squirrels!!!!

cathryn · #1 07/31/12, 09:25 PM

Please forgive my rant.

I looked out my window this morning and on the beam that holds the tire swing was the remnants of my newly ripening peach. The only one that was left on the tree. Little buggers. It isn't enough to eat them to the last, they have to put it on the top beam like a trophy.

Makes me wonder why I bother. Then I remember the 6 asian pears that I got to before they did last year (had to ripen on the counter, but all the others had disappeared). Yummy-so I will keep trying to beat them to the fruit. Maybe next year I will get to eat a peach from one of my 2 trees. Animals do not share well.

Thank you for listening.

Cathryn

akaRach · #2 08/01/12, 11:05 AM

I understand where you're coming from!

My varmits are raccoons, and their target is my corn. I can't even pick any to save it from them because its not ready! Meanwhile each night they pick more and more off.

However, they don't parade a cob of corn in front of me to taunt me...unlike your audacious squirrels!

ketthes · #3 08/01/12, 11:09 AM

I haven't had a single squirrel on my property since the barn cats moved in.

Now it's just the cats that tromp through my gardens and use it as a litter box.

cathryn · #4 08/01/12, 08:53 PM

akaRach - Thank you for your sympathy. Right back at you. I heard that if you fasten the ears of corn to the stalk it will help the coons not get them. A wire or rubber band that prevents them from peeling the ears down off the stalk. Not being a corn grower I don't know if it works, but maybe it would be worth a shot for you to try it on a few.

Ketthes-cats don't survive outside around here. Maybe there are too many coyotes. Wouldn't survive in the house-my husband isn't a fan... Not sure the guinea pig or fish would do well with it either.

Our dog helps keep some critters away-got a possom and woodchuck. She chases the squirrels. She hasn't ever gotten one, and isn't much of a deterent for them. She is a pet that stays inside a lot of the time. The only area in my yard without trees to give them access is in the front. I will be planting all future fruit there and will try something electrified-behind another fence to protect the kids. We live deep in suburbia.

Peace-cathryn

motdaugrnds · #5 08/02/12, 08:11 AM

I built "whole corn" feeders for the squirrels. Works well.

It is the coons that are driving me batty this year. They already got what few asian pears made it thru the bad weather and have taken every single grape and carried off dozens of guinea eggs. I'm sure it is a family of them. Set out trap but they didn't get caught in it.

Danaus29 · #6 08/08/12, 05:08 PM

Squirrels will not eat corn or sunflower seed (unless it's sweet corn in your garden or sunflower seed on the head in your garden) when peaches, pears, tomatillos or any other preferred crop is available.

They got my 8 peaches too.

Halfway · #7 08/10/12, 09:01 AM

My dog is offering her "services" for a small donation to her doggy-treat fund.

Cliff · #8 08/10/12, 09:03 AM

Fried squirrel and squirrel stew are really good.

wvdexters · #9 08/10/12, 09:26 AM

Squirrels...my husband calls them "tree rats". They are cute as long as they are on someone else's property. They cleaned over half the fruit off my plum trees while we were at the market year before last. They were just perfectly ripe and we planned to pick them later that afternoon. I still say there is a hollow tree somewhere in the woods just full of prunes. I've got a cat and a dog but they are still everywhere. I think I need something that can climb; even the playing field. Maybe my husband is right and we should get a "mountain lion". I think that might bring new problems though...
By the way, chipmunks got most of my blueberries this year!

nightfire · #10 08/10/12, 09:33 AM

I feel your pain. Something climbed the small fence I have up and stole the first tomato I've ever gotten to ripen here at my apartment. Whatever it was actually stole 2 tomatoes, as if taking the first one wasn't bad enough! It must have been something small and light cause the fence isn't bent, or something big enough to reach in and grab just those two! Not something the neighbors here would do though so I'm at a loss to figure it out.

nightfire · #11 08/10/12, 10:10 AM

lol I just remembered I was visited yesterday by worse than squirrels...my brother and my mom! lol. They both love fresh tomatoes so I bet it was one of them that stole my tomatoes.

They could of at least mentioned it.

At least they didn't take all of my tomatoes, unlike the squirrels from the sound of everyone's posts.

kimmom2five · #12 08/10/12, 11:31 AM

We have a rabbit. It ate all my beans and now is going to work on the squash. This morning I found one that it had chewed the top of and then almost completely hollowed it out.
I don't know how it has survived. We have a Rat Terrier, our neighbors have a greyhound and the neighbors behind us have a Boxer, a Jack Russell and a black Lab. You'd think one of them could catch that thing.

wayne miles · #13 08/10/12, 11:38 AM

My grandson and I both have Ruger 10/22's and they are quite effective at maintaing a low squirrel population.

Danaus29 · #14 08/10/12, 02:21 PM

I've got a Ruger 10/.22 also. Also still have a couple squirrel in the freezer. Getting ready for this season. Problem is, here I could hunt out a hundred or so every fall but by spring all the squirrels from the nearby park have moved into the vacant area.

Txsteader · #15 08/10/12, 03:08 PM

Squirrels wiped out my tomatoes this year. I began noticing the plants looking sorta ragged and then I found a half-eaten green tomato several yards from the plant. Then I started noticing the semi-ripe tomatoes disappearing. DH was in the hospital at the time and I barely had time to water in the late evenings. It wasn't until DH got home, so that I was home during the day, that I saw the rascal enjoying my crop.

Braised squirrel w/ onion gravy sounds good.

katydidagain · #16 08/10/12, 07:32 PM

I dealt with coons at my folks' house (corn) and squirrels in the city (they mainly just planted every black walnut they found and left my stuff along) but this year I had something eat 3/4 of my meager potato planting. At 1st I thought maybe they didn't get enough water so that explained them being misshapen. Nope. Roomie told me there were moles and voles here; I thought they only attacked sweet potatoes. But it gets better! Something (them?) is hollowing out just pink tomatoes and leaving a shell. Obviously they do not like skins. So it is mice, voles, moles or what doing this? I really need a cat...badly...

oldasrocks · #17 08/10/12, 10:15 PM

Find a Gallager fence charger. They are so HOT they will kill a horse. wrap tinfoil on the wire. Coat the tinfoil with peanut butter.= fried squirrels and probably coons too.

We put up a charged fence around the garden and no coons this year in the corn.

kimberlyg · #18 08/11/12, 07:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by akaRach

I understand where you're coming from!

My varmits are raccoons, and their target is my corn. I can't even pick any to save it from them because its not ready! Meanwhile each night they pick more and more off.

However, they don't parade a cob of corn in front of me to taunt me...unlike your audacious squirrels!

Have you ever tried a live bait trap? We have one to protect our chickens from racoons. It was kind of expensive ($65.00) but worth the peace of mind.

Queen Bee · #19 08/11/12, 02:23 PM

Rant on!!! I HATE squirrels! Oh, yes, I used to love to see them in the yard, at the feeders, cute little things they were--- stealing cheeks full of sunflowers.... I must have fed them after midnight--because they all turned into Gremlins.... THEY are horrible creatures, I have three pecan trees that they have raided, my pear trees have NOT one pear left on them (I stole the two Asian pears--because I would rather they rot on my counter than to see them being carried off in the mouth of a fuzzy tailed rat!!! They have eaten holes in my feed bins, they have chewed the holes bigger in my BlueBird houses! The dogs try so hard to run them off but it looks like I am going to have to fire them and hire a hunter... Did I mention I hate squirrels????? I will get off my soap box...

PNWKatie · #20 08/11/12, 03:44 PM

Question: Would a "fake" OWL put up in the tree's keep the critter's out of your tree? We don't generally have a big problem with the little guys, but just found out one has "moved in" to a tree in our backyard. Was wondering if I put a big ol' plastic owl in it if the thing would decide to move on.