No Squirrels Allowed

[SteveP]

New member here but have been following this thread from the beginning. I have been battling squirrels in my garden every year. I live in a city neighborhood, so I have to be very selective when it is safe to shoot them with my pellet guns. Just across my privacy fence and garden are 2 large trees that are baby squirrel factories. I only shoot them if I see them in my garden. I killed 10 my first year and 9 last year. We will see what this year brings.
I have my old family Remington Model 512 (tube feed) and could dispatch lots of tree rats if I could use it. It is scary accurate and I from a bench shoot a 15 shot group the size of a quarter from 50yds at the range. My pellet guns (Gamo) are not nearly as accurate.

[Hellmanns]

Originally Posted by SteveP

New member here but have been following this thread from the beginning. I have been battling squirrels in my garden every year. I live in a city neighborhood, so I have to be very selective when it is safe to shoot them with my pellet guns. Just across my privacy fence and garden are 2 large trees that are baby squirrel factories. I only shoot them if I see them in my garden. I killed 10 my first year and 9 last year. We will see what this year brings.
I have my old family Remington Model 512 (tube feed) and could dispatch lots of tree rats if I could use it. It is scary accurate and I from a bench shoot a 15 shot group the size of a quarter from 50yds at the range. My pellet guns (Gamo) are not nearly as accurate.

I had a 512, and like a fool priced it. Anyhoo, .22 CB caps may be your answer. That is the ammo I hunt squirrels with. Less noise than the pellet rifles, and more knock down power.

[SteveP]

Originally Posted by Hellmanns

I had a 512, and like a fool priced it. Anyhoo, .22 CB caps may be your answer. That is the ammo I hunt squirrels with. Less noise than the pellet rifles, and more knock down power.

I will have to looks for the CB caps. I do have some .22 shorts that are quiet, I may try those. I have some good neighbors (I give them tomatoes) and I don't think they would mind.

[fonseca]

So I went out to check my plants today, my tomatoes are gone. They were all small and green, and I haven't put up any protection yet because I didn't think they would eat them so soon. Only had about 30 green tomatoes bigger than my thumb so far, now I have one half-eaten one. They also ate the flowers off my roselle plants, and this was the first year they have ever flowered for me. I could almost cry if I wasn't so frustrated.

I am planning to order a trap like this because the population is out of control. I have a roll of poultry mesh, but haven't come up with a good way to protect the garden. I guess I can buy 2x2x8' pressure treated lumber, build a giant cage around groups of tomatoes? I would have to build at least 2.

I had also considered returning the poultry netting and buying plastic netting, which would be easy to throw over my 8' tall trellises, and a lot less time-consuming.

[dmforcier]

The eating of the flowers sounds more like deer to me.

[fonseca]

The pillaging occurred between 10am and 3pm, and my roselle plants are currently right beside the furthest along tomato plants. They were only thumb-sized as well.

Also, just about every container (and I have over 100) has been dug into, lots of pepper plants damaged, pine bark and CHC mulch did nothing to deter them. Their population needs to be reduced. I have counted over 15 in my yard at the same time, digging holes in what little grass I have.

[Bulldog]

I tried bird netting last year, and it was no help against squirrels and ground squirrels. Also tried 5 foot 1/2 inch metal hardware cloth as a fence and since it was open on to it did no good except for rabbits.

I have though about doing a pvc pipe cage with the plastic fencing zip tied to it.

Right now, I am putting large tulle bags from Amazon over every tomato that's starting to get color except the cherries. Got that idea from another thread.

[Dewayne mater]

I've got a pest of some sort that really is enjoying my sungold tomatoes and I'd like to deter it at least. Please help me figure out what the culprit is.

I haven't figured out if it is eating at night or day while I"m at work. This critter likes to take sungolds, then goes to a specific spot to eat them and after getting every bit of deliciousness from them, manages to spit out the skins. I don't think it is a rat because I set out a rat trap with peanut butter right where it has been eating tomatoes and the trap has never sprung. Possible critters I've seen in the area: squirrels, birds (many types), possum, rats that like tomatoes more than peanut butter.

Other than that, I have no clues. I think the spitting out skins is a major clue. What do you think?

Dewayne

[Worth1]

I bet it is a possum.
I had one that liked only San Marzano tomatoes.
I bet it was an Italian possum but it only took one every now and then and left plenty for me.
It would sometimes come up and get one while I was sitting there and eat it.
Unlike the stinking wasteful deer that leave them everywhere.

Worth

[Yak54]

Do you have chipmunks in Texas ?

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by Yak54

Do you have chipmunks in Texas ?

I haven't seen a chipmunk since I was in MO.
But they are here in certain areas.
Chipmunk — The gray-footed chipmunk (Tamias canipes) is found at high altitudes in the Guadalupe and Sierra Diablo ranges of the Trans-Pecos (see also Ground Squirrel, with which it is often confused in public reference).

Worth

[Dewayne mater]

We don't have chipmunks in the DFW area. I didn't know possums ate tomatoes Worth, but, I know we have one poking around at night. 2 nights ago I heard 3 quick scratches on the door, the type the dog makes when she is ready to come in and too lazy to go through the doggy door. She immediately snapped awake and started barking in our bedroom, so I knew it wasn't her. Sure enough, Mr. Possum was testing the door to see if it would open. We the dog ran after it, the possum scampered quickly 20 feet up a tree. I had no idea they could move like that.

I have a trap, I supposed I could catch and relocate. So long as it sticks to sungolds, which I have many of, I'll let it go. If it starts eating my large heirlooms, we got a problem!

Dewayne

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by Dewayne mater

We don't have chipmunks in the DFW area. I didn't know possums ate tomatoes Worth, but, I know we have one poking around at night. 2 nights ago I heard 3 quick scratches on the door, the type the dog makes when she is ready to come in and too lazy to go through the doggy door. She immediately snapped awake and started barking in our bedroom, so I knew it wasn't her. Sure enough, Mr. Possum was testing the door to see if it would open. We the dog ran after it, the possum scampered quickly 20 feet up a tree. I had no idea they could move like that.

I have a trap, I supposed I could catch and relocate. So long as it sticks to sungolds, which I have many of, I'll let it go. If it starts eating my large heirlooms, we got a problem!

Dewayne

Possums are omnivorous and need to eat just the way we do.
People that keep them as pets many times dont know this and try to feed them just dog or cat food.
Mine gets everything I put out for them.

You statement about scratching on the door reminds me of that advertisement where the woman lets the racoon in the house thinking it is her cat.

Worth

[Adriana]

I'll trade your squirrels for the sounder of 35 feral pigs that has just moved intomour mountain neighborhood!

[swellcat]

So long as it sticks to sungolds, which I have many of, I'll let it go. If it starts eating my large heirlooms, we got a problem!

Free-range, organic protein, pre-marinated with tomatoes?

Smells like opportunity.