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View Full Version : Which tubing do squirrels prefer?



heus
10-01-2011, 04:36 PM
Is there a type/brand of tubing that seems to attract squirrels more than others? I just want to know which type to avoid. Getting ready to put up laterals. Going to use the Lapierre slide fittings at the mainline and y fittings at the last tree.

red maples
10-01-2011, 05:17 PM
Yeah second year tubing....its got a good sweet smell to it. they chew everything from spouts to stubbies, T's anytype of connector, any type of tubing and size from laterals to Black water pipe and PVC too!!! Darn tree Rats!!! Basically if its plastic they will chew it. the best remedy...Squirrel Stew!!!

wiam
10-01-2011, 06:16 PM
Yeah second year tubing....its got a good sweet smell to it. they chew everything from spouts to stubbies, T's anytype of connector, any type of tubing and size from laterals to Black water pipe and PVC too!!! Darn tree Rats!!! Basically if its plastic they will chew it. the best remedy...Squirrel Stew!!!

My tubing has been up 6 years. I have been careful to put it all together with gloves on. To date I have had no damage from squirrels. I have had damage in the past in these woods with previous tubing. I am hoping that gloves is the reason but can not say for sure.

Greenwich Maple Man
10-01-2011, 10:22 PM
Is there a type/brand of tubing that seems to attract squirrels more than others? I just want to know which type to avoid. Getting ready to put up laterals. Going to use the Lapierre slide fittings at the mainline and y fittings at the last tree.

They will chew it all! Not to disagree with Wiam but I don't see how gloves would make a difference. Your scent is going to be gone within a few days so I think he is jsut doing well with the tree rats. I shoot as many as possible. I've killed 15 in my one sugar woods this fall. Some animals just need to die. Squirrels are one of them. If a cleaner has any salt taste or chlorox I've heard that will cause them to chew more. Just what I've heard.

heus
10-01-2011, 10:59 PM
I just wondered because my woods is a squirrel's paradise. Big hickories, oaks, and beech. Not to mention the huge crop of sugar maple seeds this year. Not going to cut down these 130+ year old trees though. I'll just shoot as many as I can and deal with it.

wiam
10-02-2011, 06:27 AM
They will chew it all! Not to disagree with Wiam but I don't see how gloves would make a difference. Your scent is going to be gone within a few days so I think he is jsut doing well with the tree rats. I shoot as many as possible. I've killed 15 in my one sugar woods this fall. Some animals just need to die. Squirrels are one of them. If a cleaner has any salt taste or chlorox I've heard that will cause them to chew more. Just what I've heard.

It is not the scent it is the oils/salts from your skin.

Maple Hobo
10-06-2011, 05:55 AM
The older line is like most plastics, if you bite it its sweet, even without the sugar water being in it. The new line we put out this last year seems to have a bitterness in it. Not sure if the manufacturer added this or what?

I discovered this when installing the new line and was using my 3rd hand (holding it in my mouth) while getting the tap in one end with the tool... It was very bitter.

The squirles are still hitting the older tubing pretty bad, even chewing through black tape from prior patches! The new tubing has a few sample bites but nothing like before. Not even the lines that fell to the ground when deer walk through them.

No shortage of squirrles... must be something in the plastic now I think.

Sugarmaker
10-06-2011, 09:14 PM
Jason, the answer to the thread: YOURS!
Regards,
Chris

Typical8
10-06-2011, 09:46 PM
No, the answer is mine. This is the worst I have seen for damage since we cleaned with bleach! Never heard a squirrel all summer and now the maple seeds are dropping every squirrel in Northern Wis. has showed up in our woods.

Normally they go after droplines, but this year they are eatting everything even multi-fittings.

I'm putting the .22 away and grabing the shotgun;)

BobU
10-07-2011, 09:03 AM
Those Darn Squirrels
At "The Land" (sugar bush) we have a bounty on those buggers, we have the population under control now but a couple years ago, Oh Man! We still use bags and holders and haven't had to change or patch many bags the last couple years.
So how does a guy stop them from chewing, 12 guage, 22 shorts, Bow and arrow, BB gun, traps, ????????. Good Luck!

maplwrks
10-07-2011, 10:53 AM
Go to TSC and buy some Bar Bait---Peanut butter works good. Break it up and spread around the base of your trees. Your squirrel problem will start to go away very quickly.

Maple Hobo
10-07-2011, 06:42 PM
No, the answer is mine. This is the worst I have seen for damage since we cleaned with bleach! Never heard a squirrel all summer and now the maple seeds are dropping every squirrel in Northern Wis. has showed up in our woods.

Normally they go after droplines, but this year they are eatting everything even multi-fittings.

I'm putting the .22 away and grabing the shotgun;)


The bleach dries and makes something the squirles want even more then the sugar or even nuts... its SALT. Same reason squirles are always licking the pavement on the roads. They want the salt.

A cruel way to remove squirles... chocolate chips... plugs them up and kills them.

Brent
10-10-2011, 12:34 PM
The bleach dries and makes something the squirles want even more then the sugar or even nuts... its SALT. Same reason squirles are always licking the pavement on the roads. They want the salt.

A cruel way to remove squirles... chocolate chips... plugs them up and kills them.

This is what I thought they were after. So I put out some salt licks.
We'll see if the damage is any different this year.

WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER
10-15-2011, 04:01 PM
For some reason, I have a ton more problems with squirrels eating 30p than any other. I am not a big fan of 30p tubing, but I like it a lot as mainline and all I use for mainline and have about eliminated it in all my lateral lines. I only buy the translucent Lapierre tubing and I have been very happy with it.

Haynes Forest Products
10-15-2011, 09:00 PM
I will regret saying this but I have only had maybe 10 chews over the last 10 years. I dont put any cleaners in my lines. I only vacuum out the sap. I have a neighbor that had his entire woods eaten because he used cleaners and his woods are 1/2 mile away.

SevenCreeksSap
10-15-2011, 10:11 PM
After reading all of this and planning to run my first tubing this year, I've decided to do a combined tree marking/ tubing planning/ squirrel hunting outing tomorrow morning. Need a break from building and welding anyway, and the steelhead creeks look like they're blown out for the weekend. Thinking of trying squirrel kabobs. :evil:

Greenwich Maple Man
10-16-2011, 05:53 AM
I will regret saying this but I have only had maybe 10 chews over the last 10 years. I dont put any cleaners in my lines. I only vacuum out the sap. I have a neighbor that had his entire woods eaten because he used cleaners and his woods are 1/2 mile away.

Haynes, I agree. It's no the tubing but the cleaners everybody puts in them. I still like to thin the rat numbers as best as I can. I'm up to 20 in my one bush this year. Don't froget to wack the chipmunks when you are out there. They don't travel as far but chew lines as well.