# Squirrelly!



## dthornton (Mar 30, 2013)

Help! My house (2 story, 1890, "balloon" framing [exterior wall studs run from the foundation to the attic]) has squirrels. They are going in the top of a soffit/fascia (?) board above a second floor window. From there, they somehow crawl down the wall, halfway across that wall, and in between the dining room ceiling (9 1/2' ceilings) and the floor above it. I'm working on my side porch (adjacent to the dining room) and have pulled the beadboard ceiling off of it. Above where the porch ceiling was, on the outside of the dining room wall, I can see studs, but the wall I see is not the dining room interior wall (double studs, perhaps?). The dining room ceiling is higher than the porch roof, so I can't actually see between the dining room ceiling and the floor of the room above it. However, the squirrels (a mom and her litter) sometimes make an appearance in this area and scamper down the wall and across the porch. Now that I have given you the background, how can I rid my house of the squirrels? I thought of using smoke, but I'm afraid of driving them deeper into the house instead of out. Moth balls don't work, and I can't get in between the walls or the ceiling/floor to chase them. I hesitate to use poison, because I don't want them to die inside the walls. Do any of you have experience with this? Ideas?   :help:


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## inspectorD (Mar 31, 2013)

I know this is going to sound like a lunatic and his antics...well ok it is. 
I have had really good luck getting rid of mice with Dryer sheets, lots of them. I buy a box at the store and they go everywhere I can stuff em. nooks crannies and paths they take. I have also sealed up all holes with spray foam and screen packed together, but with squirrels you will need something more solid like a piece of wood or hardware screen.
See if the sheets work, then close the place up. 
And this is all personal experience from a farmer, not some link someone gave me from the www.
good luck.


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## oldognewtrick (Mar 31, 2013)

I had a problem with squirrels at my moms house and I got a live trap and used peanut butter as bait. I set the trap next to the house and ended catching 9. Was that more than in the attic, yes. But I got the ones living up there. I relocated them about 8 miles down the road, sealed up the hole in the soffit and have not had a problem since. You have to take them far enough away that they don't find their way back.

I'm not a farmer but I did stay at a Holiday Inn once...


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## Blue Jay (Mar 31, 2013)

oldognewtrick said:


> I had a problem with squirrels at my moms house and I got a live trap and used peanut butter as bait. I set the trap next to the house and ended catching 9. Was that more than in the attic, yes. But I got the ones living up there. I relocated them about 8 miles down the road, sealed up the hole in the soffit and have not had a problem since. You have to take them far enough away that they don't find their way back.
> 
> I'm not a farmer but I did stay at a Holiday Inn once...



I am a farmer and I would not give the squirrels to the neighbors (unless they live in the White House). Sorry but when I get a pest animal in a trap they DON'T walk out, if you catch my drift.


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## oldognewtrick (Mar 31, 2013)

Blue Jay said:


> I am a farmer and I would not give the squirrels to the neighbors (unless they live in the White House). Sorry but when I get a pest animal in a trap they DON'T walk out, if you catch my drift.



Thats why they went to the country and also because my mother said "Oh...you're not gonna kill them are you?"


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## dthornton (Mar 31, 2013)

Thanks, guys!  D, anything's worth a try! Oldog, that's a good idea and would probably work for the mom (she runs across the porch roof several times a day). I'm thinking the babies might not be ready to come out on their own. Blue ... think an electric cattle prod would work for that? If not, a swim in the lake might do it!   I'll give some stuff a try, and see what happens.  :


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## Blue Jay (Mar 31, 2013)

Cattle prod would not work very well, just make them mad. I use a 22 to the head, quick and no suffering of the animal.


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## dthornton (Apr 1, 2013)

Unfortunately, I live in the city, so I'm thinking that would put ME in a much worse place than the squirrel!  So, you interested in doing some squirrel hunting in Iowa?  :beer:


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## nealtw (Apr 1, 2013)

Once you get the little buggers out, remember all those gaps and holes you find in a baloon frame need to b closed up to stop air flow when ever you can. It's that firestop thing.


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## Blue Jay (Apr 1, 2013)

dthornton said:


> Unfortunately, I live in the city, so I'm thinking that would put ME in a much worse place than the squirrel!  So, you interested in doing some squirrel hunting in Iowa?  :beer:



You don't have to dispatch them in the city, just take a little road trip out into the country and take care of them there. Just don't let them become someone elses problem as they do get trap wise after being caught once.


