10-16-2019, 07:56 PM
Well, as the old saw goes, "Nature abhors a vacuum." Eliminating a pest animal is usually only a temporary deal. You get rid of one, that creates a vacancy for the territory, and another moves in.
In some ways, it's like trying to bail out the ocean with a bucket.
For us, it was, is, and will be ground squirrels. Every year. And when the population is heavy, they tear up landscaping and the garden.
When I first moved here in 2014, I tried using poison pellets. It worked to cut down the overall population at first. But then they began dying above ground and I was concerned about secondary poisoning and we got chickens, so that method was out.
Then, I bought an air rifle. But, I simply didn't have time to sit outside waiting for them to show, especially when it appeared they learned to distinguish me without an air rifle in hand from those times when I was carrying the weapon. I've learned that the air rifle is put to best use very early in the season when they first start emerging. If they're visible in numbers, it's too late.
Late this summer, I decided to try Jawz brand rat traps. I cleaned out 26 of those squirrels in three days using only two traps, baited with a total of four peanuts and about a tablespoon of peanut butter.
They'll be back; they always come back. But I'm learning to change up the TTPs as time goes on so they don't "wisen up" to any particular method.
In some ways, it's like trying to bail out the ocean with a bucket.
For us, it was, is, and will be ground squirrels. Every year. And when the population is heavy, they tear up landscaping and the garden.
When I first moved here in 2014, I tried using poison pellets. It worked to cut down the overall population at first. But then they began dying above ground and I was concerned about secondary poisoning and we got chickens, so that method was out.
Then, I bought an air rifle. But, I simply didn't have time to sit outside waiting for them to show, especially when it appeared they learned to distinguish me without an air rifle in hand from those times when I was carrying the weapon. I've learned that the air rifle is put to best use very early in the season when they first start emerging. If they're visible in numbers, it's too late.
Late this summer, I decided to try Jawz brand rat traps. I cleaned out 26 of those squirrels in three days using only two traps, baited with a total of four peanuts and about a tablespoon of peanut butter.
They'll be back; they always come back. But I'm learning to change up the TTPs as time goes on so they don't "wisen up" to any particular method.
