Hello Crabjoe.

My guess would be that the squirrels will discover and love any good sized hardwood; they certainly do in Arkansas, where I grew up (oaks, hickories, maples) and here in western Montana (maples, cottonwoods, sycamores, siberian elms, fruit trees).

I would suggest that you shoot the first squirrel you get a clean, safe shot at and repeat as needed.

Good luck,

M

Crabjoe, about five minutes ago I was shooting at the five squirrels who have recently moved in on my side yard oak tree. This is after killing the five before that, the seven before that, etc etc - you get the idea. A big oak tree keeps a whole family fed, and you will have at least 4-5 squirrels on any mature oak. I am working on getting the wild mulberries taken down since they feed the squirrels during their season but these oaks are 100' tall or more and I don't want to take them down. So if you don't have any oaks (or squirrels) yet I would aim to keep it that way! The squirrels have cleared my peach crop for the last three years. They don't bother the apples much because the nuts are in by then.

Scott

I live next to a lot of open hardwood forest and squirrels are certainly a nuisance here. Unlike Scott, I have been able to control them with a small shotgun. Before getting the gun they were a nuisance, but most years only removed the peaches closest to the forest. I don't come from a gun owner type family, my parents were both city raised, but I have to admit to a certain satisfaction when watching the lifeless body of one of these tree-rats dropping onto the ground after a shot.

In orchards that I manage elsewhere, squirrels are a real problem where people maintain bird feeders. I think this method of feeding birds should be illegal because most of the food ends up on the ground where it is consumed by rodents. In my opinion, if people want to feed birds they should plant bird-friendly species and feed the birds in a natural way. This is what I've done on my property and the birds are appreciative judging from their numbers here.

Why is the standard recommendation of not artificially feeding wildlife ignored when it comes to birds?

I should I posted this before, but right now, most of the trees along the tree line are Black walnuts with a few Locust trees here and there. I don't know if they are Black or Honey, but I think they're Black Locust.

All the trees were covered over with wild grape vines so over the last couple of years, I've been pulling them down. It's mostly clear now, so last fall, I planted a couple of Maples and was hoping to plant the Oaks. Since I don't want squirrels, I guess the Oaks are out.

Can anyone recommend any other hardwood trees I could plant? I want something that produces lots of leaves.

Thanks!!

If you already have black walnuts you might as well plant anything you like. Nothing squirrels love more. Maples grow faster than oaks but how bout some amelanchiers- they don't grow fast but they have the fall color and beautiful bark. Plus the fruit is real tastey.