Cheapest source for ground squirrel bait?

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jplee3
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Cheapest source for ground squirrel bait?

Post by jplee3 »

Hi all,

Wondering if anyone has recommendations on a cost-effective source for baiting ground squirrels (like corn kernels, sunflower seeds, peanuts, etc)


I see an 8lb bag at Homedepot for about $10 and this is on the more inexpensive end:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Wagner-s-8- ... /100546492
Last edited by jplee3 on Mon Jun 27, 2022 6:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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lthenderson
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Re: Cheapest source for wildlife food?

Post by lthenderson »

It only takes a few of anything to bait a ground squirrel so I wouldn't go out of your way. I usually just raid the pantry for my bait whether it be a few peanuts or sunflower seeds. If you don't have any, it would probably be cheaper to buy a bag of snack food at your local gas station than to find someplace that sold it in bulk. A 2 oz bag of sunflower seeds costs a buck and would set probably a hundred traps.

I don't trap them so I don't know how live traps work. It may take something really tempting to go into one. I just scatter whatever on my patio about ten feet from my blind and take them out with a pellet gun.
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Re: Cheapest source for wildlife food?

Post by minesweep »

jplee3 wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 5:32 pm Hi all,

Wondering if anyone has recommendations on a cheap source for wildlife food (like corn kernels, sunflower seeds, peanuts, etc) - this is for baiting ground squirrels into those cage traps btw.

I see an 8lb bag at Homedepot for about $10 and this is on the more inexpensive end:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Wagner-s-8- ... /100546492
Peanut butter is a proven winner. I've used it for years (when i was trapping them).

P.S. I taxied them to a wooded area a mile or more away.
Last edited by minesweep on Mon Jun 27, 2022 5:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Time is your friend; impulse is your enemy - John Bogle | Learn every day, but especially from the experiences of others, it's cheaper! - John Bogle
quietseas
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Re: Cheapest source for wildlife food?

Post by quietseas »

Title should probably be squirrel bait not wildlife food.
And you might want effective not cheapest.
johnegonpdx
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Re: Cheapest source for wildlife food?

Post by johnegonpdx »

peanut butter
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jplee3
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Re: Cheapest source for wildlife food?

Post by jplee3 »

minesweep wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 5:44 pm
jplee3 wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 5:32 pm Hi all,

Wondering if anyone has recommendations on a cheap source for wildlife food (like corn kernels, sunflower seeds, peanuts, etc) - this is for baiting ground squirrels into those cage traps btw.

I see an 8lb bag at Homedepot for about $10 and this is on the more inexpensive end:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Wagner-s-8- ... /100546492
Peanut butter is a proven winner. I've used it for years (when i was trapping them).

P.S. I taxied them to a wooded area a mile or more away.


Thanks - did you smear it only on the trip plate or did you just drop globs of it in a trail leading up to the trap? I used to get rats with PB (with other goodies mixed in) but I've heard squirrels are even smarter.
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Re: Cheapest source for wildlife food?

Post by anon_investor »

johnegonpdx wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 5:52 pm peanut butter
+1.
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Beensabu
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Re: Cheapest source for ground squirrel bait?

Post by Beensabu »

Half a walnut.
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RubyTuesday
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Re: Cheapest source for ground squirrel bait?

Post by RubyTuesday »

In some areas it is illegal to trap squirrels, at least without a permit.

Certainly hope whatever is pursued is humane.

For a very entertaining video, which also establishes walnuts as these squirrels’ favorite treat, check out Mark Rober’s Backyard Squirrel Maze 2.0 - The Walnut Heist
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Re: Cheapest source for ground squirrel bait?

Post by jplee3 »

RubyTuesday wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 6:20 pm In some areas it is illegal to trap squirrels, at least without a permit.

Certainly hope whatever is pursued is humane.

For a very entertaining video, which also establishes walnuts as these squirrels’ favorite treat, check out Mark Rober’s Backyard Squirrel Maze 2.0 - The Walnut Heist
This is in California. We have an invasion of these guys in our yard. We need to control (and also try to exclude them) as much as possible before we start planting new plants, lest they destroy everything.

http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7438.html

It is *not* legal to relocate these (probably because of how destructive they can be). So the plan would be to humanely dispatch of them somehow (I still haven't figured out what the best way for this is).

EDIT:
"It is illegal to relocate wildlife in the State of California without a permit. Live-captured ground squirrels must be released immediately on the property where they were caught, or they must be euthanized by legal and humane measures. Methods of euthanasia considered humane by the American Veterinary Medical Association include gassing with carbon dioxide and shooting. Drowning is not an approved method of euthanasia and is illegal in California (See References)."

