The squirrels have been getting into the chicken coop eating the feed.

Those darn squirrels!

I walk out on the deck and there’s one of those evil critters inside pigging out, and it’s mocking me. It’s waving its bushy tail, basically giving me the finger.

I run back inside and grab my trusty Ruger 10/22. That tail is going to look good adorning my shed.

I pop off the safety and throw my rifle to the shoulder, peer through my Nikon ProStaff 4x scope, drat!!! It’s fogged up. Rifle back on safe and use my shirt to clear the scope lens.

The squirrel now knows somethings up, he’s making a break for it. Crap, gotta hurry!!! Quick peak through the scope, still foggy, hell fire!!!!

Wipe the scope again, throw it to the shoulder, safety off, smile you son of a…

Sorry folks, swing and a miss.

Squirrel 1 and Garandguy 0.

Lesson of the day, rifle and scope in a 74 degree house doesn’t function immediately when introduced to a humid 90 degree Virginia summer afternoon.

Probably need get some practice in with my irons, and not the golfing type.

Next time squirrel, next time.

Why the hell did you send him over to my place? Damn things are a plague!

Had a somewhat similar event myself.

Had an armadillo running crazy through the back yard at three in the afternoon.
It was trying to get into the dog pen. The dogs were trying to get to it. I assumed the armadillo was rabid.
Ran in the house to get something to dispatch the critter. The closest gun I could get was a Desert Eagle in 50AE.
I only had to shoot it once...

Rapid climate/temperature/humidity change was your enemy when taking the scope from inside of the house to the outdoors. In the 1970"s while stationed in central Alaska with temperature in excess of 0*F up to -50*F or greater had to remove personal eyeglass when entering a building due to instant flash fogging to the point of having to wipe lenses with a rag.. Put a large covered pot on stove top then after coming to a boil place face over top of pot while removing top of pot and wearing glasses. Same principal just a reverse process. ............................. drill sgt.

quote:

Lesson of the day, rifle and scope in a 74 degree house doesn’t function immediately when introduced to a humid 90 degree Virginia summer afternoon.

Welcome to Florida! Exit house or vehicle to Foggy glasses... all day, all year...

Got one of them the other day. Assholes.have eaten 90% of my tomatoes.

I keep mine in check with one of these.

https://www.wildlifecontrolsup.../animal/WCSTUBE.html

Peanut butter as bait.

I've killed hundreds of squirrels and chipmunks around here with a 10/22. Little bastards are thick here usually. Last year I added a couple of Havahart traps and baited them with sunflower seeds and/or peanut butter. Caught a bunch of them that way.

Here's a rock chuck (western groundhog) I caught with a large Havahart the other day using cantaloupe as bait. These are cute friendly little fellas but destructive as all get out. Couldn't get a decent shot at him so out came the trap. Had him within an hour.

quote:

Originally posted by btgoanna:
I keep mine in check with one of these.

https://www.wildlifecontrolsup.../animal/WCSTUBE.html

Peanut butter as bait.

What do you do with them after trapping? I brought 8-10 to a park 5 miles away. They came back or were replaced by other ones.

Thanks for that reminder about what can happen with optical sights—and regardless of what type they are or what sort of gun they’re mounted on. I usually think of condensation forming when a gun that’s been out in one of our cold winters is taken indoors to a warm and humid building, but the same thing can obviously happen when a gun is taken from air conditioned indoors to outdoors on a hot and humid day. Some people studiously ignore that fact about optical sights because it’s something they prefer to not think about, but your experience should serve as a bit of a cautionary tale for those of us who are willing to admit the fact.

“Oh, that would never happen.” “Yeah? Guess again, son.”

Some people may live where the temperature and humidity extremes are not great enough for it to occur, but most of us do at least part of the time.

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:

quote:

Originally posted by btgoanna:
I keep mine in check with one of these.

https://www.wildlifecontrolsup.../animal/WCSTUBE.html

Peanut butter as bait.

What do you do with them after trapping? I brought 8-10 to a park 5 miles away. They came back or were replaced by other ones.

I have one of those tube traps and they work great. Mounted it to my fence and use peanut butter on the trigger. Sometimes I don’t get to the squirrel in time and I get to watch the fox pulling them out.

What does the fox say?

Something to be said for iron sights.

quote:

Originally posted by RichardC:
What does the fox say?

NOM NOM NOM!

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:

quote:

Originally posted by btgoanna:
I keep mine in check with one of these.

https://www.wildlifecontrolsup.../animal/WCSTUBE.html

Peanut butter as bait.

What do you do with them after trapping? I brought 8-10 to a park 5 miles away. They came back or were replaced by other ones.

It's a kill trap. So I bury them in the garden after .

I put it in the fork of a tree. They can't resist , and no collateral damage to other critters.

This is why they make shotguns. I’ve dealt with squirrels too long. If they give you any shot at all it’s gotta be quick or they are swinging through the trees like Tarzan. They are damn smart and wary that’s why there are so damn many of them. Shotgun gives you you’re best chance and I’ve laid low many of them of all colors with my cheap old Tri Star 12 gauge that I never would have hit with a rifle shot.

quote:

Originally posted by btgoanna:

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:

quote:

Originally posted by btgoanna:
I keep mine in check with one of these.

https://www.wildlifecontrolsup.../animal/WCSTUBE.html

Peanut butter as bait.

What do you do with them after trapping? I brought 8-10 to a park 5 miles away. They came back or were replaced by other ones.

It's a kill trap. So I bury them in the garden after .

I put it in the fork of a tree. They can't resist , and no collateral damage to other critters.

Oh, I will probably get some then. Relocating is not working and shooting them with a BB gun in small lot sizes limits the shots I can take.

I had a squirrel problem about a year ago building a nest in a chimney. Since shooting at the little shits on the roof is not a great idea I used Conibear 110 traps at the travel areas and it did the trick.

By the way I’ve had that exact thing happened to me with the scope fogging up, frustrating!

Jesse,
Just a heads up. In VA it is illegal to trap and relocate...

I had bunnies like crazy. Had a baby German Shephard that loved their poo before he could be immunized.

I inquired with Va Wildlife, told ok to trap, but only to kill. That was completely fine. Relocating, (which seemed more humane to me) is illegal in VA.

I also have chickens. My problem is rats and squirrels.
I had a pellet gun which was ok but I got a Henry .22. So much more fun.
I am not a great shot, so sometimes I dont get a good hit on the rat and jump and scream. Never knew rats can jump that high!