Very slow start for my pesting in 2022

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BackStop

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Oct 10, 2020
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North Alabama
For the last ~4 years, I have averaged nearly 1 tree rat per day. So, about 1200-1500 for the last four years up to 2021. In 2020, I killed at least 75 chipmunks, in 2021 I kept very accurate records and killed 72. The number of tree rats for 2021 was only 321 (plus or minus 1 or 2)... not quite one a day.

This year, since January 1, 2022 the numbers have been MUCH lower. I simply haven't had many opportunities for safe shots and am not seeing anywhere near the numbers I have seen over the last 4 years for tree rats or chipmunks.

This is ALL in my very small residential backyard. My entire lot is only about 1/5 of an acre, so obviously my backyard is very small, but it has 2 old Oak trees. Also, at the end of last year my neighbor cut down a Pecan tree that was menacing my house. One tree from his property had already fallen ON my house, so I am glad he took it down. But, I think that was a huge draw for the tree rats. So I have expected the numbers to be down a bit simply because of that, and my efforts over the last 4 years. (grin)

If I could safely shoot in my front yard, my numbers would be much higher, but safe shots there are very rare and even when I have a safe shot, because of certain neighbors, I can only take the shot about 5% of the time.

The numbers so far are:

January: 5 confirmed and 1 unconfirmed.

February: 2 confirmed kills, one was clean DRT headshot at ~50 yards and 1 unconfirmed

March: 7 confirmed kills and 1 unconfirmed

April to date: 11 confirmed (another one @ ~50 yards DRT head shot) and 2 unconfirmed.

Also killed my first 2 chipmunks. Both were heart shots and DRT at ~20 yards.

So, only 25 confirmed tree rats (5 unconfirmed, definitely hit, but could not find) over nearly 4 months where I have been averaging nearly 1 per day and the chipmunks are just starting to show up relatively frequently, so time will tell.

Sorry I haven't taken any photos. If there is enough interest, I will start taking photos of the chipmunks like I did last year. (Last chipper for 2021)

However, for various reasons, I won't post pics of the tree rats. The cats and Opossums that eat them requested that I don't. (grin)

Maybe it is because my health is not so good and maybe it is because I don't have as many safe shots as I used to, but I do miss shots more now than I have in the recent past.

Not making excuses, just stating the fact.

Good shooting to all!


 
It's possible one of your neighbours a few houses away is hunting or trapping squirrels, etc. So your numbers might be lower because you're on a team, and you don't know it. Squirrels travel pretty far each day. They can easily range over 2 miles, sometimes much more. 

Or maybe you have some new non-human predators in your neighbourhood. I've known housecats that hunt squirrels.

I have some passive traps in my yard like the Goodnature A18 and A24. They have been taking a consistent bite out of the local squirrel population, so I see much lower numbers, day-to-day. I used to see 2-3 squirrels in my yard at the same time on any sunny day, now it's a miracle if I see one a week. 

Here's a UC Santa Barbara research paper on their effectiveness: https://escholarship.org/content/qt7g11m5sg/qt7g11m5sg_noSplash_69bcbed90a908d9725be71adb74e8de0.pdf?t=qjbl9l

In short, the paper suggests about 90% of squirrels were killed in a small area, in one week of trap usage. 

There's plenty of suppliers of the A24 in the States, but I was having trouble finding a source that would ship to North America for the A18. I think maybe Goodnature does not want it distributed in North America, perhaps they are seeking approval. 

That said, there are cheap Chinese knock-offs on Ali Express: 

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001360492124.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.630b7a9fqqivd1&algo_pvid=5f01fe7f-d473-442b-a0d6-f39af8d646a2&algo_exp_id=5f01fe7f-d473-442b-a0d6-f39af8d646a2-15&pdp_ext_f=%7B%22sku_id%22%3A%2212000018043596296%22%7D&pdp_npi=1%40dis%7CCAD%7C%7C85.6%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C%400b0a556516510520571892025efcf2%7C12000018043596296%7Csea



If that link does not work, search for "A24 CO2 multi-catch trap" on AliExpress. These would appear to be clones of the A24 model. But considerably cheaper than the original from Goodnature. 
 
