squirrel control

[Dave and Verity]

I accept your explanation of the statement, I tend to bite when people appear to be undermining a sport I feel very passionately about. You are quite correct there are a minority of mindless half brains out there, badly informed by salesmen eager to sell the latest gun, that cause huge amounts to the shooting sports.

I think air rifles and squirrels is probably about dealt with now.

Dave

[smojo]

The reference to adolescent destructiveness was a reference to a phase I recall going through as do most teenage lads- that is a fascination with air rifles, crossbows, explosives, fast cars and general mayhem.

Just out of interest I shall tell my story of adolescent mindlessness and air guns because I know just where Paws is coming from with his statement. It has a bearing on why I will never want to shoot anything (but that doesn't mean I am condemning anyone else who does any more than I condemn anyone for eating meat just because I don't - it's purely a matter of personal preferences and if I am forced to control squirrels in my woods, it would have to be by some other means where I am not present).

I was about 18 and given a cheap crappy airgun I could rarely hit anything accurately with it. My parents were out and I decided to try shoot a starling (in those days (1970s) they were considered worthless vermin). I put some bread out on the lawn and positioned myself in the bedroom window. Eventually one came down for the bread and I took a shot at it. I didn't expect to hit it, it was more about the excitement of having a go. I did hit it though and it was still alive flapping about. I went down to look at it and it sat there, still, looking up at me. Helpless, no doubt frightened. The eye contact between two living things is powerful, even with a bird. I shot it again at close range to put it out of it's suffering. I was mortified that I was responsible for that mindless act. I was shaking and disgusted with myself. I swore I'd never do anything like that again.

[Patandsam]

Nobody as yet seems to have sung the praises of squirrels in this thread. We think they are very cute and beautiful and we take lots of pleasure feeding ours. They are very tame and we see them more like friends or pets than pests. Its sick and pointless to kill them unless they are being really destructive and we dont see ours causing any problems. Blokes seem to justify having guns and shooting things as a necessity when I think maybe they just like being macho talking about their weapons and shooting them off. Most blokes seem inherently violent and havent lost the primal urge to fight, hunt and kill, its something to do with hormones. I hate hunting, maybe when all the wildlife has been shot they will realise what they've destroyed and you will only be able to see animals in zoos.

[Andy M]

I have a Scots Pine in my garden - it is quite magnificent and, according to our local tree officer, is the best in Breckland! It was planted in the early 1820s and so we have tried to grow several replacements from its seed to preserve the genetic stock. There were about half a dozen, about 25 ft tall. Each one has had its growing tip eaten out and all are now multi-stemmed and useless as specimens for the next 150 years. It may be pigeons but squirrels are by far the most likely culprit. Many woodlands around here have worries over good specimens with similar damage and only those with stringent squirrel control are hopeful of having fine upstanding single stem trees in 100-200 years time.
I suppose we could trade that for a few cuddly animals on our bird tables.

See http://www.europeansquirrelinitiative.org/threat.html

[SimonFisher]

We've acres of young beech trees planted in the early 90s I believe, most of which have suffered badly (died or malformed) due to bark damage caused by grey squirrels.

[SimonFisher]

Oh dear, you've done it now...

Blokes seem to justify having guns and shooting things as a necessity when I think maybe they just like being macho talking about their weapons and shooting them off.

Maybe some do, but a sweeping generalization like that is a bit sexist don't you think? What we supposed to talk about - cooking and cleaning?

Most blokes seem inherently violent and havent lost the primal urge to fight, hunt and kill, its something to do with hormones...

There you go again, tarring us all with the same brush. Maybe you need to change the company you keep if that's your experience! Hormones, know nowt about them - aren't they a women thing?

[Dexter's Shed]

Blokes seem to justify having guns and shooting things as a necessity when I think maybe they just like being macho talking about their weapons and shooting them off. Most blokes seem inherently violent and havent lost the primal urge to fight, hunt and kill, its something to do with hormones. I hate hunting, maybe when all the wildlife has been shot they will realise what they've destroyed and you will only be able to see animals in zoos.

this is a very sexist remark, as I know lots of woman shooters, yet you seem to think it's ALL MENS DOING, it would be the same if I said all woman with short hair are dykes, which I wouldn't as my wife has cropped hair, but you see my point??

but getting back to your post, so you think it's ok to remove animals from their natural habitat and lock them in cages their entire life
rather than living and dying a free life?
yes some get slaughtered to feed us, yes some get killed in the name of pest control, and others get killed just for the fun of it, it's a shame we didn't follow the same rules on all species, I tend not to sprout off on all the things in this world that I don't agree with, unlike others

[Patandsam]

We know a thing or two about prisons and those who commit firearms offences, the figures speak for themselves. 95% of the British prison population is male. Over 90% of gun ownership is by men. A majority of the female prison population have experienced some sort of either abuse or violence from partners or male family members which lowers there self esteem and is often the cause of their falling into crime, such as being forced into drugs or prostitution. In many countries firearms are used as tools to subject women to oppression, violence, rape and degradation. Its a simple fact that blokes like guns and killing things, women largely don't as they are frequently the victims. All guns including air rifles should be banned, the world would be a better place for it.

[Dave and Verity]

I always like a well thought out argument, but how on earth did a discussion on controlling squirrels end up with females in prison.

I also know women shooters.

I am bloke. I am also a father, a happily married husband (have been contiuously with my wife for over 20 years) and a lover of wildlife. I am a member of the RSPB, support the British Trust for Ornithology, and the Norfolk Wildlife trust. I am fairly well educated and have had some success with both my career and later in life being self employed. I have never commited an act of violence towards a woman in my life. I can assure you that it is not a case of not having the ability, solely a lifleong belief "that it is wrong to hit a woman". Very simple and old fashioned, I know. I'm also well past the macho stage in my life.

The fact that I shoot does not make me an evil person, over 90% of my shooting is aimed at inanimate objects, the rest solely vermin. I do not shoot any other kind of wildlife.

The biggest number of animals I take from the wild are rats, these carry pathogens that can be fatal to humans and urinate constantly spreading them everywhere they go. Strange that nobody has ever come forward to protest at that activity.

Don't even want to start on the squirrel / songbird chick debate.

If you enjoy your squirrels, that's fine with me, I enjoy the one's that live in my garden, I must do, I let them live peacefully in my Barn Owl box. If they enter my roof space and start chewing the electrics, the relationship will change. In case you don't know, rodents teeth continually grow, and they chew to grind them down, houses have been known to catch fire due to this.

Also bear in mind that we are talking about grey squrrels, these are not a native species to the UK, and have been mostly responsible for the near erradication of our own (much cuter and prettier) red squirrel.

I also do not like killing things, there is a word for people that do, and once diagnosed they are forbidden by law to own any kind of firearm. I do not know a single hunter who does not feel very strong emotions when taking a shot at a living creature.

The hunting debate is very complex and sweeping generalisations do nothing to help whatsoever. Statements like "Its a simple fact that blokes like guns and killing things" are utter nonsense and do nothing to make your argument stand up, fortunately legislation requires more stringent qualification.

Dave

[Dexter's Shed]

as this post was moved by a moderator from another post where it was being taken off track, perhaps they could do the same again and move patty & sammy's replies about prisons and how men are bad to there only little topic, as I feel it's spoiling a good post about squirrel/pest control