellet gun! Bigger divet of course, but no better penetration from 15 ftt. This was with a full sized rifle. VERY quiet though, probably quieter than the pellet gun Can't post pics - camera is in the shop |
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Posted: 8/8/2005 2:21:16 PM EDT
[#11]
Works for me!… they give my backyard a pass now after a couple got chomped by my cat. |
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Posted: 8/8/2005 2:22:58 PM EDT
[#12]
One Word: "Suppressor"
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Posted: 8/8/2005 2:27:46 PM EDT
[#13]
For Pete's sake man, move this to the women's forum or change the title to "GIANT RODENTS THREATENING FOOD CHAIN" not "cuddly little squirrels are nibbling on my plum tomatoes"
If DU catches winds of threads like this we will never be able to menace them again. 
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Posted: 8/8/2005 2:28:21 PM EDT
[#14]
Air rifle + sharp pocket knife = eat them back.
I have a gambrel hung from the tree to "process" the ones I get. Takes me about 3 minutes to skin and eviscerate the little buggers. Once washed in chilled water, they are bagged in heavy duty freezer bags and frozen until a meal can be made... Young ones are cut into 7 pieces, salted and peppered, then dredged in flour and fried like chicken. Older ones are done the same way except they are stewed after the frying step because they tend to be touigher. Add some sliced onion, a clove of garlic and bell pepper, let stew on low heat for an hour and add carrots and potatoes. Simmer for another 15 minutes. |
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Posted: 8/8/2005 2:34:04 PM EDT
[#15]
are you sure that squirrels are eating your tomatoes?!?!?!?!?
I have 56 pecan trees on my place....thousands of squirrels and probably 20 tomater plants. I've never seen a squirrel eat a tomato. They eat the shit out of pecans, but no tomato. Maybe they are full on nuts around here and dont go for the tomaters  ive seen cottontail and terrapins (turtle)eat them though |
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Posted: 8/8/2005 2:38:47 PM EDT
[#16]
Town squirels are big and fat too, I use to pick up the ones that got taken out by the primary power in the alley. You got to get them before the ants get to them! |
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Posted: 8/8/2005 2:41:21 PM EDT
[#17]
Buy some squirrel food at the wall mart and feed them Sounds like they are hungry.
Most likely birds anyway. Squirrels are not big tomatoe eaters. |
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Posted: 8/8/2005 2:48:19 PM EDT
[#18]
Is this a metaphor?
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Posted: 8/8/2005 2:49:46 PM EDT
[#19]
What's a meta for? .... running away |
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Posted: 8/8/2005 3:02:08 PM EDT
[#20]
It's ironic that it's "ILLEGAL" to shoot varmints where they're INTRUDERS and not a part of the natural landscape and yet it's perfectly "LEGAL" to shoot them where they naturally abound.
Draw down on them, it's the only thing they respect and fear. |
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Posted: 8/8/2005 3:02:31 PM EDT
[#21]
Try fox urine which is available as a liquid or as a sprinkle damp powder. The natural predator scent is supposed to scare the squirrels away. Not sure if it worked for me or the squirrels got bored and moved on. And I can't answer the question of if an urban squirrel who has never seen a fox would really be terrified by its smell...not to mention whose job is it to get the urine from the foxes
 www.deadsquirrel.com/ |
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Posted: 8/8/2005 3:06:01 PM EDT
[#22]
SSS (shoot, skin, and stir fry!)
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Posted: 8/8/2005 3:07:56 PM EDT
[#23]
I have a similar problem, I believe it is rabbits. Teeth marks have that look.
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Posted: 8/8/2005 3:12:40 PM EDT
[#24]
This gets rid of them every time.
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Posted: 8/8/2005 3:22:25 PM EDT
[#25]
http://www.wisconsinhunter.com/Recipes/friedsquirrel.html
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Posted: 8/8/2005 5:21:10 PM EDT
[#26]
I used to use HAVAHART traps, then immersed the traps w/squirrels still in them in water for a minute or so. Drown the obnoxious little pests!
(I don't believe in cruelty to humans and animals, but with squirrels and groundhogs, I'm more than willing to make an exception!) If you don't have much time for exterminating squirrels, enclose (NOT surround) your entire garden (down to at least a foot below ground) instead with chicken wire. |
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Posted: 8/8/2005 5:24:21 PM EDT
[#27]
Cats (outdoor cats, indoor cats are nasty for cripes sake) or a pellet gun are your two best bets. Take the fight to the tree rats.
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Posted: 8/8/2005 5:28:05 PM EDT
[#28]
LOL, I'm going to have to set one of these up. I have millions of squirrels living in the timber behind the house. PULL! boom! :p |
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Posted: 8/8/2005 6:44:04 PM EDT
[#29]
Thanks for the advice. I have to be careful with firearms or pellet guns. The guy who lives behind me is a SWAT officer and his wife is a dispatcher.
