Squirrels And Chipmunks

[MERIDIAN MAPLES]

I'm running tubing in a new woods right now, and as I'm putting the laterals up the last 2 weeks I'm noticing chew marks already. I've been seeing a lot of chipmunks, and some red squirrrels. What are most people doing during the summer months to get rid of the critters. I've heard of the death barrels, and I set two out 2 days ago, and I've got bear tipping them over. I was going to put live traps, but I'm afraid the bears will smash them. I've been baiting with peanut butter. Have people had luck with rat traps?
I've had good luck during winter months with live traps, but the bear and coon are sleeping then.

Craig

[Haynes Forest Products]

Screw rat traps to the trees high enough to keep the curious away. Bait with 1 part used drop line and 1 part peanut butter.

[Revi]

We are always at constant war with rodents. Squirrels in the woods, and mice in the sugarhouse. I like the mouse traps, and a pellet gun.

I don't shoot until I see the whites of their eyes.

[Maple Hobo]

You can invest in traps... Add in labor time though, you have to set, reset, check, and clear them. I though glue traps might be interesting to nail up and leave them out as warning to the other rodents... Little dead critters on the trees might upset the girl scouts when they visit the camp though.

Shooting at them... Most fun but even more time involved. Still they are not in season durring the active summer months are they?

Even investing in rodent poisons... It will also kill anything else that eats the poison or even the poisoned rodents. If they die in the tree, it might get chemicals into the trees too.

Just buy a large bag (bulk) of chocolate chips... Put them out and they will not bother your lines much longer.

No, you're not feeding them a peace offering, it will kill them. Rodents can't pass the chocolate and it plugs them up. The animals that feed on the rodents don't have the same issues.

Try it or not... just an idea.
Arron

[driske]

Craig,
Bear have been the source of the majority of our tubing destruction on this section.
Last winter's January warm spell saw 2 or more cubs wake up and go forging through our network, munching any and all diameters.:o
Personally I wish the fisher were totally protected. Squirrels were a non-issue prior to the legalisation of trapping fisher.:evil:
The chocolate chips should have Boo Boo nicely rounded out by fall. Hope he leaves some for the rodents.

[ADKMAPLE]

that is one reason why I am hesitant to to ever run tubing here. we have alot of red squirrels and they are the worse! Although, I am planning on using sap sacks so I might be in trouble anyways! someone said that they put duct tape on the very end of the sacks and the squirrels tend not to disturb them much...Hmm....

[red maples]

I have more red squirrels but pellet gun or .22 thats my solution. I put out bird blocks (the things with packed peanuts and corn) and I sit and wait once they get used to it being their they come back!!! turn it into fun!!!

[Haynes Forest Products]

I have a buddy that uses a live trap and I thought he was being all humane and all until I got close to the trap and it was all shot to hell from his shotgun:lol: Nasty Porcupine

[Jim Brown]

Find a local kid and put a bounty on the reds and the chipmunks. Did that with mine when they were younger and you would be suprised how many chipmunks a kid can kill in a days time with a pellet rifle and a BB gun if you are paying him.
Worked for me(years ago)


Jim

[C.Wilcox]

Craig,
Bear have been the source of the majority of our tubing destruction on this section.
Last winter's January warm spell saw 2 or more cubs wake up and go forging through our network, munching any and all diameters.:o
Personally I wish the fisher were totally protected. Squirrels were a non-issue prior to the legalisation of trapping fisher.:evil:
The chocolate chips should have Boo Boo nicely rounded out by fall. Hope he leaves some for the rodents.


driske,

Not to hijack this thread, but have you considered calling the USDA in Rhinelander to see if they'd come down and live trap your bear(s)? APHIS Wildlife Services in Rhinelander is in charge of nuisance bear complaints and they do bear trapping and relocation all over the north end of the state. It's not a permanent solution because more bears can migrate into the area, but it might help a little. Although, maybe you've got people planning to hunt bears on your property and in that case you wouldn't want to remove them.

[3rdgen.maple]

Okay I have posted a response to this question like 6 times in the past so here I go again. I know a guy who knows a guy who knows another guy, never mind. Take a squirt bottle and fill with hot sauce and water and spray your lines with it where the squirells are attaching it. I was told after one taste they will leave them alone. Here in NY squirell is not in season and not worth getting a ticket/fine or losing your hunting license for 5 years.

