[Rampant_Weasel]

i seem to have a resident grey squirrel which has demolished 2 of my birdfeeders and made off with the contents  :x  :x
can u get effective poison or traps? or is shooting the best way?
any advice plz

[Trillium]

What the squirrels eat, a lot of birds will eat so I'd be reluctant to use poison. However, a bit of flying lead should do the trick. It's how I keep them under control because the little beggars can be terribly destructive. Or, you could use anti-squirrel apparati on the feeders - overhead clear globes, metal wrapped posts, etc. One fellow I know wrapped a whole large tree trunk with sheet metal to a height of 10 ft against a racoon problem, which also solved his squirrel problem.  

[Morph]

Can't you just glue one end of the feeder so they won't "demolish" it?

[WG.]

Shooting will work well but please be very, very careful since they will tend to be above ground.   A shotgun fired into the air is relatively safe but a rifle should never be fired unless you can see what the bullet will hit should you miss (or go through) your target, i.e. a back-stop.  A rim-fire 0.22 calibre is lethal at up to a MILE.  Even an air rifle should not be fired without a back-stop.

[richyrich7]

Well said WG good advice.

[pepper]

You can buy squirrel proof feeders with metal parts from CJ Wildlife or Jacobi Jane. I had the same problem some months back with a squirrel completely ruining my plastic feeders. The metal ones have done the trick but I decided to leave a few peanuts out for the squirrel so it wouldn't even try to get at the feeders. For a few weeks it took the nuts (leave too many and it buried them in the garden)! but now it has disappeared and hasn't visited the garden for a couple of months.

[hermon]

prevention is better than cure! take away it's feed sorce with squirel proof feeders you can't kill all the population!

[Morph]

Be careful of other wildlife please, aswell as cats, dogs and people.  So - as I'm ignorant to the use of firearms - can you fire at squirrels generally then - or is it just allowed in rural areas?  

What are the laws governing licenced firearms - don't know much about them?

[WG.]

Be careful of other wildlife please, aswell as cats, dogs and people.  So - as I'm ignorant to the use of firearms - can you fire at squirrels generally then - or is it just allowed in rural areas?  

What are the laws governing licenced firearms - don't know much about them?

Normal rules apply, e.g. with landowner's permission, distant from paved road and, most importantly, WITH FIREARMS CERTIFICATE.

[richyrich7]

Don't think your supposed to shoot in yer back garden are you ?

Some one who know's please clarify thanks.

[WG.]

Don't think your supposed to shoot in yer back garden are you ?

Some one who know's please clarify thanks.

"distant from paved road " usually gets that but, yes please, who can clarify?

[mkhenry]

This reminds me of my pal Sally (no not Aunty) who decided to blast off at a rat that went under her Land Rover.

Her OH retured home to find 3 tyres on his almost new car ripped to shreads.

Unless you are an expert shot my advice would be Trap live and take away to another area.  

[Ice]

Squirrel meat is apparently quite tasty, not unlike chicken.  So shoot the b******s and have a feed at the same time.

[mkhenry]

Squirrel meat is apparently quite tasty, not unlike chicken.  So shoot the b******s and have a feed at the same time.

You are a good cook most people will just end up with a tasteless stringy burnt offering.
But your right of course if you can get over the ooh ahh facter  and cook them properly they are tasty.  

[Aunt Sally]

Unless you are an expert shot my advice would be Trap live and take away to another area.  

I don't think it's legal to release grey squirrels - alien species