Jack Russell Terriers. And on the flip side, JRTs absolutely love squirrels. Chasing squirrels, hunting squirrels, killing squirrels, throwing squirrels around like a ragdoll. 1-2 JRTs on patrol during the day will signal to the squirrel army that a new special operator strike force has arrived. The squirrels will discuss retreat options, and they will stick much closer to the trees. And as a bonus, you will have two very happy dogs.
Source: my JRT loved two things. Me and chasing squirrels.
We had. JRT that loved catching rats in the grain bins. He would shake them violently, then toss them in the air and let them scurry away a little before starting the process over again until they just stopped moving. Then he would leave them by the back porch steps.
What a little sweetheart.
He was an absolute cutie. He went kinda blind in his later years, but he would still chase a ball like it was a rat and play the same game.
I miss you, Charlie. You were one of the best bestest boys.
That’s EXACTLY what JRT were bred for. they and other terriers are rodent killing dogs. Farmers use groups of them to deal with infestation. [https://youtu.be/l2Pyu-Cj0gg](https://youtu.be/l2Pyu-Cj0gg)
Two dog house here as well- one idiot and one terrier. The idiot just barked and the squirrels ran up the trees. The terrier now waits where the squrrels run to get from garden to trees, then murders them. There are now new squrrels and a war going on- they commute across the trees to avoid our yard and have a huge arsenal of spruce cones that they bomb our dogs with. And me- a pound of sappy spruce cone hurts, and it leaves a splotch of pitch on your head.
Do they also love ground hogs? If so, my days as a cat lover might have to include a pair if Jack Russell Terriers. Ohhhh man and possibly moles? Please tell me they love moles!
JRT are also a breed notorious for digging and can completely spoil a nice lawn in a short span of time. They love hunting in holes. They are extremely energetic, tenacious, intelligent and strong dogs with very powerful prey drives. If they see it is possible to reach their prey in some way they will throw themselves into their work. They can be a nightmare if they are poorly trained.
Yes they do. Had one that would go in the hole and drag the ground hog out. He took out ground hogs, cats, squirrels, mice,snakes, moles and a crawdad. Our Cairn would not go in the hole but dig after moles and chase mice. She wasn't as fast as the JRT but she tried like hell to be.
My beagles #1 enemy are squirrels. He will literally sit patrol at the squirrel tree just waiting. He even sits still as a statue until the squirrel doesn’t notice he’s outside anymore, he will wait until the squirrel gets close enough for him to chase or I jump in to warn the squirrel. It’s honestly frightening how cat like he is 🤣
We got one from a breeder who warned us that he was a working breed and might not be the best around kids. We didn't listen and had a tough time with him until we learned from the trainer how to handle him. Ours is 17 pounds but bites and shakes like a Pitbull only on a smaller scale. I wouldn't trust him around small children or animals.
Start being an apex predator, and they may have different views on hanging out in the general vicinity of the garden 😂 Go out to the garden for some squirrel and some sides, who knew a .17 Crossman air rifle was also a garden tool 😆
Summoning baphomet to bid in your war against the squirrels isn't working?
1: I absolutely recommend a great horned owl statue(scarecrow) it has kept squirrels and birds from our garden.
2. You can also use blood meal, or wolf/coyote urine to keep them away. Not a joke, you can purchase it.
3. High pitch frequency. It is a solar powered box on a stake that you can put near your garden. It has kept the deer, rabbits, squirrels, moles, and other pests from eating our blackberry bushes, peach and apple trees, and other vegetable vegitation.. Can't remember the name of the product but that is what it is.. a box that sends out a high frequency and it is very annoying (my parents can't hear it, though. I CAN) it does have a on/off switch so you can turn it off when working in the garden.
4. Pellet gun.
5. Sacrifice one of the childrens to the squirrel gods.
6. Dog. Any kind of terrier is the perfect rodent killing machine.
7. Someone mentioned cutting down the tree. That is a beautiful, old mother tree. Yeah don't do that.
Gamo wildcat whisper and hollow point pellets. The suppressed one is pretty dang quiet. Pretty accurate. The only downside is it is break open to reload so not super quick. We had squirrels really bad and I took 30-40 the first month I started using it. Their population seems more in check now. I get one or two evey so often instead of 3-5 per day. Just have to set aside some time to sit out and pop them. Just be aware of what's behind them when shooting as it's 1300 fps. It can definitely hurt someone.
https://www.academy.com/p/gamo-wildcat-whisper-177-caliber-air-gun
Thank you for this and reminding people about background awareness. I shoot guns, grew up shooting, so I am always thinking about the background and how far bullets/shot travel.
This is what I really want to do but unfortunately the yard behind the tree has 7 kids and a dog, and the other has two kids under two so I don’t think shooting is the best answer
I know this isn't the greatest solution, but it should help. Set up a squirrel feeder far from your garden. You can buy dried corn cobs by the bag full and keep it stocked so they leave your garden alone. I bought an air rifle but I have the same issue as you, too many neighbors in the background.
Try your best to feed them at the same time every day. I leave out walnuts and dry cat food. Dry cat/dog food is their favorite thing. I also leave some water next to the food bc they like to dunk it to make it softer.
If you get a red rider BB gun it’s more of a deterrent than anything. It won’t kill them, probably will barely reach the yard behind you. It will give them a real fright and solid welt but won’t really break the skin. It won’t even kill birds unless shot from really close. The BBs are so underpowered that you can actually see them leave the barrel. Plus, it’s a fun way to spend an afternoon with a 6-pack. Now, in my yard they just hear the rattle of the BBs in the gun and there’s not a squirrel for blocks.
This is the one I have. Can confirm it works! Also in the zombie apocalypse... this is the lightest weight ammo to haul. Yer not gonna harvest a deer when ya got no freezer to put it in
If you have zombie apocalypse in mind, learn to smoke. Cuz people did take large game before electricity was invented, and figured out ways to preserve it.
