Nothing about boats - about trapping squirrels

C

Captains Cat

New member
The title isn't quite true.... When I look at my boat on the lift from our screened porch which is our usual habitat in the spring-summer-fall, I can see the big bird feeder (4 armed) that I built to feed a variety of bird creatures. We're a "certified wildlife habitat" (for what that's worth) with the National Wild Life Federation. I put a plastic like material on the vertical 4X4 and as hard as they try, they can't climb it. They can eat the sunflower seeds/corn etc on the ground though and scare away the groundfeeders (Cardinals, etc).

Anyway, a couple of years ago, I bought an appropriately sized HAV-A-HEART trap when we lived in our garage apt (before the house was built) and caught the buggers that came up to our porch (second level) and "transported" them. That's a wooded area about 2.7 miles from our house that I figured they'd never come back from and still find enough to exist on, just not my seed! I caught about a dozen squirrels there, a few small raccoons and a few opossoms.

Well, here at the new house, the population has boomed (squirrels). I've seen as many as 15 around the base of the feeder. So, yesterday I got out the trap again.

Yesterday I caught and transported 5 Squirrels. Caught and released 2 grackles ( blacklike birds).

Last night we caught a Raccoon and I transported him this morning.

Today, so far, we've caught and transported 7 squirrels. Four of them are "twofers", two Squirrels at a time. They are starting to interrupt my evening cocktail hour.

My dad used to trap them like this and then put them in a 55 gallon drum and drown them. Can't bring myself to do that.

If someone nearby wants them, I'll drop them off at your house!

Charlie
 
I remember eating squirrel a time or two when I was a kid. :roll: And regardless of how cute they seem, they're still just a rodent with a bushy tail and better PR than a rat.

No, they don't taste like chicken. And don't get me started on those nasty gackles (you say grackles, I say gackles... po-TAY-to, po-TAH-to). :mrgreen:

Good luck with the varmits, Charlie.

Best wishes,
Jim
 
Don, I'd have to put a feeder on the pier to lure them out there! What I need is one of those in the yard that will fire them 2.7 miles! We had potato guns in Maine that would shoot a spud about 300 yards, our neighbor was building a cantelopue gun and a watermelon gun. We shoot over the water. Don't want to get too close to the lobster boats, those guys carry their own armament!

Will post the score here from time to time until they run out :shock: If ever.....

Charlie
 
Wait 'till you trap a skunk, Charlie. I was after possums in our back yard and one morning found a black/white. Released it on Camp Pendleton. Heck, those jarheads prolly thought the smell was coming from the Crucible finish line....

Getting it (and the trap) out of the yard, into the truck bed, and eventually released WITHOUT getting sprayed was a rather interesting exercise. It involved a big tarp, bungee cords, and lots of soothing words....

Don
 
Charlie,
Get out the frying pan. I will send you "how to prepare" instructions. Be sure to check you local hunting seasons to see what your bag limit is. They are quite tasty when smothered with gravey.

An by the way what part of "certified wildlife habitat" don't you understand? :twisted:

The wild in wildlife means you don't get to pick and choose who moves into the neighborhood...it's sorta like "Title 9". :?
 
Sneaks":90voeu2w said:
Wait 'till you trap a skunk, Charlie. I was after possums in our back yard and one morning found a black/white. Released it on Camp Pendleton. Heck, those jarheads prolly thought the smell was coming from the Crucible finish line....

Getting it (and the trap) out of the yard, into the truck bed, and eventually released WITHOUT getting sprayed was a rather interesting exercise. It involved a big tarp, bungee cords, and lots of soothing words....

Don
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Yeah, I've worried about that except that I don't think I've ever seen one here.... Not that they're not. I think I'd get out my MK5 gas mask and my 14' boat hook and release him/her where he/she is....

Papillon, don't want to eat 'em. Got too many other good things to eat. We also have 5 wild ducks, 4 boy mallards and a girl duck, that come get corn every day.... Don't want to eat them either''' :love
 
Papillon":3kw6esdw said:
Be sure to check you local hunting seasons to see what your bag limit is.
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Not to be a party pooper, but this is great advice Charlie.

