Squirrel Problem, or NOT

I am in West Texas there are no squirrels out here in the country, Well about seven years ago a young fox squirrel showed up, Must have came in on someone's cord of bought wood which sells for about 200 bucks as there is no wood out here, Now in my yard I have about 20 pine trees I have planted, So I am feeding the squirrel ,After about three years I see another squirrel , Wow, Wow, a pair of squirrels , But I think ones a red squirrel?

any way I keep hoping they reproduce , Just this year I have seen the baby squirrels , Now there are seven squirrels , I set in my back yard and watch them at the feeders I can almost pet the old pair, Yep you guessed it I made pets out of them, They will be sitting on the feeder a foot away from a sparrow I shoot and not even flinch , All the work and feed for seven years to hunt squirrels is down the drain...

But they are cute.

and the wife is very happy, LOL

Mike 
 
 I don’t shoot the squirrels on my property either. They have never bothered anything of mine as far as chewing anything up. This used to be my parents house and the squirrels would get into the birdfeeder and my mother just went ahead and bought peanuts for the squirrels. Before you know it she had a bunch of squirrels in her yard every day .There still around but don’t come in the yard as much. 
 
Opposite here. My yard is no squirrel zone! They chewed up my neighbor’s roof BAD, cost over 20k to repair. I also installed solar and just the thought of fixing my roof gives me the chills. I don’t go after them in the forest though, grey which is native gets a pass but the invasive fox squirrels will get lead if I get a shot but haven’t seen any fox squirrels in the woods. 
 
I keep my number around my house to 10 or 7 depending on how crazy they start acting. Once they start trying to destroy my bird feeders the trouble makers get dispatched! I observe and watch there habits and times they feed and weather conditions they like most to better my hunting skills. About 40pounds of seeds ever other week between them and birds!! 
 
Having a small family run avocado grove that produces what are fashionably called by the local hoity toity gourmet. Some years ago we were suffering great lost because of the large and ever growing squirrel community. As I endeavored to find a humane solution for this problem. I discovered that a well meaning neighbor had set out feeders for these cute little fuzzies. And then I stumbled across the wonderful world of the PCP weapon. I remember thinking at the time why would anyone spend X amount of dollars on an air gun? Long story short I answered that question years ago after purchasing various brands before discovering EDgun. Oh as for the cute little fuzzies problem; I think they have figured out that we run a closed border operation....
 
Took this picture at Oleta River Park in NMB FL. They are obviously used to human interactions & we enjoy them being there. Probably shot four of them in my yard the day I got back home to GA. Squirrels are Persona Non Grata at home. 
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I go to the woods to hunt them, in fact I'm going out tomorrow. At home I keep them culled to 5 or less. If I don't, they over run the place, destroying the bird feeders and chasing off the songbirds. I have video somewhere of a squirrel eating a chipping sparrow's eggs in the nest while they sit helplessly chirping at it.

Chipmunks get no quarter. I'll sit in wait if I see one. I used to think they were cute until they did over $1700 in damages to items in my garage and more to my car.
 
Where I live in SO CAL ground squirrels are considered vermin by the state of California. Open season year around. The squirrels bring in rattlesnakes who go into the squirrel burrows for the young.... we used to get rattle snakes every year until I bought an air rifle and started taking them out. No more rattlesnakes...I only see maybe one or two squirrels now...



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Garden hoses, lawn furniture and the cushions, roof shingles, wiring in my truck engine compartment( it was impeding their nest building), nesting in the wife's bird house, grips on the snowblower( wrap them in barb wire during the non snow seasons), chewing anything plastic or aluminum, opened 50 tulip buds looking for nuts inside. Wife feeds finches and other song birds(I feed, she watches)). Any squirrel trying for the bird feeders usually lands on the concrete after an 8' fall. Neighbors often wish me good shooting. And my wife doesn't like cats especially feral cats cause the feed on the birds. Guess what...