Squirrels

[Jay]

Does anyone have trouble with squirrels chewing up the tubing? What can be done to stop it or make it less of a problem. No matter how you shoot there always seems to be more, LoL, thanks, Jay

[powerdub]

I have had natural predators brought in i.e. fisher cats. Get chummy with the local animal control and when they trap one have them bring it on over. I have another friend that feeds foxes so they will stay around. They do sell some squirrel proof tubing that looks like it has sand molded in it. I guess they don't like the way it feels.

A guy near me lost over 500 drop lines to squirrels in one year. He used hot pepper spray and only lost 3 the next year. He sprayed the tubing where it was next to the trees and out 3 feet. He only sprays twice a year. Some of the dealers carry this. It comes by the gallon and you dilute it.

Ray

[oldemaple]

This may seem strange, but it is true. I used to use the blue Lamb spouts and tees, the squirrels loved them. I changed over to black spouts and tees, no more squirrel problems. Go figure.

[treefinder]

i just take my 12 year old boy with me and he brings his 410 shot gun and kills the little $@!%#@%$#@ til his hearts content. works good they don't like!!! :D

[maplehound]

I used a whole rolll of braanch line tubing to replace all the damage in my woods this year. I think though some if not most is from the Raccoons. I have been told that if you use alcohol to rinse your tubing with then they won't bother them as much. That is what I will try after next season.

[802maple]

Yeah,but then you have to deal with all the town drunks LOL

[themapleking]

The only 2 ways to stop them tree rats from eating the lines. 1 get ride of their food, beech trees hickory trees hemlock, pines. no food or cover trees -pine, hemlock- and they will move out.
Or the funniest way is a 20ga. #6 shot. I'm up to 19 of them tree rats and still going. Theirs one in every tree up in my woods. But not for long.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

The grays sure are good eating! :D

[Russell Lampron]

My 78 year old mother uses a 410 to shoot them. She got rid of all of the red squirels around her house and is working on the grays.

Russ

[220 maple]

Jay
One of the long time maple producer in Highland County , Virginia told me that the best thing to use as a squirrel deterent is small cloth bags of ginger hooked to the main line in the area where you are having damage.
I've never tried it myself, therefore I'm going on second hand knowledge. I have also heard that if you put chocolate in the woods it will kill the squirrels the same as rat poison pellets. I heard of all these methods being used. I believe we in the south suffer more from squirrel damage than other producers because we have far less maples than are friends in the north woods
Mark 220 Maple

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Mark,

It wouldn't have been Ivan Puffenbarger would it??

When do you normally tap??

[royalmaple]

I know that you can buy commercially pre made squirrel repelling bags. My mother lives by them, just to keep them out of the bird feeders. I call them her voodoo bags, but basically they have I think human hair in them and moth balls.

They dont' last forever, but they do work. Might be a little pricey to hang through your woods.

I am sure you can buy a 500ct box of .22 shells for less, and have fun practicing for deer season. Stack them up like cordwood.

I whale them off the bird feeders out back just to keep my edge. I have my pellet gun loaded up in a spare bedroom upstairs. I was shooting 2-3 per day for almost a week last spring. Couple of nice big greys too, wall hangers.

[220 maple]

Brandon,
Yes you are correct. Ivan an Sis Puffenbarger are the ones that use ginger as a squirrel repellent. Sis read about using ginger in a magazine.
decided to give it a try two seasons ago. She said it works.

I usually try to tap the first warm day after ground hogs day, However this does not always hold true. Several season back when my father was alive we tapped the last week of Jan. . I believe that was the year that we made the most syrup that we ever made. Other factors were involved because my dad would redrill when the holes would dry up. The only thing that I do that is cheating is go from 19/64 hole to 7/16. I have been working on main lines and had not put up one inch of tubing because of the warm weather, but with the artic out break next week I believe I'm going to see how much I can get put up this weekend.

[maple flats]

If you wash with food grade hydrogen peroxide there is little or no squirrel damage, any residue breaks down into water and oxygen and no salts.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I would hardly have any damage if I didn't use the Lamp 30p for all my drops. The don't bother the Beaver River or the Lappiere much, just a little now and then but the deer and the squirrels must have a fetish for the Lamp 30p. I love the stuff and it is the best there is to work with, but I have very little of it up and glad I don't have any more as they love it for some reason. Maybe because all of the drops are new??