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Why kill so many? Are they that destructive in your yard, or is it to keep those cats and possums fed? A few hundred tree squirrels a year is a crap ton. They probably learn over time which yards to avoid, chippers on the other hand? They get no mercy as the are cute, but truly destructive. What you describe is a war on them squirrels... They do have a place in the Eco system, I give them a pass unless I catch them in some destructive act. Even if I tried to kill as many as possible, there will be squirrels in my yard long after I'm gone. Maybe ease up on them and let them get comfortable again. Typically if you shoot all the squirrels passing through, you'll have less of them to shoot, some squirrels are smart...
 
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Why kill so many? Are they that destructive in your yard, or is it to keep those cats and possums fed? A few hundred tree squirrels a year is a crap ton. They probably learn over time which yards to avoid, chippers on the other hand? They get no mercy as the are cute, but truly destructive. What you describe is a war on them squirrels... They do have a place in the Eco system, I give them a pass unless I catch them in some destructive act. Even if I tried to kill as many as possible, there will be squirrels in my yard long after I'm gone. Maybe ease up on them and let them get comfortable again. Typically if you shoot all the squirrels passing through, you'll have less of them to shoot, some squirrels are smart...
Click to expand...

They have no natural predators in these old residential neighborhoods. At least not enough to make a dent in the population. There are Hawks (Red Tail and some others, Owls (Barred) and a few cats, but until I started taking them with the pellet gun, their numbers were only increasing.

Yes, they DO cause damage to the yard and if left unchecked WILL attempt to get into the attic/roof. When I bought and moved into this house, there were many times I could count over 60 tree rats at one time in my and the neighbor's back yard.

Having had trouble with them in the past, I don't give them a pass. If I have a safe shot, I take it.

I prefer to stop them BEFORE they do damage. Not wait UNTIL they do damage. To each their own.

Dropped 1 more tree rat today (26 for the year) and got a chipmunk at my wood pile, making 3 so far.

After 4 years of war on the tree rats and never seeing the numbers fall until this year, I am thinking that the vacuum I created is simply JUST starting to be "refilled".
If only I could shoot in my front yard! There are PLENTY of them there. (heavy sigh)
 
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Same here , took over three hundred Starlings , close to one hundred tree rats . This year 2 Starlings , five rats .

I've been pondering if I really need ten pcp guns anymore ....
Click to expand...

I have LOTS of Grackles, but only see Starlings when they attack my woodpeckers. Last year it was Red-bellied woodpeckers nesting in one of the Oak trees. This year, it is Flickers (Yellow Hammer) and the Starlings will literally attack them and steal the nest... Except they didn't count on me. (chuckle)



p.s.

I have also seen Red Headed, Hairy, Yellow Bellied Sap Suckers, and a couple of others I can remember right now. Suffice to say I have seen every type of woodpecker native to Alabama in my backyard, with the exception of the Pileated. Haven't seen one of those in over 25 or 30 years.
 
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It's possible one of your neighbours a few houses away is hunting or trapping squirrels, etc. So your numbers might be lower because you're on a team, and you don't know it. Squirrels travel pretty far each day. They can easily range over 2 miles, sometimes much more. 

Or maybe you have some new non-human predators in your neighbourhood. I've known housecats that hunt squirrels.

I have some passive traps in my yard like the Goodnature A18 and A24. They have been taking a consistent bite out of the local squirrel population, so I see much lower numbers, day-to-day. I used to see 2-3 squirrels in my yard at the same time on any sunny day, now it's a miracle if I see one a week. 

Here's a UC Santa Barbara research paper on their effectiveness: https://escholarship.org/content/qt7g11m5sg/qt7g11m5sg_noSplash_69bcbed90a908d9725be71adb74e8de0.pdf?t=qjbl9l

In short, the paper suggests about 90% of squirrels were killed in a small area, in one week of trap usage. 

There's plenty of suppliers of the A24 in the States, but I was having trouble finding a source that would ship to North America for the A18. I think maybe Goodnature does not want it distributed in North America, perhaps they are seeking approval. 