Depending on what squirrels you are trapping and local laws, you could be setting yourself up for some serious grief - especially if you have nosey, squirrel loving neighbors. I went through this several years back, when the little monsters were getting under my boat cover, and leaving all sorts of nasty crap on my gelcoat.

Fortunately in my case, our local squirrels are not a native species, and not subject to hunting/trapping regulations. Had they been, I'd have been in for a fun bureaucratic ride through mounds of red tape and permits, to trap them legally. Depredation permits, public notice, etc.

I'd suggest calling your local Fish and Game office - anonymously, with caller ID disabled. :mrgreen:
 
Sneaks":14cmf1rb said:
. Released it on Camp Pendleton. Heck, those jarheads prolly thought the smell was coming from the Crucible finish line....

Don
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Don, I am surprised that a man who would spend months at a time, underwater, in a big sausage, with a bunch of other guys would have the audacity to say anything about odors. Holy catfish... :P :P
 
Da Nag":1gsh45yp said:
Papillon":1gsh45yp said:
Be sure to check you local hunting seasons to see what your bag limit is.
Click to expand...

Not to be a party pooper, but this is great advice Charlie.

Depending on what squirrels you are trapping and local laws, you could be setting yourself up for some serious grief - especially if you have nosey, squirrel loving neighbors. I went through this several years back, when the little monsters were getting under my boat cover, and leaving all sorts of nasty crap on my gelcoat.

Fortunately in my case, our local squirrels are not a native species, and not subject to hunting/trapping regulations. Had they been, I'd have been in for a fun bureaucratic ride through mounds of red tape and permits, to trap them legally. Depredation permits, public notice, etc.

I'd suggest calling your local Fish and Game office - anonymously, with caller ID disabled. :mrgreen:
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Bill, I'm technically not trapping them, just giving them an opportunity to live in a different neighborhood. The place where I'm moving them, I've renamed Squirrel Hollow. Actually it's a small soybean/corn/wheat (depends on the season) field surrounded by woods....

BTW, if I ever run into one of these suckers, I'll re-evaluate my methods. :disgust

guns_ammo_squirrel.jpg


OK, why can't I see the picture? Can anyone else?
 
Captains Cat":a96loq9s said:
Bill, I'm technically not trapping them, just giving them an opportunity to live in a different neighborhood.
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Understood, good buddy. :mrgreen:

Unfortunately, reasonable as that sounds to you and me, it still ain't legal in my neighborhood for "game" critters. Doesn't matter what you do with the critter after trapping...around here, relocation is not allowed without permits either. Perhaps it's just a CA thing, and sanity prevails elsewhere.

While I was lucky with our non-native squirrels, the same can not be said of raccoons - they're definitely a game animal. We've had them take up residence on our property, and I don't hesitate to put out the Havahart. Given the very limited risk of my getting caught/fined, compared to the very real risk of huge vet bills for three dogs tangling with a raccoon, the decision is easy.

Rocky gets to go for a little ride in the truck. :D
 
I'll check Bill, out of curiosity. Will keep on doing what I'm doing though :wink:

Rocky II got a ride this morning. The score stands at 13 Squirrels, two Raccoons and 3 Grackles now....

As I sit here with my morning coffee, I see 6 (SIX!) Tree Rats around the base of the feeder. The trap is ready and waiting (just got back from the Raccoon trip) and I'm sure that within a few minutes will have #14 to transport!

Charlie
 
A mans' gotta have a hobby... But, in your case you are baiting them, so if the DNR does become aware of your 'witness relocation program', it could get testy... OTOH, tis more efficient to beg forgiveness than permission...

We have one squirrel that patrols our feeder lately... Gonna put a collar on the pole this weekend, and there is nothing nearby for him to jump from, so he is SOL...
 
