[Rich Z]

I don't know how those little buggers know it, but I am just itching to sic my new Remington .17 HMR on them, and they are nowhere around any longer. Now I see a lot of what look like squirrel nests in the trees, but how do you tell a squirrel nest from the nest of some more innocent critter? Is there any good rule of thumb to use to be able to tell the difference?

If they won't come to me, I will go to them......:madeuce:

 

[Clint Boyer]

Tricky little devils, ehhh?

I'm no expert on Floridian tree rat nests. I'd have to use a more sinical approach. I'd set up a nice feeding station somewhere right in line with a nice, hidden bench rest. Let the little buggers use it freely for a week or so. Then, once they get used to it and start becoming competitive, LET'EM HAVE IT!

 

[Guest]

put a few quiet, rapidfire CB caps

thru the nest, see what jumps out of it.

 

[Rich Z]

Actually, I have been shooting the nests with 12 gauge #4 shot. If there are any squirrels in them, I don't want anything jumping out. I want them dead. The little SOBs have been tearing up my bamboo really bad this year. It's really frustrating to see a shoot 4+ inches in diameter that the tree rats have killed by chewing on the top of the stalk.

I told the guys working for me that I would pay them a bounty of $10 for every one they kill on my property. So far one of the kids has REALLY been doing well.

This morning I went out on tree rat patrol and caught one of those suckers red handed. Sitting on the top of a bamboo shoot about 15 feet tall chewing the end off of it. I was about 40 yards away and fired the 12 gauge. He leaped onto the pine tree next to the bamboo shoot and I fired again (I'm using my Beretta FP1201, so it is a riot gun barrel). He run up the tree, hesitated, then fell to the ground. Well, THAT made my day right there! Nailed one of the bamboo browsers in the ACT!

Death to the tree rats! :madeuce:

 

[41mag]

Lol Rich!
You do realise that your tree rat posts are begining to have an almost"Caddyshack"quality too them?
Thanks for the update!

 

[Rich Z]

Believe me, I do feel that way sometimes!

There are MILES of woods all around me and these malicious little monsters have to come to my property to eat the bamboo I planted. I put in about a mile of irrigation lines for these groves. Before that, I would haul 5 gallon buckets of water to the young plants to keep them alive. I worked damn hard to get these groves established and did not do all that work just to feed their scrawny little butts.

I am growing some of the timber bamboo that can get up to 7 inches in diameter and 70 ft. tall. But each shoot they eat kicks them back in their growth potential as energy was wasted putting up those shoots that got destroyed.

Now I really used to like having the squirrels around here and enjoyed having them playing around. Until they started attacking the bamboo. Fatal mistake on their part. Probably they all aren't chewing up the bamboo, but the innocent ones really should have stopped the renegades.

Hmm, I wonder if Claymores will work in trees.... :laugh:

 

[andy]

cut holes in bottoms of cardboard boxes

(to protect the birds) put rat traps inside, put the boxes in trees, use peanut butter/graham crackers as bait.

 

[Rich Z]

Well, the financial incentive of the bounty system seems to be working quite well. Two of my part time workers get out every chance they get to hunt the squirrels, and I think so far between us we have gotten around 25 to 30 of them. My target is to have them extinct in this vicinity by next March before the new bamboo shoots start coming up again.

 

[andy]

I've heard that Pecan growers pay $5 a

squirrel scalp, but also that they spray those trees so much that you'd better wear a moon suit if you go into those groves.

 

[rexydg7]

death to tree rats!!

hey rich.. send me an [email protected]
I am THE tree rat eliminator here in port saint lucie. I have made them all but extinct on the western side of town.
I get 15 to 20 here a day. im looking for a place thats loaded with them my 880SQ is the ticket and has been getting a workout. hell I might even drive up there to do the job for you.

 

[Rich Z]

hey rich.. send me an [email protected]
I am THE tree rat eliminator here in port saint lucie. I have made them all but extinct on the western side of town.
I get 15 to 20 here a day. im looking for a place thats loaded with them my 880SQ is the ticket and has been getting a workout. hell I might even drive up there to do the job for you.

Heck yeah! I've been popping one or two every now and again with my Remington 897. That 17 HMR round seems to toast them pretty well.

Of course, a lot of wind went out of my sails this year when hurricane Dennis knocked over a bunch of my really big bamboo shoots. I mean, what the hell, if it's not one thing it's another getting at my bamboo groves.... :headbang: