# It's been a bit since anyone has ranted about goddamned squirrels **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 18, 2017, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185 "2017-10-18T04:43:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2017, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/41 "2017-10-19T01:58:19Z")
> [@Chisquirrel](#): > > I have a small catapult, if you want to borrow it. I should not laugh, and yet… Of course, my thought is just watch the little bastards try and walk on telephone wires. Sooner or later, Rocky slips. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2017, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/42 "2017-10-19T02:00:43Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > isn’t this illegal like “bear baiting” is in most places ? I mean I have no problem shooting the little rodents but feeding them only to pick them off like that… 'tis unsportsman like 'tis Well look at it like this, though: did you notice how he has everything set just so? Angle of the shot from his blind, metal backing to both stop a pellet and keep his feeder rig from getting beat up? I didn’t watch the whole thing, skipped ahead several times, but I saw him pass up a lot of shots. He only shot when he know he had a clean headshot in a still animal. Not exactly sportsmanlike, but probably one of the more humane ways to clear out a scad of squirrels cleanly and efficiently. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2017, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/43 "2017-10-19T02:19:14Z")
Just two comments. 1. There are squirrels everywhere. If you are regularly getting power failures due to electrocuted squirrels and occasional instances of the power pole burning down along with possibly your house, your issue is not with the squirrels but with the useless electric company. And if your house had been damaged by fire in the incident you relate, I would have sued the bastards (the power company, not the squirrels) for every single cent of damage plus compensatory damage for stupidity and negligence. If a squirrel gets into a critical piece of electrical equipment once, fine, it’s an accident. Twice, something that should be corrected. 10 times – three in the last two weeks? Inexcusable stupidity and negligence. 2. My brother once shared your warm opinion of squirrels. That was when he owned a historic old house in a neighborhood with many large mature trees, which also had a swimming pool out back. There were no trees immediately overhanging the pool or anything like that, but the furry rodents had perversely developed the habit of throwing things into the pool from distant trees. I swear that they must have developed the knack of a really impressive overhand pitch. Nuts, bits of branch, anything – off into the pool it went, to the accompaniment of merry twittering from the little furry bastards. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2017, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/44 "2017-10-19T02:25:59Z")
> [@Chisquirrel](#): > > I have a small catapult, if you want to borrow it. [Easy enough to make one with items you have on hand](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3Ya6z-NlDo)! I also hate the destructive little douchebags. I don’t know why, but for the last several years they’ve wrought all kinds of havoc here. I have a slingshot and some paintballs and will use it when necessary. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2017, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/45 "2017-10-19T02:32:36Z")
You want a rant? I’ve told of my Little Girls’ utility with eliminating rodent visitors, inside and out, but the other day Idiot Boy came in stinking like a Lovecraftian villain because Middle woke him up outside, wrapped around one of the Girls’ days-old victims. Bitches can be smart, though Thisbe has taken on a bit of Stiff Whiff, but Dogs are uniformly stupid. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2017, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/46 "2017-10-19T02:37:41Z")
Okay, that wasn’t much of a rant, but it was heartfelt. 🙂 I have a pump-action BB gun that is accurate and hard hitting, but I assume my neighbors would be concerned about ricochets. Silly them, I’d use my car’s windowsill as a rest! ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2017, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/47 "2017-10-19T04:14:55Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > I mean I have no problem shooting the little rodents but feeding them only to pick them off like that… 'tis unsportsman like 'tis So you oppose mousetraps as well? > [@wolfpup](#): > > If you are regularly getting power failures due to electrocuted squirrels and occasional instances of the power pole burning down along with possibly your house, your issue is not with the squirrels but with the useless electric company. You did notice that I included them in the OP, right? > [@pkbites](#): > > Please post your anti-squirrel or anti-electric company sentiments. ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2017, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/48 "2017-10-19T06:29:25Z")
