I’m going to say squirrel. You can see the upper and lower jaw marks where it was trying to grab hold and pull it off. My peaches were all about that same size. I haven’t ever noticed them stripping a tree of peaches that size before this year. Usually it is just before they are ripe like we like them. Now I just have pits all over the place. The whole reason I am on this thread too. I think I am going to buy a tube trap while I still have pears.
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Get at least 2
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I bought a tube trap and caught 5 so far. Have noticed fewer scurrying around, at least around my trees. Still more in the lots neighboring (very small suburban yard)
Had it placed on the fence right next to that peach tree so hopefully it got the ones that were developing a taste.
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FWIW I bought two Squirrelinators a couple months ago. They work perfectly. Cleaned out the very local population of ~8 almost immediately. Since then there have been waves of 1’s and 2’s moving in to check out the now empty territory. So long as I keep the trap baited, I keep catching squirrels. Total so far is roughly 15-18; I don’t keep a careful record.
As an example, I saw a squirrel in my backyard mulberry tree two days ago. I baited the trap with feed corn. 4 hours later he was caught. Caught another big male the next day in the front yard.
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That’s how I address the squirrel and mice problem this year. Finally, I am able to enjoy tree ripened fruits. I really look forward to persimmon harvest this fall. Hopefully they will never learn to destroy these clamshells.
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You really go all out 
I need to look for clamshells now.
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For those looking for a creative solution for their garden beds… Sweet gum spiky balls over here on reddit as a groundcover! I feel like chestnut nut husks would also work.
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I know this thread is old but I found out about the squirrelunator in it before I joined and I finally got one and put it out last night and I GOT TWO of the 4 that destroy everything every year. heck yeah
these guys are by the cardboard pile about to get loaded in the car for a long drive. got a friend with property out of town that doesn’t mind em.
edit to add: these guys will eat capsaicin treated birdseed without a problem, they seem to like hot peppers and eat them off the plant!
double edit: I’m country so I would eat them, my partner refuses to let me kill em so, off to the forest they go
edit edit edit: got another one right away. wow
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I was about to say; it works be poetic justice to prepare then with the same veggies they have been eating…
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I don’t want to rain on your parade but I thought I only had two trouble makers and this spring im at 20 something and there is absolutely no chance they are coming back from where they go.
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they’re going 25 miles out, it would be some real Disney movie stuff if they got back. maybe they will hitchhike
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Where there’re two, there’s probably 20. If you plan to drive 50 miles round trip each time with gas >$4 per gallon, it’s gonna get expensive. What’s Plan B?
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plan B is I start eating them, regardless of my spouse’s soft heart.
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The local Agway went out of business this spring so I took their going out of business sale as an opportunity to buy some things I’ve been meaning to get around to. So that I no longer have to borrow a Havaheart trap from my neighbor for woodchucks and raccoons, that was one of my purchases. It came bundled with a “free” trap inside of it that is the right size for squirrels and rabbits. A week ago I caught a squirrel breaking into the blueberries, so I set out the trap and got him on the same day. I’ve since put out the trap 5 times under a neighbor’s mature pear tree and each time I’ve gotten one. There’s a never-ending supply of squirrels around here and, luckily, they seem to be dumber than my usual target animals. I never get a woodchuck on the first day!
These squirrels are all being caught with black oil sunflower seed set inside of a clamshell to keep the bait nice and tidy.
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Releasing animals away from their stomping grounds is an act of cruelty. Many studies have shown that they end up dead in a matter of days from predation, starvation, or hostile competition. They don’t know the food sources, dangers, and critters that do don’t want them there. I shot them. I don’t particularly like it but I’m not going to let my squeamishness make them suffer needlessly.
They are quite smart. I can see squirrels on the forest across my property, none come near the fully loaded trees and bushes, they know better.
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we release them on a friend’s property, they feed them and have all kinds of nonsensical squirrel contraptions. swing sets and little picnic tables.
I think if we had to just go put them somewhere random I’d be able to convince my partner to just shoot them after trapping.
Surprisingly my tulle covering has stopped the baby squirrel from coming back. I’m getting more confident that I will pick my fruit at the peak.
Take them from the trap to the skillet (if young squirrels) or slow or pressure cooker if old.
No coming back from that 
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@TNHunter I almost wish I could eat a squirrel. To me, it would be like eating a furry tailed rat.
I could just imagine my wife’s reaction if she were to come into the kitchen and see me skinning a squirrel.
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