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SmallGamer · New Member

I absolutely love squirrel hunting! But lately, I haven't seen any. None. Not even a glimpse of one of those tree rats puttering through the leaves 70 yards away. I have a nice blind, use scent-killer, have my secret mix that they would die for (pun intended), I am completely still, and I have moved places. Has this happened to any of you? What am I doing wrong? I need answers!

NZ Shooter · Suspended

Come down to New Zealand, and cap some possums. You won't need any of the gear you mentioned. Just a rifle. The trippers just stare at your spotlight, waiting to get dead. Idiots. Although, you can spot the gun-shy few, who have been shot at before. They bolt at any sign of light.
We obviously don't have squirrels in this country, so can't help ya there, sorry. Just thought I'd chime-in with my countries biggest pest problem. Mr. Green

BBgunNoob · Veteran Member

in the summer go out and buy some bird feed, keep dishing it out to them, they reproduce according to their food suppl, should help repopulate a little

radar · Silver Status Member

+1 on the summer feeding.

If you have had a lot of predators move into the area, you may have to find another hunting spot. We recently moved to a heavily wooded area in town, from another fairly wooded are 3.7 miles north of here. At the old house we were over run with bunnies, but very few here. Here we have squirrels (but not quite as many) and possums, fox, raccoon and deer. A few miles can make a big difference as well as from year to year.

Esdraelon · New Member

Put out a bird feeder. Every feeder I have ever had attracts squirrels like wildfire and they won't quit at it until they have eaten every seed in the feeder. You can tag them to your hearts desire if you don't show yourself

Squirrels are extremely intelligent, like crows. I recall shooting crows (shotgun) from a blind and the crows would sit out in the trees out of range until one of us got up and walked away from the blind and within 5 minutes the crows are all over the place.

Squirrels will run when they see you and run out of range, but usually within 10 or 15 minutes, they are right back attacking the feeder.

Good shooting!

redear · Member

I have seen years around here when they were scarce, and had some old timers tell me that they will migrate a distance if food becomes scarce, seems logical to me, these old timers hunt them with a squirrel dog and they been doing it for years.

radar · Silver Status Member

They do that. And since the natural attrition rate for squirrels is about 50% per year, the supply dries up fast if they are not actively producing offspring in a given area.

I'm smothered in them, but no rabbits. I kind of miss rabbits. No die off, but we moved and this neighborhood has all kinds of squirrels and other game and pests, large and small, but is nearly bunnyless.

AGBug · Member

In my area--northern Illinois--we have seen a steep decline in squirrels, rabbits and certain nesting birds (both protected and non-protected invasive) due to a explosive population in cats (both feral and domesticated). Look around and see if you have that problem and eliminate the competition.

I am not suggesting blasting away a domesticated; you can easily tell by how the cat looks. A feral cat is normally accompanied by others since the tend to congregate in small prides of other feral cats, their reaction to human presence (often hissing, growling as well as taking a defensive stance) and most often, they are filthy. Feral cats, unlike a mere stray, simply has been born in the wild with no human contact whereas a stray is simply a domestic now living in the wild with no human contact. Both can become great pets if taken young, but both--just like a domestic--are avid predators, however unlike a domestic that may take a bird or a squirrel out of sport/instinct, a feral lives off of them and the local population of critters steeply declines.

If you can identify a feral/stray (especially if it is not wearing a tag spelling out MUFFY), in most places you can take them down, especially if you own animals (chickens, rabbits, duck, geese, etc or even domesticated cats) which feral/strays consider either a meal or a threat.

We HAD a band of them in my area which from fall through winter did a lot of damage to certain populations (as well as stinking up the area with their spray).

Note, we HAD a problem.

Welcome back bluejays, cardinals, rabbits and squirrels!

AGBug

toadmyster223 · Senior Member

My Dads house used to be out in the sticks, and there was a neighbor lady who just fed and fed and fed the cats. None of them were tame enough to get within a stones throw of, and most of them looked sick. They'd come around our place, eat our cat food, fight our cats, et cetera. I must have shot a pick-up load of cats at that place. Morbid, but honestly good sport! Ferals aren't Fluffy.