Interesting, thanks for sharing.

bull frogger, interesting story, thanks for sharing.

Always look both ways before releasing squirrels and chipmunks.

Hoot!

This spreads disease to squirrels and also trees. Pests should be dispatched humanely not trucked into another environment and released.

Should have done that yourself in your own back yard and saved the trip. Reality over feefees: squirrels are terrorists and should be dealt with accordingly. Wahmerns and soy boys have all kinds of “creative” and “humane” ways of dealing with these stupid, destructive, and evil little fvkcers- squirrels too, not just Democrats! Lmao But when they destroy everything, it’s ultimately up to us to fix it. So I will also decide how to deal with that “little” buck-toothed problem before it becomes a big one.

Patty, you're welcome. Glad to hear this worked for you. No matter how strong their tails they can't hold up the door with the extra weight, catches them completely off guard, every time.

Chandra, true, there are many. And certainly not enough snakes, and foxes around here to take care of them...

agree, there are too many and they are doing damage to everything. i dont understand why its okay to dispose of rats but not squirrels, both are almost the same

2 billion, not millions, one of the biggest pests in the world

Thanks Mary, glad to hear my tips helped you out.

DrReason, these squirrels are released so far from other people's stuff that it is unlikely an issue. I live about 5 miles from Fox country and rolling hills, go another 5 miles into the rolling hills to release them. Appreciate your point though.

I release pests 8 miles away into a thousands of acres state owned forest.

@@MakeItorBreakItNow Yes but you are encouraging people to drop them off "at the park" or whatever, the average Joe isn't going to drive 5 miles into the Country if there is even a place that's good enough. So I had a co worker who released his caught squirrels at the City Park... That I lived next to! The squirrels were raiding me like no other. It's an ongoing battle to this day. Those traps are perfect for either "dipping", or a head shot with a pellet gun. Do it. They are pests!

​@@BootsEditor11i agree, theyre horrible, worse than rats

@@cantwealljustgetalong2 squirrels are much stronger and smarter than rats, and have a 7000 PSI bite force. very dangerous pests, 2 billion of them and counting

Glad to hear, thanks for sharing your success so others can realize this might also work for them!

Alex G, interesting tip about the spray paint and the distance. But the trap with modifications works. We caught over 40 squirrels this season and our neighbors caught over 20 before that with the same trap no modifications. And those squirrels were being transferred 40 miles away. Doubt they were the same squirrels because there were about 6 major developments and at least two highways from the parks where I released them and our house. We went weeks without seeing a single squirrel. Now you have me curious about a bigger trap though, maybe in the spring a new video. Thanks.

@@MakeItorBreakItNow I've had the same experience as Alex G. they got away with the bait and the door was shut. I think the bushy tail squirrels keep it open with their tails. I replaced it with a Harbor Freight trap that's much larger (could probably fit a house cat) and caught a squirrel in it on day 3. Drove it 12 miles away for good measure, and trimmed the tree that it uses to climb up to the roof. The next week, I see another squirrel walking the power line like a tightrope. Sigh... Set the trap again but nothing for a week, but no noises in the attic either so maybe he flew the coop.

@@randomname931 The key is to put enough weigh on the trap door. Once I did that, no more squirrels escaped after they entered the bait end.

How do you mark there tail - spray paint through the trap ?

@@tinkergene I take a picture of them kind of like the FBI most wanted... Painting them seems a bit gruel and they move around quite a bit in the trap. All the squirrels have something unique about them and the pictures seem to work. One didn't have a tail so he was easy to confirm that he didn't return.

You're welcome, tails and legs are no match for a heavy rock.

As long as you have a bird feeder you are going to get squirrels forever plus mice and rats GUARANTEED!

I would like to know if thete is anything that really repels squirrels so more wull not come back we have large fierce black ones that just stare at you and dont run aeay quickly.

Tom N, wow, that's a great deal. I need to find a thrift store like that! Let me know how you do.

Thanks SeattlePioneer.

yeah, squirrels did over $10,000 damage to my neighbors attic that's why I put this trap in place.

