Squirrel control

[Al_W_27357]

I am about to give up on growing corn. I only grow a little--maybe 5- 70ft rows--and if I could get most of it that would be sufficient. I usually only get about 1/4 of it. The squirrels get the rest. So far I have tried fake owls, water "scarecrows", paper bags over the ears, socks over the ears, a garlic and crushed red pepper spray, and an ultrasonic deterrent. Nothing works. If I can't come up with a surefire plan for next year I think I won't even bother planting any corn. Does anyone have a solution that will work and they KNOW from experience that it works? Shooting them is not an option btw. I'm not going to do anything to hurt them. I am tired of wasting my time though.

 

[Chuck]

I have tried everything you have to no avail. Either eliminate them or buy your fresh corn.

 

[Meadowlark]

Welcome @ai_w_27357

I generally grow three crops of delicious corn a year stagger planted for continuous supply of fresh corn all summer...and have for decades. I live and garden in East Texas which is predominately wooded forests abundant with squirrels.

I am not averse to occasionally shooting them, but my primary deterrent is outside dogs. I find this very effective. My dogs are all "drop offs" that have been abandoned by uncaring people and that experience generally makes them very "outside" wary. Most are very intent on getting after squirrels. Very effective. I have not lost a single ear this year to squirrels and harvested about 35 dozen delicious ears of corn.

This year I've had a problem with crows which the dogs don't find very interesting. I use scarecrows which are relocated often and present when the corn is maturing. They work but only for a short time, usually long enough for us to get our harvest in. In my opinion, crows, once they have discovered your corn, are far more damaging than squirrels exhibiting an incredible IQ. Persistence is definitely required to deter them.

Scarecrow Anyone?

The crows recently discovered my second corn crop and have attacked it like it was an Iranian nuclear facility. They are smart birds and watch carefully before attacking...but are highly susceptible to decoys. I've dusted off my old scarecrow and added my new apron's touch. Sometimes the old...

www.gardening-forums.com

 

[Chuck]

Welcome @ai_w_27357

I generally grow three crops of delicious corn a year stagger planted for continuous supply of fresh corn all summer...and have for decades. I live and garden in East Texas which is predominately wooded forests abundant with squirrels.

I am not averse to occasionally shooting them, but my primary deterrent is outside dogs. I find this very effective. My dogs are all "drop offs" that have been abandoned by uncaring people and that experience generally makes them very "outside" wary. Most are very intent on getting after squirrels. Very effective. I have not lost a single ear this year to squirrels and harvested about 35 dozen delicious ears of corn.

This year I've had a problem with crows which the dogs don't find very interesting. I use scarecrows which are relocated often and present when the corn is maturing. They work but only for a short time, usually long enough for us to get our harvest in. In my opinion, crows, once they have discovered your corn, are far more damaging than squirrels exhibiting an incredible IQ. Persistence is definitely required to deter them.

Scarecrow Anyone?

The crows recently discovered my second corn crop and have attacked it like it was an Iranian nuclear facility. They are smart birds and watch carefully before attacking...but are highly susceptible to decoys. I've dusted off my old scarecrow and added my new apron's touch. Sometimes the old...

www.gardening-forums.com

I guess dogs could work with the right dogs. Mine, not so much. They destroyed as much as they saved. I never had crows but I did have occasional hogs during the 20+ years of owning that property. They are worse than squirrels, racoons and crows combined.

 

[Doug123]

I use traps, and relocate. That's effective, but that's manageable only if you have a limited number. My garden plot is entirely urban, so the squirrel population is very finite. On thing to understand about squirrels is that urban squirrels are VERY hard to scare. They're around people, pets, noise, and garbage all the time, so they're pretty dismissive of dolls, sounds, and funny smelling stuff.

 

[Meadowlark]

I guess dogs could work with the right dogs.

I agree feral hogs are the worst property damagers of all. They are abundant here but in over 4 decades of gardening here, they have never damaged a single plant in my garden... let alone corn.

Again, I attribute that to my dogs. Any dog dropped off in the Big Thicket must learn quickly how to deal with feral hogs or they simply will not survive on their own. I've often seen my dogs carry in the carcass of a wild hog. I've also lost dogs to wild hogs. It is a common occurrence.

If folks could understand the benefits of taking in drop off dogs, they would find one of the benefits can be property protection.

 

[Meadowlark]

I use traps, and relocate.

Traps are completely ineffective here...way too many squirrels present to make any difference.

 

[Doug123]

Traps are completely ineffective here...way too many squirrels present to make any difference.

That's fair. What you need to remember about traps is that relocation isn't easy. If you don't want them to come back, you need to move them a mile or two away. That takes time and gasoline. What one might try is distraction, with something better to eat. This will only work for a week or two, because if you leave better stuff out longer, it will just attract more squirrels.

 

[Meadowlark]

One mile? Completely ineffective and waste of time and energy.

