I’m hoping the hawks will be more thorough once my big trees are down.
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We see lots of raptors and owls in our about 2 acre clearing, but still see plenty of rabbits and rodents.
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Same here, lots of owls and raptors in my neighborhood but it doesn’t make a big dent in the squirrels.
There was someone here who was “bagging” their whole trees and having good results… netting over the whole tree and tying it to trunk so squirrels could not get in. Trunk baffles also work well if your trees are isolated from other trees/fences to jump from, and have no low branches.
Birds are relatively easier than squirrels, lots of scares can reduce their impact. But squirrels are another matter.
I think it’s @galinas who nets her whole trees. Not sure against squirrels or PC, OFM type of pests.
I do 
, against all of the listed above plus fruit fly and birds.
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Last year I had Tanglefoot on my trees and I saw a squirrel trying to climb it and twice gliding down. He did manage to get on it because the area of tanglefoot wasn’t long enough. But this gave me an idea. What if there’s cage around the tree, wrapped in plastic with tanglefoot (or car grease or Vaseline ) anything slippery that’ll prevent them from climbing. Anybody tried something like this?
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Mix the peanuts with antifreeze.
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We have so many big trees in the neighborhood that I don’t think it would be effective. And, if I were to kill them, I’d feel obligated to eat them! My husband was raised a little too high brow to handle that! 
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Years ago, I tried making teepees out of bird netting on PVC pipe and just propping it up on my trees to keep the squirrels out. My trees were smaller then, and my squirrels were just learning about apple culture. Still, the effort and expense had negligible effect.
Apparently, squirrels readily accept circumventing the bird netting as a kind of challenge. They will fearlessly crawl inside the teepees. Where the netting touches the tips of the branches, the squirrels are uncomfortable reaching the fruit to taste it, and you’ll save some that they’d ordinarily climb right over to. OTOH, interior fruit hanging from scaffold limbs is, as usual, fair game to them.
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The person who did it years ago covered the trees like lollipops - the netting came back to the trunk. It meant there was no way to get in from below. The thread is on here with pictures, maybe someone remembers where…
This overall is a lot of work I would say, as you mention the tree is going to grow and the bigger it gets the bigger the cover needs to be.
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That just makes me smile, Steve! I thought I was the only one crazy enough to shoot from INSIDE my house! hahaha. I actually removed a screen from one of my windows for this purpose. And I too only do it with a .22lr (i envy your .22 mag though- those are awesome). But yea, sometimes at the crack of dawn I’ll sit in a chair fairly close to the window in the comfort of my house, sight in my scope on a furry devil, and poof! Lights out! My only problem is I use semi auto so I have to track down my brass when I’m done and it can land in some strange places (couch cushions, under table, etc).
Anyway, your post did make me life. I’m sure PETA wouldn’t be amused but I sure was! haha
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What type net? Does enough sun still get through? Thanks. I’m tired of individual bags.
my living room widow is a good vantage point as it over looks the whole orchard. about 50 yards out the property is ringed with 50ft. red pines. buggers hang in there so the hawks can get them but when they silhouette themselves on a branch they’re a easy target for me. then into the compost they go. if I’m diligent in the spring I’m usually pest free the rest of the season. i have a few plastic chairs set up in different spots around the property. ill bring a coffee out there and sit in each chair looking for them. when they see you and you’re still they are curious and work their way to you. my cat actually climbs in the trees , sets on a big branch and waits for them. she’s a good hunter.
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This is the net I am using: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01G79X53Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
You can buy it in smaller packages as well. I don’t think the light is a problem, but the aphids could be. You need to install the net the way you can get inside and spray, if required. The tutorial how to make it here: Cold hardy figs - #708 by galinas
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So that keeps out PC? Wow.
You need to make sure PC is not under the net - spray the tree once before covering with net if you suspect they are already on the tree. If your soil is infested and PC didn’t come out yet, I would also cover the soil with something, so they can’t emerge.