One of the very few positives about not having a mature forest around the house - NO TREE RATS! For now at least, they are staying in the woods. When the time comes, I figure I will finally get around to sighting in my pellet gun.

A true pity they have destroyed some of your nice specimens but I bet the fothergilla will recover. It may take a couple of years, but I bet it comes back.

In the mean time, you could invest in a litter of killer cats or dog breeds that are good at catching squirrels. Thing is you really need constant protection from the tree rats or they will attack when your guard is down.

If you are concerned about the pellet hurting someone, put down $20 on a Red Rider BB gun and give em HELL!! You can shoot at them all day long and reuse your ammo. I have been shot with one a few times. As long as you avoid the eyes, they are pretty safe for adults.

John

No one would have believed you if you told them a squirrel did that!lol!

If it makes you feel better my brothers used to hunt them on a city block like yours. They put a massive dent in the population that year. Well over 100 tails they collected...even an albino one. I'll never forget walking in the garage and seeing those 100 tails scatttered across a table.

I know this is really old.

My mouth pursed up into a prissy expression. Then I though of a my own world with 100 fewer squirrels-or even 10 fewer- and I felt much better about the idea of killing them.

Go for it!

A squirrel took to chewing holes in the wood paneling on the outside of my house when I was down in Virginia. Something had to stop it, and I did....