I wonder, is it legal (or ethical) to take a squirrel with a bow and arrow? This is definitely squirrels. I have seen them eyeing my tomatos and this afternoon I saw one of them working on a tomato which was "harvested" by them today. They seem to like green or ripe tomatos. I have thought about turning my dog loose on them but they seem quicker than the dog and I also worry about the dog catching West Nile or Rabies from a tree rat. No rabbits or birds large enough to take a big tomato down around here. GunLvr |
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Posted: 8/8/2005 6:57:34 PM EDT
[#30]
Legally, at least where I live, you cannot use a bow-and-arrow in town any more than
you can shoot a gun. Check your local laws to be sure. Also, legally, you can only shoot tree rats during their hunting season. And even then, you have to have a license. If it were me, and if I decided to break any of the laws, I would go all out and use a pellet gun. I would avoid the use of a firearm simply because that brings other criminal charges. But use the biggest nastiest air rifle you can afford. Heck, someone makes one called the "talon" that has an integral suppressor. (only if you have $600 or so to invest) Because the suppressor is physically and permanantly part of the pellet gun, it doesn't need to be registered as a firearm silencer, and those laws don't apply. (from what I have read about them) Good hunting. |
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Posted: 8/8/2005 7:19:47 PM EDT
[#31]
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Posted: 8/8/2005 7:21:47 PM EDT
[#32]
Our squirrels here love cherry tomatoes and pecans. There was a huge cherry tomato vine growing on the back deck last year and those little tree rats would grab one and proceed to spin it around in their grubby little paws and leave what looked like an apple core shape. I have heard one can take a piece of 3 or 4 inch PVC pipe and angle many nails inward on both ends with a small enough hole in center of the nail points to allow them to enter but not get back due to the nail points facing them once they are in the middle of the pipe. A glob of peanut butter is suppsed to stick well to the middle of the pipe wall. I haven't tried this but it is seeming more like a viable option everyday. There used to be plans for it on the internet but I couldn't find them. It seems like these traps would be easily concealable and quiet. |
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Posted: 8/8/2005 7:37:13 PM EDT
[#33]
I am absolutely sure they eat tomatoes, I have watched them do it. I shot them with a pellet rifle for awhile until a stray cat started staying in my yard. That cat is hell on wheels and gets 1 or 2 squirrels per week. I don't have a squirrel problem anymore, and the stray cat is aces in my book! GunLvrPHD, is it really dry where you live? I have been told thay squirrels eat tomatoes for the moisture. An old farmer told me to put some water out for them and they would leave my tomatoes alone. I tried it but it didn't work for me, but you may get lucky. |
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Posted: 8/8/2005 8:21:38 PM EDT
[#34]
I have a RWS pellet gun. At 700fps, I've dispatched jackrabbits at about 30ft eating and shitting on my lawn. The noise is about as loud as sombody dropping a heavy binder a foot above ground. It's more of a mechanical "plop" than a "bang" you'd get from a firearm. Neighbors probably think I dropped something than firing off a rifle. Shoot a dozen and make yourself a hat. [
 <-- this is suppose to be a Pharoe smiley
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Posted: 8/8/2005 8:34:37 PM EDT
[#35]
Question.....your "bucket" garden. Is it the type that hangs or is it a bucket sitting on the ground?
If a hanging type, just make a conical "roof" like on some hanging bird feeders. Also make sure that it hangs too far away for the squirrel to jump to the fruit (yes people, a tomatoe is a fruit, not a vegetable) and get it that way. If a bucket on the ground, a chicken wire cage and electric fence charger works great. Now, most importantly, have you ever "seen" a squirrel eat a tomatoe? I never had a problem with squirrels eating mine. They loved my corn and okra, but never had a squirrel eat any of my tomatoes. And we have shitloads of squirrels around. |
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Posted: 8/9/2005 11:36:22 AM EDT
[#36]
I don't think it's very dry here this summer. I am toying with leaving food and water out for them (but I'd rather shoot them!). They keep returning to eat more of the tomatos they already knocked down. They seem to like the green one better. We'll see how bad things are when I get home from work. I also might call my county extension office and see if they have any recommendations. My bucket garden is on the ground, on the patio right next to my back door. GunLvr |
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Posted: 8/9/2005 11:42:16 AM EDT
[#37]
.22lr rifle with at least an 18in barrel, preferably bolt action, and Aguila colibri(not the super colibri). Or i that fails, a .22lr pistol and a can with aguila colibri(not the super colibri), no one will know nothing cuz they won't hear jack shit, only problem is you have to get close. It's less sound then an air rifle if you have a long enough barrel (or a can). |
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