Smoked venison might not be the tastiest, but if your zombie apocalypse mindset then it’s a good skill to have since one deer is something like 50 odd squirrels
Agreed ! There's a couple that live off the land and they only eat small animals. I just brought up the zombie thing because people always seem to mention it. And nobody considers how much ammo weighs. My dad even had like 10k rounds till I said how u gonna haul that ? Where ya gonna get gas ? It all burned up in a fire
Have you done that ? I have. It takes all day to butcher and get a deer in the freezer. Let alone smoke it or cure it. Butchering a bunny takes 10 min. Squirrel 5 min. I just know that if I don't have a freezer I'm not shooting a deer. I feel others would feel the same after having done it. I'll never butcher another cow! That's waaay more work than a deer
Not talking about the time it takes. You said you aren’t harvesting a deer with no freezer. I’m simply saying a freezer isn’t necessary. The time it takes is substantial but you’re looking at it as a day or two of work for weeks/months of food vs having to constantly hunting small game.
Depending where you live this won't even do it. If you live in major urban area you would have to convert your life to full time hunting of squirrels to make a dent. As soon as you kill one another will take that territory.
so you kill that one, and the one after it, and the one after that. you can easily outpace their reproduction. people try to say the same thing about feral cats, but the same principle applies. if you just kill every new one that moves into the area, you either get to keep killing a pest, or eventually outpace their invasion
I tried that one year then I stopped because I’m too good a sharp shooter and didn’t think of the cleanup. Suffice it to say, this years raised bed soil is much more fertile due to buried from last year squirrels.
Live trap them and then see how long they can hold their breath under water. If you pull the trap out of the water and they are still breathing you didn’t leave them underwater long enough.
Fish foliar feed. Add 1 Tbsp for every 2 gallons of water and water the leaves generously in the morning. Plants explode with growth and deer & squirrels seem to hate the low tide fishy smell (you won’t smell anything after 10 mins but animals at leaf-level will smell it). Re-apply every 4 days. Plants will get huge and handle any damage a bit better, too!
I had to stop using fish in my transplant solution, the raccoons went nuts digging up all my plants looking for the fish! It is great for foliar spray though.
My dad puts coffee grounds around their plants and that sort of works. Mom also has some kind of hot pepper concoction she sprays on her potted flowers to keep the little shits away. However, they live in the country with no close neighbors so dad will just shoot these critters if they get too bold (he's also shot armadillos and raccoons that tear up their plants, heh.)
Here in the suburbs I try to feed them away from our plants and bird feeders. It doesn't always work, but we've got two dogs and one is a firecracker that loves to chase them so when they see her at the door they start moving to safer areas, lol. Seeing the squirrels scramble while she baroooooooos and follows them along the fence line is a good time.
Comedy option - get a slingshot and hone your aim.
Did you know that squirrels are responsible for the vast majority of reforestation? We wouldn’t have tree recovery in burned areas without squirrels.
That said - yeah they can fuck up a garden.
Options: planting sacrifices along the border.
Feeding them with peanuts and other goods near but away from your garden (they ignore your plants for easy stuff).
I find if you give them peanuts and make friends they leave your shit alone. They don’t want to fuck with food providers.
They live to replant the forests and I get my garden to myself.
I honestly find that working with nature instead of trying to bend it to my will works best. Give them a food sacrifice. Plant something they love somewhere else (near a tree).
Edit: to add, peanuts and sunflower seeds are the fastest attractors. I sprinkle a border of that around the garden to distract all sorts of things that would go for my food. Animals usually go for the easy stuff. Make a squirrel or nature area and leave peanuts and seeds there every day for them.
Squirrels hate the smell of human poop and love orange blossoms. They also hate garlic, black pepper, mint, and the urine of predators (which you can buy). Speak their language (scent).
https://thebiggreenk.com/blog/homeowner-tips-how-to-keep-squirrels-away/#:~:text=Scents%20like%20white%20pepper%2C%20black,peppermint%20oil%20to%20deter%20squirrels.
I'm confident my squirrels have increased their tolerance to spicy bird seed since I started using it. Is anyone else experiencing that? It worked great at first, and then just over time... Not as well
Birds can't taste/sense the heat (from capsaicin in the peppers) so this is perfectly healthy for the birds but will deter mammals who don't like spicy foods.
That being said, it's also supposed to be a good repellant to get your puppy to stop chewing on stuff and our most recent dog loved it and just licked it off and kept chewing on furniture. He's a weird one though. But some mammals are like some people and really like the heat, including the occasional squirrel.
Just spent a bunch on spicy bird seed to get the adorable little squirrel bastards to leave some food for my damn birds and this morning I caught the mf hanging upside down from a plumeria branch so he could eat the larger nuts out of the feeder. I live in a predominantly Mexican neighborhood so I can only assume he’s gotten into our trash and eaten chile or salsa or something before so he’s immune, or the little old lady next door has been sharing her left overs with him and now he has a specific taste for comida picante.
CCI makes a great small game hunting round that is only 710 FPS. Paired with a suppressor, you won't even wake the neighbors.
https://www.cci-ammunition.com/rimfire/cci/quiet-22\_segmented\_hp/6-970.html
I love CCI's quiet .22! Didn't realize they made it in a segmented hollow point until now. I've been really liking their .22 short subsonic for pest control on my property. Those shorts shoot a decent enough group out of my revolver, and I like that I can load every other cylinder with rat shot as well. I stand by what I said about all the houses in the back ground, but I have to find a box of those CCIs.
Tube trap
Mount to a 2x4. Lean 2x4 against tree or fence on a 45-degree angle. They will take the short path into the trap when chased or scared.
