Posted: 2/4/2009 8:27:27 AM EDT
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Well for some odd reason, my yard has been a ground for squirrels over the past week. I see them in my front and backyard. I at least see 3-4 of them every couple of hours running around.
Is there anything I can do to control them or keep them away? I do not want my dog getting any diseases and such. Living in Richardson ( a suburb of Dallas), I'm not sure of the laws of discharging a firearm in a neighborhood. |
| I have had problems for the last 2 years. Last year they literally chewed holes under the eaves of my roof in several places. Lots of money in repairs so I bought a trap last year which has marginally worked (caught 3 in it). I've also shot several with a small BB gun. Last spring I had all the trees cut way back from the house which helped a little. This spring I'm buying a nice pellet rifle which should fix the problem for good. Your dog will not help dispatch the tree rats. Most cities have an ordinance against discharging air powered BB and pellet guns, but I'd rather get rid of them than do nothing! |
| I wouldn't worry about your dog catching any diseases. If you still want to get rid of them, your best two options are probably a live trap and/or a decent pellet gun. As a kid, I would put a glob of peanut butter in the back of the trap and cover it with some bird seed, especially sunflower seeds. I caught squirrels all the time. We've had problems with them damaging our birdfeeders, etc. at my parents' home. So, I bought a box of .22 CB Long, and I just thin the herd whenever I'm home for the holidays. The CB Long's are quiet and do a great job, but you have to be more careful around homes than you would with a pellet gun. |
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I wouldn't worry about your dog catching any diseases. If you still want to get rid of them, your best two options are probably a live trap and/or a decent pellet gun. As a kid, I would put a glob of peanut butter in the back of the trap and cover it with some bird seed, especially sunflower seeds. I caught squirrels all the time. We've had problems with them damaging our birdfeeders, etc. at my parents' home. So, I bought a box of .22 CB Long, and I just thin the herd whenever I'm home for the holidays. The CB Long's are quiet and do a great job, but you have to be more careful around homes than you would with a pellet gun. It goes like this: Open window just enough to get a bead on target Get muzzle back from window about 3 ft. Turn stereo up kinda high Get real steady using pillows or whatever you need Squeeze trigger Close window Retrieve dinner MMMMM fried squirrel brains |
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+1 on pellet gun.
I had a similar problem at my house. I talked to a local game warden before I started shooting because squirrels are game animals in TX and are protected. He said as long as I was defending my home, he didn't have a problem with me shooting them, but the local police may feel differently about shooting a pellet gun in the city limits. He did NOT want me to catch squirrels in live traps and relocate them. I would recommend something like a Beeman R7 Goldfinger. It is about shot placement, not fire power. You might want to check out www.straightshooters.com . It is not quite arfcom, but they have lots of good info. |
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Been thru this at home and at work. They not only chew holes in you house, they reek havoc on the landscape.
I've tried traps, but got better results with the air rifle. Forget eradication, you can only hope to thin them out enough to keep it managable. Any decent air rifle will work. I prefer 22cal pellets over 177, a lil more thump. Stay away from Gamo scopes, they're made by BSA. Lasers work too! |
| My dad had some damage his house, they got in through where the upstairs balcony attached to the house. They chewed stuff up and the squirrel urine/shit wasn't good either. So make sure any attic vents or other such holes are well screened off. I had to deal with them for awhile when my ex had her dogs here. Seemed like the damn squirrels would come from miles around just to tease the dogs and make them bark all day. They wouldn't go away when I tried to be "humane" with the water hose so I got a BB/pellet gun and their population started to dwindle. They are nothing more than rats with fluffy tails. |
and dont take the shot if its not safe. I have also taken rats this way.
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I use to have a problem with squirrels chewing up my property. I bought a scoped pellet gun and killed about a dozen a month for half a year. They don’t show up on my property anymore, but oddly enough I see them all over my neighbors’ properties when I am walking my dog.
