When Rednecks Don't Shoot Ground Squirrels

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Too cute to shoot, right? That's the way I'd figure it if I didn't know any better. Like, what harm could possibly come of allowing some poor squirrel to die of old age?

Varmint Al says most people would be looking at this one the wrong way:

http://www.varmintal.com/avarm.htm

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If hunters don't shoot the ground squirrels, the farmers are forced to poison them or they will over run their land. The poisoning of ground squirrels requires two feedings to kill them and it takes two days or more to work. The poison turns their intestines into blue mush and gives them a two day stomach ache that ends in a long agonizing death. They don't always die underground so hawks and eagles can find and eat them and are also killed. The poison grain is dyed blue so that "supposedly" the birds won't eat it. But birds do eat the poison and it kills all of the quail, pheasants, and other grain eating birds in the area and then it kills the animals that eat the dead birds.

Shooting the ground squirrels has beneficial effects. In the next drainage to the south of where I shot these ground squirrels, they use poison and they have no quail and almost as many ground squirrels. If the poison is used continuously for a few weeks, it will kill ALL the ground squirrels. Shooting never kills all of the ground squirrels, it merely thins out the crop to an acceptable level. Hunting is the best way. It is quick and efficient and when the hawks or coyotes eat the shot up ground squirrels, there will be no ill effects to their health.

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It used to drive me crazy to watch the boob tourists in California's national parks hand feed these rats. They'd put a treat in their kid's hand to attract the little rabid pests.

I also saw people put their kids on top of an elephant seal resting on the main beach after losing a battle on the mating island offshore.

Not only are the squirrels overbreeding, so are the stupid people.

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Not understanding the balance of animal populations is one thing, but merely feeding them makes them idiots and makes you angry?

On another thread you asked me what I considered to be the "fringe" position I alleged you held.

This is an example. Why get angry just because someone feeds a squirrel? Balance of animal populations doesn't equate to just killing them. That's hardly a well-balanced position.

Balance cjhsa. Just as the world needs those who don't hold over sentimental positions on animals the world needs those who do to counter the inordinately attached to killing.

Yes, some people don't get that squirrels can be pests. But that doesn't preclude someone from understanding it and still feeding a squirrel. It doesn't have to be every squirrel and just doesn't have to be that particular squirrel.

I think they are cute as hell as well as some of the most determined pests there can be in certain situations. You don't have to be on one side or the other, there's a huge middle ground with a lot more reason.

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Uh dude, squirrels are rats with furry tails. They bite. People ARE stupid to feed them from their hand.

And no, you should not feed wildlife unless you are fully committed to MANAGING the wildlife that shows up at your feeder. Those who only observe are part of the problem instead of the solution.

Ever bow hunt whitetail deer? Ever try to do it without using bait? It's impossible unless you're Superman. You either provide bait or find a natural feed plot and wait.

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cjhsa wrote:

Uh dude, squirrels are rats with furry tails. They bite. People ARE stupid to feed them from their hand.

Some people feed rats with their hands too. Sure, you can get rabies and all sorts of activities can hurt you but the trend I see with you is that you only get angry at the stupidity of animal lovers. It's a bit one-sided.

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And no, you should not feed wildlife unless you are fully committed to MANAGING the wildlife that shows up at your feeder. Those who only observe are part of the problem instead of the solution.

Perhaps, but it's a very small part of a very small problem to be angry about.

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Ever bow hunt whitetail deer?

Yes.

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Ever try to do it without using bait?

Yes.

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It's impossible unless you're Superman. You either provide bait or find a natural feed plot and wait.

My experience would agree with you, I found deer hunting boring and never saw a deer. But I don't get the point (maybe I'm stupid ;-) ).

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In every national park there are signs everywhere "do not feed wildlife" and yet people continue to do so.

They just don't get it until the bear rips the sliding door off their minivan that the rangers were serious when they told them not to even leave a piece of gum in their car.

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Yeah, but there are a lot of rules posted that people often ignore because the statistical probabilities of the danger are either slim or misunderstood.

Jaywalking can lead to being run over by a truck but many people do it without being idiots and only after the fact do people deride them for stupidity that they themselves are often perfectly capable of.

In any case, I have to admit that I thought your anger had to do with their merely feeding an animal you consider a "rat" and not concern for their safety.

If I was wrong about the nature of your wrath I was wrong but I still feel the anger is a bit over the top even if your concerns are as subsequently stated.

But in a late and lame attempt to get back to the topic:

As a kid I saw a very amazing documentary about squirrels being pests to bird feeders and the incredible lengths they had to go to in order to keep the very agile squirrels out of their bird feed.

I've lived in several places with squirrels in my yard, farm etc and know that these can be some pretty persistent and creative buggers!

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My Dad electrified his feeder. Sadistic SOB eh?

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I've seen it all. I saw a glass domed feeder that flying squirrels still got to. I saw Vaseline on the clothesline that the squirrels persistently climbed till it wiped off, and a woman who put a hose aimed at the feeder that she would turn on from the kitchen window.

The only thing that I saw work well was a metal feeder (so they couldn't knaw through it) that had a feeding perch that under the weight of a bird would work but under the weight of a squirrel would close the feeder.

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My "anger" is directed at those that think almost entirely with emotion and without logic or scientific reason. It is directed at those that try to put anti-hunting measures on ballots where they don't belong. It is directed at those that claim to be "vegetarian" or "vegan" who try to force their ridiculous views into my diet and everyone's politics.

For the last 100+ years we've been doing a great job managing wildlife here in the U.S. Instead of tinkering with the formula, the model should be copied.

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Robert Gentel wrote:

Yeah, but there are a lot of rules posted that people often ignore because the statistical probabilities of the danger are either slim or misunderstood.