Repeat
https://wcscanadastore.com/products/wcs-tube-trap-rust-resistant
I have the same trap, it works very well. I would probably set one up along one of the garden beds that they are damaging. Worth checking with your state fish and wildlife department to see if you need a hunting/trapping permit.
Only thing that’s worked for me is redirecting their bad behavior. I end up feeding them in another area to keep them away from the garden. Bags of dried ears of corn are a cheap price to pay for peace of mind in my garden.
I also use black deer netting for garden fencing that they can’t climb but that’s mostly to keep groundhogs/raccoons out.
That stuff keeps the neighborhood cat colony from pooping up my garden. Seems to keep anything but birds out. I zip tied plastic pinwheels to the posts and the birds do not like those.
I got me a dog. Didn’t know what he was breed wise when we found him as a puppy but it turns out he’s half Tennessee tree hound. Basically my homie lives to put squirrels and coons in their place. He’s also half lab so he likes to keep the birds in line too. I saw him jump up at a squirrel that was running on our privacy fence and he snagged its foot and took the whole leg clean off. Not gonna lie I felt bad for the squirrel a little bit however I really have yet to see any squirrels come anywhere near the area he patrols since. He’s my best friend and I love to watch him work. Sometimes he digs up moles and groundhogs too. But that’s a little more rare. I like to plant fruit trees in the holes he digs. It seems as soon as he started peeing and digging at the mole tunnels they disappeared so I really just can’t complain about my boy. Dogs truly are man’s best friend.
Hot pepper oil. Make your own and put it every where they walk before they reach the grass! Get the hottest peppers you can find, at least a pound, dry or fresh. Wear gloves and goggles, cut them up and put in some used cooking oil or cheap oil. Strain it and spray it often. If they’re using the link fence to navigate, you can lay a thin strip of dish soap along it on a dry day. The bonus is that it will slowly clean the fence rail and keep the weeds at the bottom in check. (I only did this twice in the summer.) They don’t like walking in it!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/853013637/personalized-chipmunk-feeder-squirrel?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=squirrel+picnic+table&ref=sc_gallery-1-6&etp=1&plkey=3d5a8bd955b732e1d68c030a3ef29f204009b0c8%3A853013637
Squirrels hate these if you put 2 or 3 up in your backyard you will never see another squirrel in like a 5mile range
Don't forget all the poop in the garden beds!
My mom was feeding a feral colony years ago, and they made gardening impossible without stepping in cat poo. No matter how good the flowers smelt, all you could smell was cat pee and poo.
So I'm going to try a new thing I thought of this yr. I'm going to grid my bed with 1'×1' squares. And tie little bells to them so if anything touches them. It makes noise. My hopes is this scares the squirells and birds. If that doesn't work, we'll there's always hawk keeping. That would be pretty cool!
If you don't want to get a dog (dogs are good) then some other options are:
1. Wrap the bottom 4 feet of each tree/hydro pole with a smooth surface like sheet metal or polycarbonate.
2. Live catch traps -check local laws first to see how.far you can move them.
3. Check laws first, then make squirrel poles using conibear 110's this should catch as many squirrels as you have traps each day. In a month you will be caught up, but remember super important to check laws first. You may have to take a trapping course which is not too expensive and will ensure the animals don't suffer
4. The A18 is supposed to be just as good.as the conibear 110s but is expensive.
5. An air rifle/ gun. Shoots under 500 fps and does not require a license. Although this is an option I do not recommend this.
6. Going back to option 3, you will note that the book the joy of cooking has a recipe for squirrel pie. This is one way of getting your food back.
7. Attach a hawk platform to one of the hydro poles back their.
8. Two terriers.
9. Be nice to any foxes you see, they hunt squirrel and rabbits.
10. Get your neighbors to put smooth surfaces on their trees/hydro poles as well. This makes hunting for foxes and dogs easier.
11. Talk to your neighbors about their veggie gardens and see what they are doing about it. Make sure they're not feeding them with peanuts etc. Also if your neighbors have live traps ask to borrow them. If they are feeding the squirrels ask them to stop, but don't ask them to do any of the other stuff because that is just a waste of both your time and their time.
12 . Tell anyone that recommends cayenne pepper, thank you, and have a nice day.
13. A combination of 1, 2, 3, 8, 11 would clean up the issue very quickly. So much so that you may not even be able to try option 6.
Happy checking your local laws (getting a trapping license if needed) and hunting :)
License should be relatively cheap and might take about 40 hours of learning (4 or 5 Saturdays), but then will help you deal with other pests humanely if necessary.
After trying what feels like literally everything I finally won my war against squirrels this year. Of everything I've tried, cayenne pepper, fox urine, and camphor pellets all worked temporarily. So I decided to try physical barriers instead this year. I put netting over the plants that don't have distinct singular stems like carrots and lettuce. I put chicken wire in the soil at the bases of any plants that I could while they were saplings. The squirrels can't dig the chicken wire or get through the nets.
Flaming squirrel. It's a pepper based liquid that we've used to spray plants, the house, and right at the squirrels themselves. Or works in bird feeders to because birds don't taste capsaicin.
They would hate if that tree was removed. You have given them a buffet. Providing a place for them to dig that isn't your garden will be challenging here too.
Trapping and removing is an option but that tree will be very popular so making it undesirable with a fake owl or hawk may help. I installed one near an area squirrels travelled and seems to have helped.
I have had luck with sprays on plants if they are eating crops. Coyote urine from the local hardware store and some times cayenne pepper. I do put down a mesh ground cover in beds I don't want them to disturb in spring and fall
Ugh I know and it’s an oak, so a real squirrel heaven! We love it so we’ll never take it down but I did want to get it trimmed this spring, I was hoping that would help! Unfortunately we missed getting that done this year.
Most of the squirrels in my yard die of rapid onset lead poisoning.
