Anyone else consider squirrels varmnit? -graphic squirrel pic warning

[alex0535]

We had a very mild winter last year, and our squirrel population in our state has exploded.

Its to the point of looking out and being able to count 5 within 150 yards just by looking around is not unusual. We have a grove of about 30 pecan trees and between the squirrels and crows they will eat most of the crop these trees produce.

Some of them have even decided to take up residence inside our walls. When I was taking this picture I heard one scurrying around inside the wall. Picture is a hole they chewed through the drywall in a bedroom.

http://oi45.tinypic.com/27wvtde.jpg

Because of these problems, they make pretty good target fodder. Out west they have prairie dogs. Here we have tree rats. This is one shot with .17 HMR. It's missing arm was found about 8 feet from the squirrel. Range was probably around 50 yards for this one.

http://oi47.tinypic.com/b5lcth.jpg

Needless to say but the little 17 caliber rimfire hits with precision and with devastating force. This is a little bit more destructive than typical, but they all end up just as dead.

[hooligan1]

We shot over fifty squirrels from our backyard this year, and my neighbors shoot quite a few also, Boy that .17 ain't no punk on squirrles man!!;)

[FrankenMauser]

Tree squirrels and ground squirrels occasionally require population control measures, around here. But, they carry the plague in most areas. So, they're magpie and hawk food. (Or bait for more squirrels -- they're cannibalistic.)

My preferred platform is a Marlin 882 in .22 WMR.
.22 LR works; but .22 WMR is more accurate, flatter-shooting, and much more effective.

I took it easy on this guy: ;)
http://thefiringline.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=84723&stc=1&d=1352323110

[hooligan1]

That's ole "where's his face".:p

[wizrd]

5 squirrels within 150 yards at one viewing is considered a scarcity of squirrels where I live. Squirrels are nothing but rats in fancy sportcoats. -- They ARE the reason Ruger made the 10-22 and Browning made the Buckmark Bullseye.

There is an old maple with a rotted out mid-section next to my house, when it's finally down and someone looks down into thetrunk years from now, they'll find the remains of about 3,000 squirrel skeletons. -- Kill 'em, kill 'em all. ;)

[Brian Pfleuger]

I pretty much consider them varmints but I rarely ever kill one. I'd like to, as noisy as they are during deer season, but shooting at squirrels pretty well defeats the purpose of deer hunting. The rest of the year, I don't get out there. I'm not even sure when the season is exactly.

[12GaugeShuggoth]

5 squirrels within 150 yards at one viewing is considered a scarcity of squirrels where I live.

+1 for me, double or even triple that isn't a big deal most of the time. I normally take a couple after deer season is over to make squirrel stew, but otherwise leave them alone; they just don't bother me the way they do some people.

[SPEMack618]

As a cattle farmer, I consider suirrels nothing but a nuisance, and one just a bit too swift for my big sister's aging cat to get after.

My Mother also makes very good squirrel and rabbit stew, so there is that.

My preferred weapon is my Ruger 77/22 with whatever bulk pack .22 I happen to grab on my way out the door.

Some of my best hunting stories come from times spent with my best friend/battle buddy/hetero-sexual life partner and I would go hunting, me taking my 77/22 for squirrel and He taking his Savage .17 HMR for armadillo.

[Rifleman1776]

Yes, squirrels are a nusiance. I see them in my yard constantly and have killed many-many from the door of my office with a 10/22. I just leave them lay. Other varmints, usually fox, will remove them in short order.
We have occasional power outages. The more squirrels, the more outages. I can't shoot them on the power transformers but keeping the population down helps a lot.

[.300 Weatherby Mag]

Unless you blow them in half, you're doing it wrong!!! Love my 22-250 for destroying these evil critters...

[alex0535]

The 5 squirrels in 150 yards is just the ones that I can see... There are probably 4 or 5 times as many. This is around our house where they get shot on a regular basis. Sitting out in the woods in a tree stand and the numbers are visibly much much higher.

We have coyotes and a couple species of hawks and buzzards that they are food for. Better they have an easy diet of dead squirrel than rabbit.

Last fall there were 2 hawks that would be drawn by the sound of my 17, easy meals for them I guess. It was kind of cool to go out and target shoot and see them perched up in the tree right above my target.

[gdvan01]

That's ole "where's his face"

Hahahahahaha, that's funny right there...!

:D

Oh yea....squirrels are just rats that live in trees.

[alex0535]

Someone I know took this picture, and I did a little bit of photoshop work to edit out a sweaty guy looking amazed in the background. He was literally as close as it seems.

http://oi45.tinypic.com/10zd79k.jpg

Its a pretty amazing shot, thought I would share. Most amazing squirrel kill picture I think I have ever seen.

[Mike / Tx]

alex0535,

Someone told me,(:D) that if they are in the wall, you can cut a small access panel and cover it with cardboard. When they return, you can use those Speer plastic practice bullets with a grain or so of Bullseye to make short work of them right through the cardboard. Then all you have to do is remove the cardboard, snag the dead rat, and fix the wall. I haven't tried it myself:rolleyes: but it sounds like it would really work well......;);)

You already have somewhat of an access hole cut, just looks like it needs the cardboard cover over it to make it work. Just sayin....

