gun safe/vault.....(and squirrels)

[Gold]

Squirrel hunter. Good for rats and chipmunks too.

 

[JohnRoberts]

My neighbor's too many cats (he feeds the strays) have decimated the local chipmunk population.

I still have to shoot the squirrels to save my pecan crop.

JR

 

[AnalogPackrat]

Dogs rarely catch squirrels, though they love the chase. Rats are a different matter altogether as they don't climb trees and leap 6-8'.

 

[Gold]

Dogs rarely catch squirrels, though they love the chase. Rats are a different matter altogether as they don't climb trees and leap 6-8'.

They tree squirrels. These dogs are used for Squirrel hunting. That’s how it’s done. Especially in the southern Appalachian Mountains. He’s a rat terrier and gets rats when I’m not paying attention. Even on the leash.

 

[AnalogPackrat]

Have you ever been to the southern Appalachian Mountains? Treeing squirrels isn't a solution for squirrels eating pecans. Or maybe I missed your point. Rats are not squirrels.

 

[Gold]

I didn’t realize the topic was species identification and pecan preservation. I’ll pay closer attention next time.

 

[JohnRoberts]

The topic was securing personal protection weapons, but as often happens on the WWW topics veer off into other directions.

JR

 

[AnalogPackrat]

I didn’t realize the topic was species identification and pecan preservation. I’ll pay closer attention next time.

I believe you changed the subject to alternative means of squirrel control. I simply pointed out the inadequacy of your proposed solution. Good day.

 

[JohnRoberts]

Treeing a squirrel might have some value to a hunter if there are no other nearby trees, but the squirrels I encounter are proficient at jumping between trees to escape. A few years ago I had my tree guy cut a bunch of limbs off my nearby stand of tall pine trees that the neighborhood squirrels used for easy access to my pecan trees. Now they have to use the ground route across my yard which leaves them more exposed, but still not easy to kill. I never hit one that was running across my yard. They are hard enough to hit when sitting still.

Checking my squirrel cameras this morning I saw one bird in pecan tree #4.

JR

 

[Gold]

Killing squirrels came up. Rat Terriers are commonly used for squirrel hunting. I have a Rat Terrier. That's the extent of my point.

 

[rock soderstrom]

A few years ago I had my tree guy cut a bunch of limbs off my nearby stand of tall pine trees that the neighborhood squirrels used for easy access to my pecan trees. Now they have to use the ground route across my yard which leaves them more exposed, but still not easy to kill. I never hit one that was running across my yard. They are hard enough to hit when sitting still.

If the intruders have to come via the ground route, wouldn't it be better to choose a passive defense strategy? Then you don't have to be constantly on the lookout and have a real 24/7 protection.

 

[living sounds]

Cats are by far the biggest problem here. They kill singing birds and misuse both our front and back yard as waste disposal grounds. In Germany hunters can legally shoot cats in the wild (which over here means outside city limits) and do frequently...

 

[JohnRoberts]

If the intruders have to come via the ground route, wouldn't it be better to choose a passive defense strategy? Then you don't have to be constantly on the lookout and have a real 24/7 protection.

tree limbs have grown back somewhat... I kind of like that idea

Cats are by far the biggest problem here. They kill singing birds and misuse both our front and back yard as waste disposal grounds. In Germany hunters can legally shoot cats in the wild (which over here means outside city limits) and do frequently...

My neighbor, (the kind one) feeds stray cats so from basic economic theory, give them free food and you will get more cats. Allowed to reproduce freely and you get a lot more cats. He says every time he gets one fixed they end up run over in the street. Cats are territorial so with too many for his yard they spread out with a few hanging out in my yard. One friendly one has adopted me and I pet him, but don't feed him (i do give him water). I once a couple years ago had a tiny kitten crying in my carport for about two days before it figured out I wasn't going to feed it and it moved on (probably to my kind neighbors house).

I haven't killed any of the too many cats yet but one did drop a litter of new kittens in my carport just a few weeks ago. The kind neighbor carried them over to his shop... I think 3 are still alive in a cardboard box.

JR

 

[JohnRoberts]

My gun safe/case arrived today and it fits like it was made for it (perfectly). Heavier than I expected but I guess that is a good thing. The steel cable is a bit of a hiding place location give away so this weekend I will move it out of sight.

My 3 digit combination is same as I have used before on multiple 3 digit locks, from back before internet passwords exhausted my memory for such things.

JR

 

[JohnRoberts]

I have my gun safe in place, but I think I am going to make a new steel security cable. I have some clear jacketed cable that would not be so obvious sticking out from under my mattress.

JR

 

[JohnRoberts]

I just made a new security cable for my gun vault. The original black jacketed steel cable really stuck out where I had it secreted. I replaced the security cable with clear jacketed cable that is a lot less eye catching.

===

Regarding the squirrels, my trees are too large diameter for the commercial squirrel shields. Further my pine tree branches have grown back so squirrels can access the trees from the high road (above) so the shields even if they fit wouldn't be an effective solution.

I guess I am back to shooting them... the old fashioned way. It has worked for years. Don't fix it if it ain't broke.

JR

 

[JohnRoberts]

This morning after walking back from my mailbox with today's newspaper I saw two squirrels playing grab ass and having a feeding frenzy in one of my front yard pecan trees.

They didn't seem to see me or care, so I loaded my pellet rifle and tried to get one in my sights. They were clearly chewing on pecans, but jumping around too much for me to get one sitting still long enough to see in my scope. After a few minutes of eyeballing a squirrel and then trying to get him in my scope, they apparently decided to leave the area. I didn't even get a shot off or see them leave.

Next time I see them I will just point and shoot....
====

Coincidentally it is looking like a poor year for my pecans. I am getting way too many early drops (otherwise healthy but not ripe). I worried that the early drops were due to drought, it's been 104' the last two days in a row with little rain, but according to the internet experts (and they know everything). Drought causes the trees to yellow and drop leaves, not drop nuts.

The symptom of dropping immature nuts looks like a lack of nutrients in the soil. The last time I fertilized with tree spikes was almost 3 years ago, so I ordered another case of tree spikes. I still have some zinc laying around from last time.

Too late to help this year. We'll see if I get any left on the trees long enough to mature after the f'n squirrels have their fun and games.

JR

 

[Matador]

I grew up hunting squirrels in mid-state California, however they are of the ground-burrowing type, so not to much worry with them going up trees. The local wheat and corn farmers with cattle loved us coming out to the local farms and shooting as many as possible, because the holes are often hidden in low brush, and the cattle would step in them and break their ankles. And the hawks perpetually circling overhead would take the free meals within 10 minutes.

What worked wonders if they were spooked was a squirrel call. It was a small handheld combination of bellows and a whistle, and when you flicked it with a finger it would make a barking noise that sounded a lot like a barking squirrel. If they were skittish, a few barks and invariably they would stop, stand straight up, and try to see where it was coming from. A 5-second pause was all that was needed. Might be enough to give you time to squeeze off a shot. I'm guessing the tree variety would respond the same. If you tape it to your rifle you can even flick it while looking down the sights.

 

[scott2000]

The last time I fertilized with tree spikes was almost 3 years ago, so I ordered another case of tree spikes. I still have some zinc laying around from last time.

I think I read somewhere that you have to feed trees more towards the edges of the canopy and not close to trunk? Seems like a lot of space to cover but makes sense.

 

[JohnRoberts]

I think I read somewhere that you have to feed trees more towards the edges of the canopy and not close to trunk? Seems like a lot of space to cover but makes sense.

The advice is to place the fertilizer spikes right under the drip line or outer fringes of leaf cover. Presumably that's where the most rain water ends up, and that helps push the fertilizer down into the ground and toward the roots.

I use a long handle axe to poke an appropriate size and depth hole in the ground, then I use the butt of the axe head to drive the tree spikes all the way down into the hole. My case of tree spikes arrived today, but I am not going to do that kind of work out in my yard with 100'+ temperatures.

JR