What kind of air pistol?

@@johnndavis7647 .177 pellet gun

Tracey, glad to hear the trap mods worked for you. Thanks for sharing.

What bait do you use that are not also catching wayyyy too many birds ? Traps with balance plates in the middle of 2 doors are very easily triggered by birds and there is no easy way to "correct" that problem.

@@ccdogpark peanut butter. We caught about 2 dozen squirrels/chipmonks and zero birds.

I hope you are not feeding the birds. If so then you are actually feeding the squirrels and contributing to the problem. No one should be feeding any wild animal of any kind. It always creates an imbalance to nature with unintended results.

TH, this system works fine for trapping squirrels. I have added rocks to the side and to the top, thanks for your tips, always appreciated.

Between my cherry tree and apricots tree last year's harvest was ZERO.

Aidan Reed, glad to hear. Interesting bait combo, I might have to try it. Thanks for sharing your comment with the group, always appreciated.

Yeah that's probably another reason why the 1-door Havahart # 1083 EZ-Set trap is so popular. These "balanced plate" traps are wayyy too tedious to set.

nadirkh, thanks for the feedback. Since this video I've made another setup for my dad and between the two of us we've caught and released around 40 squirrels this summer. Crazy...

Chuck, you're welcome. Good luck! Let me know how it goes.

Dana, glad to hear the tips are working for you.

Yup ones I have guava tree they picked them all took a few bite then threw away then another and another...evil little furry terrors

Hey man, I just trapped and released one that was about to send me to the looney bin from all the scratching and clawing. It's the first one I've caught and now I'm worried that I didn't take him far enough away..... as I'm now reading comments about the distances they'll travel to get home (should've looked this up first). The place I took him was probably only about 3 miles as the crow flies, but it'd also require an interstate crossing on a busy stretch. Do I need to worry?

Not really, I'm familiar with search and rescue for humans and even when they're close they're sometimes hard to find. Not sure any squirrel has the motivation or the skill to setup the type of search grid or pattern to get back to where you trapped them. Next time I'll give I trap a map and see if they find their way home. I'm up to around +60 squirrels and none have ever returned. I drop them off to greener woods you might say.

Barry, thanks for your comments and suggestions. I'm always amazed how many people think squirrels come back. More likely is nearby squirrels wander into a now vacant territory, our backyards, once the current squirrels are relocated.

Interesting. Thanks for sharing.

energyeye, good luck in your quest in defeating smart squirrels. Let me know how it goes.

Thanks Levi, appreciate your comment.

Jerry T, good to see you don't waste...

Glad you liked it, thanks for leaving a comment.

@@MakeItorBreakItNow I actually liked seeing the failed attempts - I learn from that!

Glad it was helpful!

Look forward to your report. Good luck!

@@MakeItorBreakItNow they won't even go in. They have so much spilled bird seed to eat under the bird feeder than they don't go after the peanuts and peanut butter. I even tried opening BOTH sides, and they just ignore it. Zero success here

@@MakeItorBreakItNow ok here is the update. No squirrels would come in for weeks. So I tried a different tactic. I started putting pecans out. Gradually moved them closer and closer to the trap, then barely in the trap. eventually all the way in. one morning while I am having my coffee I see the rat with the big tail grab a pecan, cross the yard, and eat it or bury it (seemed like he was alternating). Eventually (20 minutes) he was inside the trap SITTING ON THE TRIGGER! After a few minutes, it finally set off the trap. Got 2 of them this way in a week. The 3rd one so far won't go near the trap, and now crows have noticed the pecans and are coming to eat them. aauugghh

Phillip, yes, I where the two pieces of metal meet on the "trigger" don't line them up completely just go half way or less on both. Thanks for your question.

@@MakeItorBreakItNow UPDATE: Figured out using a light piece of cardboard over the trigger ramp before I set halfway sensitivity helps catch those smart ones. After 2 weeks , I finally nabbed the one I'm guessing knew the trigger was the metal grey ramp...His hole now remains covered up! Thanks for the great video!

@@gerrybuffett770 interesting tip about the cardboard, will have to try it sometime.