That said, there are cheap Chinese knock-offs on Ali Express: 

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001360492124.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.630b7a9fqqivd1&algo_pvid=5f01fe7f-d473-442b-a0d6-f39af8d646a2&algo_exp_id=5f01fe7f-d473-442b-a0d6-f39af8d646a2-15&pdp_ext_f=%7B%22sku_id%22%3A%2212000018043596296%22%7D&pdp_npi=1%40dis%7CCAD%7C%7C85.6%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C%400b0a556516510520571892025efcf2%7C12000018043596296%7Csea



If that link does not work, search for "A24 CO2 multi-catch trap" on AliExpress. These would appear to be clones of the A24 model. But considerably cheaper than the original from Goodnature.
Click to expand...

Wasting your time telling me about traps of any kind. Been there and done that. The ONLY way to control them is to kill them. PERIOD.
 
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Wasting your time telling me about traps of any kind. Been there and done that. The ONLY way to control them is to kill them. PERIOD.
Click to expand...

Yeah yeah, I know people get disappointed with traps. Too much maintenance, too few kills. You feel robbed when you give the critters the bait and don't get the kill, etc. 

The point is this trap is significantly more effective. It's almost a conveyor-belt of death.

The main downside to this trap is it can be robbed by raccoons, or whatever raccoon-like animal you might have in your neighbourhood. 

My experience is much like the UCSB study: it almost eliminates my squirrel population. To the extent I only now get the occasional squirrel roaming in from far away. 

If you enjoy having a large squirrel population just to have something to shoot, by all means. If your goal is to control the population, this is a great way to go. 

Okay, enough evangelism. 


 
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yeah youll eventually kill everything in the vicinity and there wont be a breeding population left ..got to be wise about what is actually a pest if you dont to turn your area into a lifeless desert lol .. ive nailed 3 predators after my chickens in the past month and consider that decent action, havent lost any chickens in months either so its all good ... the 4 or so squirrels that frequent the yard are 'not' pests at this time .. killing them is just killing for sport, not pesting ...
 
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I'm at the point where, while there still are predators in my neighbourhood, they seem to all know our yard is best avoided. 

I give them a fighting chance to avoid death. My dog tries to scare them off. If that doesn't work, I shine an insanely-bright flashlight in their eyes. For the past year that has sufficed. After that, the lethal remedies are unlocked. 

Once I realized we had a raccoon problem I quickly dispatched about 9 of them. Every spring there is a batch of babies that have to learn our yard isn't to be messed with. But there's been fewer year-on-year. They must learn from their mums. 


 
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My place became inundated with red squirrels and chipmunks. The reds are terrible. They chew through the walls, drag foods into your ceilings and tear up anything in your attick they can to make nests. Last summer I shot out my garage window 66 chipmunks and 47 red squirrels. this year 9 red squirrels and 5 chipmunks. My My tally on starlings is 86, sparrows 37, 1 crow, and 7 carpenter bees that I shoot with a airsoft pistol as the hower. Anyhow red squirrels are very destructive. Here is a picture of the red squirrel damage from last summer.

Funny story, shot the end off one of my custom jigging rods with a shotshell loaded K22. trying to get a red running between holes in the garage.
red squirrel damage.1651157325.jpg
THAT upset me and started my killing spree.




 
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Wasting your time telling me about traps of any kind. Been there and done that. The ONLY way to control them is to kill them. PERIOD.
Click to expand...

Yeah yeah, I know people get disappointed with traps. Too much maintenance, too few kills. You feel robbed when you give the critters the bait and don't get the kill, etc. 

The point is this trap is significantly more effective. It's almost a conveyor-belt of death.

The main downside to this trap is it can be robbed by raccoons, or whatever raccoon-like animal you might have in your neighbourhood. 

My experience is much like the UCSB study: it almost eliminates my squirrel population. To the extent I only now get the occasional squirrel roaming in from far away. 

If you enjoy having a large squirrel population just to have something to shoot, by all means. If your goal is to control the population, this is a great way to go. 

Okay, enough evangelism. 

Click to expand...

Been there, done that. Where I live, no matter how many I kill, the vacuum is filled in less than 6 months. My kill on TRs is 15 for this month alone. I tried traps, many designs long before I bought this house and even tried them here. From my own personal experience, if you really want to stop them from causing damage, you kill them and the best way to do that (and the most fun) is to shoot them.

