Confounded Squirrels Ripping Shingles Off The House!

[JohnBoy]

Never seen anything like it. Tearing corners off my shingles and leaving them lay. Messing with the ridge cap. Same thing. Lived here twenty-plus years and never had a problem until now.

You know what this means, don't you?

:twisted:

 

[ndcowboy]

War!
We used to have trouble with squirrels back in my college house. I put 110 conibear traps on the roof with oatmeal as bait. Very, very effective.

 

[hittman]

You know what this means, don't you?

:twisted:

Yes.
You'll decide between traps, poison or 22 shorts I'd guess.

 

[Snake45]

You know what this means, don't you?

:twisted:

Yes.
You'll decide between traps, poison or 22 shorts I'd guess.

Dr. Snake prescribes .22 CB Longs and/or a hi-vel .22 air rifle (which is just as deadly as the CB Longs out to 10 yards or so, but inferior farther out. Do not ask how Dr. Snake knows of such things).

 

[tinman]

Aguila Super Colibri primer fired (no powder) 20 grain lead projectile. Good for head shots out to 50 feet from my boltgun. Its quieter than my air rifle.

 

[hittman]

Hmmm.....or a new metal roof?

 

[contender]

Yep,, seen it before.
Have you recently worked on the house & closed off any holes?
COULD be,, they want to get back in the house to access juvies. Very destructive if so.

Stored food. They could have stored food,,, and want to get back to it.

Those are but 2 examples of reasons they may be tearing up the house. Killing the immediate offenders MAY NOT fix the bigger problem. You have to determine WHY they want to tear stuff up.

 

[Taterman]

Dr. Tater recommends an air rifle for the task.

 

[redhawker]

You think squirrels are bad, I've seen raccoons tear 10-foot diameter holes in shake roofs before.

 

[WAYNO]

If a person has mice or rats, they are quickly exterminated without hesitation. But squirrels remain cute, and folks are sometimes reluctant to control them. Squirrels are absolutely out of control in many areas. Raccoons and skunks too.

A long time friend of mine used to question why I'd shoot ground squirrels on the ranches of Central or Eastern Oregon at the invitation of the ranchers. Then when he retired to Central Washington, he learned quickly the damage these squirrels cause to property. He saw his neighbors house burn as a result of squirrel damage to the house wiring. This same person now keeps a shotgun handy by the front door. He now shoots these cute little squirrels on sight.

 

[Pat-inCO]

Back in CO I had to "relocate" a bunch of them. I called animal control to see if
they had any suggestions and she said that the squirrels "were here before we
were" and I reminded her that the subdivision was not in existence when I moved
into town. She didn't like that.

I got a "Have a Heart" trap and tried several different baits. The one that worked
best for me was peanut butter, smeared on the trip lever. I started keeping track of
how many I "relocated". To start with you could go outside during the day and see
five or eight at any time. A year and one half, and seventy five of them later, you
. . . might . . . see one.

Main point is that you will NOT make an appreciable change in their numbers for
MANY months (to start with I was getting two or three PER DAY). They have
increased their numbers until the food supply will not support any more. After you
begin to decrease the pressure in your immediate area, they spread from the
surrounding area. Once your entire area has perceptibly fewer, you will not have
the problems you have now.

LOT of effort, but well worth it. :wink:

 

[32shooter]

My mother thought the little red squirrels were cute at the feeder. Until they chewed the wiring on her new John Deere compact tractor. Then it was game on. Pellet gun, .410 shotgun, or whatever was handy when one was nearby.

 

[JohnBoy]

I have a couple tools to consider for the job. First, is my trusty RWS Diana in .22. A powerful and accurate air rifle. Second, is a suppressed Ruger Precision Rimfire.

I have dispatched a number of squirrels (within reasonable range - as Dr. Snake recommends) with the RWS. The RPR is relatively new to me and has not been out on the hunt as of yet - albeit, deadly accurate on paper.

With appropriate ammo selection, I'm betting the RPR will be quieter. That, and quick follow-up shots compared to the RWS, may give the nod to the RPR for this first stage of battle.

I haven't made any recent repairs to the structure but we are grossly overpopulated with the vermin and I'm suspecting they are seeking wintering quarters. Hateful.

A steel roof has been considered - just not in the immediate budget.

I did live-trap/relocate one year but had compelling evidence the darn things were returning to the property after being released up to two miles away! I also understand there can be a concern related to the relocation of wild animals - unless we 'dirt nap' what we trap.

I like the Aguila Super Colibri and might try them in the RPR - just being mindful a projectile could get stuck in the barrel.

My first target is 'Big Red' - a very large Fox Squirrel that was caught in the act. After he is gone, I'll thin the ranks as opportunity presents.

I'm ruling out poison bait as we have a number of raptors and fox in the area. They are my allies in this battle and will relish the clean-up detail.

One additional thing I'm considering - a bit more drastic - is removal of a large tree and several overhanging branches from other trees - squirrel highways - that lead to the roof. I hate to cut down trees but I'm living in a war zone and sacrifices must be made.

Wish me good fortune as I confront this worthy foe on the field! Hopefully it won't deriorate into a 'CaddyShack 2' folly - Groundskeeper vs. Squoil.

 

[Fox Mike]

Here are my squirrel problems. My Daisy Red Rider is positioned by the front door just for them. Does little or no good.

 

[Bull Barrel]

Dynamite.