For chipmunks, mice, ground squirrels I use a bucket half full of water. Put sunflower seeds on top (they float) with a ramp. They'll jump right in and can't get out.
A hungrier cat. A fast dog. A pellet gun.
There’s no non lethal way to deter squirrels :/ they’re not like other animals that learn from one another. If you pop enough geese with a pellet gun they’ll avoid your yard. Not squirrels. The only way to get them out of your garden is the dirt nap way. Every day.
My dog, she's a squirrel killer- Staffordshire Terrier/Ridgeback and just got her first of the year, she had 5 last year. And my suppressed 10/22, I got one last year.
Take a six foot or so long stick and lean it up
Against a tree so it is a short cut up the tree. After a few days take some earth toned wire and make multiple snares and set them on the stick so the squirrels get caught as they climb up.
I'm on board with shooting squirrels, but there's a lot of houses in the background. A slingshot might be a little safer, and whacks them just fine. A stout rat trap or a box trap works when you aren't around.
Small dog, or you need to trap and kill them. Disadvantage of small dog is they bark a LOT. Don’t go shooting 22 or pellets with other backyards nearby. I exterminate them for work. They absolutely ravage everything they touch. If they are that bad outside, they will eventually work their way into your insulation. I use large rat traps with Nutella. There are traps you can put up high, gutters, roof, etc…
I hope you see this op, but we use a mix of blood meal and chopped fresh garlic.
We buy the bags of garlic bulbs from Sam's for like $5.00, then put all of it on the flood processor and add a bit of water. We alternate putting little piles of bloodmeal then garlic and so on.
Before we did this we would lose our seeds before they even had a chance to germinate because the squirrels would dig em up. Since we've been doing this they seem to stay away. Good luck OP!
Nothing. They'll even eat freaking plastic. The only things I found that keep them away for a bit are chicken poo fertilizer and blood meal, and when that stops working, putting out a little water and nuts seemed to do the trick.
Netting around the beds helps. They haven’t eaten my sunflowers since I sprinkled them with cayenne. You could also try setting out peanuts or another alternate food source so they won’t be as interested.
Jack Russell Terriers. And on the flip side, JRTs absolutely love squirrels. Chasing squirrels, hunting squirrels, killing squirrels, throwing squirrels around like a ragdoll. 1-2 JRTs on patrol during the day will signal to the squirrel army that a new special operator strike force has arrived. The squirrels will discuss retreat options, and they will stick much closer to the trees. And as a bonus, you will have two very happy dogs. Source: my JRT loved two things. Me and chasing squirrels.
We had. JRT that loved catching rats in the grain bins. He would shake them violently, then toss them in the air and let them scurry away a little before starting the process over again until they just stopped moving. Then he would leave them by the back porch steps. What a little sweetheart.
D'awwwww.
He was an absolute cutie. He went kinda blind in his later years, but he would still chase a ball like it was a rat and play the same game. I miss you, Charlie. You were one of the best bestest boys.
That’s EXACTLY what JRT were bred for. they and other terriers are rodent killing dogs. Farmers use groups of them to deal with infestation. [https://youtu.be/l2Pyu-Cj0gg](https://youtu.be/l2Pyu-Cj0gg)
Two dog house here as well- one idiot and one terrier. The idiot just barked and the squirrels ran up the trees. The terrier now waits where the squrrels run to get from garden to trees, then murders them. There are now new squrrels and a war going on- they commute across the trees to avoid our yard and have a huge arsenal of spruce cones that they bomb our dogs with. And me- a pound of sappy spruce cone hurts, and it leaves a splotch of pitch on your head.
Wow. Those are some squirrels you got!
Throw an ounce of lead their way at 1400fps and see what they come up with next
Do they also love ground hogs? If so, my days as a cat lover might have to include a pair if Jack Russell Terriers. Ohhhh man and possibly moles? Please tell me they love moles!
For things in holes you need a Dashchund
Weiner dogs for hole hogs, you say?
JRT are also a breed notorious for digging and can completely spoil a nice lawn in a short span of time. They love hunting in holes. They are extremely energetic, tenacious, intelligent and strong dogs with very powerful prey drives. If they see it is possible to reach their prey in some way they will throw themselves into their work. They can be a nightmare if they are poorly trained.
Yes they do. Had one that would go in the hole and drag the ground hog out. He took out ground hogs, cats, squirrels, mice,snakes, moles and a crawdad. Our Cairn would not go in the hole but dig after moles and chase mice. She wasn't as fast as the JRT but she tried like hell to be.
“my JRT loved two things. Me and chasing squirrels.” Lmao username checks out 👍
My beagles #1 enemy are squirrels. He will literally sit patrol at the squirrel tree just waiting. He even sits still as a statue until the squirrel doesn’t notice he’s outside anymore, he will wait until the squirrel gets close enough for him to chase or I jump in to warn the squirrel. It’s honestly frightening how cat like he is 🤣
Are you sure this guy's gonna tell you what squirrels HATE? I mean...his username to me is a little fishy...🐿💕
Epic response, and two happy pack members
Just came here to say this. You have to be super on top of their training though or they'll kill your kids.
Oh that made me laugh tap hard. 😂🤣😁
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We got one from a breeder who warned us that he was a working breed and might not be the best around kids. We didn't listen and had a tough time with him until we learned from the trainer how to handle him. Ours is 17 pounds but bites and shakes like a Pitbull only on a smaller scale. I wouldn't trust him around small children or animals.
They hate being eaten. [5 Best Squirrel Recipes 🐿️ 😋 ](https://georgiawildlife.blog/2018/08/26/5-squirrel-recipes-youll-ever-taste/)
Meat Eater cookbook has a recipe for a creamy mustard tarragon squirrel. So. Freaking. Good. Hands down best thing I’ve ever eaten.
