Squirrel problem

Blacksheep1979

ben500 wrote: »

All too often as humans our first reaction when we encounter an animal that shares our environment is to kill it. There are many ways to disuade or accomodate animals rather than destroying them merely because they wish to share our living space, most often they were there before us anyway.

Unfortunatley the right idea in this case is to kill the animal as it is a non native animal and vermin. It has all but killed off the native red squirrel and should be controlled. Also they make quite good eating.

tripleh_2

Blacksheep1979 wrote: »

Unfortunatley the right idea in this case is to kill the animal as it is a non native animal and vermin. It has all but killed off the native red squirrel and should be controlled. Also they make quite good eating.

I am enjoying this thread! Some great and different views. My own opinion is that they are vermin and not native to this country, BUT I personally don't want blood on my hands, BUT Blacksheep how do you prepare and cook? I am interested in that!

Sagaris

tripleh wrote: »

I am enjoying this thread! Some great and different views. My own opinion is that they are vermin and not native to this country, BUT I personally don't want blood on my hands, BUT Blacksheep how do you prepare and cook? I am interested in that!

Fill your boots, as they say!
http://www.backwoodsbound.com/zsquir.html

For what it's worth, a pest controller once told me that squirrels (grey ones, anyway) are nothing more than rats with bushy tails and a good PR agent!

tripleh_2

Sagaris wrote: »

Fill your boots, as they say!
http://www.backwoodsbound.com/zsquir.html

For what it's worth, a pest controller once told me that squirrels (grey ones, anyway) are nothing more than rats with bushy tails and a good PR agent!

Your recomendation?

Sagaris

Not tried any of them I'm afraid - as OH is a veggie and I'm rapidly going the same way I'm not likely to either!

Blacksheep1979

tripleh wrote: »

I am enjoying this thread! Some great and different views. My own opinion is that they are vermin and not native to this country, BUT I personally don't want blood on my hands, BUT Blacksheep how do you prepare and cook? I am interested in that!

Not tried them personally as haven't been shooting in quite some time (they seem to frown on it in cities). But they have made apperances at some posh restaurants where a couple of friends have tried it for a laugh.

ben500

Squirrel is easy to prepare and eat and tastes something akin to rabbit but a little bitter.

ben500

Blacksheep1979 wrote: »

Unfortunatley the right idea in this case is to kill the animal as it is a non native animal and vermin. It has all but killed off the native red squirrel and should be controlled. Also they make quite good eating.

It depends on your opinion whether it is the right idea or not to kill them, as for the red don't fool yourself into believing all the hype you read about them being killed off by the grey, yes the grey is an invader but far more damage has been done to the red's ability to maintain or multiply it's numbers by man than the grey could ever have done, there is very little habitat left for the red to survive in whilst the grey on the other hand has proven far more able to adapt than the red, the grey has contributed of that there is no doubt but could not have caused the decimation to the red populace on its own. The grey's contribution is limited to competing more efficiently for the remaining food supplies available and breeding at a higher rate thus pushing the red into oblivion rather than merely under threat. Reds are not the socialites that greys are and as such far less likely to populate urban areas.

Blacksheep1979

ben500 wrote: »

It depends on your opinion whether it is the right idea or not to kill them, as for the red don't fool yourself into believing all the hype you read about them being killed off by the grey, yes the grey is an invader but far more damage has been done to the red's ability to maintain or multiply it's numbers by man than the grey could ever have done, there is very little habitat left for the red to survive in whilst the grey on the other hand has proven far more able to adapt than the red, the grey has contributed of that there is no doubt but could not have caused the decimation to the red populace on its own. The grey's contribution is limited to competing more efficiently for the remaining food supplies available and breeding at a higher rate thus pushing the red into oblivion rather than merely under threat. Reds are not the socialites that greys are and as such far less likely to populate urban areas.

Yes man does harm - but the fact that the grey's will eat food before it fully ripens whereas red's won't is a major problem to them.

TheWaltons_3

tripleh wrote: »

Problem is we back onto a screened golf course (screened with trees) so if one is got rid of it will be replaced. We do have a trap which we tried 2 years ago and I was taking them into the local park to release...until I found out that that is illegal and that if I catch one I have to kill it

Yes you're right there... if you killed them to deter them you'd probably need to kill hundreds of them.... would make interesting reading for your neighbours in the local paper :eek: