Would a decent air rifle kill a grey squirrel?
Discussion
227bhp said:
funkyrobot said:
They had a squirrel issue at a warehouse where my dad works. One of the chaps is a bit of a hunter, so he rigged up a trap.
One day, they went into work and a squirrel was in the trap. As they all stood around looking at it, it was snarling and sort of barking at them. It was also going nuts at the cage trying to get out.
The chap who trapped it went outside, calmly walked back in with a Magnum 44, pointed it at the squirrel in the cage, fired and took most of it's head off at point blank range.
Now, I'm a wildlife fan, but am not bothered about pest control.
EFA One day, they went into work and a squirrel was in the trap. As they all stood around looking at it, it was snarling and sort of barking at them. It was also going nuts at the cage trying to get out.
The chap who trapped it went outside, calmly walked back in with a Magnum 44, pointed it at the squirrel in the cage, fired and took most of it's head off at point blank range.
Now, I'm a wildlife fan, but am not bothered about pest control.
(It's impossible to do so much damage with a tiny lead pellet measuring circa 5mm across.)
I think he just shot it in the head and it made a small hole.
Seems odd to me. Had loads of squirrels in the garden for years never had a problem, in fact I used to enjoy watching the little ones running around the trees like lunatics. Never understood the kill em all mentality of country folk. Why do the birds deserve to be looked after but not the squirrels?
MarshPhantom said:
Seems odd to me. Had loads of squirrels in the garden for years never had a problem, in fact I used to enjoy watching the little ones running around the trees like lunatics. Never understood the kill em all mentality of country folk. Why do the birds deserve to be looked after but not the squirrels?
RSPB, innit.funkyrobot said:
227bhp said:
funkyrobot said:
They had a squirrel issue at a warehouse where my dad works. One of the chaps is a bit of a hunter, so he rigged up a trap.
One day, they went into work and a squirrel was in the trap. As they all stood around looking at it, it was snarling and sort of barking at them. It was also going nuts at the cage trying to get out.
The chap who trapped it went outside, calmly walked back in with a Magnum 44, pointed it at the squirrel in the cage, fired and took most of it's head off at point blank range.
Now, I'm a wildlife fan, but am not bothered about pest control.
EFA One day, they went into work and a squirrel was in the trap. As they all stood around looking at it, it was snarling and sort of barking at them. It was also going nuts at the cage trying to get out.
The chap who trapped it went outside, calmly walked back in with a Magnum 44, pointed it at the squirrel in the cage, fired and took most of it's head off at point blank range.
Now, I'm a wildlife fan, but am not bothered about pest control.
(It's impossible to do so much damage with a tiny lead pellet measuring circa 5mm across.)
I think he just shot it in the head and it made a small hole.
MarshPhantom said:
Seems odd to me. Had loads of squirrels in the garden for years never had a problem, in fact I used to enjoy watching the little ones running around the trees like lunatics. Never understood the kill em all mentality of country folk. Why do the birds deserve to be looked after but not the squirrels?
I don't personally have a problem with them either. But if you read the whole thread, or in case you missed it; grey squirrels are officially a pest species.Some people care, some people don't.
I actually think rats are kind of cute too, but I still shot them at every opportunity whilst living next to farms (as did the farmers). Nothing to do with bird feeders.
I also had no problem with the farmer using his .410 to dispatch them, though the unexpected discharge of a shotgun within 20m at 6 in the morning, made me jump like I'd been stung every time. Especially when concentrating a coding problem.
No comment on the birds versus squirrels thing except;
The birds will look after themselves just fine without anyone feeding them.
Feeders simply attract them, and perhaps encourage them to nest closer, which is the real point of the exercise.
Like all animals, they will take the shortest / easiest route to food possible.
MarshPhantom said:
Seems odd to me. Had loads of squirrels in the garden for years never had a problem, in fact I used to enjoy watching the little ones running around the trees like lunatics. Never understood the kill em all mentality of country folk. Why do the birds deserve to be looked after but not the squirrels?
Depends where you live. I lived in West Cumbria, and used to get red squirrels in my garden. A couple of years ago, a grey appeared. That marked the end of the reds.http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/redsquirrel
I was discussing this topic with my son yesterday as I have a selection of both squirrels and pigeons constantly raiding my garden, about 5 of each.
He offered to keep the air rifle upstairs beside him whilst he's on his computer, and pick them off through the window whenever they turned up.
I said it was a little too reminiscent of Schindler's List, and asked whether was he going to start smoking so he could stub out his cigarette before taking a shot as well?
He offered to keep the air rifle upstairs beside him whilst he's on his computer, and pick them off through the window whenever they turned up.
I said it was a little too reminiscent of Schindler's List, and asked whether was he going to start smoking so he could stub out his cigarette before taking a shot as well?
MarshPhantom said:
Seems odd to me. Had loads of squirrels in the garden for years never had a problem, in fact I used to enjoy watching the little ones running around the trees like lunatics. Never understood the kill em all mentality of country folk. Why do the birds deserve to be looked after but not the squirrels?
Magpies and crows are legal targets. http://www.shootinguk.co.uk/guns/air-rifles/pest-c...
Do we have some frustrated hunters on PH or something? In America they use real guns to hunt real animals which is pretty repugnant but it's kind of sad that the UK equivalent is reading a bunch of grown men itching to go all Charlie Whitman but with a .22 and a squirrel in their sights to get their jollies.
I kind of get it in areas where there may be reds or real pest control issues, but I'm sure in most cases it's just killing stuff for the sake of it which is pretty messed up.
I kind of get it in areas where there may be reds or real pest control issues, but I'm sure in most cases it's just killing stuff for the sake of it which is pretty messed up.
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hstewie said:
hstewie said: I kind of get it in areas where there may be reds or real pest control issues, but I'm sure in most cases it's just killing stuff for the sake of it which is pretty messed up.
A neighbours cat appears to kill birds and rodents (and moles and squirrels) slowly and just for the fun of it, end enjoys leaving the twitching bodies all over the place.But they are on the CITES list of invasive species, like grey squirrels, so that is OK cruelty?
dudleybloke said:
Pssst....ANY air rifle will do a squirrel.eldar said:
bhstewie said:
hstewie said: I kind of get it in areas where there may be reds or real pest control issues, but I'm sure in most cases it's just killing stuff for the sake of it which is pretty messed up.
A neighbours cat appears to kill birds and rodents (and moles and squirrels) slowly and just for the fun of it, end enjoys leaving the twitching bodies all over the place.But they are on the CITES list of invasive species, like grey squirrels, so that is OK cruelty?
But no. Unnecessary cruelty isn't okay. Effecting the swift and painless dispatch of something causing harm, with the goal of ameliorating or preventing future harm, is neither unnecessary nor cruel. Which is why I keep saying, only as part of an eradication programme, otherwise it's utterly pointless and therefore not at all okay.
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