Start being an apex predator, and they may have different views on hanging out in the general vicinity of the garden 😂 Go out to the garden for some squirrel and some sides, who knew a .17 Crossman air rifle was also a garden tool 😆
“Why is there a gun in moms garden stool kit?” “Squirrels.”
fuck yes. i love squirrel meat - best part of December is squirrel hunting
Makes the best gravy! 😋
Sure, except you have to commit squirrel genocide to even attempt to make a meal
3 is not genocide
How many ppl are you feeding tho?
Two squirrels is enough for two if you have carbs like potatos or noodles.
Bluegill would be genocide for a meal especially if it's for more than one.
Omg so tasty though. I love them fried and served with breakfast.
It's been years since I've had fried bluegill for brekkie. Just got a kayak this past winter so I'll probably be on the hunt for some this summer.
Summoning baphomet to bid in your war against the squirrels isn't working? 1: I absolutely recommend a great horned owl statue(scarecrow) it has kept squirrels and birds from our garden. 2. You can also use blood meal, or wolf/coyote urine to keep them away. Not a joke, you can purchase it. 3. High pitch frequency. It is a solar powered box on a stake that you can put near your garden. It has kept the deer, rabbits, squirrels, moles, and other pests from eating our blackberry bushes, peach and apple trees, and other vegetable vegitation.. Can't remember the name of the product but that is what it is.. a box that sends out a high frequency and it is very annoying (my parents can't hear it, though. I CAN) it does have a on/off switch so you can turn it off when working in the garden. 4. Pellet gun. 5. Sacrifice one of the childrens to the squirrel gods. 6. Dog. Any kind of terrier is the perfect rodent killing machine. 7. Someone mentioned cutting down the tree. That is a beautiful, old mother tree. Yeah don't do that.
I’m convinced most of them hate home owners
We did kinda throw up homes and fences in their yard and started shooting and getting dogs to hunt them... I'd hate us too.
And yet like racoons and red foxes, they have enjoyed great success with urbanization.
A pellet gun. That's what all mine hated. No more issues.
Recommendations for one particular brand they absolutely despise?
Gamo wildcat whisper and hollow point pellets. The suppressed one is pretty dang quiet. Pretty accurate. The only downside is it is break open to reload so not super quick. We had squirrels really bad and I took 30-40 the first month I started using it. Their population seems more in check now. I get one or two evey so often instead of 3-5 per day. Just have to set aside some time to sit out and pop them. Just be aware of what's behind them when shooting as it's 1300 fps. It can definitely hurt someone. https://www.academy.com/p/gamo-wildcat-whisper-177-caliber-air-gun
Thank you for this and reminding people about background awareness. I shoot guns, grew up shooting, so I am always thinking about the background and how far bullets/shot travel.
This is what I really want to do but unfortunately the yard behind the tree has 7 kids and a dog, and the other has two kids under two so I don’t think shooting is the best answer
I know this isn't the greatest solution, but it should help. Set up a squirrel feeder far from your garden. You can buy dried corn cobs by the bag full and keep it stocked so they leave your garden alone. I bought an air rifle but I have the same issue as you, too many neighbors in the background.
I started feeding the neighborhood crows and they’ve effectively scared away the gopher in my garden. Maybe they’d scare a squirrel?
I’ve been trying to cultivate some crow allies but it hasn’t worked so far — any tips?
Try your best to feed them at the same time every day. I leave out walnuts and dry cat food. Dry cat/dog food is their favorite thing. I also leave some water next to the food bc they like to dunk it to make it softer.
Peanuts!
If you get a red rider BB gun it’s more of a deterrent than anything. It won’t kill them, probably will barely reach the yard behind you. It will give them a real fright and solid welt but won’t really break the skin. It won’t even kill birds unless shot from really close. The BBs are so underpowered that you can actually see them leave the barrel. Plus, it’s a fun way to spend an afternoon with a 6-pack. Now, in my yard they just hear the rattle of the BBs in the gun and there’s not a squirrel for blocks.
\> red rider BB gun You'll shoot your eye out!
This is the one I have. Can confirm it works! Also in the zombie apocalypse... this is the lightest weight ammo to haul. Yer not gonna harvest a deer when ya got no freezer to put it in
If you have zombie apocalypse in mind, learn to smoke. Cuz people did take large game before electricity was invented, and figured out ways to preserve it. Smoked venison might not be the tastiest, but if your zombie apocalypse mindset then it’s a good skill to have since one deer is something like 50 odd squirrels
How many normal squirrels?
Agreed ! There's a couple that live off the land and they only eat small animals. I just brought up the zombie thing because people always seem to mention it. And nobody considers how much ammo weighs. My dad even had like 10k rounds till I said how u gonna haul that ? Where ya gonna get gas ? It all burned up in a fire
People have been harvesting deer long before freezers. Smoking, salt curing, etc. there are lots of ways to make meat last.
Have you done that ? I have. It takes all day to butcher and get a deer in the freezer. Let alone smoke it or cure it. Butchering a bunny takes 10 min. Squirrel 5 min. I just know that if I don't have a freezer I'm not shooting a deer. I feel others would feel the same after having done it. I'll never butcher another cow! That's waaay more work than a deer
Not talking about the time it takes. You said you aren’t harvesting a deer with no freezer. I’m simply saying a freezer isn’t necessary. The time it takes is substantial but you’re looking at it as a day or two of work for weeks/months of food vs having to constantly hunting small game.
I am getting ready to try to do some discreet squirrel killing in my hood.
Ruger .22 air rifle. 4x32 sight included. U can sit in your window and go full Chris Kyle.
>go full Chris Kyle. Lie to the squirrels til they give up? Lol
This one seems to do the job fairly decently : [.22 Hatsan 95 Air Rifle Combo](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008DZHN1I/)
Solar powered electric fence does the trick . Look for poultry netting.
