squirrels gone!

[tuffytwo]

A great-horned owl was roosting in our trees. Wow! watta sight she was. Such a cute little hoo, hoo from here and a lower ha ha from him. And then--that darned bird ATE ALL MY SQUIRELLS. I am just sick about this. I don't kill anything--one of those people who catch spiders, roaches, scorpions and release them outside. However I am ready to shoot that down. They absolutely wiped me out. I understand the owl goes into squirrel nests and eats the squirrels. I found a man selling squirrel boxes on Ebay and he says the squirrels use them. Would this be a solution and would the squirrels use the boxes Has anyone used the boxes and do the squirrels like them. Do I put peanuts on top of the boxes to attract them. Any suggestions on getting rid of the great horned owl without breaking the law. If this works will be making squirrel houses all summer. Give me some ideas.

[squirrelfriend]

I hate to say this but if you have run out of squirrels they will probably leave on their own. IF thre is no food source it won't stay.

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

I didn't think great horned owls went for squirrels that much. Don't they eat mostly mice and shrews and stuff? Are you sure something else isn't going on with the squirrels? Maybe they are just getting ready for their fall babies and are being secretive to protect their babies. I don't think one owl would take out all your squirrels, unless you only had a few.

[Gabe]

I don't see any squirrels in my yard during nesting/baby season. Is it possible that they are having their fall litters now?
Great horned owls are nocturnal, they are the main predator of skunks. Squirrels are not noctunal, sleeping soundly in their nests when the owl is hunting.

[4skwerlz]

Are you sure it's a great horned? A great horned owl will eat almost anything. They will walk into a chicken coop and take a chicken. Large prey includes skunks, racoons, minks, and other owls. They can swallow a small rabbit whole. A squirrel is just a snack for him. Although primarily night hunters, they will also hunt in early morning and late afternoon. He could clear out your squirrels in just a few days. (This happened to me once.)

As to getting rid of him, all I can say is owls are very reclusive creatures, and extremely shy of humans. If human activity comes too close to them, they will leave. Try getting a child's cap gun or some other kind of kid's "air gun" that makes a loud bang. Even banging pots and pans will work. Find out where he roosts and make a lot of noise. If he comes back do it again. This worked for us with a barred owl that cleared out our squirrels on my first property. Good luck and thanks for watching out for our favorite critters.:wave123

[Luv4scratty]

Yes, the box is a very good idea. We have a squrriel box and we have had many squrriel familys. If you want your squrriels to stick around i would suggest this. Also put it up high in the tree they feel more confortable good luck!!!

[scoobysnack]

I'm not sure the owl is doing it. We have tons of them here. They can be heard almost every night. We also have a huge hawk population.

Neither has made a dent in our squirrel population. Soon as we walk in the house and take the dogs out of the yard, the place is crawling with squirrels!!! Heck even when we're outside my barn rafters are practically alive with squirrels.

Maybe there just isn't enough of a food source in your yard? We have enough oaks to feed the world's squirrels here. My ex husband is a tree farmer. For the time he was here he planted a gazillion live and laurel oaks on the property. We are acorn city come fall. Good for the squirrels, not so good for acorn addicted ponies! They can be toxic for equines.