I do try very hard to make good clean kill shots. My goal is to kill, not wound or maim. So, precision is key, especially with .177 at ~750fps and ~12+fpe.

Take a look at my profile/post and look at the chipmunk kills. Not bragging, but I am proud of every kill I posted. Not that I never miss, but last year I rarely made a bad shot on the chippers.

Anyway, to each their own. And my health and eyesight have taken a turn for the worse since last season. So, I expect I WILL have more shots where I have to place a *finishing* shot. In any case, I do everything I can to make a clean kill within my and my equipment's capabilities. I'd still say that 90% of the time when I shoot a chipper or tree rat, it is a clean heart or head shot. Sometimes both!
 
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yeah youll eventually kill everything in the vicinity and there wont be a breeding population left ..got to be wise about what is actually a pest if you dont to turn your area into a lifeless desert lol .. ive nailed 3 predators after my chickens in the past month and consider that decent action, havent lost any chickens in months either so its all good ... the 4 or so squirrels that frequent the yard are 'not' pests at this time .. killing them is just killing for sport, not pesting ...
Click to expand...

That is definitely NOT the problem here. All I do with my pesting really, is create a temporary vacuum (in my less than 1/5 acre lot) which (now) can take a few months to fill.

April count on tree rats is about 15. Chippers for this season is only 3, but they usually show up a LOT more toward the end of summer. However, I will be surprised if I get anything close to the ~75 for 2020, and definitely accurate 72 for 2021. As for the tree rats, if I could shoot in my front yard, the numbers would be 3 times higher, at least. They are still digging divots all over the front yard, but I can't shoot there, except in very rare circumstances. I mean, VERY rare circumstances!

Just as an aside, I have seen every type of woodpecker in my backyard that is native to Alabama. With the exception of the Pileated Woodpecker. I truly enjoy killing Starlings that attack the woodpeckers and their nests/holes.

So far this year, I have been very accurate/precise out to 35-40 yards and have made 2 DRT head shots on tree rats @ ~50 yards. So I haven't lost it completely. (grin)

But I did need to shoot some paper earlier just to practice the basics of trigger control and follow through because I had not shot much at all since the first of 2022 due to lack of pest targets.


 
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Whack em and stack em…my 2 cents. 

Take a suburban/urban neighborhood, fill it with yards full of birdseed, you’re going to get overpopulation and problems.

mike
Click to expand...

I like that! (grin)



And it doesn't take "yards full of birdseed" either. This area is full of Oaks, Walnuts and Pecan trees. So, as I have said at least once, I only create a temporary vacuum before the breeding from the surrounding area begins to fill it in.

Numbers now are:

31 Tree rats, but still at 3 for chipmunks. Still a LONG way from the average over the last 4 years of nearly 1 per day on Tree rats and 70+ for the season for chippers.

I see Tree rats and chipmunks where I can't shoot, but not nearly as many as I saw in the past.

At this point, I guess I am once again having the "pester's lament" in that I only shoot when I have a target and I rarely have a target.

Success has its downside... (smile)

For those who say I am killing too many...

You don't live here, do you?

"Nuff said.




 
Upvote 0
Wasting your time telling me about traps of any kind. Been there and done that. The ONLY way to control them is to kill them. PERIOD.
Click to expand...

Yeah yeah, I know people get disappointed with traps. Too much maintenance, too few kills. You feel robbed when you give the critters the bait and don't get the kill, etc. 

The point is this trap is significantly more effective. It's almost a conveyor-belt of death.

The main downside to this trap is it can be robbed by raccoons, or whatever raccoon-like animal you might have in your neighbourhood. 

My experience is much like the UCSB study: it almost eliminates my squirrel population. To the extent I only now get the occasional squirrel roaming in from far away. 

If you enjoy having a large squirrel population just to have something to shoot, by all means. If your goal is to control the population, this is a great way to go. 

Okay, enough evangelism. 

Click to expand...

I have never been simply disappointed with traps. They simply don't work.

Evangelize/Advertise all you want, but you will NEVER convince me that a trap is more effective than me and my .177 pellet placed accurately and precisely.

As I said before, been there and done that. Traps are an exercise in futility if you really want results. So BIOYA (blocked for being a persistent moron)
 
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