a better way to get rid of squirrels

[jp]

This may sound nasty but the buggers tear up the garden, eat/nibble much of the garden proceeds and have chewed through the patio lighting.

My thought is to bait inexpensive wooden rat traps with peanut butter and then set them right on the inner edge of my fish pond. The traps would be attached by a cord/wire to a solid point in the center of the pond so that when triggered, there would be a high probability that the entrapped squirrel would fall into the pond and drown.

This should be fairly silent, inexpensive and highly effective.

Have I overlooked anything? or are there better ideas?

[Bob]

eat/nibble

butter

traps

of the

that

What makes you think squirrels can't swim?

Bob

[jp]

Might be tougher to swim/stay afloat with a rat trap restraining them and the the fish pond having slick tile sides - restricting their ability to crawl back out. I suspect they will inhale some water and that will be the end.

[Brian m]

buy a condo.

[Xmfard]

Peanut butter traps work great...used them myself.

Wouldn't want one of the rats in my pond tho... may putrify the water a bit if you don't check 'em for a few days...

Xmfard

[rj]

[Lar]

In article , jp says... :) This may sound nasty but the buggers tear up the garden, eat/nibble :) much of the garden proceeds and have chewed through the patio :) lighting. :) :) My thought is to bait inexpensive wooden rat traps with peanut butter :) and then set them right on the inner edge of my fish pond. The traps :) would be attached by a cord/wire to a solid point in the center of the :) pond so that when triggered, there would be a high probability that :) the entrapped squirrel would fall into the pond and drown. :) :) This should be fairly silent, inexpensive and highly effective. :) :) Have I overlooked anything? or are there better ideas? :) Not sure about arboreal squirrels, but a home made trap for ground squirrels is take a 5 gallon bucket and fill 3/4 with water. Have a ramp with bird seed going to the edge of the bucket. Pour a layer of birdseed in the bucket, which will float on top of the water and look solid. When he jumps into the bucket he's trapped, if you don't want them dead drop a small stick large enough to support them small enough not to give leverage to spring out, or play with the water level where he can touch bottom, but not get leverage to exit.

[Pavel314]

In our third straight year of drought in Maryland a little while back, we were overrun with squirrels. I guess there were no acorns out in the woods. They ate all the plums off the plum tree, swarmed over the bird feeders, and generally made themselves unwelcome. I set a few Have-A-Heart traps and we began shuffling squirrels across the river, into the deep forest miles away. One Saturday, we hauled six of them. But more came to take their place.

I kept track of how many we caught; after we passed 60, I began to think that maybe we were taking the wrong approach. The squirrels were spreading the word; go to Paul's place, have a nice meal of peanut butter in the cage, then they take you for a pleasant drive across the river. We were probably a tourist attraction for squirrels, with transport in the trap their equivalent of some thrill ride.

At this point, I suggested crucifying the ones we caught in the traps as a disincentive to the rest, but my wife objected to this approach. Being in a semi-rural area where the neighbors mind their own business, I got out the shotgun and killed three of them one afternoon. We didn't see another squirrel in our yard for almost a year after that.

Paul

[HomeBrewer]

20-12ga shotgun - 4 shot, 3/4inch brass. Flour for dumplings and simmer for 3 hours.

[Des Perado]

Good one Paul. I have tried the trap, relocate and release method that you tried, with the same results. We have a large Walnut tree that the little buggers can't resist. They eat the Walnuts before they are ripe and we never get one. Wish I could try the shotgun approach, but we live in the City and couldn't get away with that. Thanks for a great post!

feeders, and

traps as a

another

[SteveB]

I like the Fi-Shock method. It can be a lot of fun. Fix it up when none of the squirrels is watching. Once they touch the electrified part, they won't be back for a very long time. They really jump, too. Be creative. Use bait. Put it in an elevated place over water. They get a jolt, then a dunking. It won't hurt them, and believe me, they won't come back. Trouble is, they will all take off, and the entertainment is over.

Steve

[AJScott]

A good CO2 pistol or rifle (the rifles have more kill power, but attract more attention and "sniper in the hood" phone calls to cops from nosy neighbors) is pretty good on squirrels in places you can't fire actual guns. Or if you want to give the little buggers more of a sporting chance, paintball gun.

AJS

[Mike O.]

Taste like chicken?

[Lar]

In article , [e-mail] says... :) 20-12ga shotgun - 4 shot, 3/4inch brass. Flour for dumplings and simmer for :) 3 hours. :) :) More of a gumbo person myself.

[Brian Belliveau]

And the manufacturer stopped making them last year?

[William W. Plummer]

No, more like ground hog.