Baiting them?? :cry

Certainly not! I just put the trap on the ground, there are seeds there for the ground feeders and the tree rats just walk in and imprison themselves. Then I take them on a 2.7 mile vacation :thup

You might try wrapping your pole (it's gotta be at least 7' tall (they can jump that high) with a slippery teflon coated thing. Or put a big piece of PVC tubing on it. I used a sheet of what they call "RainGuard" and wrapped it around the 4x4 and stapled it. They can't climb it.

BTW Denny, did you ever get your t-shirts from Langford? I know they had some left, not sure what sizes. I sent you an e-mail and never heard back (I don't think).

Charlie
 
Wandering Sagebrush":xgtzhbwa said:
Don, I am surprised that a man who would spend months at a time, underwater, in a big sausage, with a bunch of other guys would have the audacity to say anything about odors. Holy catfish... :P :P
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LOL. I see your point, but we had industrial strength charcoal filters running full time. The only time we couldn't keep up with it was when we transported some no-neck, knuckle dragging Force Recon Marines and did some avoidance angles/dangles with the boat. It felt sorta like crossing the Bar like the FacTory Guys did in a C-22, only with earplugs and a blindfold on. They didn't say much but they did change their skivvies after it was over....

Charlie, I still think you're a creative guy, and all those 5.4 mile round trips in that V10 Dodge Ram has gotta start bugging your wallet. Might be cheaper to fence off the feeder area and stick one of Da Nerd's Weimaraners in there during the day. Or better yet, a terrier....

Don
 
AT LAST, A PICTURE OF A BOAT IN THIS THREAD! The TC255 is on the lift in the first image!

Sqs_002.sized.jpg

Sorry for the blurry photo, it was taken through the screen of the porch! The feeder is about 7' high and the white covering is a teflon material that they (squirrels) cannot climb. Somehow the raccoons can though. Don, I don't use the V-10! Think I'd put those smelly rats in my nice truck? No, I use my wife's Town and Country Van.... :disgust

Sometimes they can be a little "cheeky", not at all afraid of the trap. The only thing that will run them off is my Silky Terror (Terrier), Andy...

Sqs_001.sized.jpg
 
looking at your trap i think it would be skunk proof they have to stand up and arch to let loose ... years back rented a skunk trap looks about the same size .. trapped the sucker and drove him out of town ...

back than we also put in a small koi pond it became a magnet for everyone raccoon in town one night had five on the back porch they also like cat food ... mom dad and three little one's well they uprooted every thing in our koi pond so i put a electric fence around it, now this thing had two wires hanging out of the box so i attached a cord and plugged it in .. well hind sight it should have been a 12 volt battery ... well this fencer was just a thumping away and the neighbors cat came over and touched it she went a good six feet into the air had a bowel movement hit the ground and made it across the pond and up the 18ft bank over the fence in three strides .. this fencer was thumping away through the night and kept me awake about 3am it paused than started up again went out and pulled the plug .. the next day their was two hit marks were some critter's got air born and pan-caked into our flower bed about four feet from the fence,, judging by the size it was the raccoons any ways they never came back ... wc
 
Like I said, never seen a skunk around here but if I do "luck out" and trap one, I'm not taking any chances. A good MK5 gas mask and my 14' boat hook should do the trick.

Great story about the electric fence, that assumes though, that a critter is smart enough not to come back once blasted. Squirrels aren't that smart! :crook

Charlie
 
wailedcentipede":rodqqtck said:
looking at your trap i think it would be skunk proof they have to stand up and arch to let loose ... years back rented a skunk trap looks about the same size .. trapped the sucker and drove him out of town ...
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Unfortunately not all skunk species need to "do the handstand" to launch. I think the spotted variety needs the room but the stripers need only lift their tail and they can hit a target 7-15 ft. away. (Charlie, get a longer boat hook)

The good side is that most skunks do NOT want to get any scent on themselves and they only have a 3-4 round magazine that needs a week to regenerate, so they usually wait until it's a "clear and present danger" before doing their thing.

Charlie if it ever comes to that, PLEASE get your spouse to videotape the removal operation from a safe distance. YouTube material for sure.

Oh, and that cat story broke me up laughing. Almost as good as the video of a dog peeing on an electric fence that was running around the web at one time.

Don
 
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