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Defeat in battle against grey squirrels


Still Waters

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Ministers have conceded defeat in their battle against the grey squirrel after more than 140 years by scrapping laws intended to protect their native red cousins.

The government is scrapping laws requiring people to report the presence of grey squirrels on their land so they can be destroyed.

http://www.telegraph...-squirrels.html

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"Grey squirrels were imported from America to the UK in the 19th century, when they were seen as a fashionable addition to estates. However, they carried the squirrel pox, which native reds had no immunity to."

Nothing more to add.

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As a side note I am wondering just how many "alien" species we have here in the U.S.? I can imagine it is quite a few and apparently it is not restricted to just animals but plants too.

I am sure that "invasive" species occurs quite often and nature has a way to adapt, it seems that it is humans who have an issue.

I doubt one can totally eradicate an entire species, especially squirrels....they are everywhere. Everywhere..even right-behind-you...... :ph34r:

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Nothing more to add.

Nothing to add? Or is that fear of the introduction of GreyHens into UM ;)

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You know what would drop the squirrel population in a hurry? A sufficient bounty per tail to motivate full time hunters.

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I lived in the south of England so I mostly saw the gray squirrels like I'm used to. England gave me this Yorkshire Terrier tho and I am still debating whether to thank them or smack them. lol

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People in the southern U.S. eat squirrels. I've had it. It's good with gravy, some veggies and baking powder biscuits.

Nothing wrong with squirrel, if prepared properly. It's a moderately dark meat, but not gamey tasting.

A .410 shotgun or a .22 rifle takes them nicely.

In the 18th and 19th century, squirrels were hunted with muzzleloading rifles of .32 to .40 caliber.

"Barking a squirrel" was considered a fine art of marksmanship.

The squirrel would run along a limb, then lie flat on the limb to avoid the hunter's sight. A good marksman could shoot the limb's bark just under the squirrel, close enough for the concussion to kill the squirrel.

The squirrel would drop off the limb; the meat unharmed by the ball.

Too bad the gray squirrels are taking over. Sounds like you need to hire a few Daniel Boones and Davy Crocketts with their long-barreled squirrel rifles! :yes:

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My dad grew up during the depression era in the Ozarks ("hillbilly country")... He was the youngest of 8 boys (and three girls) and since his father died when my dad was 3, money was hard to come by...

They got by on what the older boys could hunt, and what they all could grow in that rocky soil...

My dad used to love telling the story of when three of his older brothers were out hunting and two of them saw the same squirrel... Both shot it (with .410's)... Dad said there was more shot in the squirrel than meat...

I asked him once what squirrel tasted like... he said "home"...

Edited by Taun
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