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 bedsā¦ 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 doesnāt 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: Iām 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 eatingā¦
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I donāt 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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theyāre 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 thereāre two, thereās probably 20. If you plan to drive 50 miles round trip each time with gas >$4 per gallon, itās gonna get expensive. Whatās Plan B?
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plan B is I start eating them, regardless of my spouseās 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 Iāve 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 āfreeā 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. Iāve since put out the trap 5 times under a neighborās mature pear tree and each time Iāve gotten one. Thereās 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 donāt know the food sources, dangers, and critters that do donāt want them there. I shot them. I donāt particularly like it but Iām 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 friendās 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 Iād be able to convince my partner to just shoot them after trapping.
Surprisingly my tulle covering has stopped the baby squirrel from coming back. Iām 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 wifeās reaction if she were to come into the kitchen and see me skinning a squirrel.
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@Vlad ā¦
Skin and gut them outsideā¦ have a nice bowl of water to put the cleaned and quartered squirrel pieces inā¦ at that point it really looks no different than chicken.
Young squirrels can be fried just like chicken and taste very similarā¦ but to me a little better. My fav parts the back and liverā¦ good stuff.
That is what it looks like southern fried.
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Tell your wife its just like a mini rabbit and always clean outside, like a fish;)
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I think I might bring a frypan down to the farm camp:) Wife thinks I should take tent too:(
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Why not bury and give back to nature? No need for organic matter wasting away in a landfill!
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Iād like to say a word about the idea of trap and release. Well, probably many words. It is often said that released animals have a scant chance of survival. There are good reasons not to release some animals, sometimes, but the average critter would gladly take a chance on that rather than catch a bullet or die in a conventional trap.
I should say right now Iām not against those control choices, and I have used them myself. But I like to know folks are informed about all choices. The people who mostly advise against trap and release actually do it themselves often, especially with big animals like bears, but also for almost any animal that has been in rehab to grow up or recover from an injury. Some, like beavers, can cause lots of headaches, and need special equipment to trap and move alive, so itās usually Fish & Game folks who get the complaint.
Itās also a concern that an animal might be sick and can carry parasites or disease that could be spread by relocation. Itās almost impossible to know this without testing of some kind, and equally impossible to know if a healthy animal is being released into an area that already has such issues. But it is worth considering.
The basic truth is that you can release commonly trapped animals and they will have a decent chance at survival if you know when and where to do it. In nature there are young added to the population every year and they all have to earn their survival. If they have already left their parents they have the tools to figure out food and shelter, and they will have to contend with others of their species in any case. Releasing an animal in suitable habitat gives them as much chance at survival as if they had been forced to relocate for any other cause.
Some animals like squirrels will need at least a few months to settle in before winter because they need to prepare for cold weather. Some, like porcupines, are much more robust and are never lacking for food in a forest. They may benefit from finding a den of sorts, and often share one, but they can also just make do with no more shelter than a dense evergreen tree. They mostly donāt like each other so they wonāt miss any social company. Raccoons have similar flexibility but with them the threat of rabies is ever present. Iāve moved healthy young ones, but I donāt handle big ones. I donāt ever move predators because I want them around. In fact, I usually keep a feeding station away from the house and drop off any rodents I catch in kill traps, along with expired chickens or road kills. Just having predators like fox, hawks, etc. around puts a basic control on how problematic populations of pests get
I donāt mind losing a chicken to a bobcat now and again just to watch them out in the woods.
Iām sure most folks donāt have these kinds of choices and a suburban environment limits what is advisable. But you can always try a pest control business. Many do live trapping and will remove bigger critters as well as squirrels. For squirrels and chipmunks remember there is an almost unlimited supply and whatever you do there will always be more. If you do end up with a freshly dead squirrel you can try finding a wildlife rehabilitator who might take it to use as food for predators in their care.
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Thatās fine and dandy but if we are going to talk about what the pest would prefer it would be for you to do nothing and to kindly take down your fences and nets while you are at it.
Not to mention that regardless of how you may feel it is illegal almost everywhere, for a bunch of well researched reasons. You may want to look up the penalties for your area, the first link that popped up on a quick search stated a $500 fine and/or six months in jail.
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