feisty squirrels help

carmen

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What repels a squirrel other than a gun? This is not exactly surviving the wild but every now and then when we camp we run into very feisty squirrels and this has also happened at home. They will chase us and our cats. What can keep them at bay?
 
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Snuggles

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It seems they are getting more brazen than ever this year. Plus there are so many of them. I think we should turn folks loose and thin out the population a little.
 

dinosaur

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How far away do you want them to be? Did you ever consider baiting them away from you? A large bag of peanuts dumped in a pile a hundred yards out should do the trick. If you want to be sure, spread some peanut butter on the trees in the area you want them to be. They aren't very bright but they're smart enough to follow the food.
 

CaverGroupie

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How far away do you want them to be? Did you ever consider baiting them away from you? A large bag of peanuts dumped in a pile a hundred yards out should do the trick. If you want to be sure, spread some peanut butter on the trees in the area you want them to be. They aren't very bright but they're smart enough to follow the food.
I love this idea. Of course, my neighbors might get together and lynch me! LOL! They are really feisty this year, and so are the raccoons. You'd think a household with two cats and two dogs would never see one. But they get just out of reach and chatter at us (I KNOW they're laughing!)
 

cabinfever

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It just might be time to trap and relocate. 'Bout the time a squirrel chases a cat across my lawn, I'm going to get rid of that squirrel one way or the other. Hmmm. Squirrel is pretty good eating, you know, even though the bones are a pain.
 

Grandpa

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How close do they get to you? When we were kids, one of the guys had a newspaper route. There were no city dog restrictions so at 6 am, his paper route could be construed as a hazardous occupation. He just loaded a good squirt gun with diluted ammonia. Once around the block and dogs went the other way when they seen him comming. If you don't want to eat the squirrels, this should send them to someone who does.
 

ppine

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I would use a puny bb gun, slingshot, or a handfull of gravel. Put the fear of God in them and they will leave you alone. Get a cat. Leave your dog out there for 48 hours. Make them wish they were somewhere else.

Baiting them with peanuts is the last thing you want to do. That just increases the size of the problem by providing them nutritious food so they reproduce.
 
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carmen

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I would love for them to stay totally out of my yard if possible. I don't think the slingshot will work, but an air gun might. Our outside kitty will bring anything in but only about twice a month can she catch one of these buggers. There is nothing like seeing an older lady run from a bunch of little rodents, two on my porch the other day greeted me at the door of all things.
 

Marlowe

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Our old neighbors used to feed the squirrels every day and they got downright pushy. When the new folks moved into the house they couldn't go outside without getting attacked. The lady started going out with a broom and knocking sense into them. Took a while but they finally caught on.
 

ppine

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Recently I went on a canoe trip on the Sacramento River. I got a long speech from a friend about the danger of "killer racoons." That they are dangerous and aggressive and kill dogs all the time. I told him he was crazy. We saw no racoons on the trip and no tracks in the mud by the river. If pressed, I would kick a racoon like football. People in modern society need to get a grip on what the real dangers are like drunk drivers.
 

oldsarge

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I once had a guy tell me he uses urine from predators in the are he doesn't want skunks, raccoon and deer in his yard. Maybe that would work for you. I just can't recommend any of the scents you may need. Maybe someone here who has more experience in the hunting field can chime in and help.
 

Outdoor Dave

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I have had luck with an Airsoft gun in the past with getting rid of squirrels. I have also successfully set out live traps with peanut butter and simply relocated them several miles away. Both solutions work but it will take some time and patience to completely rid yourself of the problem.
 

dinosaur

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I wish I could find a place where the squirrels are as aggressive. They pretty much steer clear of me. I think they can smell predators and they know if they approach me they will end up as stew.
 

ponderosa

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They are a problem in my yard just about every year. Except for the year we had a pair of hawks nesting nearby. That was awesome. The starlings thinned out considerably that summer as well. I was really hoping the hawks would set up long term residence, but no luck.
They feast on our apple trees, and get the idea that they own the territory. They chewed my hammock to ribbons last summer, and a day later chewed a hole through the kitchen screen window to get to the fresh bread on my counter. And it got to the point that my kids wouldn't go outside and play because the danged squirrels were being so aggressive. We live in the city limits, but discovered that if you shoot squirrels with a .22 on the 4th of July, the neighbors just assume it's noise from fireworks.
 

Outdoor Dave

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I wish I could find a place where the squirrels are as aggressive. They pretty much steer clear of me. I think they can smell predators and they know if they approach me they will end up as stew.
Now that is funny my friend. I must admit, growing up we had our fair share of squirrel stew as well. Can't say I've had any in the last 20 years or so though.
 

ppine

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Borrow someone's dog for a week that has a taste for rodents.

Most of my herding dogs have been very adept at digging up rodents and killing them if I let them.
 

carmen

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Marlowe that is kind of how I feel. We still see them in the streets but since the weather has gotten colder they are not coming up close to the house. Now we just have possums to deal with instead. I am not sure which is worse!
 
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