Squirrels - do you like them or hate them?

I love to hunt and eat them, but will not stand for them to be near the house. If they find a way in, they can really do some damage. The .22 is always loaded for the ones that venture out of the woods.

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HIGHGROUND

Rats with fuzzy tails. My dog loves to chase them though he hasn't managed to catch one probably for the best.

I like to watch them they are fun but they tore up our patio furniture. They ripped the cushions to shreds to use in their nest ........ Have chewed holes into the attic and they eat everything in the bird err I mean squirrel feeders,,,,

I have two bird feeders in my front yard. Since the birds and the squirrels share I am fine. I put hand fulls of walnuts out for them to pack back to their homes. Its cute watching them pack the walnuts off. As long as they stay in my front yard they are fine. If they get in my big oak in the back yard they better stay up. My husky loves squirrel and she is just as fast. BUT.... I dont like them in my back yard where my apple trees and strawberries are. I dont let my husky on that side of the yard and the squirrels know it. So they raid my apple trees (first year they put out apples and there were very few) as soon as the apples were ready the squirrels got them all. They also eat on my ever bearing strawberries. I hope they dont get my june bearing ones this year. So I like them as long as they leave my apples, peaches, grapes, and strawberries alone.

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IT STARTS WITH A DREAM...

Over the years we have had some show up (maybe its because the walnut trees are producing now?) They so far haven't been to bad stealing the nuts as Bandit the dog feels its his job to chase them out if the cat doesn't chase them first. I had to laugh back in October before we lost Frisbee the cat. 2 squirrels went up the power pole in our yard, cat followed and dog was at the base of the pole waiting for whoever came down first! The cat came down and the squirrels proceded to drop a walnut on him! I am sure the squirrel didn't actually aim with it but it was sure funny to see. At this point we are not overrun with them so we get along.....but if they get to be pests that could change.

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Denise

Let me know when Suppers ready. Sounds like you know what is good eatin!

I love them.....Squirrel gravy.

These 2 guys live in a house close to us. They are really fun to watch play and find nuts in your pockets. They say they are fine as long as they have thier chew toys but the house is pretty squirrel proofed inside. Sam

This squirrel thread made me think of a funny story. My mom, who is 80 years old, and pretty straight-laced was telling my sister about the squirrels that have been running around on the roof of her mobile home, for hours on end. Her and my dad decided that they must be mating and she said to my sister, "Squirrel sex must be pretty good, they go at it for hours." My sister almost hit the floor.

I liked squirrels while living in Virginia's mountains...but don't like 'em so much up here. Down there they were 'cute woodland critters' and good dinner occasionally, up here they're pests and nearly muggers if you're holding food.

Hmm...probably because down there they viewed people as potential predators instead of free-handout-machines...and their numbers were kept down to reasonable numbers by the bobcats and such.

I've only seen one gray squirrel in the yard, and two little red squirrels who lived in the walnut tree one year, in the 13 years we've lived here, so I think it's a treat to see them! The woods are loaded with them (forest behind us is probably at least 600 acres, plus the 22,000 acre arsonal, mostly wooded, at the end of the road), but since there is plenty of habitat back there, I don't think they find a need to wander out much.

I went to college at Kent State, and the unofficial mascot there is the black squirrel. They are really sleek and beautiful, but they are also comical. One day I walked past an outdoor trash can, and one vaulted out and landed right on me! I let out a scream, and he hopped away. I swear he was laughing at me!

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Melissa
Reformed hoyden. Please forgive me if I relapse.

I like to watch squirrels, but I've never had to combat them for garden surplus either. I would prolly like to have them around as long as they didn't disturb to much.
I'd love to try grilled squirrel. I always heard they had worms and disease though, so I've always been a bit hesitant.

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5 Stones Workshop

Infowars
Endtime
SWRC

If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.
~ James Madison ~

This holiday season reminds me of:

"Chipmunks roasting on an open fire".

Tree climbing rats.
Because of the damage they do in the garden and impossible to keep out. Because of the damage they do once they find a way into the crawl space, disloging the insulation. Because they chew holes in the sofit and crap in the ceiling. Because they get into the grainery and crap in the grain. They're fine in the woods, but not on the farm/home.

I remember my grandfather (Paw) cooking them in a stew....that was the best part of the meal to us kids. We'd stand around waiting to see who got the brains! Don't know if I'd eat them now though. Funny thing I got my Paw's 22 out this year determined to take out a few of the critters we have around here. Normally we can't walk out back cause of them....they sit up there and fuss and throw acorns at us for invading "their" territory. we've had maybe 3 squirrels out there this year............

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Ginnie..
http://ginniequilts.blogspot.com/
You can say what you want about the South,
But you never hear of anyone retiring and moving North.

The best thing about squirrels is they plant more trees than anybody, and they do it for free....A lot of people I know hate fox and coyote but if you can keep them from killing your chickens keep in mind they control more rodents than anything....They probably eat more than their own weights in mice excetra each year...

We had a pet one, blind in one eye and she was the sweetest little thing ever.

Cute n tasty! YUp love em baked fried broiled -- I aint fussy!!

We have squirrels all around our house and some even live in the attic. These squirrels have done no damage that we have seen. They do wake us sometimes bowling with pecans in the crawl space.

I like squirrels and feed them when the weather gets bad. We have two small pecan trees in our yard and we do have to be very diligent to beat them to the pecans. Now that we are not at our home much, the squirrels get all of them.

Actually, I owe it to the species - not sure I would have survived without all the squirrels we ate when I was a child.

We have a new neighbor who insists that squirrels are eating things in his attic. I think the damage is being done by rats. If we don't keep fresh rat poison out in our storage building, we are in trouble. I have lost so much stuff to rats out there.

Now I am more than a little upset with this neighbor because he is shooting the squirrels with a pellet gun. The trees that hang over his yard, are our trees, but hang over his yard. If we come back here to live, I think I will have all the overhanging branches cut back.
Right now, I don't want problems and my husband told him I would be angry if he shot any actually on our property - so he doesn't. The squirrels are just going to have to get smarter -

Also, the neighbor is really a nice guy and the son of one of my husband's golfing buddies - so sometimes you just have to hope things work out.

We feed them to.
But i may have to thin them out some come squirrel season next year.