I asked an exterminator about this and he said that squirrels are social animals that share information with one another. Could be bullshit, but it certainly would explain it. So kill enough of them and the rest will most likely stay away. And its also kind of cool to know that the squirrels think of my property as “the killing fields.” 
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He did NOT want me to catch squirrels in live traps and relocate them. +1 my mom (in marble falls) was given a very stern warning, bordering on ticket apparently, by a game warden for trapping nuetrea (sp?) in the pond behind her house and relocating across the river. apparently its illegal to do this? or so said the game warden at the park where they were dumping them. I've got a squirrel issue too. they've torn up a lot of things at my house. stupid dillos too. and deer....dont get me started on that...... here's the steps I've implemented 1: convince 6 year old daughter they are "tree rats" rather than "cute and fuzzy squirrels" 2: shoot with benjamin air rifle 3: dispose of carcass. #1 was critical otherwise I was a heartless killer. after the squirrels ate all the flowers in hand painted pots she worked hard at planting/growing off the back deck, she was on board 
I could use my suppressed 22lr, but I figure if I happen to get caught by a squirrel loving neighbor, my trouble is lessened by using an air rifle, rather than an evil silencer. YMMV obviously |
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I don't know how well they communicate, but over a good weekend at home I can get two or three, then it's pretty quite for a while. Don't know if they are quick learners or just territorial and it takes a while before some other squirrel claims that territory.
If you watch their routes and trim off those limbs, they get confused and this gives you more time to line them up in your sights. |
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He did NOT want me to catch squirrels in live traps and relocate them. +1 my mom (in marble falls) was given a very stern warning, bordering on ticket apparently, by a game warden for trapping nuetrea (sp?) in the pond behind her house and relocating across the river. apparently its illegal to do this? or so said the game warden at the park where they were dumping them. It might just be for the neutrea. I know years ago we were on some property that had a few and we were told not to shoot them as it was illegal. Guess they are protected in some way. |
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So kill enough of them and the rest will most likely stay away. And its also kind of cool to know that the squirrels think of my property as “the killing fields.”
So do you have dead squirrels mounted on stakes at all four corners of your yard as a warning? LMAO
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My cure........................furry tailed rats in bird feeder...........
pellet pistol......... when wife is home......4 pump strokes + flat nosed pellet deliver a non-lethal pop in the butt and they run off......... 
when wife is not home ......10 strokes + hunting pellet = dead furry tailed rat........... 
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I had the same probem about a month ago. 4 of them running around on my roof, they ate a hole through the overhang and were living in there. They caused a lot of damage on all the outside trim boards, they chew on everything. I put the green rat poison pellets out, It did not work so I went to home depot and bought the large rat trap. I put a peanut with the shell in the trap and killed 3 of them, the fourth got the hell out of dodge after his friends disapeared.
I would have used my air rifle but they were always in the front yard, The trap killed them dead. |
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Same issue.
I have been successfuly with live traps and then shooting them with 22 short or taking them in the backyard in the trees with a pellet gun. They absolutely "love" to chew on anything, overhangs, wires, etc. and are amazingly destructive. I probably killed about 1 or 2 a month. Need to upgrade the pellet gun. I have been using a standard .177 Gamo from Academy with a scope. You can drop them if you hit them in the head, but they stagger around from a body shot and limp off into the woods before you can ever get a follow up shot from a spring air style gun. From a political front my wife doesn't want them to "suffer" so it looks like an airgun upgrade is in order. Thought about one of the pre-charged from Air Force. The Gamo is a pain since you can't leave it cocked and half the time the intended target runs off before you get the door or window all the way cracked open for the shot, leaving a cocked spring air gun and having to discharge the pellet into the ground. I assume with the precharge you can just leave it ready with the safety on with no ill effect. Anybody own one of these? Seems like the perfect squirrel control gun http://www.airforceairguns.com/talonss.html 
James Austin, Texas |
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jbntex,
You really do need to upgrade in air guns. Plenty of springers have enough power to go through squirrels AND a stockade wooden fence with the same shot. You might want to consider increasing to a .20 or .22 from a .177. Personally, I am not a big fan of PCP air guns. They are a real pain to pump up with a manual (bicycle type) pump, or you have to have to have a lot more equipment such as air tanks, adapters, etc. Then you have to worry about where to get the tanks refilled. Most scuba shops around here won’t fill tanks unless you are a certified diver. You are right about not leaving springers cocked. But you can leave them loaded, or Theoben makes gas rams that can be left cocked. Can you leave your sniper window open a few inches or maybe oil your door hinges? I can open the door slightly, cock my springer, and take the shot within 10 seconds or so of seeing the target. You may want to put up a squirrel bird feeder to get them to stay in place a little longer. Also remember that the magnum power springers are more difficult to shoot accurately because the double recoil is greater. Your have to hold them differently than a center fire rifle. A Beeman R7 really has all of the power you will need. I would look at a Beeman R7, R9, a Theoben Evolution, or a Weinrauch HW80. Good luck! |
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jbntex, You really do need to upgrade in air guns. Plenty of springers have enough power to go through squirrels AND a stockade wooden fence with the same shot. You might want to consider increasing to a .20 or .22 from a .177. Personally, I am not a big fan of PCP air guns. They are a real pain to pump up with a manual (bicycle type) pump, or you have to have to have a lot more equipment such as air tanks, adapters, etc. Then you have to worry about where to get the tanks refilled. Most scuba shops around here won’t fill tanks unless you are a certified diver. You are right about not leaving springers cocked. But you can leave them loaded, or Theoben makes gas rams that can be left cocked. Can you leave your sniper window open a few inches or maybe oil your door hinges? I can open the door slightly, cock my springer, and take the shot within 10 seconds or so of seeing the target. You may want to put up a squirrel bird feeder to get them to stay in place a little longer. Also remember that the magnum power springers are more difficult to shoot accurately because the double recoil is greater. Your have to hold them differently than a center fire rifle. A Beeman R7 really has all of the power you will need. I would look at a Beeman R7, R9, a Theoben Evolution, or a Weinrauch HW80. Good luck! Hmmm... How much are those gonna run me? |
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The R7 will be the cheapest. Probably $350 or so plus the scope. It is like most things - you get what you pay for.
The R7 would be my choice. It really is a sweet gun. It is not hold sensitive like the magnum springers. After you shoot one, you will not want to pick up any Gammo crap. This is something you will be able to enjoy with your children and grand children. You should check out www.straightshooters.com . I did not learn about them until after I purchased my RWS 36 (which will put a pellet all the way through a Reader's Digest BTW and is considered mid powered). Also, springers are very hard on scopes due to the double recoil. I would not want to put one of my center fire scopes on anything bigger than the R7. |
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I have a couple of "KILLER" Dogs I could loan ya for an afternoon.Heres a pic of the meanest one taking care of my Squirrels,LMAO. http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm20/savageman101/IMG_0378.jpg And he's VERY AWAKE!!!!!! http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm20/savageman101/IMG_0382.jpg your dog is a true killer. it even has the charcoal near by for grilling up the squirrels! i wish my dog could kill and grill squirrels. |
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So kill enough of them and the rest will most likely stay away. And its also kind of cool to know that the squirrels think of my property as “the killing fields.”
So do you have dead squirrels mounted on stakes at all four corners of your yard as a warning? LMAO
Oh don’t think I haven’t thought about it. But there really is no need since the squirrels that have witnessed their friends’ killed seem to have relayed the message to the other squirrels.