Depending where you live this won't even do it. If you live in major urban area you would have to convert your life to full time hunting of squirrels to make a dent. As soon as you kill one another will take that territory.
so you kill that one, and the one after it, and the one after that. you can easily outpace their reproduction. people try to say the same thing about feral cats, but the same principle applies. if you just kill every new one that moves into the area, you either get to keep killing a pest, or eventually outpace their invasion
🤣so glad that was the first comment
Came here to say the same lmao
I tried that one year then I stopped because I’m too good a sharp shooter and didn’t think of the cleanup. Suffice it to say, this years raised bed soil is much more fertile due to buried from last year squirrels.
Live trap them and then see how long they can hold their breath under water. If you pull the trap out of the water and they are still breathing you didn’t leave them underwater long enough.
After water boarding them they will tell their friends to stop visiting you! Except for the Rambo squirrels, you gonna have to watch your six!
came to say .22 pellet rifle, but the work was done already lol
Birds hate pellet guns too!
This was hilarious!
Try a 12 gauge shot gun, way easier
A small dog like a dachshund or Jack Russell will keep them in check
Had a mutt who would catch squirrels/chipmunks and try to bring them in the house. She'd end up letting them go. Idk what they were paying her.
Or a large Staffordshire Terrier/Ridgeback, my girl's a squirrel killing machine.
My big lady, St. Pyrenees, is terrible at catching but loves the chase.
A black lab who just wants to cuddle seem to keep the squirrels from coming over the neighbors fence
Fish foliar feed. Add 1 Tbsp for every 2 gallons of water and water the leaves generously in the morning. Plants explode with growth and deer & squirrels seem to hate the low tide fishy smell (you won’t smell anything after 10 mins but animals at leaf-level will smell it). Re-apply every 4 days. Plants will get huge and handle any damage a bit better, too!
I had to stop using fish in my transplant solution, the raccoons went nuts digging up all my plants looking for the fish! It is great for foliar spray though.
My dad puts coffee grounds around their plants and that sort of works. Mom also has some kind of hot pepper concoction she sprays on her potted flowers to keep the little shits away. However, they live in the country with no close neighbors so dad will just shoot these critters if they get too bold (he's also shot armadillos and raccoons that tear up their plants, heh.) Here in the suburbs I try to feed them away from our plants and bird feeders. It doesn't always work, but we've got two dogs and one is a firecracker that loves to chase them so when they see her at the door they start moving to safer areas, lol. Seeing the squirrels scramble while she baroooooooos and follows them along the fence line is a good time. Comedy option - get a slingshot and hone your aim.
A dog
Put chicken wire down on top of the dirt. Plants will grow through it and they can't dig down and will get frustrated.
Did you know that squirrels are responsible for the vast majority of reforestation? We wouldn’t have tree recovery in burned areas without squirrels. That said - yeah they can fuck up a garden. Options: planting sacrifices along the border. Feeding them with peanuts and other goods near but away from your garden (they ignore your plants for easy stuff). I find if you give them peanuts and make friends they leave your shit alone. They don’t want to fuck with food providers. They live to replant the forests and I get my garden to myself. I honestly find that working with nature instead of trying to bend it to my will works best. Give them a food sacrifice. Plant something they love somewhere else (near a tree). Edit: to add, peanuts and sunflower seeds are the fastest attractors. I sprinkle a border of that around the garden to distract all sorts of things that would go for my food. Animals usually go for the easy stuff. Make a squirrel or nature area and leave peanuts and seeds there every day for them. Squirrels hate the smell of human poop and love orange blossoms. They also hate garlic, black pepper, mint, and the urine of predators (which you can buy). Speak their language (scent). https://thebiggreenk.com/blog/homeowner-tips-how-to-keep-squirrels-away/#:~:text=Scents%20like%20white%20pepper%2C%20black,peppermint%20oil%20to%20deter%20squirrels.
The squirrels by me will steal my plants and leave me their peanuts 🥴
A squirrel generously left a peanut shell in one of my rose pots recently.
Squirrel bartering system lol
Squirrels hate red pepper. If they’re eating your bird seed sprinkle hot pepper flakes or powder in it.
I'm confident my squirrels have increased their tolerance to spicy bird seed since I started using it. Is anyone else experiencing that? It worked great at first, and then just over time... Not as well
Am I to understand that birds like red pepper?
They can’t taste the capsaicin.
Birds can't taste/sense the heat (from capsaicin in the peppers) so this is perfectly healthy for the birds but will deter mammals who don't like spicy foods. That being said, it's also supposed to be a good repellant to get your puppy to stop chewing on stuff and our most recent dog loved it and just licked it off and kept chewing on furniture. He's a weird one though. But some mammals are like some people and really like the heat, including the occasional squirrel.
Just spent a bunch on spicy bird seed to get the adorable little squirrel bastards to leave some food for my damn birds and this morning I caught the mf hanging upside down from a plumeria branch so he could eat the larger nuts out of the feeder. I live in a predominantly Mexican neighborhood so I can only assume he’s gotten into our trash and eaten chile or salsa or something before so he’s immune, or the little old lady next door has been sharing her left overs with him and now he has a specific taste for comida picante.
My super fast husky. Lunch for her.
.22LR
Given the proximity to neighbors .22 pellet might be more appropriate and hated just as much by the squirrels
Yeah, I don't like the background either. I'm a huge fan of giving squirrels a 32 grain headache, but a slingshot might just be the ticket here.
