Do squirrels release fear juice?

[jt-outta-cali]

I’ve noticed in the rare instances that I injure a furry friend with bad shot placement, even if I chase him down and finish him off, the initial location of injury becomes deserted for the next few days

As if getting shot without dying release some kind of warning/danger scents that keeps other squirrels from coming by?

 

[MadCowCrazy2]

Smell of blood perhaps? Maybe they can smell that it's squirrel blood? This would be my first guess.

 

[jt-outta-cali]

Smell of blood perhaps? Maybe they can smell that it's squirrel blood? This would be my first guess.

View attachment 372653

well they all bleed when they die at the bait station, so I don't think it has to do with blood per se.

 

[dens228]

Not by me. There have been times where there are several squirrels milling about and when I shoot one the rest take off. Within a few minutes they usually keep coming back. Sometimes I've shot one and at least one other does nothing more than look in it's direction.

 

[beerthief]

yes they flock to my bird feeders i can shoot 6 or 8 in a morning . they will look or sniff on their way to the feeder .

 

[iAMzehTOASTY1]

Pheromones

 

[Kgphotos]

That has not been my experience; at least not with the ground squirrels I shoot here in central California. In fact, often times the dead squirrel will be nibbled on by his still alive brethren.
Kenny

 

[OldSpook]

I’ve noticed in the rare instances that I injure a furry friend with bad shot placement, even if I chase him down and finish him off, the initial location of injury becomes deserted for the next few days

As if getting shot without dying release some kind of warning/danger scents that keeps other squirrels from coming by?

No. Squirrels are not stupid. If you shoot one there's probably three laying up on a branch watching you do it. They're going to pay better attention for you and you're not going to see them anytime soon. Ain't nothing to do with "fear juice".

 

[survivor45]

Maybe there are not as many squirrels as you think ?
Before you shoot the one squirrel. Do you see multiple at the same time at your bait station ?
Or does it just seem that there is always a squirrel at your bait station so you think you have a lot of squirrels?
In my yard. I never know if I’m seeing the same squirrel every time. Or if it is indeed a different squirrel every time.

 

[qball]

If you don’t have a feeder then it would happen. Squirrels are territorial so once a dominant squirrel claimed territory the other squirrels tend to stay away. Then you get squirrels looking for territory will eventually find the area that was occupied/claimed.

Plus they have great eye sight so if they see an injured fellow squirrel then I know something is up.

 

[nervoustrig]

I don’t know that I want to go so far as to call squirrels stupid, but where there is a source of food, they are perfectly happy to watch an acquaintance take a pellet to the brain and flop around on the ground, then promptly move in to feed.

Have observed it many times myself and you will see it frequently on the Squirrel Hunter Channel on YouTube.

If they don’t see the threat, there is no threat. They dont seem to have the capacity to see another squirrel die near them as an imminent threat. At least so for gray squirrels.

 

[JimD]

I agree with Old Spook, I think the squirrels in my yard are more wary after seeing me shoot other squirrels. When I started, I could just go on the back porch and pop them. Now they run off when the door opens. But sometimes they just run up a tree and pay the price. The smarter ones just keep going. Not sure if that is because of being shot at before (my neighbors shoot them too) or just naturally more nervous. But I've also noticed what seems to be a mated pair with the second coming around shortly after I shoot the other one. Not sure if they saw it and come in anyway or whether they didn't see it and are looking for the first one I shot. I got two from the same tree with a shotgun once. I know it was a pair and the second one came out to tell me how much he didn't like me shooting the first one. So I got two. I don't think they are very smart but they do notice when there are signs of danger.

 

[Doc C.]

Anthropomorphism. We often attribute human type intelligence to animals.
Squirrels do not have the ability to have cognitive thoughts. They only see or hear threats and react. They learn where a threat comes
from. Just like they know hawks and owls come from above if they are on the ground. When a bipedal shape appears from that building, there is a threat.
Being cautious and wary is not the same thing as being smart.

Doc

 

[OldmanWilly]

When shooting Beldings, I often watch them drag their drag their buddy’s towards the borrow but they usually don’t make it. Sometimes I leave the dispatched one laying there to return later to find a group feed go on. Then I’m really happy to have a repeater.

 

[HogKiller]

No. Squirrels are not stupid. If you shoot one there's probably three laying up on a branch watching you do it. They're going to pay better attention for you and you're not going to see them anytime soon. Ain't nothing to do with "fear juice".

Which is why I rarely get closer than 100 yards.

 

[OldSpook]

Anthropomorphism. We often attribute human type intelligence to animals.
Squirrels do not have the ability to have cognitive thoughts. They only see or hear threats and react. They learn where a threat comes
from. Just like they know hawks and owls come from above if they are on the ground. When a bipedal shape appears from that building, there is a threat.
Being cautious and wary is not the same thing as being smart.

Doc

You ever seen a squirrel solve problems getting to a bird feeder?

Sometimes we educate the common sense right out of people. I think maybe this could be one of the times.

You ever see a nutriea decide to drown a dog? Ever see a buck deer stomp on the ground and snort trying to get a reaction out of a hunter sitting still in the stand? You ever watch a buck plan his path across an open field with scattered brush on the first day of hunting season?

It's convenient to say that these animals can't think. The same people who say that are telling us they're going to give us artificial intelligence as soon as they have a computer that has as many connections as a squirrel brain.

Like I said, sometimes we educate the common sense right out of a person.

Of course these animals think. They just don't think the way you do. You can watch them think if you open your eyes and you look past the brainwashing. When you finally come to that realization from a lifetime of hunting and observing these animals in the wild, you will then know what an awesome responsibility taking a life is. Until you realize these animals can think and do have feelings you'll never know or fully understand what it means to be human.

That's my two from the poor uneducated rube who thinks animals think.

 

[BackStop]

I have found it very useful to wait after I kill a chipper or tree rat before I go out and collect/verify the kill.

More than a few times, I have had the opportunity to tag at least one more that is curious and comes in to take a look at the most recent kill.

In one case, a chipmunk, it looked exactly like the second chipper was doing CPR on the first (dead) chipper.

That one joined the other... (grin)

 

[L.Leon]

You ever seen a squirrel solve problems getting to a bird feeder?

Sometimes we educate the common sense right out of people. I think maybe this could be one of the times.

You ever see a nutriea decide to drown a dog? Ever see a buck deer stomp on the ground and snort trying to get a reaction out of a hunter sitting still in the stand? You ever watch a buck plan his path across an open field with scattered brush on the first day of hunting season?

It's convenient to say that these animals can't think. The same people who say that are telling us they're going to give us artificial intelligence as soon as they have a computer that has as many connections as a squirrel brain.

Like I said, sometimes we educate the common sense right out of a person.

Of course these animals think. They just don't think the way you do. You can watch them think if you open your eyes and you look past the brainwashing. When you finally come to that realization from a lifetime of hunting and observing these animals in the wild, you will then know what an awesome responsibility taking a life is. Until you realize these animals can think and do have feelings you'll never know or fully understand what it means to be human.

That's my two from the poor uneducated rube who thinks animals think.

Some human animals think, they’re the only thinkers, well put by you sir.

 

[jt-outta-cali]

My wife use a leaf blower on the entire backyard and a squirrel came right away afterwards

 

[L.Leon]

My wife use a leaf blower on the entire backyard and a squirrel came right away afterwards

What’s your furthest safe shot in your yard?