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jbntex, You really do need to upgrade in air guns. Plenty of springers have enough power to go through squirrels AND a stockade wooden fence with the same shot. You might want to consider increasing to a .20 or .22 from a .177. Personally, I am not a big fan of PCP air guns. They are a real pain to pump up with a manual (bicycle type) pump, or you have to have to have a lot more equipment such as air tanks, adapters, etc. Then you have to worry about where to get the tanks refilled. Most scuba shops around here won’t fill tanks unless you are a certified diver. You are right about not leaving springers cocked. But you can leave them loaded, or Theoben makes gas rams that can be left cocked. Can you leave your sniper window open a few inches or maybe oil your door hinges? I can open the door slightly, cock my springer, and take the shot within 10 seconds or so of seeing the target. You may want to put up a squirrel bird feeder to get them to stay in place a little longer. Also remember that the magnum power springers are more difficult to shoot accurately because the double recoil is greater. Your have to hold them differently than a center fire rifle. A Beeman R7 really has all of the power you will need. I would look at a Beeman R7, R9, a Theoben Evolution, or a Weinrauch HW80. Good luck! I was curious about how hard PCP air guns were to deal with. i.e. pump up. From what I can tell they look to get about 30 to 50 shots from one of the tanks but you are right about having to pump up by hand and the pumps themselves looked really expensive. However.... I never thought about taking them to a Scuba shop to get filled. I am a certified diver and actually live out by Lake Travis in Austin, and there are at least 2 or more scuba shops (that cater to the lake divers) within 10 minutes of my house... With as little as I shoot it, I would be looking at a quarterly refill at most. I had a RWS youth model growing up that my dad probably spent a pretty penny on and it killed squirrels with no problems, in and out the other side. I bought the current one at academy probably 4 years ago (box said it shot 850 ft/sec) which I assumed must have been at least as strong as the 20 year/old spring air technology of my youth. I guess I was wrong, as there is no way this thing would probably go through a fence much less a squirrel and fence. This is the current squirrel gun. http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=414500 There is no way I could leave the doors or windows open all the time and it was enough of a battle just to try and get a screen left off one of the back windows with the wife. It's funny you mentioned oiling the hinges as I have already done that to try and keep them from running off. I used to live in the middle of the city and the "city" squirrels I guess were used to people and never getting shot at. They would sit 15 feet from you in the backyard munching on the cats food and look at you like "what the f*ck you gonna do about it" right before the pellet went through there noodle. I have since moved and the more "country" squirrels are much more skittish... they see you or hear something out of the ordinary and pretty much haul ass down the hill. I also use the trap but since it has "bait" the last thing I want is to attack any more of them. My wife actually wants a bird feeder (for birds) but I don't want to attact any more and she doesn't want to continue to help me replace roof soffits either. Thanks for the advice James Austin, Texas |
| I have an R7 also, its a great little air rifle. If you want your squirrels dead it'll do the trick. If you want them alive but just gone, I've used a full auto electric airsoft rifle that was pretty influencial (not one of the super cheap ones). It worked on doves too, that is keeping them away but not killing them. |
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Have your 10/22 barrel threaded (ADCO): $65 BATFE Tax Stamp: $200 YHM Mite .22 Suppressor: $200 Pretending you're a bad a$$ sniper while shooting squirrels: Priceless I have two 22LR cans and a threaded and scoped bolt action that has half the sound report of the Gamo pellet gun and would kill squirrels all day long. Trust me..... the temptation to use a supressed 22 is definately there. Then again I like the ability to get NFA sigs from my local sheriff whenever I want... and while I live on a couple acres, I am sure the Sheriffs department wouldn't be real keen on me shooting squirrels out of trees with a suppressed 22LR they signed off on. (Just ask the folks in Williamson County how well things worked out for them when the Sheriff caught somebody shooting critters with a can he signed off on. (i.e no more sigs on suppressors for you or anybody else in Williamson... ever again) Hence there will only be the much safer (and drastically more politically tolerable) "pellet gun" for my future pest control needs. James Austin, Texas |
