Feral cats are best for this purpose. They have good hunting instinct and skills. Keep them outside and provide them some shelter for cold climate.
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Catapult: SUBSCRIBE Squirrel catapult - DETAILED PLANS JUST $1: https://sowl.co/DwV5I - YouTube
Just watching squirrel catapult videos makes you feel better.
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the key is to have slightly hungry cats. 
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Everyoneās constraints and philosophy come into play when solving this problem.
Some food for thought: If you have a problem, the ideal solution is to completely as possible eliminate the problem. Here the problem is the squirrel population.
As I mentioned above, making your problem someone elseās does not eliminate it.
Certainly feeding the population does not eliminate it, and, will eventually make it worse. It may have short term benefits, while, in the mean time the population is growing and growing (because of the food supplied) and time will come to pay the piper.
If you can do the dog/cat thing, great! That is not a solution to the problem, unless they kill the varmint.
Since I started keeping records in Dec 2018, Iāve dispensed with 4 raccoons, 13 squirrels, 10 moles. Killing animals isnāt fun. And if you have moral issues with it, remember God killed the first animal.
Iād love to have you next door. Iād happily lend you my squirrelinator.
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I know someone who bought a quality pellet rifle and shoots them in the head at 25 yards. shooting from the kitchen table so the sound is contained inside the kitchen and nothing to see even if someone were looking. Except for the falling squirrel of course. But there is a baited backstop to put the squirrel in the right spot to avoid that as well
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i do the same but with a .22. i bring my upper window down in the living room and keep the end of the barrel inside the window. no one has complained or questioned me yet.
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Thanks all!
@Ahmad The mourning doves still visit but stay and guard only when they have babies in the nest. Have done everything I can to encourage then to be back.
@Susu - Added electric fence to list above, please keep us posted on how that works for you.
@Sara_in_philly, @JustPeachy @mamuang @moose71 - will continue to keep feeding the cats
love that vid.! i may make one just to entertain the neighborhood!
I was told the lazy/disinterested cats just donāt really care hungry or otherwise; just happens to be they always have a couple of those around.
Oddly, there was one really fat/chubby tabby. Apparently, he was the most successful snake killerā¦ Go figure.
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A regular fence plus two strands electric has worked for me for decades. Populations rise and fall but Iāve never had raccoons or squirrels inside when the electrjc is on. We also have always had well fed in/out cats who are very good hunters and keep their territory pretty clear of rodents. Natural preditors do their job, too. Of course, without food they go elsewhere. Weāre blessed with plenty of both. But itās the fence that letās me sleep at njght when the corn or cherries are ripe! Sue
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@Sue-MiUPz3 If the fence has electric wont it hurt your cats? I feed a few stray cats that come to the front/back to eat. Dont want the fence to hurt them. Appreciate very much if you can share more details of your setupā¦
They may not allow it around the perimeter of your property but you may be able to cover a section within your property. Look into that.
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If shooting, trapping or poisoning is not an option then an aggressive dog, properly designed electric fence, netting or squirrel baffle can work.
@alan knows how to do the squirrel baffle. It will work for raccoons also. In addition to preventing them from climbing there cannot be any nearby objects that they can jump from. Also lowest branches should be 5 ft from ground. DIY Squirrel Baffle ideas? - #3 by clarkinks
Strong netting can work although putting on and taking it off each year is not fun. Also a squirrel can chew through it if determined.
For very dwarf fruit trees and low growing berries like blueberries a screen house structure will work. Use heavy duty screening like 1/2 wire mesh. Do a google search āblueberry screen enclosureā for ideas.
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Electric fence is the only thing that has ever worked for me. For squirrels you will need to make sure there are no nearby trees that they can jump onto your fruit trees from.
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I do use the baffles at scores of orchards where fruit is removed without them. The problem is that trees have to be trained to have high branches that start at least 4ā up the trunk, and yes, at some sites even 5 if you are training scaffolds close to horizontal. Some years I have to reapply the mixture of axle grease and motor oil I use to cover the aluminum flashing cylinders or cones I use 2 or 3 times if the squirrels keep struggling to climb up and gradually remove it.
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@hambone ,
Great video of flying squirrel !
( I have flying squirrels here, .but ā¦ Not that kindā¦ )
Just a thought ā¦?
Wondering if that could be @Girly ā s neighbors ?
Throwing squirrels into her yard ?
And then if she sets one up . Oh myā¦ And othersā¦
Poor squirrelsā¦
Maybe if everyone aimed for city limits,ā¦
Instead of that anioying neighbor,
Shurly at some point they would leave town altogether.
( it could be the hill folks , lobing squirrels down at the town ?)
Let the squirrel wars begin. Throw humanly ā¦
I remember life in suburbiaā¦
People round here would just make squirrel gravy.
Not real sure what that is , but itās a thing around hereā¦
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@danzeb - Thanks! Strong netting / Screen enclosures added to my list - @alan Thanks! Unfortunately with the low scaffolds and 6ā height pruned trees right next to fences - baffles wont work for me.
I have to say that my experience differs on this. We live in an area next to a national park, and we have a large and varied population of varmints here - deer, raccoons, opossums, foxes, coyotes, badgers, etc. When we started an orchard and ornamental garden, we put up a six-foot perimeter fence to give our two rescue dogs (who have a dog door) free access to the whole place. Ten years later: no varmints whatsoever molest our trees, if you donāt count the gophers. This has effectively solved the problem for us, without anyone having to kill the varmints. There are plenty of other places for them to go around here, both settled and wild. I donāt think that weāre exporting our problem onto our neighbors; the presence of people is the real problem. Neighbors who care about their gardens do what we do; neighbors who donāt, donāt. The varmints donāt need to steal fruit from people to survive. They just like to, if they can.
Let me hasten to add, though, that we donāt have much of a squirrel population here. Our various raptors apparently keep their numbers in check. Places without natural predators present a more difficult situation, Iām sure. Weād probably adopt a cat or two if there were more squirrels.
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