Last year, for the first time ever (about 30 years) squirrels not only began chomping on tomatoes but also came into the garden and stripping down every ear of the popcorn I was growing in a bed. I was amazed at how they meticulously stripped back the husks about 1/2" at a time and then efficiently ate every single kernel off the cobs. I thought it was a one off event because they didn't bother the Silver Queen later in the season..

Fast forward to this year. I first found newly planted seeds and freshly sprouted seedlings dug up so I put a netting tunnel over the bed. Damage stopped. Then this past week the plants were about 6-8" tall so I thought they'd be ok and moved the tunnel to the newly planted Silver Queen bed. Wrong-o! Yesterday evening I discovered a plant chomped and bent over. Deer or squirrel? Leaves laying to the side. Deer would have eaten them.



It was starting to rain so no time to put a netting tunnel over the bed. This morning there were two more plants at the other end of the bed damaged. When I went to the garden this afternoon to put up the tunnel, a big fat squirrel scampered out of the bed.There's the answer. I guess I scared him away before he could do anymore damage and I put up the tunnel, this time with higher hoops to protect it for a longer time.



BTW, in the front corner of the bed is a collard plant that I let go to seed for collection. Not a weird corn!

I think I will start carrying the shotgun with me to the garden. That little bandit's got to go before it starts bringing its buddies to the party and teaching them all bad habits.

This is the kind of thing that really ticks me off.
Trying to grow okra in certain areas one year i would find them laying on the ground chopped off and or eaten.
Nothing but a forest of stumps left behind.

I’ll ask Slim and Shorty if they make Road Trips to Georgia.

They’ve done a good job protecting my tomatoes. I move them around to keep the squirrels off balance.

I was just wondering if "marking my territory" via spray bottle would make any difference......

I've never thought they cared much about scent. Mostly all visual cues when it comes to hunting them. Nothing like deer.

Had squirrel at a friend’s house once. It was early/mid fall, it was delicious, reminded me of chicken thighs.

jmsieglaff wrote: ↑Mon May 16, 2022 9:40 pm Had squirrel at a friend’s house once. It was early/mid fall, it was delicious, reminded me of chicken thighs.

I was raised eating fried squirrel with all the fixings.
It used to be quite popular with all classes of society.
Some time in the 20th century things started changing and squirrel populations exploded.

When the wife goes out of town this summer, my son and I are planning on a feast of squirrels.

Squirrels don’t seem to have too much predators to deal with. The barred owls might get a few extra young ones, but the mature squirrels are really too big for them. I think the gray foxes thin out the rabbits more the squirrels and so do the bobcats. I saw a big red tailed hawk go after a squirrel, but miss. Squirrels are certainly a sustainable source of animal protein. Open season here year around, take as many as you wish. There might have been a season on them once upon a time and maybe there still is in places.

We have on our lot the gray squirrels which I believe are superior table fare to the larger Fox squirrels. There are Fox squirrels around, but those prefer more open woods. We have flying squirrels and only see them at night, but, there’s likely not much meat on those.

In Brazoria County there used to be a limit but things have changed.
Just don't shoot or try and eat one that you can see his nuts from a distance.
It'll be as tough as a rubber tire.
Or possibly a chew toy.

When I was a kid it was rare to see a squirrel in the neighborhood with all the hunters around.
Now with all the houses around, squirrels and deer have taken over food harvesting.
I have seen deer walk right past apple trees loaded with apples to get at my cuke plants.

slugworth wrote: ↑Thu May 19, 2022 6:55 am When I was a kid it was rare to see a squirrel in the neighborhood with all the hunters around.
Now with all the houses around, squirrels and deer have taken over food harvesting.
I have seen deer walk right past apple trees loaded with apples to get at my cuke plants.

Our neighbor in Lampasas used to shoot them off the electrical lines with a pellet rifle to eat them.
That was back around the time JFK was killed.
That nut at the UT Tower and so on.
We made lye soap in a big cast iron kettle in the back yard.
Mom had a wringer washing machine on the back porch.

I think one guy used to put them in spaghetti sauce? (dead skinned ones)

Back when you could play with m-80s and cherry bombs without people calling the cops.
Estes "D " rocket engines taped to 1/4" dowels 40 inches long would launch many things.
The ends were perfect fit for ash cans with a short fuse. They had a different tune than the m-80
I still have underwater fuse from johnson-smith co.

Squirrel and dumplings or Brunsvick stew are good, too. Several nice fat squirrels can be a source of good protein and pretty cheap, too. Simmer some squirrel in chicken and veg stock, chop it up and use with seasonings for tacos and enchiladas.

uncle said they are just rats with furry tails

slugworth wrote: ↑Thu May 19, 2022 4:51 pm uncle said they are just rats with furry tails

I always say chipmunks are just mice with racing stripes.

And better press agents, LOL.

Well they did have that stupid CB radio song in the 70's.

Chipmunks and golden mantled ground squirrels (people seem to also call these chipmunks) are no bargin for a garden. Both burrow around, nibble on and otherwise damage and destroy various flowers and crops in a garden. That was our experience in the South San Juans of Colorado. Is there a good garden rodent?