So I either need to purchase a pellet gun or figure out how to build some kind of contraption that can deliver C02 in an enclosed space (perhaps placing the cage in a rubbermaid box and diverting C02 into it... maybe the exhaust of a car engine via something like this https://www.amazon.com/Underground-Exte ... B0000BYDPE)
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Re: Cheapest source for ground squirrel bait?

Post by bradinsky »

We have black & gray squirrels, zillions of them. For years they have foraged in DW flowers, digging & dislodging them. This year, we tried something new. She started placing coffee grounds in all of her 25 planters & hanging baskets. It’s been 1 month & the squirrels haven’t touched anything. I don’t know why, but they don’t even try to come near them. FWIW, in past years, we tried many of the commercially available animal repellents, without any success.
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thriftynick
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Re: Cheapest source for ground squirrel bait?

Post by thriftynick »

We use this:

https://www.samsclub.com/p/hampton-farm ... lbs/159596

The squirrels seem to like it. :)
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Re: Cheapest source for ground squirrel bait?

Post by livesoft »

Around us in Texas and also in Colorado one can buy dry ice (solid CO2) at the grocery store.
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Re: Cheapest source for wildlife food?

Post by minesweep »

jplee3 wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 6:09 pm
minesweep wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 5:44 pm
jplee3 wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 5:32 pm Hi all,

Wondering if anyone has recommendations on a cheap source for wildlife food (like corn kernels, sunflower seeds, peanuts, etc) - this is for baiting ground squirrels into those cage traps btw.

I see an 8lb bag at Homedepot for about $10 and this is on the more inexpensive end:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Wagner-s-8- ... /100546492
Peanut butter is a proven winner. I've used it for years (when i was trapping them).

P.S. I taxied them to a wooded area a mile or more away.


Thanks - did you smear it only on the trip plate or did you just drop globs of it in a trail leading up to the trap? I used to get rats with PB (with other goodies mixed in) but I've heard squirrels are even smarter.
I'm not familiar with the wire traps. The trap I have is made of wood with a rope handle on top. At the open end there is a wooden lever that the squirrel trips when it enters. At the closed end there is a wire screen that is fastened with another wire on each side of the trap. When I unhook both side the front opens. Inside with wire screen there is a soft block of wood that is secured by wire clamps. On the top of that wood block is where I placed the peanut butter. The squirrel eats the peanut butter and begins chewing on the block of wood believing that it can chew its way out. The purpose of the block of wood is so the squirrel doesn't cause damage by chewing on the wood platform inside. When I taxi the squirrel to a wooded area I releasee the two wires on each side securing the opening and the squirrel is released. After so many uses, I had to replace the small block of wood when it had gotten chewed down too much. I purchased this trap back in the mid 1980's (I believe). The store that I purchased it at said someone locally made the traps. Can't find any traps like it on the Internet (just wire ones). It was cleverly designed.
Last edited by minesweep on Mon Jun 27, 2022 7:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Cheapest source for ground squirrel bait?

Post by Yooper »

livesoft wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 6:50 pm Around us in Texas and also in Colorado one can buy dry ice (solid CO2) at the grocery store.
Depending on how it's used (other than freezing the poor thing to death), dry ice is sort of frowned upon:

https://www.einsteinmed.edu/administrat ... dents.aspx "As a reminder, the use of dry ice to generate carbon dioxide for euthanizing your animals is a violation of the regulations and EINSTEIN policy."

http://knockout.cwru.edu/protocols/co2euthanasia.html "Carbon dioxide generated by other methods such as from dry ice, fire extinguishers, or chemical means (eg, antacids) is unacceptable."
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Re: Cheapest source for ground squirrel bait?

Post by livesoft »

Yooper wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 7:07 pm
livesoft wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 6:50 pm Around us in Texas and also in Colorado one can buy dry ice (solid CO2) at the grocery store.
Depending on how it's used (other than freezing the poor thing to death), dry ice is sort of frowned upon:
CO2 cartridges are cheap as well. Most bike shops have them.

I imagine every kind of euthanasia is frowned upon. I nicknamed the yappy Yorkies that lived next door to me as Youth and Asia. They are gone now.
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Re: Cheapest source for ground squirrel bait?

Post by bradinsky »

livesoft wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 7:27 pm
Yooper wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 7:07 pm
livesoft wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 6:50 pm Around us in Texas and also in Colorado one can buy dry ice (solid CO2) at the grocery store.
Depending on how it's used (other than freezing the poor thing to death), dry ice is sort of frowned upon:
CO2 cartridges are cheap as well. Most bike shops have them.