Dennis, sounds line your design works well. How light is it. I've never had the squirrels try to bite me. I guess I'm lucky.

I can carry it with one hand wrapped over the top. To let squirrel go roll trap over on to top and door will open and squirrel will run out. I then remove top to clean out and reload with bait etc. Don't have to reach in and fumble around.

@@denniskazich7559 sounds like a great design. I'm working on a one of my own, we'll see how it turns out.

Joey, you're welcome. Thanks for your comment.

Violet, congrats, glad to hear.

Donald, thanks for the feedback. Glad the trap mods are working for you.

bread sounds interesting, I'll have to try it sometime. They can get angry for sure...

Heh, heh! You are a great hunter!

Shelley, you're welcome. Spite what folks say they don't come back. Otherwise the forest service would use squirrels for search and rescue missions...

Let me know if these ideas help you you. I've been foiling squirrels all over the country for the past 3 years... Agree though, squirrels are very smart, their survival depends on it...

Zero humble pie for me. Pellet gun equals = winning. Playing around with toy cages and then dumping off problem squirrels into other neighborhoods = stupidity

Wow, thanks for the nature lesson, very interesting...

Cowbirds are the same way, except they kill and toss young birds and eggs out the door and lay their own eggs in there and let mom and dad sparrow take care of them. But since my birdhouses were built for wrens, the tree rats chewed the holes bigger and the sparrows moved in. One day I couldn't figure out why even the sparrows were not using them anymore. So, I took the house down and opened the cleanout door, and lo and behold a dead young cowbird fell out, it grew too big to get out of the hole and died inside.

Weronika DEL SOL, thanks for your comment. Our animal control doesn't care about my squirrel problem. One person's pest is another person's pet. There are so many better options for them between where I release them and my house that in my case they don't return. But every person's situation is different.

California ground squirrels are an invasive species that causes countless amounts amounts of damage to structures and causes soil erosion that destroys pristine waterways. They should be shot, snared, trapped and drowned, trapped and shot, trapped and fed to pet snakes, anything but released.

Akie Porter, you're welcome. hope it works for you.

Kae Mcyd, you're welcome. The squirrels are back and I'm thinking about using a bigger cage. Stay tuned.

James, your thoughts are good ones. Where I send these squirrels there's an abundance of resources. Until I started relocating them there were dozens around my house, so to your point they were all competing for already very limited resources.

@@MakeItorBreakItNow I just kill them. A $15 dollar trap and an air rifle does the trick. Or you can save the $15 dollars and get really good at shooting. :-D

It's a squirrel.

Good! Let them die

Barry, sounds like you've figured out an interesting solution to a pesky problem,

VoodooCrab, thanks. Much appreciated.

husher5142, great suggestion, thanks for sharing.

thanks for the info, I might have to test this one out.

Most people don't have 6 squirrels in their yard in a month, let alone 18 hours. I've disposed of 430+ grey squirrels in the last 5 years but I have NEVER caught more than 3 squirrels in the same day. That squirrelinator is for someone with a farm and/or an orchard who has a lot of land and doesn't have the time to check on the trap every couple of hours. Advising the average homeowner to buy that huge trap is ridiculous. The best trap for squirrels is the Havahart 1083 EZ-Set trap. It takes less than 10 seconds to set. It costs approx. $35 and you have to buy it online. The box stores don't sell them.

@@ccdogpark I'll have to checkout the 1083, thanks for the suggestion.

@@ccdogpark Tried 1083 EZ-Set, useless. Didn't work. I used different baits, didn't work. It is too familiar too them. They leave their tail on the door and they're able to get out when the door dropss.

@@secedenis777 I have caught caught over 430 squirrels with 2 of the 1030 traps and never had that problem. If you put the bait at the far end of the trap it is much less likely that a tail could keep the trap open, than the trap you use in which the bait is put in the middle of the trap. Common sense would tell you that. You have to put the bait behind the trigger plate. There is no reason to place the bait directly on the trigger plate. The only problem I have ever had is light weight birds taking the bait without setting the trap off. But I figured out a reliable solution to that.

