One stopped because the garden is a long way from the nearest tree and I was beside the tree. The other ran full speed across in front of me about 80 ft away. My 12 ga. is very accurate at 80 feet and I know how to lead a running squirrel.
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Not sure if this catapult will deter squirrels from ripening fruit but it might make watching your bird feeder more interesting.
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Anyone have a good guide for electrifying the top of a fence? I have an 8ft fence and figure I will try electrifying the top of it to keep the raccoons and opossums out since I would rather not kill the opossums as they are great at keeping ticks down.
Squirrels and chipmunks i destroy as fast as I can.
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I’m still learning so others might need to correct my thoughts on electric fence installation. If your fence is metal/grounded you only need to run your electric wire along the top about 3" above the top using insulators. If the fence is wood/synthetic you probably will need an additional ground wire so the varmint gets a shock. A space is needed between the two wires. I would like to here from others if my method is okay or needs adjustments.
I just shot my 7th red squirrel this spring. I use .22 shot shells in an old target rifle or revolver. Good for short shots, worthless at a distance.
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You may be better off running an electric strand about 1 foot off the ground. When the raccoon or possum touches that and is in contact with the ground, it will complete the circuit and receive a shock. Be sure to ground your fencer with a good ground rod or rods.
With and 8 foot fence and a strand of electric on the outside at about 1 foot, i think you would be ok. You don’t want that possum or coon to get to the top of the fence, receive a jolt and fall into your fenced in area and have to deal with a ticked off critter in the morning!!!
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I mostly was aiming for the top of the fence as my 3 ft tall toddler is probably more likely to touch the wire than a raccoon.
I could run it at 5ft though with a grounding wire at 4ft so they don’t fall in and it’s out of toddler reach.
Wife got one yesterday, I got one this morning. There are at least a dozen more in the woods close by and hundreds more within a mile or two. It is a challenge to reduce the population enough to protect crops.
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That could work. What is 8 foot tall fence made of? Vinyl, wood, metal?
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Vinyl with metal posts. Figured I’d run a few alternating ground and hot wires a few inches apart on insulating posts.
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@PA_Fruit_Grower Interested in your electric design. I ran hots and grounds about 4 or 5 inches apart but this week squirrels have found a way to get in and I’m stumped.
I better make sure they can’t jump from a nearby pawpaw. I have a one joule Gallagher charger on it, well grounded. Gate may be my weak link- can you pls post a closeup of your gate when you have a chance? Many thanks.
So for the squirrels that get dispatched, is everyone just tossing them out?!? I’d count it as a harvest hehehe just need to learn to clean them out (and not be squeamish).
I love this recipe
https://youtu.be/u30y9MndW8Y
Edit: at the least feed the garden
https://youtu.be/8-rfaIxp6js
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I’m using a 3” spacing with 3 hots and two grounds. That way it spans 15” so a squirrel can’t miss it.
I also got it up before they’ve ever found the fruit. They don’t know what they’re missing so I’m hoping they won’t try that hard. Once they get the taste it becomes harder to keep them out.
My gate is definitely my weak point. There’s a gap at the top and bottom where I think a squirrel could get through. Thankfully my toddler plays there from sunrise to sunset and it is between my house and garage so there’s very few animals that go near the gate. I hope to make some changes to eliminate the gaps in the future.
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@PA_Fruit_Grower Thanks man! Let’s stay in touch as we have similar systems and weak points. I had surgery a few days ago so niece came to stay with me. In five days she has trapped 15 squirrels to preserve my crop. She’s a saint. Somehow I have to find and fix their entry point(s). I’ve had fence pros tell me it’s impossible to keep squirrels out without building a full enclosure with roof.
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@alan et al,
Instead of sidetracking the Nectarines are Better thread, I will post here.
One pear was knocked of a branch last night. So, something that did it can climb a tree (not bunny, I hope!!!). I believe the damage on the actual fruit was done by a bunny this morning. What do you guys think?
All the marshmellows were gone but the trap was not tripped. Not sure if bunny hopped in and ate marshmellows. Definitelt something climbed the tree to knock down the pear.
All I can tell you is I recommend a different trap. This one or the next size down.
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My firend has that one. Maybe, I could see if I could borrow hers for a few days.
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It takes patience with some of these groundhogs. It took a good 2 weeks to trap this one. He was fine getting zapped by the electric wiring around the shed (ground hog level height wiring) as he went in and out. I use everything from my garden but finally, the tomatoes got him.
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@Courtney,
Congrats. I can manage day time critters quite well. The night visitors are tougher to catch!!
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