I have declared war on the squirrels!

[jpcarlson]

#4142

My wife likes to have the birds around and tries to keep the bird feeders full. I like birds too, but when I see the Eurasian collared doves pecking at the spilled seed on the ground, I can’t help but envision them roasting slowly on the bbq wrapped in bacon 🙂 Now to the squirrels. They come and empty out the feeders, spilling them out on the ground. They ravage the suit blocks, gorging themselves then scold us from the branches farther up the tree. Today I declared war on them! No good nasty varmints, all tail and noise. I loosed several blunts at them throughout the day. Each time my aim was true, each time they were gone when the arrow arrived.Any warrior advice out there?

Jans

[archer38]

#27319

I feel the same way about those filthy tree rats, and as fun as it is to try thumping them with arrows…. I find the .410 shotgun works MUCH better !! I still try a couple arrows at them now and then but when the population gets to the “no more fooling around” point and the gun comes out.

[wildschwein]

#27410

Arrows need to be quick for Squirrels (in my experience). Small fletch and lighter shaft combos work well, and it helps to have another person/dog with you to act as a distraction. Squirrel focuses on them and not on your draw. Also if the Squirrel is aware, try aiming for where he is going to be, not where he is. If I see an aware Squirrel on all fours in a tree, I’ll aim for his head but usually he moves so fast that my arrow strikes him in the mid-section. If I had aimed for his lungs I likely would have missed.

Good luck in your battles! Give no quarter for you shall receive none :D.

[James Harvey]

#28195

Haha, I’m such a tourist when it comes to squirrels, I love them 🙂 I’m impressed if anyone actually tags them with an arrow, they’re about the quickest mammal I’ve ever seen! Good luck 😀

Jim

[lyagooshka]

#28216

Suggestion:

1) fly paper on the feeder and a bat.

2) take up falconry

3) pepper spray (this is a time you want the wind to your BACK)

All jokes aside, a light bow and super light arrows. An Aar/Pellet gun might be an alternative, if they are that much of a bother and it’s legal out where you are. This is a situation where it helps to hold a few before releasing just to judge what those little buggers are going to do. They make their “living” avoiding all sorts of animals, from below, above, etc, so you have to keep that in mind when you are out there. Oh, I forgot 4…

4) SOFT peanut butter with some fletch-tite mixed in. At least it’ll keep their mouths shut! 😆

Good luck with your problem. Soon as small game opens up around here, I think I actually want to try my hand (bow) at some. Them and rabbits too. Problem is, not too many places to go down by where I live. Be well.

Alex

😀

[jpcarlson]

#29276

Yes yes, good info and ideas from all! arghhh, thems arrrre nasty little varments! I conected with one in the tree the other day. I smacked him through a small opening between two limbs at about 6 feet. He flew backwards out of the tree with the arrow, then to the ground, then ran away cursing at me. He went up another tree and I didn’t hear hide nor hair of him until the neighbor talked to me over the fence this morning and informed me their neighbor found a dead one in the yard and thought someone was poisening them. I analyzed the equation. My blunt had an aluminum insert in it and was just to darn light so I pulled it out and put in one of my 125 gr steel adaptors. I think I might wrap some wire around it to get the weight up. Wez need some kinetic energy here folks. Now if I could only get going on my heavy hex blunts to match my 300gr field points! I would like to see what my UEFOC setup will do when it connects. I was hoping to save the tail and tack it up on the garage and I hear the critters taste good glazed in honey bbq sauce, maybe stuffed with bacon wrapped jalapenos and onions:) I don’t think I will dig it out of the neighbors garbage can as the weather is warm and the meat ages to quickly this time of year.

Jans

[William Warren]

#29378

Call me crazy but I love squirrels. They have always been there for me when I was really hungry. 😀 I don’t worry to much over the feed they eat. Its the deer that eat up everything. But I can’t hate on them either. They come to my yard even if I don’t put any food out. I think they love me and want me to come and stalk them again with my longbow.

There may be a time for war but for me it will never be on the animals. Keep only what you need and leave the rest.

[archer38]

#29379

when I was a boy, my Mom would make meat pies with squirrel and pigeon breast. We’d go out in the woods and whack a few tree rats and then stop by the farm down the road.They always had pigeons around their silo. One of us would flush them with rocks and the other would shotgun them. I sure do miss those pies !!

[jpcarlson]

#29413

Meat pies sound like a good treat:) War is a bit of a strong word, but I gave these buggers ample warnings and patience over the last few years. Mamma squirel has raised litter on our bird feeders and taught her youngins where the easy pickins are. Now I have squirels all over! Mostly, I love to stalk elusive prey with a stick and string. I love trying to hit a very small and quick target. It all hones the skills for larger prey this fall. I have to sneak, I have to stalk, I have to think of wind and what I am walking on. I have to look at my background and make a good shot choice (i don’t want to thumb the neighbors siding with a heavy blunt). I get to come to full draw in awkward positions, and I have to pick a very small spot and let fly with a clean release. All good things:) While I write this very letter I am looking out the window and there is cotton tail munching grass not 10 feet away. Oooooh, cotton tails….:) That’s another story….

all well to my brothers of the bare bow!

J

[Bunyan Morris]

#29456

They do love bird feeders. Trying to “outsmart” them at the feeder is simply a humbling life experience.

