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Old 05-17-2015, 06:27 PM
 
124 posts, read 175,535 times
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Good Evening,

Recently moved into a new home in Tanglewood Forest a few weeks ago. Myself and a few neighbors have fully mature pecan trees in the yards. As you can imagine this is a squirells paradise (not to mention a ton of grackles but thats another topic). Anyways while I am not generally opposed to getting a pellet gun and shooting these squirrelly (pun intended) buggers, I don't want to take the chance of a neighbor seeing me and getting bent out of shape. My uncle back home has had luck with have-a-hart traps baited with peanut butter with his squirrel problem. My main concern is I just want to make sure I won't be in violation of some sort of law/ordinance by capturing them and releasing them elsewhere like Mary-Seawright Moore park or someplace similar. If anyone knows of any restrictions or rules about the catch and release of small wildlife I would love to know, I haven't really been able to find much on google except local pest companies.


Thanks!
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Old 05-17-2015, 06:45 PM
 
Location: central Austin
7,228 posts, read 16,034,074 times
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Are they getting into your attic or something? How is just their existence a nuisance? Be lucky you don't have tree rats, they LOVE pecans.

Anyway, I am pretty sure that is illegal to trap, transport, and relocate a squirrel in Texas without a wildlife license and permit (and there is paperwork to file monthly too). You can trap and kill them on the spot, that is most likely legal -- barring local ordinances and HOA statutes about hunting.

Transporting and relocating on your own is the problem. You can call Texas Parks and Wildlife to ask.
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Old 05-17-2015, 06:51 PM
 
124 posts, read 175,535 times
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No not getting into my attic or anything as of right now. But I just purchased a few fruit trees (pomegranates) and plan on getting some others (citrus, maybe a fig,guava,etc) and just want to keep the squirrels from tearing up my soon to be mini-orchard haha.

Thats unfortunate that the no-kill method of trap and relocate would be illegal in a nature friendly area but I'm sure there is a reason.
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Old 05-17-2015, 06:55 PM
 
Location: central Austin
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It is apparently illegal in all 50 states! I'm not sure of the reason either. I have a cat that kills 2-5 squirrels a year, if only he would do it on command I could rent him out.
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Old 05-17-2015, 07:02 PM
 
124 posts, read 175,535 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by centralaustinite View Post
It is apparently illegal in all 50 states! I'm not sure of the reason either. I have a cat that kills 2-5 squirrels a year, if only he would do it on command I could rent him out.
I have a cat that is a stone cold killer. He used to be feral so he is a pretty good hunter. Once I get the invisible fence installed I am sure he will help. But as you said in small and slow numbers.
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Old 05-17-2015, 07:16 PM
 
Location: Holly Neighborhood, Austin, Texas
3,982 posts, read 6,702,855 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vlan1 View Post
No not getting into my attic or anything as of right now. But I just purchased a few fruit trees (pomegranates) and plan on getting some others (citrus, maybe a fig,guava,etc) and just want to keep the squirrels from tearing up my soon to be mini-orchard haha.

Thats unfortunate that the no-kill method of trap and relocate would be illegal in a nature friendly area but I'm sure there is a reason.
It is not the squirrels that will get at your fruit trees, but rather birds. Birds will go after figs, but your poms and citrus should be safe. Even if you did relocate the squirrels more would soon come to fill in the void.
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Old 05-17-2015, 07:42 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX
207 posts, read 461,966 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vlan1 View Post
No not getting into my attic or anything as of right now. But I just purchased a few fruit trees (pomegranates) and plan on getting some others (citrus, maybe a fig,guava,etc) and just want to keep the squirrels from tearing up my soon to be mini-orchard haha.

Thats unfortunate that the no-kill method of trap and relocate would be illegal in a nature friendly area but I'm sure there is a reason.
Bird net the trees and wrap it around the base to keep them from getting in. That's your only hope. Any squirrels that you relocate will be nearly instantly replaced by others in the area moving into the open territory. Take away their ability to get to the fruit and you won't have a a problem. My garden is completely inclosed for this reason.

If you DO want to relocate them it isn't like anyone will care. Just find an out of the way place to let them go. However be aware that when you relocate it the squirrel is already dead, it is just that "how" it will die is still up in the air. The stress of the move, the new area with no knowledge of food and water sources, the territoriality of other squirrels (they are extremely aggressive toward outsiders), and it trying to get back to its own territory by crossing roads pretty much guarantees that it will be dead soon.

If you insist on dealing with the squirrel side of things and not the food access side the most humane thing would be to trap, carry it into your garage, euthanize it, and then dispose of it. Take a drive sometime after and claim you let it out somewhere if the neighbors ask. That's what my grandfather used to do for the squirrels in his yard on Hilton Head Island. There were still plenty more just waiting to steal his tomatoes.
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Old 05-18-2015, 06:25 AM
 
Location: Dallas
31,288 posts, read 20,640,206 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vlan1 View Post
My uncle back home has had luck with have-a-hart traps baited with peanut butter with his squirrel problem. !
I think this would be like trying to sweeten the ocean with a tablespoon of sugar. They will come back endlessly.

They eat my tomatoes before they ripen, so if traps would work, I'm all for it.
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Old 05-18-2015, 10:49 AM
 
Location: East TX
2,116 posts, read 3,027,202 times
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As mentioned, the squirrels you remove will be replaced by others before you get home from your country drive. Protect the food source from them and enjoy their antics in the pecan trees is probably the least frustrating and most effective plan.
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Old 05-18-2015, 03:58 PM
 
2,007 posts, read 2,888,998 times
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call Rio at Amazon Pest. He's great for critters
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