I can't put into words how much I hate squirrels!

[Wood]

!
As a noob, I can't imagine spending that kind of green on a tree. (Also, I'm incredibly cheap!)
That said, my experience and knowledge is not yet worthy of any tree that valuable anyway. But I think we can all relate to losing a large investment. Sorry you lost it.

Purchasing that tree definitely felt like a stretch for me, and I definitely lost sleep over the squirrels killing it. The price wasn't the biggest part -- between hotel, transportation, and tuition, a single 4-day intensive class is more expensive than that tree and feels easier to justify to yourself. The responsibility for that tree felt like the big thing at that time. Basically all of my collection is more mid-development now, so it feels a lot less worrisome

No this is not even close to being the same haha I would say my little maple stump doesn't compare to you quince. Even though it was a pretty cute maple stump!

Idk, I think I'd be just as heartbroken over a bad ass starter like that if I'd completely grown it myself

That's the funny part. I feed three outdoor cats in my garage. Maybe I'm feeding them too much. Need them to develop a taste for squirrels

Have you at least TNR'd these cats? Just be aware that cats can be super destructive to the local ecosystem, and ecological researchers have found that feral cats who have routine food access are more lethal to local wildlife. When they're well-fed and rested, they are more effective hunters and end up killing birds just for fun

 

[Likebull1]

Purchasing that tree definitely felt like a stretch for me, and I definitely lost sleep over the squirrels killing it. The price wasn't the biggest part -- between hotel, transportation, and tuition, a single 4-day intensive class is more expensive than that tree and feels easier to justify to yourself. The responsibility for that tree felt like the big thing at that time. Basically all of my collection is more mid-development now, so it feels a lot less worrisome



Idk, I think I'd be just as heartbroken over a bad ass starter like that if I'd completely grown it myself



Have you at least TNR'd these cats? Just be aware that cats can be super destructive to the local ecosystem, and ecological researchers have found that feral cats who have routine food access are more lethal to local wildlife. When they're well-fed and rested, they are more effective hunters and end up killing birds just for fun

I did not but they are already neutered. I live in town so it's pretty common to see a bunch roaming the streets. I agree that it's wrong to let a cat outdoors though. We have one in the house but I'd never let her out. Plus she's spoiled and has no interest ha

 

[BonsaiManic]

I agree that it's wrong to let a cat outdoors though. We have one in the house but I'd never let her out.

My wife loves animals, and she loves cats - at other people's homes. Lol
I agree. Cats are not outside pets. As @Wood stated, they are bad for the ecosystem, but are also in danger themselves. How many cats have we seen lying in the road? Or, like my old yellow chowbrador, when I had to run out to rescue a random cat from his jaws at 2am in my sleep shorts. The poor thing ran into the house, instead of over the fence. I finally fished it out from behind the sofa, and before I could look it over to see where the blood was coming from, it took off again, so we just opened up the front door and it took off when I tried to catch it again. It was wearing a collar.
I haven't seen it since. I hope it survived, and it's owners are more careful now.

 

[Wood]

Plus she's spoiled and has no interest ha

I adopted my cat at two years old, but I swear that my cat used to be a stray and knows how good he has it now. He gobbles up food like it'll disappear if he takes his eyes off it. He loves to sit by an open window or screened in door, but the moment that the door is open he backs away with a "oh hell no i know what it's like out there" look

 

[Carol 83]

Our cat R.I.P. was always an indoor cat. If I left the door open to bring in groceries, she would step out, look around and run right back in. She was smart.

 

[BrianBay9]

I finally bought a pellet gun a couple of weeks ago, and started staking out my tree area. I've killed two squirrels and shot at a few more. I used to see several of the a-holes each day and I had to get almost within arms reach to scare them off. Now I've seen very few and they stay up in the trees. I think I've sent a message.....wonder how long it will last.

 

[BrianBay9]

I finally bought a pellet gun a couple of weeks ago, and started staking out my tree area. I've killed two squirrels and shot at a few more. I used to see several of the a-holes each day and I had to get almost within arms reach to scare them off. Now I've seen very few and they stay up in the trees. I think I've sent a message.....wonder how long it will last.

They got more crafty, harder to get a shot at but they still come around. I killed another today. There's at least one more in the area, probably more than I can't see. But, new damage they've been causing has been minimized. Not completely eliminated.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

I know, a quick search is going to teach me more than what I have learned in more than 40 years shooting. I shoot .177 and .22 pellets quite often, been doing so since I was 12, and I am 55 now, and lead pellets do not bounce. I trained my daughter to shoot in our backyard with a pop-up target at around 20 feet and every single pellet was recovered from inside the box completely deformed. They may deflect if you shoot a hard surface at an angle, but they do not bounce off a concrete wall if shot perpendicular to it, they smash in and most of the times you have to scrape them out.

This is the target I used with my daughter. We had to scrape the pellets off the targets quite often, especially the center one as it is the one that resets them down. Target was set at 20' away. She was 5 then, graduated to a 22LR when she turned 8.

Warning from the manufacturer.


View attachment 561704

I have that same pellet trap target. Good practice for squirrels.
I shot 20+ at last house.
Here in Sun City, only an occasional one shows up on the fence. I discourage it quick with only a Daisy BB gun.

At the last place I had to resort to hardware cloth on the soil to keep the bastards from digging out the bonsai roots.

 

[Rambles]

I had just gotten re-established with some nice mame last year, only to have the squirrels destroy them this spring.

I am now at war with the lil buggers. Seriously about ready to go Vlad the Impaler on the bastards.

 

[BrianBay9]

I'm considering taking up falconry.

 

[Michael P]

I'm considering taking up falconry.

Back when I was raising parrots, my avian vet was a falconer. I once asked him if he ever flew his birds at squirrels. He said no because the squirrels would try to bite off the hawks' toes and he was tired of sewing them back on. He did say that if I wanted to kill and freeze squirrels he would take all I could bring him.

 

[Barbells and bonsai]

‍♂

 

[leatherback]

‍♂

No, don't let them fuck!

 

[amcoffeegirl]

I love the wildlife in my yard.
I encourage them to visit.
Next year I will be building some kind of enclosure for my plants, whether it’s a screened in cage or a greenhouse, not sure yet.
I would like the rain to get in but the critters to stay out.
Ficus are not food!

 

[snowman04]

I use this and it works...



The squirrel mace works too. You have to apply it after it rains...