Squirrel Wars

[sheepdog 10]

Wildlife can be fun to watch, intertaining and all that, I enjoy watching the rabbits in the yard, and I have a fat squirrel that lives in the big walnut tree in the goat yard, which is in the Komondor's feeding pen. I see him snitching some dog food on occasion, it doesn't bother me, he really isn't going to eat that much, so it's no big deal. But sometimes wildlife can be a serious nuisance. Such is the case with the pesty damn squirrel we have at the house now. We have 2 apple trees out in front of the house. They have the very best tasting apples in the world on them every year. But this year that nasty, obnoxious little rodent has stripped every single apple off one tree, and has nearly all of them off the other tree now. I bet there's hardly a dozen apples left. I wouldn't mind much if he just helped himself to a few, but this is riduculous. I am really pissed off about it. I went in search of my 22 rifle, and found it in dire need of cleaning, and not fit to shoot with. So we had to resort to the 22 pistol. Now, sad to say, I can't hit the broad side of a barn with a pistol, so it's left up to the old man to shoot the dang squirrel. And his eyesight just ain't what it used to be. The first few shots went way off target. But he is getting closer. Yesterday he pulled off a really good shot, actually shot the apple right out of the pesty varmits mouth! But believe it or not, the little SOB came back again! Talk about nerve! Hubby did find some rat shot shells for the 22 and last night he thinks he hit him. Anyway, at least he hasn't been back today. Squirrel is god awful tough meat, but in this case, I think I would make an exception and fix up a big pot of squirrel and dumpling for dinner. Got to have something to make up for all those apples we won't have this year.

[sheepdog 10]

Varmit update.We were squirrel free for 2 whole days. Then hubby comes trucking back to my office with the gun telling me he was back and since he hasn't had any luck, he wanted me to try. I guess I'm a slightly better shot with a pistol than I thought I was. I pulled the same trick the old man did, shot that apple right out of his little mouth. Our little pest layed low for another day after that, but talk about nerve, he was back again today, and this time he brought company! There were 2 of the dang things out there today. Guess he needed one to act as lookout while he stole the apples.

[Baniboy 3]

If there were only a dozen or less apples left, you could've just poisoned them. Rat poison should do it...Or I don't know, maybe I've watched too many disney movies.

Edited July 17, 2011 by Baniboy (see edit history)

[sheepdog 10]

R.I.P.Rest in pieces that is!Finally got the pesty varmit. No squirrel soup, we tried to feed him to our Mini Schnauzer, in the hopes that she would develope a taste for squirrel meat, she had a lot of fun carrying it around and chomping on it, but that was all. I'm just afraid there was more than one though.

[sheepdog 10]

2012 saw a time of peace in the region and a bumper crop of apples and not even a flash from a fluffy tail running away from the scene of the crime. A wonderful time of peace and harvesting lots of great apple products, lots of sauce and dried fruit treats, and all you could ever want of eating fresh off the tree of the best tasting apples in the world.

 

Sadly 2013 saw a huge increase in the thieving activites of the insergent population of apple stealing rodents. We saw as many as 6 at a time in the tree. And this year we have a very poor apple crop. Certainly not enough to share with a whole herd of the dang rodents. And in the past two years, neither our aim nor our eyesite has seen any improvement in either hubby or I. So this year we have had to resort to drastic measures. We had to bring in some heavy artillery. Namely a 20 gauge shotgun. Boy, you wouldn't believe how much a shotgun makes up for bad aim and bad eyes! We did try to use our new pistols for the first few battles, but they just weren't cutting it for us. Thank goodness shotgun shells are not as hard to purchase as 22 shells are. A quick trip to Wally World and we were ready for Squirrel Wars 2013.

 

We also came up with a great new battle plan. I would let the old man get out the back door and wait with the shotgun out behind the house, then I would take my pistol out the front door and go after them, when they ran off and headed back to the woods, Hubby was waiting to blast them with the shotgun. We really wrecked hell and havoc on them that way. The past couple days, I've only seen one in the tree's at a time, and today, for the first time I saw my new dog go after one, so his days are numbered for sure now!

[demonboy1990 0]

thank you for giving me the best laugh today sheepdog.

Squirrel and dumpling for dinner god help any poor Squirrel that tries to eat your apples lmao !!

you got it in the end though, did the apples grow back from 2011 then sheepdog?

[sheepdog 10]

We didn't get much of a crop in 2011, I suspect that is why we have been so deligent in our efforts this year. I think Hubby spends more time looking out the door at the tree's watching for the pests than he does watching the tv.

 

Just when we thought we were winning the war, somehow the rebles brought in reinforcements. We thought we nailed the last 2 yesterday, though one got away with nothing more than a balded tail. But one came back today, and it was a different one than the one that got it's tail pelted. Hubby mentioned this morning that he has gone threw entire squirrel seasons in his youth when he was hunting them and desperatly needed them for food when he didn't see so many of the blasted things.

 

Another new battle plan, now he just sneaks out the garage door instead of the front door and that way he is right there by the apple trees before they know he has stepped outside. That worked on the last 2 anyway. I'll be glad when this war is over, and so will our 2 house dogs. I think they are getting tired of hiding under the bed. Both are terribly gun shy. Good thing they are pet dogs and not hunting dogs!