i hate squirrels.....

so last night i hear a scraping noise in the ceiling and i went to the attic to find some squirrels had eaten through a facia board and were playing house up there. i grabbed by pellet gun and popped one of them three times before he went out the hole and across the roof above me ... obviously still able to run! i guess my pellet gun is loosing some ooomf! i was wondering if there is something between a .22 cal rifle and a .177 pellet gun that will give better stopping power? i dont want to use the rifle as past experience tells me that 22 caliber bullets will go through the squirrel, the facia board behind it, and some distance beyond that from the 20 feet or so i am shooting. without being able to physically see my backstop beyond the facia i dont want to risk it. i also saw that there were other pellet types like hollow points and pyramid shaped plastic point pellets out there in .177. are they any good? will they make up for my pellet guns loss of power?

.22 with rat shot or a cat. I've had better luck with the cat except for the fact that he wants to share. My wife kind of freaks out when he brings her the back half of them. Usually in the kitchen while she fixing dinner.

Dunno about your pellet gun problem, but for the squirrel problem, play loud Spanish music. All the time. Tune it to whatever Mexican radio station you have. It worked for us.

mtn wrote: Dunno about your pellet gun problem, but for the squirrel problem, play loud Spanish music. All the time. Tune it to whatever Mexican radio station you have. It worked for us.

ha... i like that! except it may make me want to move away too!

Toyman01 wrote: .22 with rat shot or a cat. I've had better luck with the cat except for the fact that he wants to share. My wife kind of freaks out when he brings her the back half of them. Usually in the kitchen while she fixing dinner.

i think i might get arrested for shoving a cat into my attic..... but i'll look for some rat shot.... i"m assuming that is a 22 shell with shotgun type shot in it.... right? does it tend to stay well grouped at 20 feet or so? and any problems with autoloading a rat shot shell?

I hate squirrels too.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/1003/914Dan/?action=view&current=SquirrelCatapult.mp4

In reply to itsarebuild:

Correct. Grouping at 20 feet is probably in the 4-6 inch range. In my old Savage it won't auto load, but it is single shot selectable. In my newer Winchester it will about 75% of the time. The other 25% it stove pipes. It's also usually nasty loads. Be prepared to clean and lube the gun. They also used to make a snake shot that was a little heavier. I have only seen it in the magnum shell. In a revolver it's pretty loud. Better pattern and better penetration.

The cats kill them in the yard. They never have a chance to make it into the house. We get two or three a year that try to move into the big oak in the yard. They don't last long.

just found some winchester #12 shot cartriges online. bought some hollow point .11 pellets while i was at it. (got free shipping that way) its looking to be a bad weekend for the squirrels......

Toyman... i'll keep the autoloading issue in mind. i'll give it a try in a non-squirrel related test firing first. if it doesnt work there i guess i just need to make sure the first shot hits!

914Driver wrote: I hate squirrels too. http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/1003/914Dan/?action=view&current=SquirrelCatapult.mp4

THAT IS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

last summer I was sitting at home minding my own business when I heard scratching on the screen. Looking up was a squirrel trying to get in.

I shooed him away and after about 5 attempts.. set a pot of water to boil on the sink.. the 6th attempt my said squirrel saw it gettng a boiling water shower.

Did you know that squirrels can scream?

^^ Was that really necessary? Geez.

I've killed rabbits on the spot w/ first few shots from CO2 pellet rifle. How 'bout .22 subsonic rounds, birdshot, rat traps, crossbow... I'm just redneck thinkin' outloud.

I dunno my RWS .177 cal rifle whips along at 1600fps and takes out racoons when needed. Me thinks your gun is to pooped to pop

I've caught them in live traps and then killed them in the yard before. I made the mistake of putting poison in the attic before. Don't do that, they hide and you have to find them by smell later.

914Driver wrote: I hate squirrels too. http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/1003/914Dan/?action=view&current=SquirrelCatapult.mp4

Haaahaaaa... thanks for the laugh. I've had a E36 M3 day, I needed that!

I send my two siamese up in the attic, those little buggers clear out pretty quickly.

Y'know, instead of maiming or horribly burning little fuzzy critters, I've had pretty good luck with a product that was basically capsaicin powder (don't remember the name sorry.) You find where they are getting in, block it off with chicken wire or whatever, and put some of the powder down. Reapply once or twice and they learn to stay away. It won't stop mice but nothing will anyway... I took care of some raccoon and skunk problems at my old house that way and they didn't come back.

(The real key is blocking where they're getting in, the capsaicin powder only makes them less enthusiastic about trying anyway.)

Call me a granola-munching hippy if you want, I don't care... I don't particularly feel any need to Rambo suburban critters to death.

Squirrels (and other little fuzzy rodents) don't bother me as long as they stay out of the house. There's a bunch of them in the woods behind my house. Late on a moonless night when they go barreling through dry leaves it scares the poop out of old curmudgeons.

If they get in, the little bastiges will chew on PVC pipes or worse yet wiring insulation. I've seen both happen. In the balance: a squirrel vs. my house getting flooded or burning down. Yup, squirrel in my house just lost. [Malcolm X] By any means necessary. [/Malcolm X]

About the squirrel trying 6 times to get in: yes they can and do get rabies. Not much reasoning with a rabid squirrel.

I wonder if our mouse loving PETA friend will show up for this thread?

mad_machine wrote: last summer I was sitting at home minding my own business when I heard scratching on the screen. Looking up was a squirrel trying to get in. I shooed him away and after about 5 attempts.. set a pot of water to boil on the sink.. the 6th attempt my said squirrel saw it gettng a boiling water shower. Did you know that squirrels can scream?

That's just horrible.

914Driver wrote: I hate squirrels too. http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/1003/914Dan/?action=view&current=SquirrelCatapult.mp4

"What ? you never seen a Flying Squirrel before ?? "

I need to pick up something to shoot the squirrels with. I kind of like them around outside, but several of my neighbors put out poison peanuts for them and I end up having to bury a half-rotted squirrel instead of a fresh one. I'd rather take them out before they have to suffer. What do you guys recommend to someone that hasn't fired a gun since 1994. Keep in mind that I live in town between 2 schools.

Derick Freese wrote: Keep in mind that I live in town between 2 schools.

Sounds like a gun would be a really bad idea...most towns don't want people shooting in city limits, particularly close to schools. Live traps work well.

Derick Freese wrote: I need to pick up something to shoot the squirrels with. I kind of like them around outside, but several of my neighbors put out poison peanuts for them and I end up having to bury a half-rotted squirrel instead of a fresh one. I'd rather take them out before they have to suffer. What do you guys recommend to someone that hasn't fired a gun since 1994. Keep in mind that I live in town between 2 schools.

My first advice is don't.

If you don't follow that just buy a C02 powered air rifle, blow dart gun (nice option) or get a permit for a silenced Ruger 10/22 and hope that you don't get caught.

You can also make a .22 silencer by cutting off a 20oz pop bottle, fit it to the end of the gun with tape or the like, and then stuff it with dryer sheets. It will need to be refilled every few shots but it works.

Honestly I would never fire a gun inside my house, its just a bad idea.

Lesley wrote:

mad_machine wrote: last summer I was sitting at home minding my own business when I heard scratching on the screen. Looking up was a squirrel trying to get in. I shooed him away and after about 5 attempts.. set a pot of water to boil on the sink.. the 6th attempt my said squirrel saw it gettng a boiling water shower. Did you know that squirrels can scream?

That's just horrible.

It's actually more worrisome. That's very dark/sadistic/cruel. At least a cat is doing what cats instinctively do.

gamby wrote:

Lesley wrote:

mad_machine wrote: last summer I was sitting at home minding my own business when I heard scratching on the screen. Looking up was a squirrel trying to get in. I shooed him away and after about 5 attempts.. set a pot of water to boil on the sink.. the 6th attempt my said squirrel saw it gettng a boiling water shower. Did you know that squirrels can scream?

That's just horrible.

It's actually more worrisome. That's very dark/sadistic/cruel. At least a cat is doing what cats instinctively do.

I second that.

There are .22 caliber pellet rifles. Also all sorts of 22 rim fire: CB caps, subsonic rounds, the shotshells or just plain shorts. I would be real reluctant to chase squirrels through my attic with a real firearm though.

And squirrels will chew a hole through your siding or fascia boards to get inside. They don't just find an opening. When rodents get in my house are on my turf and play by my rules. And to prevent the same crap we had about sticky traps, I won't tell you how I deal with them.