Squirrels... a question

[MartynB]

one with virtually no tail that we refer to as 'Stumpy'

Probably had an encounter with a cat

[Steyr]

Presumably they don't normally move into peoples houses do they?
And I'm guessing most people don't have too many young trees in their gardens either.
But even then they seem to populate many woods without detriment to where they live...

Inl9ve squirrelss if they are red. If they are grey they are an invasive species and should be dealt with.

So presumably, you are also happy about signal crayfish and japanese knotweed and asian hornets.

To give yo an example, fe4al cats now (according to anprogramme I watched) occupy 99% of Auz and hav3 been responsible for 24 or 28 extinctions of native species.

Rabbits were brought in and the problem was so big some twat used biological warfare on them with mixxy. Personally, I hate biological introduction and RVHD has made anbigger dent than mixxy ever did.

Presumably your ok with rabbits too as they arencute n fluffy......?

Even the badger has now got some mythological aura to it but as it unfortunately transmitsnbovine TB, its f8nancial impact on farmers and the financial comp3nsation that comes out of our pockets is HUGE.

Whilst it is early days... management methods such as shooting and or inocculation seem tonhave had a big impact on level of infection.

So yeah... I get why people have a downer on greys, bunnies... even munties. Out waterways are decimated by signals and even closely packed traps doesnt touch the sides with eggs in the river beds wait g tonhatch and spread the pox like thenflgrey does to the red.

Nor have you had to spend thousands of pounds replanting field margins yards deep and hundr3ds of yards long because rabbits have taken 8t to the bare soil. And thats just an annual issue.

Trees take years tongrow and return a profit to the investor... only to be nipped out by magpies, deer and greys etc.

It hasnt affected you financially and you dont want to shoot them .... well thats fine. But others have to deal with reality and take action so I take my hat off to them and do what I can compliant to the law

[MrGreengrass]

There is only one thing that should be shot in backyards...rats...there is a no good reason for killing anything else.

[brian747]

There is only one thing that should be shot in backyards...rats...there is a no good reason for killing anything else.

Yes their is ,the landowner wants them gone so as I am his trusted pest controller, so they will go
in a humane manner as all my shooting is carried out which is why I have a large amount of shoots,
x19 at last count, and the land owners only allow a trusted friend 0n 3-4 of my shoots ,all the others they will only me
allow me access , tree rats I probably shoot 20 a month .
atb brian

[DEAN C.]

There is only one thing that should be shot in backyards...rats...there is a no good reason for killing anything else.

I can understand your feelings, but it depends how big your back yard is. None of us should go round shooting anything for no reason.

[Steve Zodiac]

I think I’m right in saying you are not allowed to shoot any back yard wildlife .

With the exception of rats.

[angrybear]

These are genuine questions....

This month in Airgun Shooter magazine is a sizable article about back garden squirrel shooting.
Now I'll be honest from the start - I like the little critters and beyond the danger they represent to the red squirrel - I don't understand the problem they create that requires their eradication and particularly to someones backyard.
Can someone explain what the issue is or are people just looking to shoot anything?

The issue is that they are an alien invasive species & as such legally should be dispatched at any & every opportunity, it's also illegal to release a trapped grey back in to the wild.

I think I’m right in saying you are not allowed to shoot any back yard wildlife .

With the exception of rats.

While all wildlife is inherently protected by law you can shoot vermin, pest & alien invasive species.

No, the Red does not cause the same damage as the grey.

[ashf9999]

What they do do is f*** up bird feeders - even some of the 'squirrel-proof' ones. Got some Mason & Cash nut feeders with very heavy gauge mesh (stamped circles in 1mm plate - certainly not thin for a feeder) and over the course of a couple of months the little sods peeled two open at the seam...

[thumbhole]

There is only one thing that should be shot in backyards...rats...there is a no good reason for killing anything else.

Thats why they get called tree rats.

[Barryg]

Thats why they get called tree rats.

Did you know that the first human ancestors looked like squirrels

[Zomboid]

When I first got permission to shoot in a forestry site the owner explained the damage they do was like someone taking money from his account and getting nothing for it. Add into the damage to bird life and the red squirrels there is very little to praise the grey for!

[Barryg]

These are genuine questions....

This month in Airgun Shooter magazine is a sizable article about back garden squirrel shooting.
Now I'll be honest from the start - I like the little critters and beyond the danger they represent to the red squirrel - I don't understand the problem they create that requires their eradication and particularly to someones backyard.
Can someone explain what the issue is or are people just looking to shoot anything?

I perfer to watch them than kill them
https://youtu.be/DsuVLsDyln4

[harvey_s]

OK, now I understand they can damage woodlands even if I don't see it (even though thats where they live mostly and most animals don't wreck their habitats - with the notable exceptions of humans who do it on industrial scale) and they can in some instances damage house wiring in attics.
But if your garden doesn't contain woodlands bar a few trees and these aren't overhanging your house - should a national magazine be advocating their destruction in your back yard just because some people are bored in lockdown?

Plus if they are so destructive... Why exclude red squirrels, OK they may be the indigenous species, but surely a squirrel is a squirrel - No?

[mr dink]

I know they do damage to trees but i have a nature reserve behind the garden fence we have been here since 1984 and i dont see much damage , i like to wake up and see them chasing around the trees.

[jackal1]

I will eradicate all vermin in my garden that includes squirrels. An old chap down the road told me a couple of years ago that he saw a grey reaching inside a tit nesting box. It extracted every young bird and ate it. They are an alien species and have no place here.