# Red Squirrels



## Greenbush future (Sep 8, 2005)

Well this is the first year that they are causing me problems around my house in Auburn Hills. They got into the boat and loaded every compartment with grass and black walnuts. They are stashing them under my deck and even found them chewing on some foam in my new Chevy Avalanche. So they need to go, I have the animal traps set (live) and baited with Peanut Butter and various seeds. We will see tonight when I get home if I am successful. Anyone deal with these little bastages? they are mean little devil rats in my opinion.


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## Fishndude (Feb 22, 2003)

They ARE mean little devils. I remember seeing a couple Red Squirrels harrassing a Fox Squirrel, when I was a kid. Those little bastages were really laying into that larger squirrel, and he was not able to fend them off. The last time I saw them all, the Fox was fleeing. I found him dead a couple days later, and figured the Reds probably killed him. 

Not sure about trapping them, but they are native. You could probably transport them to a decent sized woodlot, or park, and release them to live in peace where they won't bother people so much. I have done that with quite a few raccoons and possums over the years.


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## soggybtmboys (Feb 24, 2007)

Just kill them, I believe there is no closed season on those little bastids. They will kill or neuter, yep I said neuter, the bigger squirrels.


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## itchn2fish (Dec 15, 2005)

They're _not_ native, and you can take them year around. They actually taste pretty good, I have eaten them several times. Lay waste to them.


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## MRocks (Aug 31, 2007)

Take a rat trap and super glue corn, nuts, etc. to the trigger.

At our old house a few years back we had a bumper crop of black walnuts in the neighborhood, and the reds had 3 litters over the summer. At one time, we counted 23 of them buggers in our 1/4 acre front yard. I started setting traps and got 2, and amazingly the rest of them got scared off by my expert woodsmanship. I was so proud of myself.:coolgleam:coolgleam:coolgleam

Then I found out that the neighbors on either side of me were having a contest to see who could pick off the most with their air rifles.:lol::lol::lol:

This house was a rental. There was a hole chewed into the attic through the garage. The landlord said he had had numerous reds making their home up there before we moved in. What a mess!


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## Radar420 (Oct 7, 2004)

Years ago when I was a little kid my folks had one of those nativity Christmas scenes with the life size statues that light up. One day while cleaning around the garage he looked at those statues and red squirrels had chewed off the cords and filled them 2/3s full of nuts. :SHOCKED:

A couple rat traps baited with peanut butter put an end to that - just make sure to stake down the traps.


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## IncredibleHook (Jan 16, 2005)

You cannot relocate them its illegal. They would more than likely die anyway if you did. The best way has already been stated, rat traps work great.


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## Quack Wacker (Dec 20, 2006)

My parents have them all over their place. Last week I took 5 with a pellet gun and 6 more with the old 5 gallon bucket trick. 

I suggest you get some 5 gallon buckets, you put about 1 foot of water in the bucket and then cover the top in sunflower seeds. then you run a 1x1 board from the ground over the lip. Curiosity gets the best to them and they take the dive and end up drowning. Sometimes you will get multiple kills per bucket at the same time. Place them by their holes.


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## Banditto (Jun 9, 2000)

How big is a red squirrel compared to a pine squirrel compared to a fox squirrel?


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## Little Roober (Jun 17, 2004)

Banditto said:


> How big is a red squirrel compared to a pine squirrel compared to a fox squirrel?


A fox squirrel is the biggest. They're the size of a gray or black squirrel. pine and red squirrels the same thing. About the size of a chipmunk...or a little bigger.


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## itchn2fish (Dec 15, 2005)

Banditto said:


> How big is a red squirrel compared to a pine squirrel compared to a fox squirrel?


 About half as big as a grey/black and a third the size of a big fox squirrel. Not much meat, but real tasty.


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## Greenbush future (Sep 8, 2005)

I set to live traps with Penut butter and seed, came home to both traps being tripped but no one home. I reset today the correct way, and will see what happens. Rat traps sound great but anything could get caught in it and I speak from experience. I will teach em to swimm if I can pattern them and get the trap[s to work right. 

I have a huge pine and black walnut in the front yard so food is always around for these little rats, and yes they go for the units of other squirrels.
I'll report back tomorrow.


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## loomisfun (Sep 22, 2003)

We had a bumper crop of black walnut at the cabin last year. We eliminated 33 red squirrels from June through October. They were digging under the cabin and had started to chew through the door to the shed.


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## 22 Chuck (Feb 2, 2006)

When prime the pelts are $1.50 or so.


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## Fecus (Apr 12, 2006)

itchn2fish said:


> They're _not_ native, and you can take them year around. They actually taste pretty good, I have eaten them several times. Lay waste to them.


They are native, theyev been around forever. On Isle Royale there is a unique subspecies of them.

A buddy of mine had them chew a nice size hole right through the body of his brand new quad to get at some corn that had fallen into the machiene.


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## Greenbush future (Sep 8, 2005)

Well it looks like they are able to get out of the live traps so now it's on to the bucket method. Every time I come home traps are sprung and they are getting to the food but agian no one home. Little chilly for a swim but at this point I think it's time to get them taken care of. Thanks for all the input from your past experience.


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## MRocks (Aug 31, 2007)

The key to catching them in traps is glue. I've had a lot of triggered traps but no caught squirrel when using peanut butter, not sure why. But I rarely have a miss when I glue corn or sunflower seeds to the trigger on a rat trap. I don't know why that is because I've only watched one get caught. Maybe it's because they have to tug the seed/corn and the trap moves with them as it's springing.


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## huntingfishinglife (Jul 20, 2007)

Fecus said:


> They are native, theyev been around forever. On Isle Royale there is a unique subspecies of them.
> 
> A buddy of mine had them chew a nice size hole right through the body of his brand new quad to get at some corn that had fallen into the machiene.


 
They are not native they had been brought over from europe. in europe they have the same problem but with fox squirrels


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## webfarmer (Apr 5, 2005)

Red squirrels shot on sight here! They certainly do cause a lot of damage.


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## Fecus (Apr 12, 2006)

huntingfishinglife said:


> They are not native they had been brought over from europe. in europe they have the same problem but with fox squirrels


They are too native. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Red_Squirrel

Only invasives I know of from europe are norway rat, house sparrow, rock doves (pidgeons) and the starling


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