Ground squirells

[runriverright]

Anybody have any hot tips for controlling ground squirrels. Last year I caught 32 in a haveahart trap, I shoot them daily, and have tried poison with minimal success.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Sounds like you have all your bases covered. Persistence is probably the most important thing. Once they get established and start breeding, it can be a long summer in Iowa at least.

 

[BLJ]

I’m trying a 12 year old boy and a pellet gun this summer. They’re everywhere.

 

[runriverright]

Yeah I'm down in southern oregon and have been in this battle for 9 years. Don't feel like I'm winning.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

We had a serious infestation one year of 13-lined ground squirrels on my dads driving range. We tried drowning them out and shooting them, but they had a network of tunnels and they would come out quite often where you were not expecting. My dad then rigged up a device to attach to the tractor exhaust and we gassed them to death. It really worked. This was in SE Wisconsin.

 

[KsRancher]

Get better poison. We have sand rats pretty bad in around me. There is a poison a buddy got at the local coop. It got the sand rats. I mean wiped them out. But also got the coyotes, badgers, snakes, etc. Anything that ate a dead sand rat also died

 

[runriverright]

We had a serious infestation one year of 13-lined ground squirrels on my dads driving range. We tried drowning them out and shooting them, but they had a network of tunnels and they would come out quite often where you were not expecting. My dad then rigged up a device to attach to the tractor exhaust and we gassed them to death. It really worked. This was in SE Wisconsin.

I didn't think this would work with all the tunnels and entrances, It's worth a try though, maybe I'll park all my rigs in different spots and gas the whole field haha

 

[NRA4LIFE]

Get better poison. We have sand rats pretty bad in around me. There is a poison a buddy got at the local coop. It got the sand rats. I mean wiped them out. But also got the coyotes, badgers, snakes, etc. Anything that ate a dead sand rat also died

Was that maybe something the old farmers referred to as "fly spray"? My uncle swears by it, kills everything. He mixes it with coke in a shallow dish and sometimes the critters don't make it 20 feet.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

I didn't think this would work with all the tunnels and entrances, It's worth a try though, maybe I'll park all my rigs in different spots and gas the whole field haha

That's the spirit! Mass extinction.

 

[runriverright]

Get better poison. We have sand rats pretty bad in around me. There is a poison a buddy got at the local coop. It got the sand rats. I mean wiped them out. But also got the coyotes, badgers, snakes, etc. Anything that ate a dead sand rat also died

Trying to avoid killing everything, but I'm getting close

 

[insanelupus]

Badgers.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

Trying to avoid killing everything, but I'm getting close

You can only take so much.

 

[Ucsdryder]

Rattlesnakes. Introduce 100 or so. That’ll help!

Poison is the answer.

 

[runriverright]

You can only take so much.

They got under the house and into all the hvac flex. They're worse than rats

Rattlesnakes. Introduce 100 or so. That’ll help!

Poison is the answer.

Everytime I find a snake i throw it down a hole lol

 

[BBob]

I’m trying a 12 year old boy and a pellet gun this summer. They’re everywhere.

I got handed a 22 and a box of shells at about the same age for the same purpose. I was paid $1 a head, in the 70’s. Hopefully you’ll be as generous with the bounty with an increase for inflation

 

[BLJ]

Hopefully you’ll be as generous with the bounty

Maybe they aren’t that bad………..

 

[RockAndSage]

I’m trying a 12 year old boy and a pellet gun this summer. They’re everywhere.

^This is the way. Add in a $5 bounty per tail, all the snacks and sodas the boys could want for the summer, and you'll be bankrupt and squirrel-free by Labor Day.

 

[runriverright]

^This is the way. Add in a $5 bounty per tail, all the snacks and sodas the boys could want for the summer, and you'll be bankrupt and squirrel-free by Labor Day.

Not sure my 2 year old is quite up to the task yet. But I'll give him the 22 and send him out there anyway. I'll report back on his success.

 

[The Guide]

Yeah I'm down in southern oregon and have been in this battle for 9 years. Don't feel like I'm winning.

How big of an area are you having issues in? Most of my clients end up having issues if their neighbors aren't doing any type of suppression. I've cleared half sections (or more) of agriculture land of ground squirrels (several hundred animals) using traps (leg hold, conibear, and live traps), air rifles with moderators (air rifle suppressors), rimfire rifles, and centerfire rifles. Water flooding and gas pumping (exhaust gasses) can be used but are limited to interconnected tunnels. Suppression has to go on during all hours of shooting light. Ground Squirrels have a super high metabolism and the best way to get them to lower numbers is to force them underground where they eat all their food stores and eventually have to come out to feed or they will starve. They don't get water from a regular water source as the majority of their moisture comes from greens. Thirst and hunger will bring them out where they can be shot or trapped. When shooting them don't aim for the head. Might make a cool video clip but a miss doesn't remove anything. Aim mid body. A blown off limb will often be enough to kill them. If you want more info, PM me. I plan to head to the coast fishing in the next month or two and would stop and take a look and give some feedback on how I'd attack the issue.

Jay

 

[RockAndSage]

Not sure my 2 year old is quite up to the task yet. But I'll give him the 22 and send him out there anyway. I'll report back on his success.

Ah, I see your problem. He just won't be able to calculate ballistics yet. Understandable.

Turn him loose with this glorious piece of American technology: