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[nafex] Squirrel Control



1.  Since there seems to be some interest in controlling squirrels, I
outline below my method.  It's really not too complicated.  I pick them
off with a pellet gun.  That's why it may not be for everyone.
2.  Set up a bird feeder on a wooden post, not more than 25-35 feet from
a convenient window or door overlooking the garden or orchard.  If your
field of fire is not clear, that is, if errant pellets could wind up in
a neighbors' yard, you really can't do it.
3.  Fill the feeder with black oil sunflower seed.  You will also
attract quite a number of beautiful birds, especially cardinals, finches
and bluejays, and the squirrels will come to the seed before anything
else in your yard.
4.  Get a good pellet gun, highly accurate, with a muzzle velocity of at
least 500 feet per second (fps).  The cheaper, pump-up models lack both
the accuracy and punch to do the job.  Mine is a single-shot spring
piston model with a muzzle velocity of 800 fps, but there are CO2 models
that will also give you adequate velocity.  If you are in a semi-rural
area, just use .22 shorts.  Anything you buy for this purpose, whether a
good pellet gun or single-shot .22, will cost over $100.
5.  Practice a little until you can consistently put a pellet in a 3-4
inch area at about 30-35 feet.  With practice, you can learn to hold the
gun steady, or you can also steady it against a door or window.  Squeeze
the trigger slowly for an accurate shot.  I fire from inside the house
through a sliding glass door, and there is hardly a sound, except for
the squirrel dropping from the feeder.  When I started doing this about
3 years ago, I was able to count as many as 16 squirrels in the yard
simultaneously.  During some weeks, as many as a half-dozen squirrels
went out, paws up, but now the breeding population has been reduced and
I average about one per week.  There are fewer in the yard all the time,
but I have noticed that only a block or so away there are still plenty
of squirrels, attracted by the numerous oak trees.  I have no problem
with the squirrels that are a block away.
6.  I think that Donna's suggestion of a good dog, and Doreen's
experience indicate that the right dog would be an excellent alternative
solution.  We have four cats, which keep the vole population in check,
but I have been advised by my wife that if I get a dog both the dog and
I can hit the road together.
7.  I know that there are many people who would not consider using any
type of firearm, even an air-powered pellet gun, and obviously my
solution will not work for them.  I am not trying to sell this method,
but I was at my wits end with the squirrels, and this is what has worked
for me.
So just call me the SHORTDISTSHTR.

Rgds, Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA


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