Johnny, great advice, thanks for sharing. I too place peanuts just out side the cage, sometimes even peanuts shell work great, but squirrels seem to have sensitive noses.

Use salted in the shell peanuts! They go crazy for the salt! I use one ended trap, place bait on closed end, where I wrapped the trap with 1/2 inch square mesh so the squirrels can not reach in and grab the peanuts! After the trap is set I wrap a dark piece of plastic around the trap leaving the ends open so it was like a tunnel. Place peanuts outside to lure them to the trap! Works every time, you can also provide a mixture of cornmeal and baking soda, 50/50 in a tray which will kill the squirrel so you may dispose of them in the garbage!

Tom, thanks. If they weren't so destructive I'd love to have them around

You're welcome, may there be less squirrels in your life...

JC, good to know, thanks.

These are brilliant ideas. Make the trap only trigger towards the closed end, so the squirrel has a chance to get deep in there. For groundhogs, the Gopher Hawk trap is excellent but only while you have one digging up mounds. They hate fresh air in their tunnels and will always come back to replug a mound. Find the hole in the mound, open it a bit, and run a half gallon of water down the hole to really open it up. Then dig and place the Hawk along the tunnel leading to the mound, about 6-12 inches away. You'll be pulling up critters, but not the live kind.

Like your idea but don’t understand just where to put the rock. Isn’t the lever or trigger on the outside? Are you talking about the lever tray? Please help me understand. Sounds like a great method.

You're welcome, let me know how it works out for you.

@@MakeItorBreakItNow will do!! I think the part I was missing is the weight on the trap door. Thank you!!

Have you seen any squirrel on squirrel violence some mention in my comments old versus new neighbors?

Ray, great suggestions I'll have to try these out and see if they improve my odds. Although the squirrels in the burbs where I live seem fearless, they're sit on the railing of our deck while we're watching and eat our ripe tomatoes. They've also pushed over a trap to disable the mechanism and go inside to get the nuts.

BriDogman, you could for sure. But getting them to put on the gear is problematic. Found one in a rainbarrel once, was kind of a pain to pull out and dispose of..

Thanks, I thought folks might like it.

thank for the feedback and thumbs up

Mark, interesting point, I guess I would have seen a squirrel fight club I'd take that into consideration. Dozens of squirrels live behind my hous in any given year and I have yet to see a squirrel death match. Also in the area where I releasee there there is 100s of acres of woods for them to carve pout some territory. Now I have keep an eye out for that fight club...

So Bill, what trap do you recommend? I have squirrels in my attic/crawl space that i need to get rid of. Thanks!

@@johne4220 The Havahart # 1083 EZ-set trap. You have to get it online. The big box stores near me don't carry it. Grey squirrels are the most destructive of all rodents. Nothing good is going to come from having these destructive rodents in your attic.

@@johne4220 Were you able to get rid of the squirrels from your attic John ? WRZ 2022-02-04 metro-Philadelphia, PA

Squirrels love peaches don't they...

Heather, good luck, I've gotten chimpmunks and small birds which are very lightweight, these trap upgrades have done the trick for me in both cases. BTW I release both the birds and chipmunks back into the yard since neither are very destructive.

@@MakeItorBreakItNow Yes, the biggest problem I have is either birds or chipmunks getting into the trap and eating all the bait. I let the birds out and the chipmunks come and go as they please through the wire. To bring up to date, I added magnets on the door (I had to try out several combinations before I found the right weight to use) and did a few other tips that I got from a few videos. Since this is a two-door trap, I put a lid at the one end of the trap and covered that end with a small towel to keep the critters from coming in there. Then I put the cage close to the bottom of the tree that they use most often, dug a small hole underneath where the trip bar would be, baited the hole with sunflower seeds, put almond butter on the trip bar (these squirrels have ignored peanut butter), and put some seeds around the outside of the entrance. I made sure that the trip bar was directly above the hole with the bait in it. I've been trying to trap these squirrels (at least two or more!) for weeks now with no success. But when I combined all these things, I finally caught one almost immediately! YIPPEE!! Now a trip of 10 miles, then back to set it up again. Thanks for your tips. One more thing that I do is to tape both doors down with some good duct tape until I am able to take the squirrel 10 miles away. I have lost at least one that was able to knock the trap over and get out. This way, I don't have to worry about that.

They make a smaller' version also. " Haveahart" traps !

dkline27, I hope you're not poisoning birds, foxes, or cats in the process.

@@MakeItorBreakItNow lead poisoning is euphemistic for shooting the darn things. I don't shoot birds but foxes and cats - meh...

dlkkine27, ever eaten squirrel? Taste like chicken.

@@MakeItorBreakItNow I've eaten a lot of squirrel but it isn't like chicken. The meat is dark. Rabbit is more like chicken but better.

@@dlkline27 maybe so, I've only had it a couple times when I was a kid.

John x, I see your point but I travel far out to where there are acres of fields, more of a wild habitat. Although I did see a fox nab one about a month ago. Circle of life I guess.

He said he’s 5 miles from a house. Pretty sure the squirrel has a few hundred trees to choose from before he finds a house.

@@robertadams2365 Let’s hope. That would be win/ win.

I see nearby houses at 8:40

Bring on the fear.

Thanks Catherine, you comment is much appreciated.

We'll then I guess they all lost and gained weight and regrew tails...

Thanks, Oregon is a great state, hope to get back that way soon.

Squirrels act like the own the place for sure.

Pam, glad to hear the magnet approach worked for you. thanks for your comment.

Mena, thanks. Glad you like it.

Old School, have the peanuts worked for you?

put the peanut butter on the bottom of the trigger plate !

Raul Montes, congrats, still good to know you have another trick in reserve if they get smarter...

Jerry, thanks for the feedback. Glad you like the theme music.

Senator, the game is what makes it fun, no?

May I introduce you to the Conibear 110... gets them every time!

Joe, you trap ideas are very creative. Thanks for sharing your approach.

coolruler, sounds like you solved your problem. Hope its long term for you.

Steve, glad to hear my video helped you. Thanks for your comment. Semper Fi.

Tempus, let me know how it works for you.

Glad you like them!

Thanks.

Bob J, that works, particularly if the squirrels eat metal...

I take them way out in the country 15 or more miles now...

JL, thanks, its the best trap idea I've ever had.

Mark, sounds like you're a salt of the Earth kind of person. I admire that...

Theo, maybe so. We all have to choose what's best for us.

could you provide details what version trap you're using? Thanks.

copy, they're approach works.

A T, thanks. This trap is still going strong.

Thanks for the feedback. The great thing about the magnet is you can move it around to fine tune your setup.

@@MakeItorBreakItNow What I found out the first time with doing just one door open is the momentum of the locking bar coming down was not strong enough to completely lock into place. But once I put the magnet/rock right behind it that drove the bar into place. First time without it he got away with the nuts. Second time, no luck Chuck. He was ready to be shipped out!

I saw a big red fox in my backyard last week, less squirrels around now. I wonder if there is a connection?

Great suggestions, thanks for sharing.

thanks.

Great suggestions, thanks for sharing!

There's an old saying fools don't listen, and wise people don't need to be told. Sound like you get yourself a giant popcorn and a Big Gulp sit back and enjoy the ride...

TIA, moving the trap to a new location might help, you could also conceal it with twigs and brush to make it look more like a hole...

Wow, the wld animals in your area must be really hungry to go for garage doors. Are they made out of special wood? Not sure why they would eat metal. Let me know how the trap works for you.

wow, how do they like the dye job?

Joseph, you sound like a real salt of the earth kind of person. Rare traits indeed.

look forward to how it works for you.

@@MakeItorBreakItNow Yes it worked out really good install the magnet on one of the gates and locked the other one .thank you

@@meradu2 great to hear, thanks for the follow up.

Amanda, agree, for most squirrels the next level trip can be too big....

Michael, sometimes it is. Nature looks at all things at playgrounds, they don't seem to appreciate our mortgages or monthly rent for sure.