Chipmunks

[Big Duke]

Hi all, I seem to be having a excessive amount of chipmunks around my house. I started catching them in my have a heart trap and letting them go about 1

1/2 miles away from my house in a nice wooded area. In the past week I have caught 6 of them. My father and wife think it's the same ones coming back again. My wife being the wise girl that she is also says they like going for a ride in my pickup truck. What do you all think? Is it possible they are finding their way back to my house? Would it help if dropped them off farther away? Thanks for reading my post. Big Duke

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[brooklyn1]

Amazing... someone named *Big Duke* is ascared of widdle chipmonks. LOL

Chipmonks are living around your house because there exists a food supply for them, there will only be a population that the existing food supply can accomodate. Chipmonks are very territorial so won't allow their population to increase. Removing some won't help, some may return but otherwise new inhabitants will replace them. If you all of a sudden notice an increase in the chipmonk population then someone is feeding them, bird feeders and dog/cat food are the usual culprits.

[David E. Ross]

I use a Havahart trap, which I use to catch squirrels. When I catch them, I drive 5 miles across a freeway to let them loose in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. There are many hungry coyotes, owls, and hawks there. And there are 10 lanes of never-ending traffic if they want to cross the freeway.

However, something was reaching through the cage wires and stealing the bait. I wrapped 1/4-inch steel mesh around the end of the trap where the bait is set. Something tore or chewed through the mesh and stole more bait. I packaged the bait in another piece of the steel mesh and put it into the trap. Yesterday, I found the package on my back lawn. It was not opened, but the bait was gone.

I now have fruit starting to ripen. I want to eat more of it than the squirrels. I made a small box of the 1/4-inch steel mesh with a hinged lid and a catch to keep the lid closed. It also has a hook to fasten it into the trap. The box is about 1 inch on each side. It's been 24 hours, and nothing has touched the trap yet.

[Jeff Thies]

I'm afraid I'm more heartless than that. Chipmunks are *the* favorite food of my cats. Entertaining and tasty.

They seem like such nice gentle creatures but freeing them is hopeless by the time I see them.

Unsure of the range, but I know that mice have no problem with a hundred yards. I'm sure my brother recycled many many endlessly. I suspect that such wanderers as possums will stay in one place if the food is good and I've seen them return from several blocks.

A mile and a half seems pretty far, but why not mark one with a bit of paint and see.

Jeff

[Paul M. Cook]

If you can handle them, perhaps with leather gloves, you can mark them by nipping off a chunk of fur.

Paul

[Chas Hurst]

I use a "give a shit" .22 on chipmunks and squirrels. They never come back.

[lil abner]

That sound like just the ticket. Catch a squirrel with or without gloves. Maybe vice grips and scissors?

[Billy]

What is the problem with the chipmonks, fruit trees, pet food, what? Is it something that chicken wire can't fix? If you have enough chipmonks, a chipmonk predator WILL find its way to your house, eventually.

[Pat Kiewicz]

For me, mainly tunnelling. Serious amounts of tunneling.

When we first moved here, we had red squirrels and no chipmunks. Then, we had chipmunks move in and stopped seeing red squrirrels. When I moved a whole bunch of chipmunks, the red squirrels returned.

I'd rather have red squirrels. No tunnels. More charisma.

[Jeff Thies]

That's true, I started with zero cats.

Jeff

[Bill who putters]

[Billy]

[Billy]

Squirrels to deal with.