How close to your house before you consider it a pest?

[Stan’s boy John]

At my place my Jack Russell keeps the squirrels at least 15-20 yards from the house. They don’t come anywhere close when he’s out patrolling. The old chicken barn, where I store my tractor, chainsaw, bicycles, etc. Is funky and I need to update it. The front of the structure is 40 yards, the rear 50 yards away from my deck. Some reds have decided it’s their place, and I haven’t had the heart to permanently evict them, yet. Particularly when they leave me, on occasion a black walnut on the steering wheel of my Kubota. Or on my chainsaws, etc. The woodchuck that’s been popping out behind the barn? It’s on the hit list, very next opportunity? I’m sending…

I'll tolerate a squirrel or two until they start running around on the roof of the house. Then it's game on.

 

[maxtrouble]

The red squirrels with the white bellies love to eat wiring. Somebody told me that they make the wire coating out of a fish oil solution. Whatever it is, those damn red squirrels love to chew on them. Any pest under fifty yards is DRT, especially those damn red squirrels.

 

[Stan’s boy John]

The red squirrels with the white bellies love to eat wiring. Somebody told me that they make the wire coating out of a fish oil solution. Whatever it is, those damn red squirrels love to chew on them. Any pest under fifty yards is DRT, especially those damn red squirrels.

Well I haven't had that problem (yet) but my next door neighbor who stores his Bombardier ATV in his storage shed along with bags of deer corn (fail) had the wiring and airbox eaten by what we think were rats. Lots of oak acorns left behind.

 

[aklonewolf]

A pest is a pest, they need to be dispatched with extreme prejudice.

 

[L.Leon]

This morning’s coffee break, funky barn in background… looking around contemplating options. Took a week off from work, to “work” around my property. Will start cleaning out that barn and maybe that cues the reds to leave. If not, the Atomic XR is poised to permanently evict them from afar.

 

[Vetmx]

It’s a full time job figuring out what animals are causing problems and which are not. I like having animals around but I also like balance. Rodents just get dealt with immediately. Everything else I try to give a chance. Running on my roof is a death sentence with no trial. I look at it this way. 99% of people I know don’t have pellet guns and I never hear them bitching about pests. But they also don’t put out feeders to lure them in to get a breeding population and hold it there. Most natural foods are seasonal so you don’t hold populations until they become a problem. Animals just migrate through following their feed source’s. A lot of our pest problems are self induced. So they’re not a pest problem, they’re a people problem.

 

[Smitty911]

When I first moved here, we were in a sea of pests. Mice, chipmunks and rats mostly, which were (and still are) on the "terminate on sight" list. Squirrels are under observation for evidence of vandalism, etc, and they get one to the noggin for any nefarious acts like chewing on structures. We have rabbits, but the foxes keep them under control. I let that little bit nature's mystery have its place on my property. Occasionally I've had to whack a rabbit for simply being too plentiful (foxes had a bad year with rabies), but I appreciate them handling their populations without my intervention. And it's interesting to watch, as opposed to anything on TV.
I'd like to think I maintain a certain balance in my yard. Most things are just passing through and they are lovely to watch. I wouldn't want to lose that so I try not to disturb it. On the other hand, I also have to live my life in this house and yard. Anything getting in the way of my use of my property will be addressed as needed. Unfortunately for the animals, that means the rules sometimes change depending what I need to accomplish and lethal options are at my discretion.

Well said. I believe we are in the same boat, as long as there is no evidence of damage, the all get a pass. The wife likes watching the squirrels, and the dogs keep them away from the house. Racoons were coming in until my wife stopped feeding the stray cats. We've had a Bobcat come through the front yard, free pass. A brown fox, free pass also. An armadillo was in the area and due to the time it took be to get different scope rings on my .25 Cal Ghost, he moved on, lucky guy, he was getting ready to feel a 34 grain JSB in the noggen.

Smitty

 

[Painterman]

This morning’s coffee break, funky barn in background… looking around contemplating options. Took a week off from work, to “work” around my property. Will start cleaning out that barn and maybe that cues the reds to leave. If not, the Atomic XR is poised to permanently evict them from afar.

View attachment 363440

My coffee breaks look a lot like yours, just a little more hillbilly.

 

[Vetmx]

Not a coffee drinker but this is where I have my morning orange juice and cereal watching for groundhogs or crows. When I set up my portable bench, I never see anything. When I’m uncomfortable with the tripod, I do. I used to be able to lay behind a bipod all morning when I was younger. Now after sitting behind a tripod for an hour, it takes me 20 minutes to walk off all the aches and pains.

