Defeating squirrels

How are you guys stopping squirrels from raiding the feeders? I have that china cap thing on my shepards hook, just wondering what others do.

CCI Silent rounds

I have zero feeders hanging on shepherds hooks except a suet cage and squirrels don’t mess with the suet. All other feeders are suspended on limbs of a white pine via thin wire rod/hooks or from coated wire with loops and s hooks on the feeder end. Even red squirrels cannot come down the suspension to the feeders.

The squirrels keep my ankle biters entertained at the cabin chasing them off the feeders.
The chipmunks on the other hand stand their ground, chihuahuas do not like that.

My feeder is mounted on a 6 foot pole. About 5 feet up I have an 18 inch long piece of PVC and a small bucket (mounted upside down over the top of the PVC) around the pole to keep them from climbing the pole. Multiple years with this set up and no squirrels. Need to keep an eye on the PVC and replace if it gets any pitting/rough surface. Doesn’t take much of a toe hold for them to get around the deterrent.

.22 lr, .17hmr, occasionally a .410

Depends on the day and what’s handy.

Could we merge this thread with the feral cat one?

buckybadger wrote:

.22 lr, .17hmr, occasionally a .410

Depends on the day and what’s handy.

Could we merge this thread with the feral cat one?

No, because I don’t care about feral cats but I do care about squirrels.

At a neighbor’s cabin he has a 5 quart ice cream lid with a slinky attached to it on the shaft of a shepard’s hook. Pretty funny to see how fast the squirrel returns to the ground when they grab the slinky.

Dutchboy wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>buckybadger wrote:</div>
.22 lr, .17hmr, occasionally a .410

Depends on the day and what’s handy.

Could we merge this thread with the feral cat one?

No, because I don’t care about feral cats but I do care about squirrels.

Same answer works for both

Pellet gun. Not my favorite, but even relocating the squirrels doesn’t work. They come back. My wife’s grandpa tested this by trapping 3 gray squirrels and painted their tails green. He drove a half hour away and released them. A week later he had two of the three squirrels with green tails back on his feeders.

Tell people that squirrel is better eating than chicken

Thanks for the suggestions but I’m not looking to kill or relocate them. I was looking for ideas to keep them off the feeders.

Dutchboy wrote:

Thanks for the suggestions but I’m not looking to kill or relocate them. I was looking for ideas to keep them off the feeders.

Do you have any access to large steel or aluminum discs?

Bearing grease. It’s a riot to watch the first few times going up after climbing on it. Now they just look up and go by

That video reminds me that Pete Maina has squirrel launchers made out of clay pigeon launchers. He had them as a perch next to his feeders and had a string going back to his deck door and he’d launch those suckers into the tree line behind his house. It was hilarious. He made several videos about it on his facebook page and they even took his page down for a minute because of it.

Absolutely hilarious.

Slinky’s on the post

Denny O wrote:

Do you have any access to large steel or aluminum discs?

My neighbor uses a large metal sheet disc mounted about 3/4 of the way up the pole that holds the bird feeder. I’ve never seen a squirrel get past it.

Pete Maina has squirrel launchers

that was some great stuff!!!

PVC pipe wrapped with wire attached to the hot side of an electric fencer.
Ground wire hooked to expanded metal at the base of the post.
Turn conventional squirrels into flying squirrels.

Here is one I had from YEARS ago,
Squirrel Cat a Pult

Iowaboy1 wrote:

PVC pipe wrapped with wire attached to the hot side of an electric fencer.
Ground wire hooked to expanded metal at the base of the post.
Turn conventional squirrels into flying squirrels.

SLM

Eelpoutguy wrote:

The chipmunks on the other hand stand their ground, chihuahuas do not like that.

Which one is bigger?

I used an 8” duct end cap and section of duct. This keeps them from getting to the feeders from the poll. They are now climbing up the tree in the front yard, to my house roof, to my backyard gazabo roof, to the bird feeders.

I embrace the squirrels. They actually don’t shi7 all over everything like the birds do.

You can rent my dad. I got a call last year about him running around the yard in a bathrobe yelling and whacking trees with a stick. He had declared war on the squirrels for eating all the peanuts in like 5 minutes. This is a currently ongoing conflict that does not involve prevention in any way. Only mutual combat.

These work. Pick them up at Menards.

-J.

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I gave up feeding the bird because of the squirrels. We have way to many trees in the yard they can always find somewhere to jump to the feeders from. Moved my feeders out by my deer stand last fall so the girls had something to watch when the deer werent around.

Better yet, get them at the start of their day…………

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I luckily haven’t hit the age to want bird feeders yet, but I don’t think I’m far from it.

Thought this was a funny update