Squirrel control - take care

[jennysmate]

"kittens pets..Hmmm to a lot of people cats/kittens are a pest to (vermin) and many country folk used to drown them to...now we are smarter and have better options so few do." by Exaldama

My gandad used to drown unwanted kittens, he was one of the smartest men I know. He couldn't afford to go to the doctor, so neutering his cats was unthinkable, so was wasting cartridges on them. We live in a very different world now.

[treebloke]

Exeldama, please do not take this as a pop at you but you seem to be siding with the RSPCA yet do not have the answers. I have a shotgun so for me it's not an issue. However, for the vast majority of people if the RSPCA are going to prosecute us/them for breaking the law then surely they should be the one's to provide an adequate solution to this problem. Cages with slding doors, air pistols, taking them out of the cage, employing professionals to do such a mundane job, all are not feasable. I am assuming the same legislation would apply to a rat.

I will e mail the RSPCA and ask them what their approved method of despatch is in a bid to clear the situation if only for my own peace of mind.

[Exeldama]

You misunderstand me treebloke... i wasnt recommending you take one out of a cage, perhaps i didnt word it that well. I was merely making the point that i am able to , and that if you intend to shoot (irrespective with what) then reducing the space and thus movement is helpful.

As to being offended or whatever, of course not everyone has a view. But i will say that i dont think its the RSPCA`s responsibiltiy to sort out everyones problems. They dont make the law after all.

The court case was not about a moral issue it was an issue of Law. He broke the law, he knew he was breaking it before he started , and he got caught. His supporters should stop wingeing.

Still i cannot see why anyone would catch anything without knowing how to dispatch it cleanly and humanely.

I fail to see why the cage with a reducing door is not feasible, its exactly what is used to reduce the space for a contained feral cat and no squirrel is as fierce as one of those blighters. I also fail to see why catching squirrels ina trap is mundane . Perhaps its our dismissiveness of their suffering that makes it such.

Anyway, there are unbelivable numbers of shotguns out there apparently it runs into millions, theres about 1000 held by under 10 year olds (well licences).

Bottom line why is it that i can control my squirrels without drowning them.... ! Now im bored.

[TrishaA]

I certainly wouldn't like to kill or harm our squirrels, they are red and from what I can see they are doing no harm.

[tracy]

Hi TrishaA

Yes, we wouldn't be talking about red squirrels - we are talking about the grey ones... a big issue for the UK and clearly the biggest issue for SWOG members ;-)

Tracy

[Sussexboy]

Interesting article in this weeks Shooting Times about squirrels and the control by shooting thereof.

[Woodlark]

The Kania trap ought to be effective once squirrels are habituated to using it as a feeding station. The tricky bit seems to be setting the trigger: instructional videos on the web show how it's done in principle. They do not show how to set it safely on a "hair trigger". The trigger on mine when set as per video is so stiff that squirrels can eat peanut butter from the trigger with impunity. (I checked this out with a test dry-firing with a rolled up magazine.)

Any tips on how to set the trigger?

[RichardKing]

So in a nutshell, what does the Shooting times actually say about squirrel controll ?

[happybonzo]

http://www.shootingtimes.co.uk/features/519258/Which_guns_for_greys.html

Squirrels offer the opportunity to match a variety of guns and techiques — it all depends on the squirrelling, says Bruce Potts

Squirrels can offer a great day’s sport using a variety of shooting techniques. There is no denying that our fluffy-tailed friends have tried the patience of many a farm owner, forester and ordinary householder and it is true that they need to be controlled. But rather than vilifying them, I actually look forward to my days out squirrel shooting, as it presents a good challenge mixing and matching the guns to the style of squirrelling required.

Shotguns have their uses but, as with corvid shooting, I favour a rifle for precise squirrel ambushing. I sometimes use my .410 Yildiz shotgun, but a moderated rimfire or air rifle with the correct ammunition is almost always the best tool for the job. We all know how tough these little critters can be and a single projectile carefully placed in the vital organs is often the most humane option.

By now, I can hear some readers saying shooting rifles at squirrels means firing into the air and that’s a no-no for safety reasons. I only shoot squirrels in trees or atop farm buildings if there is a safe backdrop. Furthermore, such locations are where reduced-velocity rimfires and air rifles (whether 12ft/lb or FAC-rated at 25ft/lb) come into their own.

Different types of squirrel shooting require a variety of tactics, equipment and techniques. I either shoot squirrels out of dreys, set ambushes on the woodland floor where the squirrels forage, or set up near farm buildings, where squirrels use roofs as runways.

Ammunition for woodland

With regard to rifle types (i.e. bolt-action, straight-pull, pump-action or semi-automatic) there is little difference, especially at the ranges you shoot squirrels. Nevertheless, I prefer bolt-actions, as you can use reduced loads that may not work in repeating rifles. If you are shooting squirrels in the trees, safety and stopping power need to be considered when choosing ammunition.

In such situations, I load my bolt-action Sako Finnfire .22 rimfire rifle with reduced-velocity rounds, as the ranges are less than 20 yards. I also use an air rifle, but the Sako is faster to load when I put CB long ammunition in the magazine, which cycles well through the magazine.

I use CCI CB long ammunition in the rifle rather than long rifle rounds, as it has a shorter range. From my 14.5in barrel it has a velocity of 705fps and delivers 32ft/lb energy with a 29-grain bullet. That’s a good 20ft/lb more than a 12ft/lb air rifle. It is more effective and because the bullet is travelling slower than a standard .22 rimfire round it is safer to use. I also use Eley Zimmer rounds. These shoot a heavier 30-grain bullet at 797fps producing 42.3ft/lb, so they hit harder, but I only use them when the squirrels

are foraging on the woodland floor.

Longer-range calibres

If you fancy making your squirrel forays slightly more challenging, an unusual calibre rifle can offer great sport. If a shot into the woodland is impossible due to too much leaf cover, you can safely extend your range for shooting squirrels in rides with the laser-flat trajectory of a .17 Mach 2 round. I have a Venom Arms stainless steel barrel that simply slides into my Sako Finnfire custom in place of my usual .22 LR barrel. This gives you a squirrel rifle capable of ranges of 100 yards. If you use a high-velocity frangible bullet, it is both safe and humane.

I also find my .14 Walker Hornet rifle reloaded with a .22 Hornet cartridge case shortened and necked down to take a 0.144 calibre bullet is both safe and effective. The 15-grain bullet travels at more than 4,000fps and is safe to use, as it expands so rapidly that you rarely get exits on squirrels. Since it is such a light bullet, it loses energy quickly beyond 100 yards, thus becoming safer in that regard, too.

Shooting near buildings

I have a lot of luck with squirrels around farm buildings. There are obvious safety issues here, however, so I usually only shoot between daybreak and 8am. The other thing to avoid is damaging machinery, windows or roof materials.

In these situations I still use a rimfire rifle, but switch from long rifle or long ammunition types to CB and BB caps and short rounds which are all low-velocity short-range rimfire ammunition. They have to be loaded one at a time in a bolt-action rifle so you only have one chance for a head shot but they will not go through a squirrel, meaning that you can safely use them about the farm.

The BB caps have a 15.5-grain bullet that travels at 887fps and produces 27.1ft/lb energy. The CB caps have a 16.1-grain semi-coned bullet with a velocity of 959fps and 32.9ft/lb energy. These are more than powerful enough for squirrels but accuracy past 20 yards is often poor. I shoot on one farm where the squirrels emerge from the treetops shortly after daybreak and use the farm buildings close by as aerial runways on their way to the next feed. You can hear them scampering over the corrugated roof. Here, I load the CB caps, or CB longs if they venture on to straw bales. Bales make a great backdrop and it is a good idea to have a magazine loaded with CB longs for a quick switch. As they run, I chatter at them to make them stop and if it is a safe shot, it’s lights out. Air rifles are also ideal for shooting near buildings and standard-power air rifles are adequate. I never feel undergunned with an air rifle, rather, I see it as offering good sport, demanding greater accuracy on the shooter’s part. Any of the four calibres are suitable, .177, .20, .22 or .25. Smaller calibres may offer a flatter trajectory, but at these short ranges this is not a great advantage and they can go through a squirrel and could break a window, unless you are careful.

Conclusion

Grey squirrels take animal feed, damage trees and birds nests and they have reduced our native red squirrel to a few small populations. Therefore, squirrel shooting does a valuable service for conservation and provides some of my best days out.

I like to set out specifically to shoot squirrels rather than on general pest control outings and a bag of three or four is very rewarding. They are tricky, tenacious little critters that demand a well-aimed shot from a rifle.

As far as squirrel shooting is concerned, I am hooked and I would encourage you to take it up, too.

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In case you're wondering what CB Caps are, and I certainly did, they are Flobert rounds. They were designed for indoor shooting with Gallery rifles http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.22_CB

Personally I favour .25 Air rifles at FAC standards. I resent wasting the cost of a cartridge on vermin.

The main problem is that air rifles developing this sort of power are Pre-Charge Pneumatics. The Weirauch RW80 being a notable exception for a break barrel gun. PCPs have, until now, been stupidly expensive for what they are.

Our local gun dealer has now started producing a PCP for £199 in .177 and .22 or £250 for .25 I have just bought two of them and am delighted with the results. They are printing 15mm groups at 25m with ease.

Like all PCPs, they do seem to be as loud as .22 sub sonic rounds so I would advise you to get a decent Suprssor/moderater/"silencer" for them.

If you are interested, you can contact Richard Mahr at Mallard Barns. I have no connection to Mallard Barns than to be an extremely satisfied customer

http://www.mallardbarn.co.uk/shop.asp

[Woodlark]

Two months ago Darren reported little success with the Kania. It might come down to getting squirrels round to the idea that it's where they can get food. Not necessarily a quick process. After 4 weeks, put a scrote cam up to see what was eating the bait, and blow me, within 24 hrs the Kania did its job.