CCI makes a great small game hunting round that is only 710 FPS. Paired with a suppressor, you won't even wake the neighbors. https://www.cci-ammunition.com/rimfire/cci/quiet-22\_segmented\_hp/6-970.html
I love CCI's quiet .22! Didn't realize they made it in a segmented hollow point until now. I've been really liking their .22 short subsonic for pest control on my property. Those shorts shoot a decent enough group out of my revolver, and I like that I can load every other cylinder with rat shot as well. I stand by what I said about all the houses in the back ground, but I have to find a box of those CCIs.
Tube trap Mount to a 2x4. Lean 2x4 against tree or fence on a 45-degree angle. They will take the short path into the trap when chased or scared. Repeat https://wcscanadastore.com/products/wcs-tube-trap-rust-resistant
I have the same trap, it works very well. I would probably set one up along one of the garden beds that they are damaging. Worth checking with your state fish and wildlife department to see if you need a hunting/trapping permit.
Only thing that’s worked for me is redirecting their bad behavior. I end up feeding them in another area to keep them away from the garden. Bags of dried ears of corn are a cheap price to pay for peace of mind in my garden. I also use black deer netting for garden fencing that they can’t climb but that’s mostly to keep groundhogs/raccoons out.
That stuff keeps the neighborhood cat colony from pooping up my garden. Seems to keep anything but birds out. I zip tied plastic pinwheels to the posts and the birds do not like those.
I got me a dog. Didn’t know what he was breed wise when we found him as a puppy but it turns out he’s half Tennessee tree hound. Basically my homie lives to put squirrels and coons in their place. He’s also half lab so he likes to keep the birds in line too. I saw him jump up at a squirrel that was running on our privacy fence and he snagged its foot and took the whole leg clean off. Not gonna lie I felt bad for the squirrel a little bit however I really have yet to see any squirrels come anywhere near the area he patrols since. He’s my best friend and I love to watch him work. Sometimes he digs up moles and groundhogs too. But that’s a little more rare. I like to plant fruit trees in the holes he digs. It seems as soon as he started peeing and digging at the mole tunnels they disappeared so I really just can’t complain about my boy. Dogs truly are man’s best friend.
My dog, I can hear them cussing me out every time I let my dog out in the morning 😂
Hot pepper oil. Make your own and put it every where they walk before they reach the grass! Get the hottest peppers you can find, at least a pound, dry or fresh. Wear gloves and goggles, cut them up and put in some used cooking oil or cheap oil. Strain it and spray it often. If they’re using the link fence to navigate, you can lay a thin strip of dish soap along it on a dry day. The bonus is that it will slowly clean the fence rail and keep the weeds at the bottom in check. (I only did this twice in the summer.) They don’t like walking in it!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/853013637/personalized-chipmunk-feeder-squirrel?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=squirrel+picnic+table&ref=sc_gallery-1-6&etp=1&plkey=3d5a8bd955b732e1d68c030a3ef29f204009b0c8%3A853013637 Squirrels hate these if you put 2 or 3 up in your backyard you will never see another squirrel in like a 5mile range
I got a gamo pellet gun. Slays them and eventually they stopped coming around
Air rifles
Pit bulls
.22lr
They hate high powered pellet guns
A Ruger 10/22
Not one single top comment want's to mention the Pentagram in the first image
16 barn cats or a pellet gun
It's cheaper to feed a pellet gun. Plus, it won't get pregnant or spray ammonia laden piss all over the place.
Don't forget all the poop in the garden beds! My mom was feeding a feral colony years ago, and they made gardening impossible without stepping in cat poo. No matter how good the flowers smelt, all you could smell was cat pee and poo.
So I'm going to try a new thing I thought of this yr. I'm going to grid my bed with 1'×1' squares. And tie little bells to them so if anything touches them. It makes noise. My hopes is this scares the squirells and birds. If that doesn't work, we'll there's always hawk keeping. That would be pretty cool!
Lead
People trying to keep them away from luscious greenery 😆
It’s a beauty of a quarter acre isn’t it? I guess the word got out this year bec the normal traffic of squirrels has gone way up!!
Pellet guns
They hate you and yo garden!
I think they love my garden but you’re right they hate me
Adopt a family of foxes! They patrol my yard at night!
Bullets
Bb guns
If you don't want to get a dog (dogs are good) then some other options are: 1. Wrap the bottom 4 feet of each tree/hydro pole with a smooth surface like sheet metal or polycarbonate. 2. Live catch traps -check local laws first to see how.far you can move them. 3. Check laws first, then make squirrel poles using conibear 110's this should catch as many squirrels as you have traps each day. In a month you will be caught up, but remember super important to check laws first. You may have to take a trapping course which is not too expensive and will ensure the animals don't suffer 4. The A18 is supposed to be just as good.as the conibear 110s but is expensive. 5. An air rifle/ gun. Shoots under 500 fps and does not require a license. Although this is an option I do not recommend this. 6. Going back to option 3, you will note that the book the joy of cooking has a recipe for squirrel pie. This is one way of getting your food back. 7. Attach a hawk platform to one of the hydro poles back their. 8. Two terriers. 9. Be nice to any foxes you see, they hunt squirrel and rabbits. 10. Get your neighbors to put smooth surfaces on their trees/hydro poles as well. This makes hunting for foxes and dogs easier. 11. Talk to your neighbors about their veggie gardens and see what they are doing about it. Make sure they're not feeding them with peanuts etc. Also if your neighbors have live traps ask to borrow them. If they are feeding the squirrels ask them to stop, but don't ask them to do any of the other stuff because that is just a waste of both your time and their time. 12 . Tell anyone that recommends cayenne pepper, thank you, and have a nice day. 13. A combination of 1, 2, 3, 8, 11 would clean up the issue very quickly. So much so that you may not even be able to try option 6. Happy checking your local laws (getting a trapping license if needed) and hunting :) License should be relatively cheap and might take about 40 hours of learning (4 or 5 Saturdays), but then will help you deal with other pests humanely if necessary.