[adk1]

you can shoot red squirrels and chip-munks as much as you want, grey squirrels are the only ones that have a season

[MERIDIAN MAPLES]

Doug,
Sounds like there is lot of bear north of highway A this year. Doug Krueger and Kevin Murkowski had all their bird feeders smashed a couple weeks ago. I've got bear tracks all over my woods.
I was looking at my damaged tubing yesterday, and now I'm wondering if its not squirrels. My tubing looks like its got small eye teeth bite marks. The only tubing damage is by the trees though. Squirrels and chipmunks have like rabbit teeth, so I'm wondering if maybe coon or fischer could be doing the damage? Maybe weasels? Have you had damage like that in your woods?
The woods by my house hasn't had any damage like this before.

Craig

[red maples]

We supposedly we have a momma and 2 cubs about 1 1/2 miles from here although I have never seen them. The black bear population is apparently on th e rise in southern NH

[driske]

Just got home from tilling the garden over at the farm. Medium size bear tracks right through it. Small one has been crossing the road frequently just to the east of our place.
Those little pin like teeth?? Not sure about this one, but I've come to attribute that type of bite to baby raccoon. Seems like they use the semi rigid drops as some sort of teething toy.
USDA/Aphis help:lol: :lol: :lol: :mrgreen: Count me a cynic there.

[driske]

Sorry cwilcox but the Aphis sugestion hit a raw nerve. Take our problem bear and drop them in somebody else's backyard. Like what does that achieve?
That's 3/4 of what's wrong with this State and Nation. Keep shuffling problems around. Sweep them under the rug and hope like hell you're out of office before they crawl back out. Immigration, credit bailouts, AIG fiascos, gulf oil spills,FEMA trailers, ad infinitum. All the same mindset. Not in my back yard.
The day this country grows the gonads to elect someone to office who will actually work toward the common good, not necessarily the corporate good, is the day we may be back on course.

[Farmboy]

Sticky traps work for chipmuncks but i dont think they would work for squirrels. The most fun way is with a .22 or a good pellet gun. I have a gamo and it shoots 1000 fps or more depending on what I use for pellets. That will solve your problems. Also mount a small hav a heart trap up in a tree but dont have a heart and use a .22 or a pellet gun 2 deal with them. Bait it with old tubeing and peanut butter.

[red maples]

it will work for squirrels!!! I lived in apt in mass a few years back and someone put one in the first floor apt over a drop ceiling in the batheroom and a squirrel went down the wall and onto the sticky paper oh my what a noise!!! and the neighbors weren't home for the weekend and the landlord lived 3 hours away!!!

2 days listening to this squirrel scream before we could get in.

[C.Wilcox]

Sorry cwilcox but the Aphis sugestion hit a raw nerve. Take our problem bear and drop them in somebody else's backyard. Like what does that achieve?
That's 3/4 of what's wrong with this State and Nation. Keep shuffling problems around. Sweep them under the rug and hope like hell you're out of office before they crawl back out. Immigration, credit bailouts, AIG fiascos, gulf oil spills,FEMA trailers, ad infinitum. All the same mindset. Not in my back yard.
The day this country grows the gonads to elect someone to office who will actually work toward the common good, not necessarily the corporate good, is the day we may be back on course.

No offense taken. It was only a suggestion.

[driske]

Cwilcox,
My apologies for what was probably an over reaction.
Only dealt with Aphis once. Had a bear chew open 100+baleage units about 9 years ago, plus trashed the beehives of the guy who rented some space for a small beeyard on our land. Called the Aphis #. Guy Showed up late. Having given up waiting, I was gone already. They left: I recalled them and they showed up on time the next day. Told me we didn't have enough juice on our fences to deflect a bear.
Set his big barrel trap; we caught coons for a week. No bear.
I've always let hunters who ask, cruise our property. Bear, deer, turkey, let 'er rip.
In the end, they sent me a check for $117. Loss of feed=$2,000. Loss of bee gear=$1,000. Whoopee.