I imagine every kind of euthanasia is frowned upon. I nicknamed the yappy Yorkies that lived next door to me as Youth and Asia. They are gone now.

Sounds ominous. Natural causes? :D
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Re: Cheapest source for ground squirrel bait?

Post by Yooper »

livesoft wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 7:27 pm
Yooper wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 7:07 pm
livesoft wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 6:50 pm Around us in Texas and also in Colorado one can buy dry ice (solid CO2) at the grocery store.
Depending on how it's used (other than freezing the poor thing to death), dry ice is sort of frowned upon:
CO2 cartridges are cheap as well. Most bike shops have them.

I imagine every kind of euthanasia is frowned upon. I nicknamed the yappy Yorkies that lived next door to me as Youth and Asia. They are gone now.
I was only commenting on the dry ice suggestion. If you're going to do something, you might as well do it right.
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Re: Cheapest source for ground squirrel bait?

Post by jplee3 »

livesoft wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 7:27 pm
Yooper wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 7:07 pm
livesoft wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 6:50 pm Around us in Texas and also in Colorado one can buy dry ice (solid CO2) at the grocery store.
Depending on how it's used (other than freezing the poor thing to death), dry ice is sort of frowned upon:
CO2 cartridges are cheap as well. Most bike shops have them.

I imagine every kind of euthanasia is frowned upon. I nicknamed the yappy Yorkies that lived next door to me as Youth and Asia. They are gone now.

How do you even dispense from a c02 cartridge?
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Re: Cheapest source for ground squirrel bait?

Post by bradinsky »

jplee3 wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 8:16 pm
livesoft wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 7:27 pm
Yooper wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 7:07 pm
livesoft wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 6:50 pm Around us in Texas and also in Colorado one can buy dry ice (solid CO2) at the grocery store.
Depending on how it's used (other than freezing the poor thing to death), dry ice is sort of frowned upon:
CO2 cartridges are cheap as well. Most bike shops have them.

I imagine every kind of euthanasia is frowned upon. I nicknamed the yappy Yorkies that lived next door to me as Youth and Asia. They are gone now.

How do you even dispense from a c02 cartridge?
Pellet or BB gun
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Re: Cheapest source for ground squirrel bait?

Post by nedsaid »

Oh my gosh. Somebody is shooting those cute squirrels? I imagine this will create a firestorm from animal lovers. :wink: But yes, I realize that even "cute" animals can become a terrible nuisance.

Around here, Racoons can be a terrible menace. They can grow quite large and are fierce animals. A family member used a cage trap to catch one and "baptized" it in their creek. The family member and her husband had a Jack Russell terrier that got into it with a Racoon and they decided it was time to take action. The little dog was a good hunter and was anxious to get that Racoon but would probably have been killed, the dog got scratched up badly in the first encounter.

The family member and her husband are now deceased and this incident happened many years ago.
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Re: Cheapest source for ground squirrel bait?

Post by breakaway »

5 gal bucket filled 1/3 with water.
sunflower seeds float on water to hide water
plank for ramp up
some seeds scattered around bucket on ground to entice.
:wink:
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Re: Cheapest source for ground squirrel bait?

Post by whodidntante »

Rave about how much you love vegan meat to your friends. Then, when they hate it and want to throw it out, offer to take it off their hands.
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Re: Cheapest source for ground squirrel bait?

Post by whodidntante »

nedsaid wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 8:29 pm Oh my gosh. Somebody is shooting those cute squirrels? I imagine this will create a firestorm from animal lovers. :wink: But yes, I realize that even "cute" animals can become a terrible nuisance.
They are actually pretty tasty. A bit too lean to live off of, though. Make sure to eat something fatty as well, once inflation forces us to compete for food in the wild. You'll thank me later. :P
coolasadog
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Re: Cheapest source for ground squirrel bait?

Post by coolasadog »

bradinsky wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 8:21 pm
jplee3 wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 8:16 pm
livesoft wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 7:27 pm
Yooper wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 7:07 pm
livesoft wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 6:50 pm Around us in Texas and also in Colorado one can buy dry ice (solid CO2) at the grocery store.
Depending on how it's used (other than freezing the poor thing to death), dry ice is sort of frowned upon:
CO2 cartridges are cheap as well. Most bike shops have them.

I imagine every kind of euthanasia is frowned upon. I nicknamed the yappy Yorkies that lived next door to me as Youth and Asia. They are gone now.