 

[Motorhead]

Our yard any year in the spring months has dozens of birds nesting in the foliage. Robins, Humming birds, Finches, Doves, etc ...
They all get left alone & actually am somewhat proactive in protecting them ... from WHAT you may ask ?

Scrub Jays ... Crows ... Red squirrels that come in to eat the eggs or the young fledglings in the nests.
These 3 don't get a pass if getting rowdy & I'm home to hear all the commotion.

 

[Airgun-hobbyist]

Those red squirrels become an invasive species once they learn to cohabitate in human dwelling, and then chew and tear up construction materials in no time. They get dealt with accordingly.

 

[L.Leon]

Had the chuck from the barn spotted and getting set on the Atomic XR. Then it’s my Jack Russell to the rescue, of the chuck, that is! The little bugger spooked it away… Next time!

 

[jetpopt]

It’s a full time job figuring out what animals are causing problems and which are not. I like having animals around but I also like balance. Rodents just get dealt with immediately. Everything else I try to give a chance. Running on my roof is a death sentence with no trial. I look at it this way. 99% of people I know don’t have pellet guns and I never hear them bitching about pests. But they also don’t put out feeders to lure them in to get a breeding population and hold it there. Most natural foods are seasonal so you don’t hold populations until they become a problem. Animals just migrate through following their feed source’s. A lot of our pest problems are self induced. So they’re not a pest problem, they’re a people problem.

The bigger problem is that some formerly-migrant species (such as Canada Goose) learn they can stay all year, thanks to their easy tolerance of close human presence.

Or invasive introduced species such as Eurasian Collared Dove, which remain all year and displace migrating native species.

As always, people attracting species that turn into nuisances when in large number keep pests around, intentionally or not. Deer were the worst such species, in my experience.

As for things running on the roof, we used to have entire families of raccoons stampeding on the roof at night. Sounded like big fat stompy kids. The solution to that resulted from having to fix another more pressing problem, damage from an intense hail storm. Metal roofing is not enticing for critters to tromp on.

 

[Firewalker]

I'm a people problem person, it's my property, if I put up bird feeders and invasive birds eat my seed, they get a 14.3gr seed.

If a groundhog shows up at a range I can reach with my Varmint, it gets a 49.5gr seed.

If a skunk even looks at my place... 49.5gr seed.

Chipmunks that I can see... yupper, the seed.

Yes, I am the problem and I am OK with that.

 

[L.Leon]

My coffee breaks look a lot like yours, just a little more hillbilly. View attachment 363452

Not really, I just “cropped” the hillbilly part out of the picture…

 

[aklonewolf]

Those red squirrels become an invasive species once they learn to cohabitate in human dwelling, and then chew and tear up construction materials in no time. They get dealt with accordingly.

That is what’s up here in Alaska, those little red squirrels. There are so many that there is no closed season on them.

 

[L.Leon]

That is what’s up here in Alaska, those little red squirrels. There are so many that there is no closed season on them.

They’re not protected in NYS either… but you need a hunting license to legally bag them. Otherwise? No limits on the take…

 

[bigHUN]

I am living in a subdivision, the backyards are miniature size but I still managed to plant four walnut trees. These of course attracts the squirrelles from far away, the gray and blacks hordes usually coming in waves. The fresh growing walnuts today about a size of a thumb, I was really psssed today couple grackles started chewing, but my wife was beside me... Monday she goes back to work and I am just patiently waiting for my time, the L2 is loaded and ready for action.
So far no squirrels yet on the horizon, but I trained my cats to keep them in the branches until I wake up in the morning.
This how how they do it until I show up with a first coffee at the door but when the game starts get very graphical quickly... I have also noticed a flock of hawks moved to my neigbourhood, that takes care of a "waste"

 

[L.Leon]

@bigHUN, you are one crafty, observant mofo, the cats “trained” and the “hawks” ready to police up the bodies… your wife probably, knows…. But allows you and the cats your pleasure. Good system all around.

 

[bigHUN]

...the cats “trained” and the “hawks” ready to police up the bodies…

hard to believe that you can get a clean headshot up in a crown between dense leaves ... and the gray squirrels are really tough to stop especially the young clans. I collected several times stray cats from a animal shelter in the past, and these cats really love the game.
We have one larger conservation area about a mile away, a lot of falcons and hawks patrolling the sky over my city, it must be a steady food source around. I have not seen any medium body size pests in the neighbourhood this year so far, but one of my neigbours visited me with a story he saw a red fox almost catch my black cat last week.