Could the suburban squirrel be up for extinction

[Windmill01]

I live in Australia and we are lucky I suppose that we are not exposed to what you guys and girls call tree rats. I have looked at numerous hunting videos and pictures of departed squirrels on this forum and am sure that this only the tip of the iceberg as far as exterminating these critters are concerned. So my question is could the humble suburban squirrel be at risk of extinction?

Gary

 

[bubblerboy64]

I'd be more concerned for US then THEM

 

[mobilemail]

In my informal observation, there are a lot more people feeding them than there are shooting them.

 

[intenseaty22]

I will tell you what: I have been shooting them things for a good while now at my property. Just 1/2 acre in a pretty populated city. Just when I think that perhaps I will not see one around for a month or so, I would be real wrong. They just keep pouring in. I call them customers, that get prompt and precise service. 

 

[outdoorman]

Not even remotely close to that. The eastern grey squirrel's conservation status is listed as Least Concerned...i.e. they do not qualify as threatened, near threatened or conservation dependent. Their season is one of the longest. Here in Maryland, we can take them from September through February and can take 6 per day. I've taken over 200 on my 2 acre lot over the past couple of years and while I have them under control now, they still keep coming. They are very prolific.

 

[crittahitta]

Never. There are so many by me they run in front of cars to keep the population low.

 

[Beach-gunner]

Here in Alabama season runs from 9-15 to 3-15 (6 months)! Limit is 8 per day, I would guess that this state is 70% forested, a few hunt them regularly as compared to deer, turkey ect. I hunt in the Mobile Tensaw delta area, an area where Alabama’s rivers combine and form the head waters of Mobile Bay, in the Delta there is a 70 0r 80 Thousand acre Wildlife Management area that is open to public hunting. There are few roads as this area can flood with 2 to 6 feet of water during the rainy seasons, probably flood 3 to 4 times a year and there is no access for several weeks after each flood. The trees are magnificent as no timber harvested in decades, there are some cypress trees that must be 8 to 10 feet in circumference. In fact old cypress trees like these will have holes in them where the squirrels like to den, I’ve sat by a few in the early mornings and gotten a limit without ever re-locating.



Beach-gunner

Dennis

 

[JimNM]

The ground squirrels in my area have 4-9 babies per litter, and few natural predators. I think I have a lifetime supply already arranged.

 

[TiredRooster]

Have been hunting them for YEARS!! Could not put a number on the squirrels that I have killed and eaten........not even a "dent" in the population. 

 

[BeachGunner]

Their success is their prolific rate of reproduction, like any other rodent species member. I've been shooting them for years in my suburban area, over 500 in the last 3 seasons. They have finally slowed down a bit, but they will continue to backfill. They have no natural predators left in the suburbs, and as another member mentioned, many more people feed them and think they are cute, than hunt them and do pest control. Here in VA they have a minimum of two broods a year (I think with warmer winter weather, they get in three), with 2-6 pups per brood. 

I think the UK is a good example of how their population just cannot be checked no matter what they do. 7-10 M I think they are up to? Open year round hunting, no season. Trapping, Poison, etc. and they are not only not under control, they continue to proliferate.

 

[Elbowgrease]

Over at my mom's she has a major issue with them. She shoots the crap out of them with her airguns. But just when she thinks she got all of them, more show up in full force. I know this time its real bad. The little buggers are digging all around her pool pump. She found out that the people in the house next door have been feeding them. I dont think that the population will go anywhere anytime soon.

 

[seven08]

In the Rocky Mountain west we have an invasive species called the fox squirrel. It primarily lives in the urban areas, not the mountains. I lived on a greenbelt once and in three years bumped off 617 of them. It was never ending squirrels. Most were done in with an RWS 45 .177 open sights. Under 20 yard shots to fence tops or cottonwood trees. I will admit numerous hit ones ran off to die. It happens. Some met their demise live trapped and drowned. A few with CCI CB caps, too. My best ever kill was with a Daisy slingshot and 3/8ths steel ball bearing to the head. Lucky shot, lights out. All have been replaced.

 

[Windmill01]

By your responses I get the impression that the humble squirrel is at no risk of extinction in suburbia. Thank you for your replies it was very informative.

Bon Appetit

Gary

 

[Helimech]

My old house was within city limits. That's when I really got into the airgun game. I killed over 500 squirrels in less than 3 years. I could have easily killed triple that amount if I hunted them every day. I didn't put a dent in their population. They reproduce faster than you can kill them. You can drive through my former city at any given time during daylight hours and see thousands upon thousands of squirrels. It would take a few more guys like me to keep that population under control.

 

[addertooth]

Their population is regionally dependent. Here in far Southern Arizona, I have only seen ONE squirrel in town in the past 13 years. It was just a sad and bedraggled looking specimen that I almost went to the store to buy it some feed. And that one squirrel was about 1 mile from my home. I have to drive miles, and go up into the mountains, to have a reasonable chance of hearing or spying a squirrel. 

 

[markT]

Adder, maybe trap some in south east and take them back and let breed.. it won't take long and you'll have a nice bunch of tree rats / varmints.. 

I shot so many one year I thought I had killed them all.. them I put up squirrel houses and within 6 months.. had targets again.. I guess I was squirrel farming.. 

 

[seven08]

I envy the laser like accuracy the PCP guns deliver in those videos. Especially those long shot pest bird videos. Maybe someday. Bear in mind squirrels are very destructive creatures. They will chew their way into a house to nest. I had one come down a chimney and get into my living room. It had hours in there before my wife came home. Both of them went in to panic mode. She left the door open and it eventually bolted out. Two expensive fabric window shades were ruined with him looking for a way out. Turds and urine on the sill. I put screen over the chimney opening. The war against squirrels continues at my present home. 

Update: I have this little set up in the back yard. From my best vantage point the distance is 65 feet to the plates. I just fired those groups off hand with an RWS 34 .22 using Crosman 14.3's...no rest. I grabbed a few dried sunflower heads from the field down the road. Squirrels love sunflower seeds. That new Vortex 4-12x is set at 4x and so far is holding up OK after about 600 shots. 

 

[outdoorman]

Some met their demise live trapped and drowned.

Be careful with that. I know of someone here in Maryland who was trapping and drowning grey squirrels in their swimming pool and they were ordered to cease this practice after a neighbor complaint or they would be charged with aggravated cruelty to animals which is a felony offense here. 

 

[outdoorman]

They will chew their way into a house to nest.....The war against squirrels continues at my present home.

And they love to chew plastic coated wiring. They did that in my attic and I found one starting to nest in the engine compartment of my car. No more! That's when I went to war with them.

 

[seven08]

Roger that advice, outdoorman. When I lived up in the hills we had the small reds, grey pine and the black tufted ear Abert's model. My wife loves to sew and made us a heavy duty nylon spare tire cover for the RV. A few days later we saw it shredded badly. A short time later we witnessed the culprit responsible for the vandalism. It was an Abert's pulling off shreds of fabric and running into the woods with it. A well placed .177 Meisterkulgen from the FWB 124D ended his nest building days.