I'd guess a minimum of 10 miles but in the presence of other squirrels that is simply an irritant to them. Same is true of raccoons which I found trapping and relocating completely ineffective...been there done that.

 

[Doug123]

I don't tag the animals I relocate, but after a few weeks of trapping and relocation, I have no more problems for the rest of the season. That is, say what you may, but it works for me. No guessing involved. Actually, I do two miles for raccoons and possums, but often just one mile for squirrels. Yes, on a time scale of a year or more, they might find their way back. but on that time scale, others can just move in. So at the start of a season there is always an endemic population, whether new guys, or ones that found their way back. The locale can support a certain number, and it doesn't matter much where they came from.

 

[Meadowlark]

I checked in with AI just for fun on relocation and here is what it says:

"Question: how far away to relocate trapped animals"

Response:

Relocating trapped animals might seem like a kind gesture, but it’s a bit more complicated than just driving them down the road and setting them free. Here’s what you need to know:

Recommended Relocation Distance​

• Minimum of 5–10 miles is generally advised to prevent animals from returning to your property.
• Some species, like raccoons, have strong homing instincts and can travel several miles per night, so the farther the better.

Legal Considerations​

• Check local and state laws before relocating any wildlife. In many places, transporting animals is illegal without a permit due to disease risks like rabies1.
• Some states require euthanasia for certain nuisance animals rather than relocation.
  

 

[Doug123]

We're not talking about control of individual animals. We're talking about population control. I can take Alvin squirrel a thousand miles away and I KNOW he'll never come back. But when he leaves, and an ecological niche is open, Oscar squirrel can move in. Squirrels don't exactly do seasonal migrations, but they hibernate in the winter, and venture out to use their food caches. In the spring, those caches are empty, and they'll look around to find food, wherein they start packing it away for the next winter during the summer. In order to do that, they may well move their locale to find an empty niche. So the idea is to remove squirrels in the spring, so they can establish themselves somewhere else for the summer. I don't really care if they come back the next year. Someone will always be back, and the spring population will be restored. Moving or killing squirrels (or other beasts) DOES NOT PERMANENTLY GET RID OF THEIR KIND.

I've been managing animal pests for a decade in this way, and I move a dozen or more every season. For me, possums and raccoons are really the most problematical. But the OP asked what really works, and this really works for me.

 

[nao57]

Welcome @ai_w_27357

I generally grow three crops of delicious corn a year stagger planted for continuous supply of fresh corn all summer...and have for decades. I live and garden in East Texas which is predominately wooded forests abundant with squirrels.

I am not averse to occasionally shooting them, but my primary deterrent is outside dogs. I find this very effective. My dogs are all "drop offs" that have been abandoned by uncaring people and that experience generally makes them very "outside" wary. Most are very intent on getting after squirrels. Very effective. I have not lost a single ear this year to squirrels and harvested about 35 dozen delicious ears of corn.

This year I've had a problem with crows which the dogs don't find very interesting. I use scarecrows which are relocated often and present when the corn is maturing. They work but only for a short time, usually long enough for us to get our harvest in. In my opinion, crows, once they have discovered your corn, are far more damaging than squirrels exhibiting an incredible IQ. Persistence is definitely required to deter them.

Scarecrow Anyone?

The crows recently discovered my second corn crop and have attacked it like it was an Iranian nuclear facility. They are smart birds and watch carefully before attacking...but are highly susceptible to decoys. I've dusted off my old scarecrow and added my new apron's touch. Sometimes the old...

www.gardening-forums.com

I like the dog idea. Its reasonable. Also the dog can help you watch for other predators also. And the dog chasing them off doesn't mean it has to kill them, just give them a fright.

Also successful farmers have this mindset that they want to have the ANIMALS WORK FOR them. You could save time and money by having the Dog relocate the squirrels for you. Sheepherders and beef farmers have this mind set especially of 'I want those animals to work for me'.

If you relocate the animals you can also end up giving someone else your problem. And they might not be as skillful or knowledgeable as you. However, if you still want to relocate them, having them in desired climate, terrain, and food abundance is more ideal than how many miles.

 

[javert]

Here in my city there is one rehabilitation and care site for birds of prey so it prompts to beg the question: why not a real owl? A dedicated bird home might be enough to bribe him to stay and clean house.
There might be a breeding project for owls near you and might be willing to give you one if food is guaranteed.

 

[Doug123]

Good point about relocating animals humanely. I live on an urban creek, and these animals (raccoons and possums, largely) live on that creek. I relocate them farther down on the same creek. They have to make friends with other furry residents in the area, but the riparian habitat is identical to what they left. In my burg it is illegal to drop them off on someone else's property. So I drop them off on a city greenbelt.

Using dogs is a nice idea, but then you have to take care of dogs. Not clear what's harder or more expensive.

We have an abundance of Barred Owls, but they never seem to go after squirrels. For those owls and larger ones (I've seen a Great Horned Owl around), a "home" is the size of a small refrigerator, and twenty feet off the ground. Got a hydraulic personnel lift table?