How do you even dispense from a c02 cartridge?
Pellet or BB gun
Agree with pellet gun. Huge problem digging and making nests everywhere. 7 popped in last week. Vultures and other birds remove within hours.

Squirrelinator used to work but no longer, probably due to easy source of citrus, avocado, mac nuts etc.

Relocating is not advised here
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jplee3
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Re: Cheapest source for ground squirrel bait?

Post by jplee3 »

coolasadog wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 11:17 pm
bradinsky wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 8:21 pm
jplee3 wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 8:16 pm
livesoft wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 7:27 pm
Yooper wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 7:07 pm

Depending on how it's used (other than freezing the poor thing to death), dry ice is sort of frowned upon:
CO2 cartridges are cheap as well. Most bike shops have them.

I imagine every kind of euthanasia is frowned upon. I nicknamed the yappy Yorkies that lived next door to me as Youth and Asia. They are gone now.

How do you even dispense from a c02 cartridge?
Pellet or BB gun
Agree with pellet gun. Huge problem digging and making nests everywhere. 7 popped in last week. Vultures and other birds remove within hours.

Squirrelinator used to work but no longer, probably due to easy source of citrus, avocado, mac nuts etc.

Relocating is not advised here
I'm not sure if it's legal to discharge pellet guns where I am (South OC) so I'd have to investigate. But even then, I might be concerned about ricochets as we are on zero lot lines so things are a bit closer together.
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Re: Cheapest source for ground squirrel bait?

Post by livesoft »

jplee3 wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 8:16 pmHow do you even dispense from a c02 cartridge?
Get the bike tire tube adapter valve at the same bike shop that you got the cartridge(s) at. Available online, too.
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Re: Cheapest source for ground squirrel bait?

Post by livesoft »

bradinsky wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 7:36 pmSounds ominous. Natural causes? :D
I think so ... if getting run over by a car is natural.
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jplee3
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Re: Cheapest source for ground squirrel bait?

Post by jplee3 »

livesoft wrote: Tue Jun 28, 2022 12:00 am
jplee3 wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 8:16 pmHow do you even dispense from a c02 cartridge?
Get the bike tire tube adapter valve at the same bike shop that you got the cartridge(s) at. Available online, too.
Ahh the thing with the trigger. So you just cut a hole in a rubbermaid box, place the cage inside it, put the lid on and stick the c02 tire inflator in the hole and pull the trigger i guess? Will a single cartridge suffice? I'm guessing they are single use with the inflator too?
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Re: Cheapest source for ground squirrel bait?

Post by TomatoTomahto »

bradinsky wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 6:34 pm We have black & gray squirrels, zillions of them. For years they have foraged in DW flowers, digging & dislodging them. This year, we tried something new. She started placing coffee grounds in all of her 25 planters & hanging baskets. It’s been 1 month & the squirrels haven’t touched anything. I don’t know why, but they don’t even try to come near them. FWIW, in past years, we tried many of the commercially available animal repellents, without any success.
I make a dry fertilizer/compost of my food waste that is disproportionally coffee ground based. I wonder …. I think the dogs would miss chasing the squirrels, but maybe I should fertilize some of the yard that I don’t ordinarily do.
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59Gibson
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Re: Cheapest source for ground squirrel bait?

Post by 59Gibson »

I like the little creatures, but realize if over run they can be a problem. I've heard of them getting in attics and biting and tearing thru wires.
We feed them peanuts, but it's only a few. I'd go with peanuts and a pellet gun if trying to contol the population
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Re: Cheapest source for ground squirrel bait?

Post by mpnret »

jplee3 wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 8:16 pm
livesoft wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 7:27 pm
Yooper wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 7:07 pm
livesoft wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 6:50 pm Around us in Texas and also in Colorado one can buy dry ice (solid CO2) at the grocery store.
Depending on how it's used (other than freezing the poor thing to death), dry ice is sort of frowned upon:
CO2 cartridges are cheap as well. Most bike shops have them.

I imagine every kind of euthanasia is frowned upon. I nicknamed the yappy Yorkies that lived next door to me as Youth and Asia. They are gone now.

How do you even dispense from a c02 cartridge?
https://goodnature.co/products/a24-rat- ... apping-kit
Reviews on Amazon claim it works for squirrels.
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Re: Cheapest source for ground squirrel bait?

Post by livesoft »

The thread title has me thinking of fishing bait made from hamburger made from ground up squirrels instead of beef. Is this sold at Costco?
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jplee3
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Re: Cheapest source for ground squirrel bait?