Fucking squirrels ate the tops out of every plant in my broccoli bed. And the community garden organisers don’t share my attitude towards pest control, namely, that is necessary. A new park is being built, closer to home, and with garden beds. I’d better bloody well get assigned one. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2017, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/49 "2017-10-19T07:11:01Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > You did notice that I included them in the OP, right? Yes, I did. You did notice that I was agreeing with you, right? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2017, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/50 "2017-10-19T09:09:53Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Yes, I did. You did notice that I was agreeing with you, right? 🙂 It’s hard to believe in the 21st century that it’s not ISIS we have to worry about shutting down our entire power grid. It’s bushy tailed rats! Wait…!:eek: I think I just figured out who the squirrels are working for! ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2017, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/51 "2017-10-19T11:54:21Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > My dog would like to join in on this pitting of squirrels. > She says that squirrels are evil and up to no good and that more people should know about the menace. She’s doing what she can to solve the problem and alert others. Heh, our current younger dog couldn’t care less about them. Let her sniff out a raccoon or rabbit, OTOH, and she’ll be off in a flash before you can blink. The squirrels love our older dog. I think they’ve come to an understanding that as long as he’s outside, only the far stretch of fence is game. Needless to say they run and chatter along the fence to get to our neighbor’s trees. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2017, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/52 "2017-10-19T15:35:54Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > isn’t this illegal like “bear baiting” is in most places ? I mean I have no problem shooting the little rodents but feeding them only to pick them off like that… 'tis unsportsman like 'tis Yes, it’s unsportsmanlike, but it isn’t a sport, it’s pest control. Yes, he’s baiting them in with the intent to kill them. Not much different than luring them to a rattrap with food in the trap. This particular video I linked to is filmed in a hazelnut orchard. Not only do the squirrels strip the trees of nuts, but the narrator also showed some young branches of the trees. The squirrels gnaw off all the bark on the tender small branches, and then disease sets in and kills the trees. The farmers are livid. I tried to grow tomatoes this last summer, and out of eight tomato plants I got maybe six fruit. The squirrels ate all the rest. Squirrel Hunter also has permission to go to poultry farms to try to reduce their rat populations. Slightly different tactics: he goes at night and uses a nightscope. He baits them in with some chicken feed and picks them off. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2017, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/53 "2017-10-19T15:43:24Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > it isn’t a sport, it’s pest control. This, a thousand times. They’re varmints, vermin, a threat to the food source and livelihood of individuals, families, etc. They’re not endangered, they’re not threatened, they are a threat. AND they’re assholes. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2017, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/54 "2017-10-19T17:02:17Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > But get a dachshund or two. This is good advice for nearly any situation. ---
**Author:** ![Kelevra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/97f17d/32.png) [@Kelevra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kelevra)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2017, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/55 "2017-10-19T19:31:00Z")
I used to feed the birds. Then the squirrels completely took over the feeder. 6 of them lined up trying to get on it. It was attached to my deck by a long arm. The squirrels started chewing on the deck trying to knock the thing down. Since my wife would divorce me if I killed them I decided to stop feeding the birds. It’s a shame, because I like to watch birds. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2017, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/56 "2017-10-19T19:45:07Z")
Mrs. Plant (v.3.0) stopped feeding the birds because hawks hung around the house. Occasionally a victim maneuvering to avoid a hawk whould collide with a picture window. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2017, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/57 "2017-10-19T21:14:44Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > isn’t this illegal like “bear baiting” is in most places ? I mean I have no problem shooting the little rodents but feeding them only to pick them off like that… 'tis unsportsman like 'tis They are vermin. The sporting rules don’t apply. There is actually a legal duty to control squirrels on your land, although it’s not often enforced. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2017, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/58 "2017-10-19T21:37:09Z")
Apparently there is no [squirrel season](https://www.agfc.com/en/hunting/small-game/squirrel/) in Arkansas. There is a daily bag limit of twelve, G-d help them. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2017, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/59 "2017-10-19T21:42:48Z")
From my link above: “Squirrels may not be hunted with rifles or pistols larger than .22 caliber rimfire or with muzzleloaders larger than .40 caliber unless a modern gun or muzzleloading deer season, bear season or coyote season is open.” What, they terrorize deer hunters who must defend themselves? ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2017, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/60 "2017-10-19T23:54:40Z")
.40 cal muzzleloader? That won’t leave a pelt, much less any meat! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185.md?page=4)