Minnesota DNR squirrel harvest mortality study

bwoods11

5 year old buck +
I just happen to read the article about the MN DNR doing a study on what is killing the squirrels near the metro area. Besides having to grab a Kleenex to wipe the tears from my eyes from laughing. I thought to myself is this serious or a joke that someone put on the internet. It appears to be real.

If someone could post the link (I tried but failed) it is on the Sept 12, 2014 article in the Pioneer Press/twincities.com

Here is part of it....

Rachel Curtis DNR wildlife biologist is in charge of the Squirrel Harvest Mortality Study. She aims to trap 100 squirrels and put radio telemetry collars on them to determine what is killing them.

They mention what they think could be killing the squirrels in the article, but really?

You can't make this stuff up.....& these people are in charge of our deer herd?? Tell them to call anyone on this site who lives in MN and we can tell them who is killing the squirrels.....without sounding racist.
 
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I can tell you what causes the mortality in my backyard. My 17 HMR when they are eating out of my bird feeders.

When I lived in Andover in town, my Gamo pellet gun was used plenty.

Sometimes I just want to throw my hands up in the air and scream Uncle.....
 
Is it legal to shoot a squirrel with a radio collar?
 
I'll bet a future study will find the squirrels are dying from the trauma of being collared.....JUST LIKE THE MOOSE ARE!
 
I bet it is wolves. Or wind blowing them off trees. Or corn with mold. Or maybe they are lazy squirrels not storing nuts for winter.

I believe we should adopt a social process pitting bird watchers (squirrel haters) a local Owls against Pro Squirrel Advocates to decide how many squirrels there should be.

And make sure the deer hunters get to fund the process.
 
I bet it is wolves. Or wind blowing them off trees. Or corn with mold. Or maybe they are lazy squirrels not storing nuts for winter.

I believe we should adopt a social process pitting bird watchers (squirrel haters) a local Owls against Pro Squirrel Advocates to decide how many squirrels there should be.

And make sure the deer hunters get to fund the process.

Oh my gosh I can't stop laughing.....They might have to institute ear restrictions in the metro. To harvest a squirrel his ear would have to be an inch long. Controversial but it might work.

They might also have to ban those bouncy squirrel cob bungies that Ron Schara sells!
 
I bet Mepps has a HUGE hand in this with their buck tail spinner business. Can you cross tag squirrels in the suburbs?
 
The DNR might have to move the season back or up depending on when the squirrel rut is!!
 
I heard there are depredation permits for them to limit the damage to bird food supplies. Beau hands out more than any other manager in the state.
 
Can you cross-tag your buck squirrels this year? ....and what about jackalope?.....is the NDR studying the reduction in the sightings of those boys? Which brings up snipe.....hard to find many these days. I suppose the party hunting got to those critters too.
 
Cant party hunt migrant birds Foggy..... It would be illegal if you did... shame shame.... ;)

Deer are vermin. Kill them at all costs.
 
Between my gamo under my walnut tree and the neighbors trap in his garden the squirrel numbers in our neighborhood have been dwindling.

On a more serious note, do squirrel populations go in cycles? I used to see a lot of grey squirrels every sit in the woods (was good to keep me on my toes), but the past 2 years I have not seen a single grey squirrel and we have a TON of oaks/acorns.
 
First report of the study concludes that 87 of the 100 squirrels have been shot and most of the radio collars were cooked in the same pot as the squirrel. One squirrel is still alive and well on Mark Dayton's property.
 
Read this on the inter web. Seriously.

'It has been determined the radio collars used on urban squirrels are emitting a certain lightwave that all species of raptor identify as food. This miscalculation has led to excessive predation by both hawks and owls.

Those squirrels that lived longer than 3 days died of starvation when they were unable to swallow acorns, corn, or any other food as the collars were found to shrink when wet, effectively starving the squirrels to death.

Although unfortunate, the expenses of the project were easily absorbed by the increased license fees Bob Lessard had pushed through to help the DNR fund game management.'
 
Do squirrels near the equator store their nuts?
 
Read this on the inter web. Seriously.

'It has been determined the radio collars used on urban squirrels are emitting a certain lightwave that all species of raptor identify as food. This miscalculation has led to excessive predation by both hawks and owls.

Those squirrels that lived longer than 3 days died of starvation when they were unable to swallow acorns, corn, or any other food as the collars were found to shrink when wet, effectively starving the squirrels to death.

Although unfortunate, the expenses of the project were easily absorbed by the increased license fees Bob Lessard had pushed through to help the DNR fund game management.'
You have got to be kidding?!!? They didn't even realize that the collars would shrink when wet, they must have tested them under adverse conditions just to see if they would even work after getting wet? Wow, putting a glowing target on their backs and then if that doesn't work they will starve to death either way? WTF? I hope the PETA freaks don't get ahold of this, or maybe that would be a good thing. More incompetence in the data gathering arena from the MN DNR, screams audit in my book. If they can't get reliable data from squirrels, how the he!! are they going to get reliable data on deer?
 
Between my gamo under my walnut tree and the neighbors trap in his garden the squirrel numbers in our neighborhood have been dwindling.

On a more serious note, do squirrel populations go in cycles? I used to see a lot of grey squirrels every sit in the woods (was good to keep me on my toes), but the past 2 years I have not seen a single grey squirrel and we have a TON of oaks/acorns.
I think our population has taken a hit since the fisher has taken up residence.
 
I haven't seen a fisher in probably 10 years but I wonder if grey fox would have an impact. More and more the last few years.
 
I haven't seen a fisher in probably 10 years but I wonder if grey fox would have an impact. More and more the last few years.

Muskie fishing is the cause. More buck tails (made from squirrels) means fewer tree rats.

DNR will suggest liberal muskie spearing on all lakes this winter.

I think it is the right call. Who needs science when we can speculate?
 
Yup, just make sure to throw it under your least favorite neighbor's bird feeders

Screw that, I'd mount it with the collar. :D

(remember to turn off the lojack ASAP)
 
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