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## doechsli (Apr 2, 2013)

Squirrels can be EXTREMELY destructive.  I recently had to replace the lead boot on my roof that covers the sewer vent.  Seems the squirrels chewed the lead off the top edge causing a leak.  I guess with that much lead ingested I probably have a bunch of brain damaged squirrels.  I live in the suburbs and it is not unusual for me to see over 15 squirrels in my back yard.  If one gets too destructive, I will trap him and give him swimming lessons/


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## dthornton (Apr 3, 2013)

Hmmmm .... we DO have a river close by!


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## nealtw (Apr 3, 2013)

We do want to be humane about it. Check this out. http://www.backwoodsbound.com/zsquir.html


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## elbo (Apr 5, 2013)

I don't think it would be illegal to shoot them with a paint ball gun. the paint ball will scare the heck out of them and the paint will wash off with the rain. Besides, wouldn't it be funny to see a bunch of purple squirrels running around ? I think they would eventually get the idea that they aren't wanted and will move by themselves


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## dthornton (Apr 6, 2013)

elbo, THAT is a hilarioua idea! Punk rocker squirrels - hmmmmmm ....  :banana:


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## oldognewtrick (Apr 6, 2013)

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjYLRLwphcs[/ame]


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## elbo (Apr 7, 2013)

that really is funny, I'd love to have the plans to make the catapult


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## dthornton (Apr 7, 2013)

That's hilarious!!! Problem is, he'll probably come back!


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## elbo (Apr 8, 2013)

you could put a basketball hoop at the end of the trajectory and charge a buck a toss


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## floatr (Nov 10, 2013)

what else deters these critters?


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## dthornton (Nov 13, 2013)

floatr, I haven't found anything that deters them. Even though the neighborhood cats chase them, they come back. I went to Tractor Supply Company and got a trap for $35. I used apple slices for bait, and I think I caught 9 total. Took them and released them in a nature area by a lake 10 miles from the house. Humane, nice area for them to live, and they won't come back.


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## nealtw (Nov 14, 2013)

http://www.food.com/recipe/squirrel-stew-like-grandma-made-76112


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## nunyabiz1 (Nov 19, 2014)

We have had little fur terrorist in our attic a couple of times, they will do a lot of damage if you do not get them outa there.
I used a HavaHart trap for a while and trapped at least 16 but they got wise to it and stopped going into it no matter what I used as bait.
So I ended up just giving the rest of them lead poisoning with my air rifle.

I live in a townhome in the city, but my air rifle is virtually silent and is more than powerful enough to kill a squirrel in its tracks out to at least 50+ yards.
Quality air rifles are also extremely accurate, I can hit a dime usually 10 outa 10 shots at 50 yards and can bust an aspirin probably 80% of the time under 25 yards.
I have killed at least 15 or more with my air rifle.
Any air rifle that shoots at least 600 fps with a .177 pellet is enough to humanely take a squirrel out to 25 yards.
Mine shoots about 850fps with a mid weight 8.6gr .177 pellet


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## frodo (Dec 4, 2014)

yum yum yum  squirrel  stew.   or fried squirrel  with squirrel gravy on biscuits


love me some rodent!!!!!!!!!


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## slownsteady (Dec 4, 2014)

nunyabiz1 said:


> We have had little fur terrorist in our attic a couple of times, they will do a lot of damage if you do not get them outa there.
> I used a HavaHart trap for a while and trapped at least 16 but they got wise to it and stopped going into it no matter what I used as bait.
> So I ended up just giving the rest of them lead poisoning with my air rifle.
> 
> ...



I hope you go pick 'em up after they stop moving.


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## nunyabiz1 (Dec 4, 2014)

slownsteady said:


> I hope you go pick 'em up after they stop moving.



Oh yeah, I don't just leave a bunch corpses lying around LOL.
I bag them in 2-3 plastic grocery bags and toss them.


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## slownsteady (Dec 5, 2014)

I'm sure you realize that if anybody ever sees that barrel pointing out a window (or something), that you will have a spit-load of explaining to do - with a bunch of guns pointing at you.


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## oldognewtrick (Dec 6, 2014)

Squirells are considereed small game. Most areas are regulated by laws harvesting animals, liscense. Some states have wanton waste laws. If you don't plan on eating them, consider a live trap and relocate them.