 

[contender]

Extermination helps a bunch,, but as noted, you have to get rid of a LOT of them to make a difference. I did a law office this past spring,, and they had seen 15. They stopped me when I'd caught 21,, and the day I picked up the traps & a couple of squirrels at the same time,, I also saw 3 more nearby.

Taking down the tree would help but not necessarily stop them. I'd look at trimming limbs first,, before removal.
A gray squirrel can jump horizontally up to about 12 ft.

Determined squirrels can & will even chew metal. If you do put on a metal roof,,, make it heavy gauge.


Multiple traps,, will catch more of them quickly,, and be the least time consuming. Just don't relocate them. I used 15 traps at the law office to start with.

 

[375supermag]

Only way to be sure is to nuke them from space...

 

[JohnBoy]

We have over a hundred mature Oak on the property. The squirrels travel in packs up to a dozen. I have no estimate of how many squirrels are on this property but I know it is a large number - plus, there are countless squirrels throughout the development in which I reside.

The neighbor was having trouble with squirrels causing damage to his siding and facia several years back. He claimed to have eliminated over 100 from his property over the course of a summer. Surprisingly, it really did not make a difference in squirrel numbers. More squirrels just moved in to fill the void. :shock:

I'm going to do some limb trimming as well and see if that helps to keep them off the roof. I'll hold off on the tree removal for now.

 

[mohavesam]

Cheap shingles?

Go with steel next time. Or slate if you're living right?

 

[Thumbcocker]

We have over a hundred mature Oak on the property. The squirrels travel in packs up to a dozen. I have no estimate of how many squirrels are on this property but I know it is a large number

The only answer is belt fed and crew served.

 

[caryc]

I got one of these traps at my local feed store. They really do work well. They come with a big heavy plastic pan that the trap fits in. Once you catch the squirrels, you're supposed to submerge the trap in the pan filled with water. I don't like that idea though so, I just use my single six with shot shells to dispatch them right in the trap. Once you walk up to the trap they will calm down in a while so you can get the barrel right over their head and shoot. The shot shells do no damage to the trap.

I have trapped two squirrels at a time but I'd rather dispatch the squirrel when only one is in the trap.

https://www.amazon.com/Rugged-Ranch...keywords=squirrelinator&qid=1569434143&sr=8-3

 

[Jeepnik]

My cat's getting on and has given up on squirrels. Mice and rats however are still on the menu.

I've found that this works really well on squirrels. Plus being full auto it's loads of fun.

 

[Snake45]

Here are my squirrel problems. My Daisy Red Rider is positioned by the front door just for them. Does little or no good.

Daisy Red Ryder isn't powerful enough to SOLVE the problem, just annoy/inconvenience them temporarily.

BTW, forgot to mention: .22 CB Longs in a 24" barrel sound like a handclap. My .22 air rifle sounds something like an aluminum screen door slamming. Neither sound draws unwanted attention from neighbors.

Mike, put that feeder on the ground, so you're shooting DOWN for a safe backstop. You're welcome. :wink:

 

[Pierow]

Used my RWS .177 cal. to take out about 25 ground squirrels on my property when I was married. It's the 48b model and was effective past 150'. My neighbors had two Saluki's so all the squirrels came to my side of the fence. Nice thing about it was no squirrel went un-eaten. A few times a Red Tail swooped in for the easy meal before I had a chance to get to it.

.....Mike, put that feeder on the ground, so you're shooting DOWN for a safe backstop. You're welcome. :wink:

Very good advice Dr.,

Pierow

 

[JohnBoy]

My cat's getting on and has given up on squirrels. Mice and rats however are still on the menu.

I've found that this works really well on squirrels. Plus being full auto it's loads of fun.

Ah, yes. The SBR by Crosman. Makes me smile every time I throw the switch. I have no doubt it would wreck a squirrel's day - but it is a tad loud! Not too loud, mind you, just a tad loud. :mrgreen:

Man, I may have to take mine out yet tonight. I can't stop laughing just thinking about how much fun I have shooting that beast!

 

[JohnBoy]

Cary - that trap rocks - based on your info and the product details. Might be just the ticket! Thanks for posting.

 

[contender]

One problem with any trap that employs the use of water as a method of euthanasia. In SOME states,, (NC being one,) it is ILLEGAL to drown wildlife. They call it "Animal Cruelty" yet,, some forms of trapping are legal,, as a drowning set. Kinda double standards.

Just don't break the law,, or some little old lady will get upset & call the bunny cops.

 

[Mus408]

Checked on my deer feeder last week and something,looks like squirrels, chewed off half the plastic door to the battery/control box that hangs underneath along with the power leads and chewed holes through
the lid along the sides! No more plastic deer feeders!!

 

[caryc]

One problem with any trap that employs the use of water as a method of euthanasia. In SOME states,, (NC being one,) it is ILLEGAL to drown wildlife. They call it "Animal Cruelty" yet,, some forms of trapping are legal,, as a drowning set. Kinda double standards.

Just don't break the law,, or some little old lady will get upset & call the bunny cops.

As I said, once they are trapped I shoot them with .22 cal shot shells. I think drowning is a cruel way to do it.

 

[tinman]

I have a Marlin 880 (SS, 22" bbl, bolt gun) that I picked up at a local pawnshop. I set it up just for these Aguila Super Colibri (powderless) rounds. I had an old scope laying around and zeroed it in my hallway using a couple of phone books as a backstop. It will do head shots on squirrels out to 50 feet. The box says they were intended for use in a revolver, as they are too weak to cycle any action, but I have never had one fail to leave the barrel. Good luck with whatever you choose.