Backyard Critters
- Thread starter JoeThePop
- Start date
What are you thinking, .22 caliber pump action air pellet rifle?
😳He must have been watching you!
Yeah, I’d be investing in a bb gun (rifle with a scope). it’s like being at the fair; shoot the target and get a furry prize!🐿️
JoeThePop
Known member
Yep, something like that. Way back in 7th grade I had my eye on Sheridan 17 caliber air rifle for Christmas. My dad bought me. 22 caliber rifle instead. He figured he’d remove any temptation of shooting birds in our yard.
Mike Gibson
Junior Member
I built these so the grandkids and I can tune up for the Summer Graydigger invasion. They keep moving up to fill any vacancy you create. Chew your vehicles wiring, the baling twine off your hay so it becomes a real mess and a few other things. I found out that some rodents have to keep chewing as their teeth never stop growing.
Rookie homeowner or rookie squirrel?
You East Side guys must have tough rodents, we have had raccoons chew through plastic, but never a squirrel. 😲
I still use the Sheridan Blue Streak (5mm/.20 cal.) my dad gave me for my 14th birthday - 1972. Try as I might, it still shoots better than I do.😐 Does the job perfectly.
I got a story: in 2001 when I took on a new job as head machinist in a small manufacturing co., I was stunned to find the manual foot operated spot welder for the bolts and pump rods there. We had a contract with Crossman Arms to weld the handles of three different bolts, and 3 different pump rods to their cups used in various models. One of the 3 bolts and pump rods were for the Sheridan Blue Streak rifle. I made the tooling for the welding process. Always thought that was pretty cool. PITA, though, it was to hold the tight specs with that old POS spot welder.😂
No photos, but with the plethora of small critters (moles, groundhogs, squirrels, rabbits, chipmunks, etc) we now have a large population of birds of prey (owls, hawks, Turkey vultures) and larger backyard critters, such as deer, red and grey foxes, fisher cats, and an uncomfortable amount of coyotes now. The EPA guys checking out a former huge tract of abandoned military land being developed have claimed they have seen bear scat and a rumor there is a bobcat now as well- both shocking to hear in a populated suburb that’s not ever seen such things.
The coyotes are getting aggressive and are becoming a concern.
The coyotes are getting aggressive and are becoming a concern.
JoeThePop
Known member
Rookie homeowner. Our last house was built in a subdivision that was on a former farm field so it had no trees. Didn’t see any squirrels for at least the first 10 years of living there. Then they slowly started venturing into the neighborhood. It’s only been the last few years that I had seen squirrels regularly. We lived there for 20 years with no squirrel issues.
I had two large indoor/outdoor male cats growing up. Though they were well fed and didn't seem interested in hunting birds or much of anything else, they had a passion for killing squirrels.
Lately here in the lower Hudson Valley region of NY, foxes have made a noticeable comeback, you used to see them only rarely. Now they are all over the place, commonly seen both day and night.
What you don't then see except for rarely are rabbits, apparently the foxes are committing genocide on them, and for sure there are now far fewer squirrels. In their place seem to be a resurgence of chipmunks, I guess they are a little too small and quick for the foxes to successfully hunt.
To your point; I visited a condo community one afternoon and it had quite a few pigeons casually walking about. The next day I visited early morning, only to find a couple cats (sans colar) standing proud and taking in the sun…oh, and a community littered with dead pigeon bodies.
the dark meat of the food chain................
According to info, the little buggers have a lifespan of 5-10 years, but the average lifespan is closer to 18 months. After we had the
likes of Hurricane Michael in 2018, it was a while before I saw any squirrels in our south Ga. neighborhood; 4 years later, they are making
their comeback. Fortunately they don't like our metal roof. When we had the shingle roof, they were a menace.