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I used to live in the middle of the city and the "city" squirrels I guess were used to people and never getting shot at. They would sit 15 feet from you in the backyard munching on the cats food and look at you like "what the f*ck you gonna do about it" right before the pellet went through there noodle. I have since moved and the more "country" squirrels are much more skittish... they see you or hear something out of the ordinary and pretty much haul ass down the hill. You are right. I was dealing with "city" squirrels. Country squirrels are much more skittish. My thought was not to leave a window open all of the time, but only cracked during your hunting session. For example, if you usually see them on Saturday around 11:00 am, open the window by 9:30 or so. It doesn't take much, 2 or 3 inches is all. If this won't work, maybe you could set up a blind. Either a real one like a Double Bull or even a $29 Wally World tent. Your current Gamo should have enough punch to take care of squirrels. How tight are your groups? I started my squirrel control program with a $49 Gamo from Academy. It did not have enough power. Unless I got a head shot, they would laugh at me and scamper off. It was when I hit the spinal column and turned one into a paraplegic that I realized I needed more power. With just a bit more power they usually drop in place with a well placed shot. Since you are a diver and have tanks and refill sources, you might like a PCP. They have no recoil and are very accurate. I just didn't want to deal with all of the additional hardware, refill hassles, etc. My experience with the feeder and the live traps (either using bird seed or raw peanuts) did not seem to bring more squirrels to our yard, but did seem to get them to hang around just long enough to take a shot. |
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Have your 10/22 barrel threaded (ADCO): $65 BATFE Tax Stamp: $200 YHM Mite .22 Suppressor: $200 Pretending you're a bad a$$ sniper while shooting squirrels: Priceless see my previous post I could use my suppressed 22lr, but I figure if I happen to get caught by a squirrel loving neighbor, my trouble is lessened by using an air rifle, rather than an evil silencer.
YMMV obviously seems James is on board with this too FWIW, my $100 academy special benjamin .22cal pump gun kills the shit outta squirrels also gives you some selectability (for the wife) 2 pumps for an "attention gettah" 6 pumps for "buh bye" (out to 20ish yards with proper shot placement) ETA: I cant justify spending more money on an air rifle than I would a 22lr I can put my warlock on. suppressed 22lr hits harder, is more accurate, and quieter. hence the $100 academy special. (for me, anyways) |
| What ever you decide to use always ALWAYS check your background. Pellet guns can now easily reach 1,000 fps. I know people who use pellet guns to take care of their pest problem. Do not discharge your gun in your backyard whether you're using supper quite stuff or not. You will be spending some time in jail if you get busted.... I don't think its worth it. Use a pellet gun watch your background and let it rip. |
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Have your 10/22 barrel threaded (ADCO): $65 BATFE Tax Stamp: $200 YHM Mite .22 Suppressor: $200 Pretending you're a bad a$$ sniper while shooting squirrels: Priceless Sorry, gentlemen. This was more of a joke than anything else. I agree with what everyone else has said concerning suppressors for squirrels. Heaven knows, we don't need any more bad publicity. |
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Have your 10/22 barrel threaded (ADCO): $65 BATFE Tax Stamp: $200 YHM Mite .22 Suppressor: $200 Pretending you're a bad a$$ sniper while shooting squirrels: Priceless Sorry, gentlemen. This was more of a joke than anything else. I agree with what everyone else has said concerning suppressors for squirrels. Heaven knows, we don't need any more bad publicity. no worries. I'd think most people would take "appearances" into consideration. part of being a responsible gun owner. around here, just on the surface since we all hear about the williamson county thing and dont want to have the same problem. |
| The 22 cal Benjamin is plenty. I tried sighting it in at my old house with a piece of 3/8" plywood. I had some of my 3 pump loads go through the plywood and make a pretty good dent in the metal garage door. One made it through the door and into DART station fence across the alley! 4 pumps is lethal! 8 pumps works on armadillos and possums! My dad uses his for rabbits in his garden. |
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The quietest way to dispatch them would be to trap with a Hav-a-hart. You then take them to your vehicle and put the trap on something the same height as your tailpipe. Simply put a towel over the trap and the tailpipe and they just go to "sleep". My dad has used this method quite effectively on the squirrels at his house.
As long as you thin out the population, resources will be more available to them and they won't have to run black ops into your stuff to try and survive.
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