Are you trying to attract them or thin them out?
Hi guys, I have seen a number of different designs of feeders for squirrels, but most seem to fall broadly into two categories. Firstly, those with a loose lid that the squirrels push up to reach the feed inside and secondly, those where the bait food is dispensed or drops out of a hole or slot at the bottom of the feeder. Which type in your opinion is best and why. Thanks in anticipation, Mark
Are you trying to attract them or thin them out?
If they are greys then one with a large spring trap that dispatches them is good.
I find the fine wire mesh tube shaped peanut feeders work fine, the greys have to hang upside down to extract the nuts from the washing line & dosn't seem to deter them at all in my mums garden.
Traps and poison are out of the question. They are like Area Denial Weapons, they don't discriminate. Having watched hundreds of videos with footage of the ususal " pests " being taken out using a variety of methods including ferreting I believe that shooting them in the head is the most " humane " way of getting rid of them. It is not as efficient as ferretting with long nets but neither is it as " prolonged ".
The wire mesh design is fine as it makes them stretch and freeze before taking the bait but do make sure that you have a good backstop, the ones witha bottom dispenser that offer a sit in area are also good but a bit of thought ought to be given to he design.
A.G
It depends on where you are going to site it, if it's in a garden and can be easily topped up then a standard wire tube type is fine. But if it is to be sited in a wood where you can only visit once a week then the bigger the better because it will soon run out if there are greys and jays about.
I've made them out of old floor boards or old brown furniture wood from drawers, they are easy to make and need to be strong. There are plans on the net and youtube on how to make one, I prefer the type with a slit at the botom. Well worth the effort if they are in abundance, give it a go.
Check out "squirrel hunter channel" on youtube. These guys use feeders, but you'll need to look at a few vids over time to catch the evolution of the designs used, as they've changed it over the course through making changes here and there to overcome issues/short comings, plus the adjustments to the feeder ledge to encourage the squirrels to sit nicely for the shooter.
Quite interesting and, entertaining with a macabre gallows humour to it.
Thanks for the replies guys, some interesting points. Keep them coming. Atb, Mark
Use anything with "metal/wire" construction as long as they can see the contents and it is accessable.
Anything made from plastic will get chewed up pretty quick !
They're clever little B***ers and seem well able to work out how to get to peanuts !
“An airgun or two”………
Plant a Walnut tree in your garden; guaranteed sport for years to come.
One Walnut tree has accounted for 100 squirrels a year. Will attract them from miles around.