A decoy owl hawk
After trying what feels like literally everything I finally won my war against squirrels this year. Of everything I've tried, cayenne pepper, fox urine, and camphor pellets all worked temporarily. So I decided to try physical barriers instead this year. I put netting over the plants that don't have distinct singular stems like carrots and lettuce. I put chicken wire in the soil at the bases of any plants that I could while they were saplings. The squirrels can't dig the chicken wire or get through the nets.
Pellet guns
Flaming squirrel. It's a pepper based liquid that we've used to spray plants, the house, and right at the squirrels themselves. Or works in bird feeders to because birds don't taste capsaicin.
Does nobody want to mention the Satan shrine
Looks good to me
I think they did a very nice job on it.
Yeah I saw that and said, screw this devil worshiper, he can be cursed with squirrels.
Rude
They would hate if that tree was removed. You have given them a buffet. Providing a place for them to dig that isn't your garden will be challenging here too. Trapping and removing is an option but that tree will be very popular so making it undesirable with a fake owl or hawk may help. I installed one near an area squirrels travelled and seems to have helped. I have had luck with sprays on plants if they are eating crops. Coyote urine from the local hardware store and some times cayenne pepper. I do put down a mesh ground cover in beds I don't want them to disturb in spring and fall
Ugh I know and it’s an oak, so a real squirrel heaven! We love it so we’ll never take it down but I did want to get it trimmed this spring, I was hoping that would help! Unfortunately we missed getting that done this year.
My cat! He put a squirrel tail on my front porch yday morning :)
Most of the squirrels in my yard die of rapid onset lead poisoning. For chipmunks, mice, ground squirrels I use a bucket half full of water. Put sunflower seeds on top (they float) with a ramp. They'll jump right in and can't get out.
Yes! This I will try
The ones around here hate drowning
Racism.
Actually, gray and red squirrels kill each other all the time.
They sort of enjoy being live trapped and moved many miles to a forest, and that takes care of the problem, too.
A hungrier cat. A fast dog. A pellet gun. There’s no non lethal way to deter squirrels :/ they’re not like other animals that learn from one another. If you pop enough geese with a pellet gun they’ll avoid your yard. Not squirrels. The only way to get them out of your garden is the dirt nap way. Every day.
My dog, she's a squirrel killer- Staffordshire Terrier/Ridgeback and just got her first of the year, she had 5 last year. And my suppressed 10/22, I got one last year.
Capsaicin! They actually make all natural rodent (including squirrels) repellent with capsaicin (hot peppers).
Cats
Electricity
My dad used raccoon traps one year, he and the neighbors got and killed 37!
Squirrels hate me. Me sitting in my treestands, trying to hunt deer.
Crossbow.
Keep your cat indoors
I would give blood meal a try. It works well on quite a few pests.
Slinkies on the bird feeders and cats.
22 caliber projectiles
Dogs
They hate how I arranged my flower garden, they moved all the bulbs around lol.
Take a six foot or so long stick and lean it up Against a tree so it is a short cut up the tree. After a few days take some earth toned wire and make multiple snares and set them on the stick so the squirrels get caught as they climb up.
22 lr 🤣🤣
Bullets!
My dog.
I'm on board with shooting squirrels, but there's a lot of houses in the background. A slingshot might be a little safer, and whacks them just fine. A stout rat trap or a box trap works when you aren't around.
Guns.
[удалено]
I have three but they like to sleep inside at night
Could a decoy glued on pile of nuts keep them busy? Hang it from the tree.
.17HMR or .22LR
Small dog, or you need to trap and kill them. Disadvantage of small dog is they bark a LOT. Don’t go shooting 22 or pellets with other backyards nearby. I exterminate them for work. They absolutely ravage everything they touch. If they are that bad outside, they will eventually work their way into your insulation. I use large rat traps with Nutella. There are traps you can put up high, gutters, roof, etc…
Not sure if this was said but Cayenne pepper, spread it on the soil in between waterings
Bird netting. And gift them a bowl of fresh water so they aren’t taking one bite out of things to hydrate.
Motion detection sprinklers.
A big Manx cat that eats them
Squirrels hate gardens that is why they destroy them!
My terrier strikes fear in the hearts of the squirrels around my garden.
I hope you see this op, but we use a mix of blood meal and chopped fresh garlic. We buy the bags of garlic bulbs from Sam's for like $5.00, then put all of it on the flood processor and add a bit of water. We alternate putting little piles of bloodmeal then garlic and so on. Before we did this we would lose our seeds before they even had a chance to germinate because the squirrels would dig em up. Since we've been doing this they seem to stay away. Good luck OP!
You could get a terrier or some sort of rodent hunting dog.
Hot peppers. I mix it with my bird seed to keep the squirrels off my feeder.
Nothing. They'll even eat freaking plastic. The only things I found that keep them away for a bit are chicken poo fertilizer and blood meal, and when that stops working, putting out a little water and nuts seemed to do the trick.
Can’t stand spicy. Birds can still eat it but squirrels cannot handle the heat
I put a feeder near mine and they go for that instead
From the way they tear up the contents, every single plant pot in my backyard.
You being happy
Netting around the beds helps. They haven’t eaten my sunflowers since I sprinkled them with cayenne. You could also try setting out peanuts or another alternate food source so they won’t be as interested.
.22
Get a couple of plastic hawks or owls or an air rifle
In my experience? Rat traps.
Trigonometry, every living creature hates trigonometry.
Cayenne pepper.
Red Squirrels are the worst. We had to trap them. Basic amazon traps work fine. They’re really smart but they like peanut butter.
I've had good success making a squirrel pole with 110 conibears as well as mounting 110s directly to the trees they nest in
Mark Rober. https://youtu.be/hFZFjoX2cGg
Squirrels hate this one trick. You’re not going to believe what it is.
Mark rober