Jaywalking can lead to being run over by a truck but many people do it without being idiots and only after the fact do people deride them for stupidity that they themselves are often perfectly capable of.

In any case, I have to admit that I thought your anger had to do with their merely feeding an animal you consider a "rat" and not concern for their safety.

If I was wrong about the nature of your wrath I was wrong but I still feel the anger is a bit over the top even if your concerns are as subsequently stated.

But in a late and lame attempt to get back to the topic:

As a kid I saw a very amazing documentary about squirrels being pests to bird feeders and the incredible lengths they had to go to in order to keep the very agile squirrels out of their bird feed.

I've lived in several places with squirrels in my yard, farm etc and know that these can be some pretty persistent and creative buggers!

So....we may be breeding stupider humans, but we are selecting for VERY smart squirrels?

Hmmmmmmmm............

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Deb.

I used to know a squirrel we called George. He hung out near my office and eventually learned to stroll through the office to my desk, and hop up on my knee to get various nuts. He nibbled a finger by accident a couple of times, but never hard enough to damage. I did learn that if I didn't have any nuts to give; he'd get pissed... literally. He'd hop down after leaving a tiny puddle of piddle about the size of a quarter.

George was the coolest of the area squirrels, by far. He did bring some friends, but they were too chicken to cross the doorway. George would have opened the damn door if he was strong enough (and tried). I guess Cjhsa will be mad at me now. That's okay. I liked George better anyway.

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OCCOM BILL wrote:

Deb.

I used to know a squirrel we called George. He hung out near my office and eventually learned to stroll through the office to my desk, and hop up on my knee to get various nuts. He nibbled a finger by accident a couple of times, but never hard enough to damage. I did learn that if I didn't have any nuts to give; he'd get pissed... literally. He'd hop down after leaving a tiny puddle of piddle about the size of a quarter.

George was the coolest of the area squirrels, by far. He did bring some friends, but they were too chicken to cross the doorway. George would have opened the damn door if he was strong enough (and tried). I guess Cjhsa will be mad at me now. That’s okay. I liked George better anyway.

Have I ever mentioned the Washington Mall squirrel, and the coconut icecream??????

Meanwhile:

A virile young squirrel named Cyril,
In an argument over a girl,
Was lambasted from here to the Tyrol
By a churl of a squirrel named Earl

That's only funny when you have heard Americans make all the sounds be like "squuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurl".....

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Eh, not that I'm aware of, and I don't get it. :wink:

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OCCOM BILL wrote:

Deb.

I used to know a squirrel we called George. He hung out near my office and eventually learned to stroll through the office to my desk, and hop up on my knee to get various nuts. He nibbled a finger by accident a couple of times, but never hard enough to damage. I did learn that if I didn't have any nuts to give; he'd get pissed... literally. He'd hop down after leaving a tiny puddle of piddle about the size of a quarter.

George was the coolest of the area squirrels, by far. He did bring some friends, but they were too chicken to cross the doorway. George would have opened the damn door if he was strong enough (and tried). I guess Cjhsa will be mad at me now. That's okay. I liked George better anyway.

Remind me to remind my friends not to eat at your restaurant.

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dlowan wrote:

A virile young squirrel named Cyril,
In an argument over a girl,
Was lambasted from here to the Tyrol
By a churl of a squirrel named Earl

That's only funny when you have heard Americans make all the sounds be like "squuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurl".....

That's funny, or would be with an American accent

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dadpad wrote:

dlowan wrote:

A virile young squirrel named Cyril,
In an argument over a girl,
Was lambasted from here to the Tyrol
By a churl of a squirrel named Earl

That's only funny when you have heard Americans make all the sounds be like "squuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurl".....

That's funny, or would be with an American accent

I was deeply embarrassed when my friend and I saw our first squirrel in a park in NYC.

I was enjoying its behaviour, and came to to find she was asking a police officer what it was!

Looking bemused, he said: "It's a squurrrrrrrrrrrrrrl, ma'am."

She had no idea what he meant, and asked him to repeat himself.

"It's a SQUURRRRRRRRRRRRRLLLLLL." he said.

She still didn't get it.

I said "It's a SQUIRREL."

"Yes" said the officer...."that's what I said, it's a squurrrrrrrrl."

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washington mall squuuuurrrrlll?

Do tell.

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dadpad wrote:

washington mall squuuuurrrrlll?

Do tell.

It's hard to tell without doing the hand actions, and it's just a silly story.

We bought some icecreams from a street vendor and sat in the mall green spaces They line the mall, see here:

http://www.indospectrum.com/digimages/dc2/cd011_wash_mon_top_view_mall.jpg

Of course, squirrels live there and scavenge from the tourists.

I had a very coconutty kind of ice-cream, quite firm.

A squirrel came and looked soulful, and, I finally wondered if the nuttiness of the icecream might make it acceptable to the squiggle.

I held out a piece, and the squiggle sniffed carefully, then took the piece, and held it as it would a nut, while it tucked in eagerly.

After a few seconds, it was clearly shocked by the coldness on its paws, and it chittered at me....sounded like it was saying; "MY paws are FREEZING!!!!"

It grabbed the food in its teeth.....and waved its paws wildly.

Then its TEETH got cold.....so it held the food in its paws again, and yelled "My TEETH are freezing!!!!"

It loved the morsel, so it ate it slowly, all the while alternately waving its paws wildly, or complaining about its teeth.

It looked puzzled but happy at the end.......I bet it's still telling its squiggle friends about the nice snow some weird alien gave it in the middle of spring!

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Great stories.

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When Rednecks Don't Shoot Ground Squirrels

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