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## nunyabiz1 (Dec 6, 2014)

slownsteady said:


> I'm sure you realize that if anybody ever sees that barrel pointing out a window (or something), that you will have a spit-load of explaining to do - with a bunch of guns pointing at you.



Oh without any question considering we now live in what amounts to a Police State with an invading Paramilitary army.
Plus my air rifle does not look like a daisy red rider, it looks like a 30-06 with a silencer.


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## nunyabiz1 (Dec 6, 2014)

oldognewtrick said:


> Squirells are considereed small game. Most areas are regulated by laws harvesting animals, liscense. Some states have wanton waste laws. If you don't plan on eating them, consider a live trap and relocate them.



well fortunately in NC its called a "Depredation" thus I can trap or kill them if they are doing damage to my property.

_""Wildlife Resources Commission manages wildlife in North Carolina. Updated regulations will take effect on Aug. 1 this year spelling out how residents can trap wildlife causing damage to property. Both the current and new regulations use the term &#8220;taking&#8221; to describe killing or capturing wildlife and refer to the damage caused by wildlife as &#8220;depredations.&#8221;
The revised regulations clarify that a property owner or lessee does not need a permit to take wildlife caught in the act of committing depredations on his or her property."_

Now I did in fact trap at least 16 of them with a Hava Heart trap and relocate them all about 2 miles away in a large wooded area.
However they started getting far too smart and became virtually impossible to catch them. I went from catching 2-3 a day to where I would catch zero in weeks.
Even though I actually like squirrels in general, they are a major nuisance and will do massive damage to a house, not to mention they destroy everything we have in our yard, eat all my blueberries etc.
So every once in awhile I pull out the old pellet rifle and take a few of them out just to try and maintain some semblance of control.


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## DFBonnett (Dec 7, 2014)

slownsteady said:


> I'm sure you realize that if anybody ever sees that barrel pointing out a window (or something), that you will have a spit-load of explaining to do - with a bunch of guns pointing at you.



Not everyone lives in Wussie Jersey like we do. The OP may live somewhere that people actually mind their own business and aren't afraid of their shadow.

OP, .22 Super Colibris don't over penetrate, have a lot more thump than *most* air rifle*s*, and are quieter *than most* to boot.


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## nunyabiz1 (Dec 7, 2014)

DFBonnett said:


> Not everyone lives in Wussie Jersey like we do. The OP may live somewhere that people actually mind their own business and aren't afraid of their shadow.
> 
> OP, .22 Super Colibris don't over penetrate, have a lot more thump than an air rifle, and are quieter to boot.



My immediate neighbors on both sides are no problem and in fact encourage me to shoot squirrels, however I am sure there are some around here that would freak out and call the Paramilitary.

Ummm I have to disagree on the .22 Colibris at least Vs my Feinwerkbau 124D air rifle of which is dead silent if you are standing more than about 15 yards away the only thing that can be heard is simply the pellet zzzzziiippppp by you and thump where it hits.
Plus my FWB 124 I can put 10 shots under a dime at 50 yards and put 15 shots in 1 1/2" at 100 yards.
and BTW my air rifle has MORE power at about 13+FPE whereas the Colibris are only 11FPE and not as accurate.

Back in the 80s the grandfather of one of my best friends had an Avocado farm around Hemet California, was well over 1000 acres.
For a couple of years we went there for Thanksgiving and I shot 2 Wild Turkeys both around 18-20# with my air rifle, same one I still own today.
Both about 40 yards away, both dropped in their tracks with a head shot.
All the hunting that I have done in 35 years has been with my air rifle, Rabbits, Dove, Quail, Grouse pesting squirrels and one rabid Raccoon.


I use Predator pellets so over penetration isn't really a problem


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## slownsteady (Dec 7, 2014)

Could you define "over penetration" for us non-hunters?


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## Chris (Dec 7, 2014)

You ever here of the squirrelinator? Fascinating!


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## nunyabiz1 (Dec 7, 2014)

slownsteady said:


> Could you define "over penetration" for us non-hunters?



Means going completely through the target and even having enough left over to do damage to something else well past the target.
Or sometimes just zipping right though a squirrel and not doing a whole lot of damage.


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## oldognewtrick (Dec 7, 2014)

[ame]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5973v7EGT7Y[/ame]


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