Thanks for info. As far as I know we only have Tawnys and don’t shoot a drey big enough to hold an owl. We also have Buzzards that nest so have to be doubly cautious. Incidentally do buzzards take greys?
Grey squirrels.
- Thread starter Skye
- Start date
Not to my knowledge. They might take an opportunity on a young one but I think an adult would be too much for them to handle. Goshawks happily kill them though
Rhodesianjess
Well-Known Member
I've been on countless vermin days in my 35 years as a keeper, only seen a tawny owl knocked out of a drey 2/3 times. Even then, I've always thought that it was perched on the top, presumably as the lads advanced through the wood knocking dreys out.
Hardly a regular occurrence IMO.
Yes it could well be the extra mineral supplement I feed them too!
shakey jake
Well-Known Member
Only when the grey is dead.
A pair of buzzards came regularly to my garden last year to eat dead ones (dead from the lead that would go in and out of them quite rapidly), but I never saw one even harry a live squirrel, alas.
Two years ago, we hosted a barbeque featuring squirrel. Despite inviting some recent Nigerians incomers who said they liked "bush meat", it was not something I would repeat.
Squirrels have a (strong) scent gland in their thighs, that stinks out the freezer when you pack 50 skinned and gutted squirrels in.
Squirrel for eating is greatly over-rated. Best fed to the foxes.
"Nik"
Member
Hi Skye,
I am in West Sussex and I used to shoot about 20 grey squirrels a week and I have shot none so far this year... I have only seen about 3 squirrels this in the woods I shoot in. I did notice that there were no acorns last autumn and that was mentioned here as well, so maybe the lack of food has something to do with it.
Me too - not as many as i have been hard at them for a good number of years but had 84 so far this year
"Nik"
Member
Very nice looking rifle
"Nik"
Member
I only have seen a few here in the NE tip of the High Weald and I would be normally shooting about 20 in a week...
Certainly, the effect of lead poisoning has been observed in squirrels locally, especially in my garden. very toxic stuff, lead!
That is one heck of a big (I mean expensive) round for a squirrel! Have you not heard of the .17?
I am trying to guess what it is: it has a rim, about 2 inches long, so not a .22 WMR, bullet is small and blunt looks like .22 something, does not look like .22-250 (especially as it is rimmed as in a rimfire). Can you fill me in? Have you just won an inheritance, or the pools? On another note, after removing all the squirrels in the adjoining woodland, the explosion in bird life has been phenomenal. Just counted 16 different species this morning straight out of my kitchen window, many including the thrushes, woodpeckers, gold finches and nutcrackers with two or more young. Never seen that number of young with adults before when the squirrels were here. There were a lot of squirrels, and in spring young birds or eggs were a daily diet based on the goey mess in their stomachs when I checked them.
That is one heck of a big (I mean expensive) round for a squirrel! Have you not heard of the .17?
On another note, after removing all the squirrels in the adjoining woodland, the explosion in bird life has been phenomenal. Just counted 16 different species this morning straight out of my kitchen window, many including the thrushes, woodpeckers, gold finches and nutcrackers with two or more young. Never seen that number of young with adults before when the squirrels were here. There were a lot of squirrels, and in spring young birds or eggs were a daily diet based on the goey mess in their stomachs when I checked them.
I think its also been just an incredible year for birds with so many insects about this year - thank goodness !
Round us its nothing to have seen 3 broods or more for many of the farmland / woodland species- same with the ducks
I believe round us our work on the shoot is paying massive dividends in life - but also round us the SFI provided a real bonus
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