The rabbits and squirrels are causing quite a bit of damage on my
property. I live in central PA and decided to call the PA game
commission office to see what could be done. Since I live in a city,
discharging any kind of firearm is out of the question. I was told by
the game commission that YES as the property owner I do have the right
to protect my property from damage these critters are causing. I'll
relocate them about 15 miles from my house on state game land. Since I
never done any trapping, I could use any and all advice I can get,
especially as to what types of baits to use during the cold winter
months here in PA. I'll be using a 24"x7"x7" LIVE trap!

Thanks in advance Rich

"EVP MAN" wrote in message
...

The rabbits and squirrels are causing quite a bit of damage on my
property. I live in central PA and decided to call the PA game
commission office to see what could be done. Since I live in a city,
discharging any kind of firearm is out of the question. I was told by
the game commission that YES as the property owner I do have the right
to protect my property from damage these critters are causing. I'll
relocate them about 15 miles from my house on state game land. Since I
never done any trapping, I could use any and all advice I can get,
especially as to what types of baits to use during the cold winter
months here in PA. I'll be using a 24"x7"x7" LIVE trap!

Consult first any local experts, e.g. Agricultural Extension agents
or college biologists. Your basic problem is that populations of
rabbits and squirrels (1) vary in numbers, usually according to food
and habitat supply, (2) spread out to fill any vacant space that
suits them. If you remove rabbits and squirrels this month,
quite probably you will get just as many a month or two hence,
depending on current conditions (numbers, food, and opportunity.)
(It is a waste of gasoline transporting these animals elsewhe
since classified as vermin within towns, you might as well drown
them. You will probably host just as many next year.)

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

On 12/16/2010 1:13 PM, EVP MAN wrote:

The rabbits and squirrels are causing quite a bit of damage on my
property. I live in central PA and decided to call the PA game
commission office to see what could be done. Since I live in a city,
discharging any kind of firearm is out of the question. I was told by
the game commission that YES as the property owner I do have the right
to protect my property from damage these critters are causing. I'll
relocate them about 15 miles from my house on state game land. Since I
never done any trapping, I could use any and all advice I can get,
especially as to what types of baits to use during the cold winter
months here in PA. I'll be using a 24"x7"x7" LIVE trap!

Thanks in advance Rich


I have a Hav-a-hart I use for groundhogs and often catch squirrels as I
bait with peanut butter. Bet a mix of peanut butter and carrots would
catch both bunnies and squirrels.

Your trap sounds a little small. Wish I had bought their largest trap
as I'm often bothered by raccoons and only the smaller ones can be
caught in my trap as doors will not close on larger ones.

http://home.comcast.net/~frank.logullo/thief.pdf

Other problem I have is occasionally catching skunks and someone pointed
out that to avoid this, close trap at night, since skunks are nocturnal.

Trapping rules vary and what game commission told you may vary with
local rules. Here in Delaware, we are allowed to trap and kill these
pests but not relocate them. I once released a squirrel in the park
right in front of a County cop and he said nothing to me. I told him I
had come to the park to release a prisoner

The PA game commission says that we can't relocate certain animals I
guess like skunks, foxes, coons and other animals that are known to
carry rabies quite often. My trap is also a Have-A-Hart unit. What is
the best method of releasing a skunk if I should catch one? My trap is
the two door model. I will surely give your bait recommendations a try
and see what happens. Most of the rabbits around here also seem to be
out at night so I sure hope I don't have any skunks to try and release
from the trap. I wonder if there's any one single bait that would lure
both rabbits and squirrels?

Rich

On 12/16/2010 3:53 PM, EVP MAN wrote:

The PA game commission says that we can't relocate certain animals I
guess like skunks, foxes, coons and other animals that are known to
carry rabies quite often. My trap is also a Have-A-Hart unit. What is
the best method of releasing a skunk if I should catch one? My trap is
the two door model. I will surely give your bait recommendations a try
and see what happens. Most of the rabbits around here also seem to be
out at night so I sure hope I don't have any skunks to try and release
from the trap. I wonder if there's any one single bait that would lure
both rabbits and squirrels?

Rich


I've caught skunks twice and opened the trap remotely without getting
sprayed or any spray being released. I'm told that skunks will not
spray if confined and you could cover the trap and take them away to
release them. Personally I would only do this in an open pickup and not
my Subaru. Skunks will dig up grubs in your lawn but are not a big
problem for me.

I wish I had videotaped the second skunk as it was a momma and her 4
babies would not leave and were jumping all over the trap. The trap was
beneath my deck and I used a pole pruner to unlatch it at a distance of
10 feet.

Like I wrote, I've never caught a rabbit and they are generally not a
problem with cats and foxes in the area. Peanut butter seems universal
but including something a rabbit might eat like carrots might get both
rabbits and squirrels.

Frank

On Thu, 16 Dec 2010 13:13:46 -0500, (EVP MAN)
wrote:


The rabbits and squirrels are causing quite a bit of damage on my
property. I live in central PA and decided to call the PA game
commission office to see what could be done. Since I live in a city,
discharging any kind of firearm is out of the question. I was told by
the game commission that YES as the property owner I do have the right
to protect my property from damage these critters are causing. I'll
relocate them about 15 miles from my house on state game land. Since I
never done any trapping, I could use any and all advice I can get,
especially as to what types of baits to use during the cold winter
months here in PA. I'll be using a 24"x7"x7" LIVE trap!

What kind of damage are you talking? Rabbits will eat certain plants
is all, so don't plant those kind. And squirrels are there for the
same reason, because there is a food supply... remove the food supply
and squirrels will stop frequenting your restaurant and dine elsewhere
.... in fact trapping will do not a whit of good, so long as there is a
food supply new squirrels will arrive... didn't you stay home and
sponge off your parents because they kept filling the fridge. And if
squirrels are entering and nesting in your house, because it's warmer
than outdoors, then get up off your fat lazy ass and block their
access... probably what your momma did to get rid of you. Dealing
with wildlife ain't rocket science... do bunny rabbits and squirrels
have a higher IQ than yours.

I don't think I'll be digging up expensive landscaping plants for the
sake of the small intruders that try their best to destroy them! Not
when I can eliminate the problem which is my intention.

On 12/16/2010 11:51 AM, Brooklyn1 wrote:
On Thu, 16 Dec 2010 13:13:46 -0500, (EVP MAN)
wrote:


The rabbits and squirrels are causing quite a bit of damage on my
property. I live in central PA and decided to call the PA game
commission office to see what could be done. Since I live in a city,
discharging any kind of firearm is out of the question. I was told by
the game commission that YES as the property owner I do have the right
to protect my property from damage these critters are causing. I'll
relocate them about 15 miles from my house on state game land. Since I
never done any trapping, I could use any and all advice I can get,
especially as to what types of baits to use during the cold winter
months here in PA. I'll be using a 24"x7"x7" LIVE trap!

What kind of damage are you talking? Rabbits will eat certain plants
is all, so don't plant those kind. And squirrels are there for the
same reason, because there is a food supply... remove the food supply
and squirrels will stop frequenting your restaurant and dine elsewhere
... in fact trapping will do not a whit of good, so long as there is a
food supply new squirrels will arrive... didn't you stay home and
sponge off your parents because they kept filling the fridge. And if
squirrels are entering and nesting in your house, because it's warmer
than outdoors, then get up off your fat lazy ass and block their
access... probably what your momma did to get rid of you. Dealing
with wildlife ain't rocket science... do bunny rabbits and squirrels
have a higher IQ than yours.

One year after planting numerous small trees of various types we had a
severe drought. The rabbits would stand on their hind legs and strip
off bark and leaves. The rabbits sure seemed smart, when I peeked out
the curtains, even a small movement of the curtains would cause them to
run away. They were to fast and smart to get close enough to shoot them
and I didn't have a trap then. Over the years we have gotten to many
coyotes to worry about rabbits now. The only squirrels are tiny ground
squirrels that don't bother anyone. Fox and skunk are what I try to
catch but never have been able to. I get the occasional cat. Just the
other night I caught a really nice male cat and released him. In all my
life around here I have only seen one raccoon and that was about fifteen
years ago. It was at an intersection in the country when it crossed the
road. The headlights light it up so there was no doubt. It was as big as
a medium sized dog. We had a problem with some sort of large burrowing
animal until it bit through a buried electrical cable. It either died
or moved away. I can just imagine that animal chewing on the cable
thinking that sure is one tough root, then getting shocked. aaaaaahhh!!!

Around last July, what I think must have been a rabbit got into a short
wide tree here and chewed bark off many limbs. The limbs were low to
the ground. I don't know what else it could have been. When it comes to
survival an animal can be smart.

A few months ago a skunk dug a hole under the house and made a big
effort o keep living there. The live trap never caught it but it
finally got tired of re-digging it's hole and gave up.

--

We have more rabbits and squirrels in town than we have in the woods it
seems. I realize as I trap and relocate them that others will move into
the same territory. Thus my trapping efforts will need to be an ongoing
project. The rabbits are cutting off shrubbery and the pesky squirrels
are getting into the attic and chewing on electrical wires. I have
checked my house all around the outside and just can't seem to find
where or how they are getting in. My problem may also be compounded as
I live in what is known as an attached ranch. It's a brick house that
is attached to another. Looks like one big house but I only own my
side. The other owner spends six months in Florida so perhaps they are
getting in from his side and then getting over to mine. I can't go over
on his property checking his house as I don't own that side. I will
discuss the problem with him when he comes back in the Spring and then
go from there.

Rich

On 12/16/10 10:13 AM, EVP MAN wrote:

The rabbits and squirrels are causing quite a bit of damage on my
property. I live in central PA and decided to call the PA game
commission office to see what could be done. Since I live in a city,
discharging any kind of firearm is out of the question. I was told by
the game commission that YES as the property owner I do have the right
to protect my property from damage these critters are causing. I'll
relocate them about 15 miles from my house on state game land. Since I
never done any trapping, I could use any and all advice I can get,
especially as to what types of baits to use during the cold winter
months here in PA. I'll be using a 24"x7"x7" LIVE trap!

Thanks in advance Rich


I have no rabbits in my back yard. I've seen a few in front, but I do
not worry about damage to my front landscape.

Squirrels are quite another problem. They got all my pineapple guavas
and half my loquats this year. Early in July, my wife and I visited our
daughter in Canada for two weeks. When we left, my peaches were just
starting to color; they were still quite hard. When we returned, there
was not one peach on our tree or on the ground.

I use a medium-size Hav-a-Hart trap. I bait it with a mix of peanut
butter, raisins, and chopped pecans. (Someone with a pecan tree less
than a half mile away said that the squirrels stripped his tree bare of
nuts.) When I catch a squirrel, I take the trap to a national park
about 5 miles away, across 10 lanes of freeway. There are hungry
coyotes, owls, and hawks in the park.

The problem is that something -- perhaps overly smart squirrels -- often
steals the bait. I tried wrapping 1/4-inch wire mesh around the
outside, but something tore or chewed through it. I've had some success
with lining the inside of the trap with the wire mesh. Just the same, I
had to re-bait the trap today. Hav-a-Hart says they now make their
traps with the grid of wires having smaller spaces.

For rabbits, the medium-size trap might be too small; but for squirrels,
the large-size trap might be too big. See http://www.havahart.com/
for the different trap sizes, suggestions for baits, and other ways to
control varmints.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary

On 2010-12-17, EVP MAN wrote:

We have more rabbits and squirrels in town than we have in the woods it
seems. I realize as I trap and relocate them that others will move into
the same territory. Thus my trapping efforts will need to be an ongoing
project. The rabbits are cutting off shrubbery and the pesky squirrels
are getting into the attic and chewing on electrical wires. I have
checked my house all around the outside and just can't seem to find
where or how they are getting in. My problem may also be compounded as
I live in what is known as an attached ranch. It's a brick house that
is attached to another. Looks like one big house but I only own my
side. The other owner spends six months in Florida so perhaps they are
getting in from his side and then getting over to mine. I can't go over
on his property checking his house as I don't own that side. I will
discuss the problem with him when he comes back in the Spring and then
go from there.

Rich

If pets are an option you could always use a couple of Hounds to make the
environment of your garden slightly less appealing to rabbits. I know my
beagles keep most ground-based rodents as far away as they can manage, a
good cat or coon-hound might keep the squirrels visits to a minimum.


--
Troy Most of the time,
Capheind some of the time,
KJ6DRH if I ever figure out this radio
and Batman when I've had a few.

