Squirrels and other problems!!

[Rup65]

No Richard it is not too late to welcome me! and thank you.
I have followed the thread and to be honest I wrote the initial post in a tone that I thought most suited to a site that I had no experience of. I simply enjoy the outdoors and especially woodland and feel fairly strongly about protecting them, either from developers over zealous timber merchants or yes those bloody squirrels! I am in the wood trade and I go to great lengths to ensure my company complies with all FSC regulations. Dexters reply got me angry because it was pointless and only meant to insult me and possibly provoke a negative response,,, which he succeeded in doing. I have a keen interest in shooting and vermin control of course but I had no idea as to the sensitivity of other bloggers and I genuinely would have liked to help woodland owners who may have little time to address such issues.....Dexter, if you want to simply bait people for an argument (I have read your other posts and many have a similar tone) may i suggest you perhaps trawl the political forums where you might find your people skills better suited...oh and by the way, do you want any help with your squirrel problems or not... i'm still a bit unsure...

[boxerman]

Hey Rup65 - you shouldn't read too much into Dexter's post - he simply calls it as he sees it. You'd have done better to come along, introduce yourself properly and tell us all what you do and why but your first post came across, to me, as from someone who shoots for fun, wants somewhere to shoot and was trying to mask the fact in the name of conservation. Believe me, Dexter has nothing against shooting and actually does it for a living (he wouldn't need your services..... ).

Everyone here is well aware that squirrels do damage to trees - - some will live with it within limits and others will deal with it as they feel appropriate but I doubt that anyone here would grant shooting permissions to someone unknown - stick around a while, become a known quantity and you may get lucky but don't expect it overnight - folk are protective of their woods (could be wrong of course - been known to happen..).

[SimonFisher]

We all must know by now that Dexter tends to say what he thinks. Yes, there are perhaps times when he could use a little more tact but I see little wrong with his post tho it could have been a little less blunt.

Thta's exactly it though. It's not the content that's the problem, it's the manner. Yes, those of us that have been on this forum a while have got used to a certain 'style' from Dexter's Shed and almost expect it. What about those who are perhaps new to the forum - they make a first post, get an abrasive and/or aggressive reply, and give up, or they spend a while on the sidelines and never bother to participate. Not everyone is as tough as old boots. A little thought and courtesy can go a long way. And as Dexter's Shed has already pointed out, it's not the first time this sort of thing has been raised.

Simon, a.k.a. Mod 2

[adam]

Wow, any mention of squirrels always seems to get a lot activity on this forum !

I doubt Rup65's kind offer is for me personally, not least because I'm a fair way from Oxfordshire but I do wonder if this kind of arrangement could be very beneficial for those who see the problem, see the potential of grant funding but cannot bring themselves to personally kill the little things.

Adam.

[Rup65]

Whatever you may think, and frankly I'm not that bothered now, I was simply trying to strike a non combative or inflammatory tone... you can say that is 'masking' if you like Boxerman and Dexter can go to bed happy thinking that he has exposed another 'imposter' on his forum.....quite simply I approached a forum (which I have never done before) in the hope I could do some people a favour and in return do something I enjoy in an environment I love and would like to contribute to....I was told not to bother by some friends because they said there will always be someone with little else to do who will just want to simply pick it to bits and make you wish you hadn't bothered.....should have listened to them...

[boxerman]

Don't just disappear Rup..... I'm probably gonna offend Dexter now but from your posts I'd guess the two of you are more alike than either would care to admit... you both say what you think and that's a trait with both good and bad sides.... and something I've been accused of more than once...

If you've never been on a forum before it really is a steep learning curve 'cos folk create a community without ever meeting each other but it's an experience that can be rewarding for all - become a known and respected member of that community and you might be surprised at what offers you'll get - I love most of the guys on here and feel part of that community but there's not one, single, guy here that I've met in the flesh. From where I sit, your mistake was in not being totally straight in your introduction and then responding aggressively to the inevitable questions plus, of course, preaching about squirrel damage to a load of guys who own their own woodland (kind of like trying to teach grandma to suck eggs.....).

If you have experience of 'developers' and 'over zealous timber merchants' then you have information that could be useful to the guys on here - tell us about your experiences with them, help folk with info, ask questions etc and you'll become accepted. Walk away and everybody loses.

From what you say, clearly you have things to offer to the forum - put something in and you may get something out but you need to remember that folk around here are extremely protective of the woodland that they've worked hard to buy and you need to gain their confidence before they're likely to consider allowing you into their woods to shhot.

[Rup65]

Wise words Boxerman and I get where you are coming from. Not sure about some of what you say but I get your gist. I would quite like to buy a bit of woodland as I explained to Rich before I joined. I'll leave the shooting part of it out for the moment. Yes I do have a lot of experience in the wood trade and would be more than happy to help on that subject if anyone has a question...if my original post was naive its because I have no idea what the level of experience or views on vermin control are....I did start the post with an apology for any mistake....an unforgiving lot obviously...

[Jackdaw]

YNWA

[Dexter's Shed]

I wish people would leave nature to its own devises






.The bloke opposite me starts a motorbike up at 7am every morning, does that give me the right to pull a gun to his head just because I dislike it..

leaving nature to it's own devises, ok but the grey squirrel is NON NATIVE TO THE UK, it was introduced by humans many moons ago, if we had not, it's very doubtful the grey would have ever planted it's foot on our shores, the red's would still be in abundance, and everyone would be happy

trying to use your dislike for motorbikes as a way of justifying the argument is a bit silly, do you not use a car for work?
but if the said biker was walking over to your house, and smashing the pointing from your brickwork, would you then complain to the police?
surely in that instance, you have the right to either do something about it, or not, it's YOUR CHOICE
and therefore squirrel control is no different, it's the owners choice to either do or don't

[Jackdaw]

You miss my point, that being Mr Shed, I don't see myself as having any more or less right on this earth as an animal. As I said, Im a nature lover without discrimination, and feel compassion regardless of any prejudice. Its like the chicken keeper who loses stock to a fox, I don't blame the fox, its just surviving, I would blame myself for not protecting my stock. Basically i'm someone who values living creatures, a dreamer maybe but its real to me. The woodland that I belong to is a sanctuary to all, not just the animals that I feel are beneficial to a certain point of view. After all, remove the Grey squirrel and the Red will still remain absent.