I know they get up in our attic quite a bit. It is easy to hear them as they hop across the ceiling rafters. On more than one occasion I have used 22 rat shot from my Rem 22 pump to make short work of them as well. They think that they are safe sitting up over against the eve, but once the flashlight hits them in the face, it's all over but the pick up.

They used to be a real issue on a couple of my deer feeders as well. I have on more than a couple occasions, spread one out across the woods, using my 25-06 from out around 200yds. With a 100gr Ballistic Tip leaving at 3350fps, graphic isn't even close to what it does to them. The crows and ants eat well though.

I also had a Horned Owl fly within three feet of me one morning, and snatch one off a tree in front of me that was barking up a storm once he figured out I wasn't supposed to be there. To be honest the whole episode both scared, and amazed the nevermind out of me. I never even heard the owl as he went by, just this huge thing came from the other side of the tree I was sitting against, snagged the squirrel and everything got quiet. He landed on another tree around 30yards or so out in front of me and sat there making short work of it, looking over his shoulder at me every once in a while like he was saying, "you will never even know it's coming so don't mess with me"....Totally awesome experience.

[Slamfire]

Some of them have even decided to take up residence inside our walls.

I believe that is due to an overpopulation of squirrels in the area. All the good tree houses are taken up by other squirrels, so the displaced population decides to move into your house!

The only effective solution: thin them out!

I don't bother the albino squirrels.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v479/SlamFire/IMG_1483.jpg

[Zorro]

Has no war with Squirrels in general.

Don't even like eating them, too tough.

That said when the Varminting moves indoors, you can kill every single one.

Suggest .22 Cal Pellet Gun @ About 500 FPS indoors.

Sufficient power and it won't ricochet back in your face and it tends to tumble and blow a quarter sized hole in the tree rat.

[FairWarning]

They certainly have no problem multiplying. I have a large suburban lot with lots of 'em. They don't bother me except when I hear them running around in my attic.......or digging up my landscaping. Err, on second thought, when I used to have a birdfeeder hanging from a tree, the little bandits would chew the rope so that it crashed to the ground, then eat all the seeds at once!

Clever.

Annoying.

If I lived in the country, I'd probably have a field day picking them off with my Ruger MkIII .22, but I think that would be highly frowned upon in my neighborhood. :o

Honestly, their utter stupidity regarding moving cars seems to be the most effective form of population control.

[dahermit]

If I lived in the country, I'd probably have a field day picking them off with my Ruger MkIII .22, but I think that would be highly frowned upon in my neighborhood. That is where a high-quality air rifle comes in. Neighbors would not even likely know that you were shooting.

[ChasingWhitetail91]

I think they messed up taking the amazed sweaty guy out of the picute, only adds comedy.

[ripnbst]

I would think that if you waited for the right shot you could use a .22 in your neighborhood. Safety is a different matter depending upon location and surroundings but as long as you weren't shooting strings of fire a random quiet .22 could be forgotten easily.

If you waited for a shot where the trunk was behind the squirrel is id have no doubts about taking that shot.

[publius]

Yup, .22 cb's. Quieter than my Sheridan pellet gun.

[stevelyn]

I consider them varmints, although the ADF&G disagrees with me and inspite of being raised in deepest, darkest Appalachia where they are considered the Holy Grail of tablefare by hillbillies.

Yeah, that .17HMR will turn them inside out with TNT's.

[rodfac]

My family and I have lived on the same farm here in KY for 25 years now...with a grove of walnut trees in the side yard...we've always been patient with the squirrels who frequent the grove with one proviso...if they stay in the grove, all's well (hell they're just tryin' to make a living, just like me)...but if they come up on the deck or house...no quarter will be shown.

This year, I had to shoot some to keep 'em out of the attic...I thought we had 4-5 that were the problem, but over a couple weeks, I shot 23 before they quit coming. We've got a lot of walnuts, oaks and some hickory down through our gulleys and they just multiplied until the house was in jeopardy. Did all of the shooting with an aged Winchester M-62A in .22 lr. It's a good gun and I've added a flip up tang peep sight to make the shooting a bit easier.

Hated to do it, but we're rid of the little buggers for a spell now.

Best Regards, Rod

[AdamSean]

I usually shoot around 20-30 a year around the house before they try to get in the attic. I started out with a Marlin model 60 .22LR. I then moved up to a .17HMR. When their heads started disappearing and the entrails stretched 3 feet from the body, I went back down to a .22 as long as I am around the house. Works just fine. In the field, its back to the .17 though. Squirrel hunting is so much fun too.

[sc928porsche]

Because tree rats are usually located up in trees and within rifle distance to houses etc., I use my old benjiman pump in .22 cal pellets. Dosnt rip them apart, but definately makes a pass through.