[jpcarlson]

#38963

Two out of three down:) The last one has learned from its’ bretheren’s folly and stays clear for now:)

J

[jpcarlson]

#49581

Dear hunting diary,

It has been a time since my last entry and squirrel encounter. My wife just set out a new lard block with bird seed and the last tree rat has found it quite palatable. Aghhh, he mocks me. Arriving every morning while he knows I am in the middle of breakfast duties. My bird dog anxiously awaits his arrival at the screen door to sound her alarm. I know he is there when the whining yowl builds to a crescendo and I hear her smearing herself on the window of the door and the dull thud of her head hitting it, trying to force it open. The varmint knows this to be the alarm of impending doom and has taken a liking to the first response I am sure. He will present himself flat against the tree directly under the feeder and won’t move an inch while I am looking. I catch him sneaking a nibble out of the corner of my eye. I was leaving the bow propped up in the corner by the back door, but my twins took to much of a liking to yanking it down and walking all over it. Sneaking to the garage, getting the door open, knocking the arrow and slowly looking back out around the threshold only provides the scoundrel more time to run for cover. I was able to lease a running shot on him last week. I missed. I may just tip my hat to this one and let him fatten up on my tab.

J

[William Warren]

#50546

You may have to endure some hardship to get this one. Nay, the whole family may. He’s onto your routine so shake things up a bit. First crate the dog, as you said he picks up a vibe early coming from the dog. Then forego breakfast, you won’t starve. Next get up early and get into your stand (that you pre-scouted and tested for various shot opportunties) under cover of darkness and lie in wait, making sure your bow is ready and can clear any obstacles. Now its all over but the waiting. Who knows you might get to grease the pan with that lard fed bandit. 😀

[Goraidh]

#51103

I killed the first squirrel I ever took a shot at with my bow. Haven’t hit a single one since. I think that first shot was so far off the mark that the squirrel ran right into it. Might be a lesson in that, I suppose.

[Ralph]

#51122

Duncan, squirrel blinds, ummm. We might have a bit of a market here ya spose? R2D2 or D2R2 Squirrel Blinds INC. :lol::lol:

I have more dang pecan trees sprouting up in the worst possible places due to my neighbors pecan tree and “his” dang squirrels.

[Stormrider51]

#51171

Aggravating little devils, aren’t they? I love hunting them with bow or my 20 gauge flintlock smoothbore. But keeping them out of bird feeders is another story. I’m happy to announce that I finally did find a squirrel-proof feeder. Okay, it wasn’t really squirrel-proof when I bought it but I’ll get to that. Here it is. http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/royal-wingreg%3B-squirrel-be-gonetrade%3B-wild-bird-feeder As you can see, there is an inner plastic reservoir to hold the seed and an outer sliding sleeve made of metal that comes down to shut off the feeding ports if a critter that weighs too much gets on it. You can even adjust the spring tension to keep out larger birds. I bought this contraption, my wife filled it with seed, and I hung it in a tree. It kept the squirrels out for about a day and a half. I stepped out of the house to see a squirrel wrapped around the flange on the base and busily scraping seeds out of the lower feeding port. I shouldn’t have been surprised but I was. My battle of wits with these tree rats goes back many years. My solution? Remove the flange on the base. I used my dremel tool with cut off wheels to cut away the flange leaving the base itself then I smoothed things up with a file. I’m happy to announce that the feeder actually seems to be squirrel-proof. I know my solution isn’t as satisfying as shooting arrows at them but it’s more effective in the long run. Can’t help you with the suet though!

John

[jpcarlson]

#53890

Yes, using a squirrel proof feeder would be more efficient than flinging arrows at them, but so would buying venison at the store, or using a modern 20 gauge over a wonderful smooth bore flint lock:) It’s in the hunt, or the target practice in this instance:), and how I get to go about it by the equipment I choose. I may just be getting really itchy for a season to start. I hate to see summer go by to fast, but then again I don’t as I would rather have a longer fall.

It is amazing how quickly they adapt to how I stalk them. They are as smart as a coyote; you screw up one shot and they will remember and never give you the same shot again! Maybe I should bait them with fermented fruit?:) An intoxicated squirrel would be kinda fun to fling arrows at. The last one has brought a friend with and I am back up to two of the varmints again!

I’m not at the point of setting up a tree stand for squirrel hunting, but have considered setting up and staking down the ground blind with the back door left open from a direction I can sneak into without being busted.

J

[Ralph]

#53933

This hasn’t got anything to do with archery but it does squirrels. I actually caught two in my (shhh)cat trap that I had (shhh) baited with pecans (nope, cats don’t care none for pecans). Little stinkers were so busy fighting over the nuts that they tripped the trigger and caught themselves. They were still fighting when I fetched the trap. That was the beginning of my problem having two mad buggers in that cage. Man those teeth looked long.

[James Harvey]

#54791

R2 wrote: I actually caught two in my (shhh)cat trap

:D:lol::lol:

I haven’t laughed out loud like that from something I’ve read in a while Ralph. 😀 I want a cat trap now just so I can say ‘sshh’ when I talk about it! 😆

[grumpy]

#20671

Squirrels??? We have bears eating the bird food here. Animal Control officer wants to make it illegal to feed the birds after the bears wake up. Then she can get an arrest when some calls her to complain about the bears. After all what is she supposed to do about it??

[Author]

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