X#%*&$# Squirrels!

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Well, the blood meal might work for flower pots and such. But I have a number of fruit trees and it would near impossible to coat them with blood meal.  The squirrels' favorite target is the avocado, which happens to be the one I value most. The squirrels will also go after the grapes, apples, peaches, figs, etc.

 

Today I was in the back yard and heard one jump from one roof to another, and then into a tree, but I couldn't spot it (they are great at hiding up high). Later I just happened to be out there and he was, down low on an avocado tree trunk, looking to make trouble. He's now incorporated into the compost bin. The tail will be hung up on the trophy board.

 

These eastern fox squirrels are big and relatively heavy. I didn't weigh it, but it was probably a pound or two. Might be good eating, but ...

 

 

 
 
The old instruction/recipe booklet that came with my '60s Mirro-Matic pressure cooker has a recipe for squirrel.  I'd be happy to share with anyone who might be interested.  Betting it tastes like chicken, but the whole skinning and butchering thing is not for me.
 
Last night I went to the compost bin, uncovered the latest addition, and it weighed in at about 1.5 lbs. So my estimate was pretty close.

 

I'm also not versed in gutting and butchering, but this one did look sort of tasty, LOL. Well, not any more.

 

I have several older copies of Joy of Cooking. The 1967 and 1975 editions have squirrel recipes, including how to skin and dress the meat. It cautions that gray squirrel is preferable to red squirrel for a less gamey taste. It is silent on the third major species, the Eastern Fox Squirrel.
 
Well, Kania seems like a sketchy operation.  There is no on-line ordering option, they seem not to have a presence on any other retailing platform, and after completing the "contact us" on-line form and clicking on "submit," a message pops up that says the contact feature isn't working.

 

I called Kania and got a recording with a female voice that confirmed I'd reached Kania, but advised that she -- like an individual -- was not available and to leave a message. 

 

I may have to settle for second best, as I have little confidence that I'll ever hear from this woman AKA Kania.

 

EDIT

 

I submitted a "contact us" message on the web site for the lone U.S. distributor for Kania, where the model 2000 is shown as out of stock, but at least I might get some information about just what is up with Kania.  I also went back to the Kania site and used the "feedback" navigation to successfully send a message inquiring about availability for purchase.  We'll see whether either of these actions provides a path toward eventual and satisfyingly lethal squirrel abatement.

 

[this post was last edited: 9/30/2020-16:11]
 
SOL

I was astonished to receive a call from Calvin(?) from Kania within perhaps 30 minutes of making my edit to the post above.

 

I was truly disappointed to learn that Kania is in the process of moving production back to Canada (from where, I don't know) and that they are estimating that it will be one year before their traps will again be available.  They are taking names and numbers of all who are interested, but I can't wait that long.  I'll be checking ebay regularly, starting right now.

 

As far as alternatives go, the Koro is looking like it could be worth a try, and it's a whole lot cheaper than a Kania.
 
I just placed an order for a "Little Killer" squirrel trap.  They are being marketed as a substitute for/variation on a Kania 2000. 

 

Per reviews, there's a durability problem but I doubt any issues would be a big deal to repair, and I'll place the trap where it's out of the elements.   I think I may only have two squirrels doing all the damage -- a grey one and a black one.  It'll be easy to determine if I bagged the right ones. 

 

I am SO looking forward to exacting swift justice.  I don't intend to stop at two victims, though.  I'll keep baiting and trapping until there are no more takers and do the whole neighborhood a favor.

 

The Koro trap I mentioned above requires augmentation to be effective, and per the less-than-optimum video reviews, seems difficult and dangerous to set, with multiple warnings about losing a finger.

 

 

https://www.animalcontrolproducts.com/product/little-killer-squirrel-trap/
 
revised...

<span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #008000;">Make sure your new trap comes with instructions on skinning. People here like the idea of killing the occasional coyote that makes it's way back to it's original home...now a Del Web's housing division or something similar. The coyotes were here tens of thousands of years before the houses, so were the squirrels. </span>

[this post was last edited: 10/5/2020-19:06]

twintubdexter-2020100515275305404_1.jpg
 
I have an old shop building that I have been planning on tearing down for the past 15 years but haven't gotten to it yet.  It's still standing so I've decided to just clean it out, add a little insulation, and use it for our outdoor plants over the winter.  I began cleaning it out last night....I have several large trash bags full of squirrel nests!  I'm placing hardware cloth between the roof rafters and the wall headers to keep the critters out from now on.  Such a mess. 
 
My trap is due any day now.  I just chased a squirrel away yesterday and followed its route not far up a tree behind my fence.  I spotted its nest so got a long pole and destroyed it.  If that little f_cker thought that was bad, he has one final surprise coming.
 
I was able to get a rejected Kania 2000 trap at a slight discount. The defects are largely minor and easily corrected.

Now I just need to determine the correct placement.

I was able to fix my old trap with a new spring. I baited it and put it back up on the tree, but so far no takers. Might have to move it to an alternate location.

The last squirrel I nabbed in the yard wasn't with a trap, it was with a pellet gun. Head shot. Since then the despoiling of avocados has decreased, but I'm still finding fallen half-eaten ones on the ground. It's possible the main culprits are smallish roof rats. My cat has brought in two of them in the past month, one was last night. Nothing like having a cat drop a dead rat on your desk. LOL.
 
<span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #008000;">If you have squirrels you most certainly have rats, at least 2 to 3 times as many. The part of San Jose I grew up in (the real Willow Glen) remains heavily infested. When we bought our nice home on pricey Dry Creek Road the doctor's wife who lived next door said "don't you know Willow Glen is famous for it's rats?" The area once known as Burbank along with the old Race Street district is a dedicated breeding area for rats. Unlike squirrels, rats do their dirty work undercover of darkness. They use power and telephone/cable lines as a super-highway. Rats aren't as finicky as squirrels either. No self-respecting squirrel would consider the insulation covering on electrical wiring a gourmet treat. Too bad. I've never heard anyone say "that guy's a low down dirty squirrel" or from when I was a kid, "you're a squirrel fink."</span>

[this post was last edited: 10/11/2020-15:36]

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Rats

Oh, I know we've got rats here. None indoors though, except for what the cat drags in (thankfully all dead by that point).

There *might* be some that get into the enclosed patio (some gaps in the outer wall) but I'm assuming the cat nabs those first. Fixing those gaps are on my to-do list.

Update before posting: just went out there and used some "Great Stuff", a urethane foam product, to fill in the worst gap. Found another possible entry point, will have to wait and see.
 
Joe, you are so right!  This whole town has a rat problem.  I wonder what it is about Race Street that makes it a favorite breeding ground.  There isn't anything in particular in the way of habitat or businesses that strikes me as more attractive than, say, Park Avenue.  My neighborhood lies between both, but as long as the rats aren't coming inside, I don't really mind them.  It's the destructive squirrels that I'm looking to eradicate. 

 

Since 10/12 is a federal holiday, my trap will be delayed even further.  It has been sitting at the USPS distribution facility in SF since before the weekend.  As of today the status indicates it's "In transit, arriving on time."  Yeah, not until Tuesday at the soonest, I'm afraid, and no arrival date was ever provided, so "on time" means nothing.  The seller sent it via "Stamps.com."  I thought they had disappeared along with all of the other casualties of the dot com collapse 20 years ago.  

 
 
Squirrels have caused a number of local power failures-mainly climbing on the lids of "pole pig" transformers and getting across the primary feeder insulator-POW!!!!Blown primary fuse and blasted apart squirrel.My Mom was cooking dinner and the squirrel pole pig thing happned at our house.The power company put a squirrel guard over the primary feed insulator.Still have one of these guards a lineman gave me years ago.
 
This thread has been a real eye opener, LOL. Especially that photo of the squirrel getting skinned (yikes). I grew up in Eagle Rock, a little place in Northern Los Angeles nestled between Glendale and Pasadena and it has an abundance of squirrels and rats. The rats spent most of their time in the tops of palm trees feasting on tiny little coconuts, but they also had a taste for garden snails which made my dad very happy, so he left them alone. The squirrels on the other hand had a fondness for the avocados and walnuts that grew on trees in the yard, so my dad bought a fairly powerful air rifle with a scope and would sit out back in a chair listening to classical music and blasting them out of the trees. One afternoon I saw him take a number of shots at a particularly noisy chattering squirrel high up in a cedar tree that he swore was deliberately taunting him. He missed repeatedly which I teased him about, so he challenged me to do better if I thought I could. Having recently come out of the Army where I qualified as an expert with the M16 I figured why not? How hard can it be? I took his air rifle and drew a careful bead on the little bastard and pulled the trigger. The pellet hit home sending the squirrel into backwards somersaults as it tumbled down out of the tree and landed on the ground about ten feet or so away. Almost surprised by my own accuracy I lowered the air rifle and stood there staring at the mortally wounded critter as it went through its final death throws. My dad was thrilled and thanked me as I handed the rifle back to him, but I felt so guilty about what I'd done that I've never fired on a living thing since. I know, it's crazy to feel that way about the death of a squirrel. I guess I'm just a big softie. LOL

Anyways, I've certainly enjoyed reading through this thread. Reading about other people having squirrel issues reminds me of my dad and his epic battles with them over the years.
 
The other day I faced down a squirrel and won.

I happened to be in front of my house and noticed a squirrel making its way down a telephone/power pole. It got to the sidewalk and was making for my back yard. When it was a few feet from the pole, I stepped forward and slapped my hands together loudly. It ran back to the pole, and climbed up about 20 feet to crouch on a lineman's bolt/step and stare at me. I got a hand sledge I'd been keeping in the front porch, and banged the bottom of the pole a few times. It got the message and climbed up to the power line and took off away from my house towards the next pole.

I know the creep will probably be back, but it felt good finally to be able to deliver the message, "Not here, not today".
 

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