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Hunting Grey squirrel Breeding in UK.

karl66

karl66

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I realise we've all had differing results depending on area's of the UK & the population of them in urban or countryside environments.
I have hit them really heavy this year & on average they don't travel More than a mile or so into new territories...I was reading an article last night that said there's as good as no breeding in the months from October to December?.
Be interesting to hear other opinions on this.
 
I would say that sounds about right. In my experience they have young in the spring and summer.
Where I live (not far from you Karl) I have pounded them this year. My friend lives about 300 yards away and he's been hitting them this year too. Between us we have seriously reduced the grey numbers in our area, I get the occasional nervous visitor every couple of weeks or so. In the spring I could have up to 5 in the garden at the same time.
 
I’m in Essex and this summer has been the quietest ever for me, have seen a few on my local travels but definitely lacking and not seen a young one all year just a few adults.
My feeders have been quiet with very little feed going but yesterday we had action so hopefully the cold has kicked them into action
 
I've hit them hard so late summer we have hardly seen a squirrel our neighbours hit them as well both sides. But when the Walnut comes on the trees , it's as if they have been dropped off in 5_6 at a time, then all the acorns this year. Let's hope I can soon get them on these peanuts. Only been since Sat, but no sign yet🤞🤞🤞🐿️👍
 
I live in a rural area where Greys have been abundant for the 40 odd years I’ve lived here. I’ve shot them consistently throughout that time but, my shooting is confined to my own property. Typically, I’d shoot around 18 annually. This year 2 and, I’ve only actually seen another 2 which managed to leave my garden before I could grab my gun. There’s a park a couple of miles away from me which also has lots of them running around but, I’ve noticed that numbers seem down there too.

Out of interest, I Googled the question “are grey squirrel numbers down in the uk”. This was the answer; “No, grey squirrel numbers are not down in the UK; in fact, they are increasing, particularly in England. While there is an overall stable population of approximately 2.7 million grey squirrels, local populations can fluctuate due to factors like control efforts and natural predation. In contrast, the native red squirrel population has declined significantly due to competition and disease from grey squirrels”. Disappointing, I was feeling confident ‘we’ were having a positive effect.
 
My permission has some trees but it is surrounded by farmland with no trees for a couple of miles.
Treewise, it is like an island in the sea.
The trees had squirrels, and the landowner wanted them gone.

I totally exterminated the squirrels over 6 years ago..... and no replacements have ever appeared since.
It is a mystery where they came from in the first place. Shrug tt. . But we are remaining vigilant just in case.
 
The forty acre wood I visit is very quiet at the moment, I've had 82 off there, in about the last 15 months.
It was very busy when I got back on them, and with the abundance of food, I could see it was a critical time to reduce numbers.

Reading the other comments, I'll have to walk to our local park, see what numbers are doing there, I did take out a few close to home so it's quiet here, which is good as I lost access to the field where they would normally arrive from (and be breeding at the far end).
 
Wing Commander said:
My permission has some trees but it is surrounded by farmland with no trees for a couple of miles.
Treewise, it is like an island in the sea.
The trees had squirrels, and the landowner wanted them gone.

I totally exterminated the squirrels over 6 years ago..... and no replacements have ever appeared since.
It is a mystery where they came from in the first place. Shrug tt. . But we are remaining vigilant just in case.
Click to expand...
Well done

It would be lovely if somewhere like that could have the reds introduced because they'd be safe
 
Our school has loads of the little furry *******s. Both squirrel and rat. They love going in the bins. Which is infuriating after doing a litter pick.

We also have rabbits, although not as many as before after they got culled a few years back.

And badgers.

It is next to a farm though.
 
So, its a well known biological fact that squirrels mate twice a year. Right now is not a mating period. You will see the well-known 'chasing' behaviour come late December and into January. This is the start of the next mating season. Its always the female in front being chased by the male - she is seeing how good he is at keeping up to work out if he is a suitable mate. There's no mystery in this I dont think.

Some people are saying that due to climate change, greys can now mate across the year (not the same females of course). However, the same basic periods still account for the vast majority of mating. Around March time the female will start to build a birthing drey ready for April when the kits will be born. The kits are on the branches mid to late May from the spring birthing.
 
I popped into a local park, spotted a few straight away, I asked a groundsman if he had noticed any change this year, and he had not.
The trouble is unless someone takes a real interest in numbers, they won't be able to measure any change.



There was frost on the ground and they seemed to return to the drey at the time I was there, I didn't stop long as the schoolkids were making their way in, and I felt a bit awkward waving a spotter about.

ParkGrass.webp
 
MikeyB said:
Out of interest, I Googled the question “are grey squirrel numbers down in the uk”. This was the answer; “No, grey squirrel numbers are not down in the UK; in fact, they are increasing, particularly in England. While there is an overall stable population of approximately 2.7 million grey squirrels, local populations can fluctuate due to factors like control efforts and natural predation. In contrast, the native red squirrel population has declined significantly due to competition and disease from grey squirrels”. Disappointing, I was feeling confident ‘we’ were having a positive effect.
Click to expand...
I believe that the only chance of getting on top of this problem is chemical sterilisation ( and I think it is a realistic solution )
 
I think the last time I saw a red was near me in Meersbrook Park, when I was about 14

I'm 50.

I'm honestly disgusted that this has happened to a native species
 
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