squirrels vanished this winter

[JFK52]

I feed the birds in my front yard and have for 35+ years. I have 6 tube feeders full of black oil sunflower seed and about 20 large cobs of corn stuck on duplex nails on three trees. As a by product of bird feeding, I attract all kinds of squirrels. They come from all around, especially my neighbors 20 acre oak woods. He does not allow any hunting. I have grey and fox squirrels as regular visitors to my corn and feeders. They were showing up all summer. There was a huge bumper crop of acorns this season. It is mid January in South Central Wisconsin and there has been very little snow cover on the ground. The rain last night melted away what was left from the last storm.

My concern is that I have not seen any squirrels on my corn or feeders since October. In a typical winter, I will see 8 to 12 squirrels at one time on the feeders and/or corn. Has this happened to anyone else? Is it the lack of snow or perhaps the bumper acorn crop? Has a predator such as a marten moved into the area? Hunter pressure on squirrels in my area is next to nothing.

Squirrels are just fun to watch. I harvest 8 to 10 a year for a friend who still eats them. He enjoys getting cleaned vacuum sealed squirrels ready to cook as a present.

 

[j-bird]

Not sure. The acorns could impact things, but I would tend to think the activities of a predator may be more to blame (4 legged, 2 legged or even of the flying variety). I will agree that they can be fun to watch.....until you are deer hunting. Then they are a annoying! I will say it was very interesting watching 2 young ones grow up and how they develop quickly. They go from cute little bundles of fuzz to tree rats pretty quickly!

 

[John-W-WI]

Not sure? I would think you would still have a few?

Any chance someone is poisoning rodents near you? Just a guess.

They go from cute little bundles of fuzz to tree rats pretty quickly!

Yeah they do. And they chew up anything they get their teeth on!

 

[Native Hunter]

Maybe you are experiencing a "migration." I've seen this happen once in my life.

Read about it here: http://www.deltafarmpress.com/massive-squirrel-migrations-recorded-north-america

 

[j-bird]

Mine "migrated" outside!

 

[Native Hunter]

Mine "migrated" outside!

Yours are just having a revival.

 

[cavey]

Fishers.... We had squirrels and turkeys once, now we have fishers... They have just smashed the turkey population around here... and for awhile the only squirrels I saw were a few reds

 

[JFK52]

Oh, I see maybe one squirrel once a week but it does not even come to the feeders. "Cavey" what kind of habitat do fishers prefer? One of my friends suggested that it could be fishers or martens. I have personally never seen one of these critters and will have to go online to see a picture of one. Are they native to this area or is this another great idea of the DNR to "reintroduce a species" like they did with wolves? Come to think of it, I also had turkeys that came my feeders for the corn and have not seen either a turkey or their tracks this winter.
Can fishers be caught or shot?

 

[H20fwler]

I would say predator also. I feed here at the house and enjoy the winter wildlife too, when numbers go down around my feeder it’s feral cats or hawks. The cat problem is easily solved the coopers and sharp shins are part of the natural food chain and interesting to watch chasing stuff, I just don’t like it when they nest on our block.
We don’t have any fishers here but I have always read that squirrels are their top prey and they are very shy, find a local trapper and have them look into it for you.

 

[j-bird]

Yours are just having a revival.

Some days it was sort of like that!

 

[Diesel5610]

Just had a fisher killed on our road this week. I didn’t even know we had them here. Pretty Impressive looking predator. Squirrels have been leaving my feeder alone this year but I think it is the Border Terrier chasing them up a tree every time they hit our yard, she is a pistol.

 

[sandbur]

The last few years I have had a fisher come under my bow stand here in central Minnesota. Fun to see and they kill turkeys besides! Win/win!


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[sandbur]

All rodents go in cycles. Squirrels, rabbits,ground hogs, wild mice, muskrats, hares, and even beaver.


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[FarmerDan]

Some people love them. Some people hate them. They are like my first wife who went from one to the other! Squirrels in their place, well, they just need to stay in their place. Early in the occupancy of our house of 35-years, squirrels decided to occupy the ceiling space of one of the dormers. I managed to seal them out. Or, as it turned out -- to seal them in! $1,200.

They chew my siding. $1,500. I guess they like the grease from the gas grill. It drips on the regulator rubber tube. Replacement multiple time $100.00

Many years ago I decided to head to the camp for spring turkey hunting. I jumped in the truck. The starter turned and turned and turned and turned. Towed it to my preferred place for repair. They could not figure it out. I towed it to the dealership. Three days later, after much wailing and gnashing of teeth, they discovered squirrels had chewed the wires that supply power to the fuel pump location in the tank. Repair - $950, fortunately, covered mostly by my comprehensive policy.

I live trapped and live trapped and hauled and carried. That's another story as the neighbors would release the squirrels. I offered to let several loose in the neighbors living room to no avail!

Now, I have created new habitat. It seems to work. The hawks love their new perches from which than can watch and select, "What's for dinner!"

 

[John-W-WI]

Maybe you are experiencing a "migration." I've seen this happen once in my life.

Read about it here: http://www.deltafarmpress.com/massive-squirrel-migrations-recorded-north-america

Interesting, never heard of such a thing.

As I've said here before, it amazes me how far a squirrel will travel in a single day. I've witnessed them carrying corn cobs over a quarter of a mile (one way) multiple times a day.

-John

 

[Native Hunter]

Interesting, never heard of such a thing.

As I've said here before, it amazes me how far a squirrel will travel in a single day. I've witnessed them carrying corn cobs over a quarter of a mile (one way) multiple times a day.

-John

Yep, I saw the 1968 migration year in person. I was around 13 years old, and it was the best squirrel hunting you could imagine.

 

[Lois E Brenneman FNP]

Now that you mention it, I have not seen a whole of them either this winter. I have started feeding birds this winter for the first time and part of the menu - aside from ordinary bird seed - includes cracked corn, dent corn, pumpkin seeds and some peanuts. I have not seen a one of them come and get any of this stuff. The corn is scattered on the ground under the feeder so it is easy enough to get to. I have had a few deer visit intermittently but even they are not all that thrilled with the corn. It looks OK to me - got it at Tractor Supply as part of a wildlife feeding mix which I bought in error thinking I was buying birdseed. I wasn't - no traditional birdseeds. No one seems that enthusiastic about eating the stuff. The deer will eat it some days but most days they are not interested. I thought deer liked corn????? I can't taste it myself (to see if there is anything wrong with it) because I would chip a tooth. Other than the deer who are just lukewarm to it, no one is eating the corn. I should think squirrels would have come to snatch it up - no sign of them. Jays are eating the peanuts and sunflower seeds; they leave the corn. No squirrels and no chipmunks - the place was swarming with them last fall.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

We've seen the same thing at camp as John has - post #15. Squirrels will grab a cob from our corn patch and haul it across the lawn, around the pond and up into the woods behind the camp - a distance of about 400 yds. !!! You wonder how many calories they're burning to get a meal. They're in high gear too, because it's all open - hawk bait.

 

[TreeDaddy]

I would suggest sasquatch as culprit, but you fellas are too far north

bill

 

[JFK52]

I have started to see some grey squirrels chasing each other in tall oak trees in the distance in the last week. I believe this is their mating behavior. They are still not coming to my bird feeders. They must have acorns stashed for food. I will not be shooting any for my friend this year as I will let their numbers in my locale rebound. I have not seen a flying squirrel at night under the spotlights that illuminate my front yard feeders.