On Dec 16, 1:13*pm, (EVP MAN) wrote:
The rabbits and squirrels are causing quite a bit of damage on my
property. *I live in central PA and decided to call the PA game
commission office to see what could be done. *Since I live in a city,
discharging any kind of firearm is out of the question. *I was told by
the game commission that YES as the property owner I do have the right
to protect my property from damage these critters are causing. *I'll
relocate them about 15 miles from my house on state game land. *Since I
never done any trapping, *I could use any and all advice I can get,
especially as to what types of baits to use during the cold winter
months here in PA. *I'll be using a 24"x7"x7" LIVE trap!

Thanks in advance * Rich

When the show about the exterminator caught a skunk, he covered the
trap with a cloth,
moved very slowly and quietly to put it in the back of his pick up.
When at his destination
to release, he again moved the trap slowly and reached down and opened
the trap.
He then removed the cloth and jumped away. Skunk finally ambled away,
and he and his
trap went home. No spraying.
Good Luck.
My DH just shoots the squirrels, and so does the neighbor. We back up
to woods
and I thought the 2 of them were just entertaining themselves, but we
seem to have
made some kind of dent. Haven't seen any in a couple of months, and
the birdseed isn't
disappearing. Too bad you are in a neighborhood. Again Good Luck.

On Dec 16, 12:13 pm, (EVP MAN) wrote:
The rabbits and squirrels are causing quite a bit of damage on my
property. I live in central PA and decided to call the PA game
commission office to see what could be done. Since I live in a city,
discharging any kind of firearm is out of the question. I was told by
the game commission that YES as the property owner I do have the right
to protect my property from damage these critters are causing. I'll
relocate them about 15 miles from my house on state game land. Since I
never done any trapping, I could use any and all advice I can get,
especially as to what types of baits to use during the cold winter
months here in PA. I'll be using a 24"x7"x7" LIVE trap!

Thanks in advance Rich

Andy comments:

An air rifle is not classified as a firearm. There are several on
the
market that will shoot a .177 pellet at over 1200 feet/sec, and will
easily kill a squirrel or rabbit. I have one with a 4 power scope on
it
sighted in at 100 feet, and use it quite effectively..
Your municipality might have an ordinance against air rifles, tho
so you need to make sure. However, they make VERY little noise
when they fire, so if you are discreet, you can probably get away
with it anyway....
For raccoons and oppossums, I use an animal trap from
Harbor Freight. Raccoon meat is very very good to eat. I haven't
eaten any oppossum tho, but you can google it to see ways to
prepare it.
Squirrel and rabbit are good for making stew....

However, if you do plan to dress them out, go and google the
subject using headers like " cleaning a squirrel" as there are
things to look for before you decide to eat them and diseases,
like tuleremia, that you need to know how to avoid....
Cooking will kill any bacteria or virus they have, including
rabies, but you need to know how to handle them......

If you haven't done this before, and don't know anyone who
can show you the correct way for your first time, just shoot
the critter and bury it.... Using long sleeves and gloves...

Andy in Eureka, Texas

After weighing all my options, live trapping is my only way to go. I
have hunted for over 50 years and own many guns including a Beeman R9 in
177 and also a HW 45 in .177. And yes coon is good eating. The girl
who lives directly behind me is big in an animal rescue group and she
can see my whole property from her house so this is my main reason for
live trapping! Also the homes here in my neighborhood aren't more than
40 yards apart so even using a pellet gun at 1000 fps could risk putting
out a window with a ricochet. The ground is hard and frozen now and
depending on the angle, a pellet could bounce off in most any
direction. Hence, I will do it the legal way since I did contact the
game commission and hope this gets some positive results.

Rich

AndyCandyAss wrote:

An air rifle is not classified as a firearm. There are several on
the
market that will shoot a .177 pellet at over 1200 feet/sec, and will
easily kill a squirrel or rabbit. I have one with a 4 power scope on
it
sighted in at 100 feet, and use it quite effectively..
Your municipality might have an ordinance against air rifles, tho
so you need to make sure. However, they make VERY little noise
when they fire, so if you are discreet, you can probably get away
with it anyway....

So you're a coward... hope someone pellets your eye out.