Post by jplee3 »

mpnret wrote: Tue Jun 28, 2022 6:22 am
jplee3 wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 8:16 pm
livesoft wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 7:27 pm
Yooper wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 7:07 pm
livesoft wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 6:50 pm Around us in Texas and also in Colorado one can buy dry ice (solid CO2) at the grocery store.
Depending on how it's used (other than freezing the poor thing to death), dry ice is sort of frowned upon:
CO2 cartridges are cheap as well. Most bike shops have them.

I imagine every kind of euthanasia is frowned upon. I nicknamed the yappy Yorkies that lived next door to me as Youth and Asia. They are gone now.

How do you even dispense from a c02 cartridge?
https://goodnature.co/products/a24-rat- ... apping-kit
Reviews on Amazon claim it works for squirrels.
I was just looking at this last night! This would have been great for when we were living at our condo and had a rat problem. Seems like it works on squirrels too although I read a couple Amazon reviews where the squirrels didn't go near it. I guess it depends on A) how it's baited and B) where it's placed. I'm not sure how 'particular' squirrels are with placement of bait though. I know with rats you need to place traps along the sides of walls since they primarily navigate and travel via traversing walls and sides of buildings
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Re: Cheapest source for ground squirrel bait?

Post by Johndoefire65 »

Open window and a BB Gun
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Re: Cheapest source for ground squirrel bait?

Post by jplee3 »

59Gibson wrote: Tue Jun 28, 2022 5:58 am I like the little creatures, but realize if over run they can be a problem. I've heard of them getting in attics and biting and tearing thru wires.
We feed them peanuts, but it's only a few. I'd go with peanuts and a pellet gun if trying to contol the population
They can be fun and entertaining to watch. There's actually a harbor area not far from where we live where the ground squirrel population has skyrocketed due to people feeding the squirrels. It's insane....
Image

Anyway, I'm trying to be proactive about this rather than reactive. I would absolutely *hate* to spend money and do a bunch of hard work on planting a bunch of plants, only to find them all chewed up. I already know it's going to be a problem based on how these little bastards have been stealing fruit off the existing fruit trees.
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Re: Cheapest source for ground squirrel bait?

Post by homebuyer6426 »

My dog got 9 groundhogs last year and 2 so far this year that dug under the fence to enter the backyard. Greyhound mix. Largest he got was like 25 pounds, I could not get it on a shovel.
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jplee3
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Re: Cheapest source for ground squirrel bait?

Post by jplee3 »

Johndoefire65 wrote: Tue Jun 28, 2022 10:03 am Open window and a BB Gun
Any recommendations for smaller yards?
coolasadog
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Re: Cheapest source for ground squirrel bait?

Post by coolasadog »

jplee3 wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 11:43 pm
coolasadog wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 11:17 pm
bradinsky wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 8:21 pm
jplee3 wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 8:16 pm
livesoft wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 7:27 pm
CO2 cartridges are cheap as well. Most bike shops have them.

I imagine every kind of euthanasia is frowned upon. I nicknamed the yappy Yorkies that lived next door to me as Youth and Asia. They are gone now.

How do you even dispense from a c02 cartridge?
Pellet or BB gun
Agree with pellet gun. Huge problem digging and making nests everywhere. 7 popped in last week. Vultures and other birds remove within hours.

Squirrelinator used to work but no longer, probably due to easy source of citrus, avocado, mac nuts etc.

Relocating is not advised here
I'm not sure if it's legal to discharge pellet guns where I am (South OC) so I'd have to investigate. But even then, I might be concerned about ricochets as we are on zero lot lines so things are a bit closer together.
Yes, different challenge, we are on an acre. I am not crazy to use poison out of concern for my dogs and birds. Hard to get accurate story on secondary poisoning. Maybe try squirrelinator. It did work in the beginning, but we have so much easy fruit that there is no temptation to enter.
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nedsaid
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Re: Cheapest source for ground squirrel bait?

Post by nedsaid »

whodidntante wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 10:47 pm
nedsaid wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 8:29 pm Oh my gosh. Somebody is shooting those cute squirrels? I imagine this will create a firestorm from animal lovers. :wink: But yes, I realize that even "cute" animals can become a terrible nuisance.
They are actually pretty tasty. A bit too lean to live off of, though. Make sure to eat something fatty as well, once inflation forces us to compete for food in the wild. You'll thank me later. :P
You will know things are really tough when we have a squirrel shortage. :wink: I am sure it will be blamed on supply chain issues.
A fool and his money are good for business.
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Re: Cheapest source for ground squirrel bait?

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