Squirrels, Crisco and Pistols

[gjgalligan]

I would think that Crisco & bacon grease would turn rancid in short order.
Maybe moldy also.

 

[JH1951]

I recall a WWII Navy veteran telling me that submariners would lube torpedo tubes with Crisco or a like substance. My great grandfather used rendered bear fat to lube his muzzle loader hunting rifle. My grandfather used Crisco because rendered bear fat was no longer a common product.
As for bacon fat, I know some people who practice blacksmithing will coat iron/steel creations with it to create a nice patina in a relatively short period of time. I will be sticking with petroleum products, synthetic oil, and/or Ren Wax for preserving a gun that has any value.

 

[ditrina]

Check out WILD BIRDS UNLIMITED'S Raccoon Baffles.
I've had one for years they work foe Raccoons and Squirrels.

Used to live with a 50 acre conservation in our backyard, squirrels galore, racoons too numerous to mention.

These baffles WORK, PERIOD.

 

[WardenRoss]

Our squirrel population suddenly disappeared after we got Quigley.

 

[NYlakesider]

I greased my feeder pole with lithium grease.
The squack wiped the grease off with his body, wiped off body on grass, repeated several times, and reached his goal.

We have a serious squirrel problem in regards to them getting the bird food and my wife came up with something finely that worked.

We have two trees about 20' apart. Nothing over them. She drilled out a centered hole in the back of soda bottles so that she could string them between trees with thin wire mouth to bottom.

The bird feeder hangs in the middle about 5' high. The squirrels try like hell run up or down the trees and jump to the bottles. The bottles simply turn upside down, the squirrel tries to keep going in a inverted mode but falls off after a couple bottles.

Admittedly it looks strange but works, so finely the score is something like squirrels 9, Barb 1.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

How can you NOT open a thread with this title

 

[BigBoy99]

I use a pellet pistol to discourage tree rats from the bird feeder. After a while they learn that the feeder will "bite" them is they go on to it. (Being retired helps and gives me something to do during the day.)

 

[Retired W4]

When I bought this house 23 years ago the squirrel population was old, diseased and out of control. Most every tree had three nests. Fleas every where. Now, due to my urban pest control system, the population is young, healthy with reasonable numbers. And they know not to mess with my bird feeders. I think they can smell the blood of their fore fathers.

System shown below.

 

[SMSgt]

If one wishes to use bacon fat or cooking oils, check the salt content first. Salt and guns are not a viable combination.

As for squirrels, I was plagued with them for a while. After one got into the attic, I declared war. I bought a Havahart trap and a bag of unsalted raw peanuts, and so far have carried off well over 100 of the rodents. If I see one, I set the trap out, and within a couple of days he's toast. Their is a grove of oak trees on the far side of the interstate that would be prime squirrel hunting property!

 

[mckenney99]

I live in town with houses all around so I had to think long and hard for a solution that took care of the squirrel problem and satisfied my inner need to shoot something. No tree rat carcasses to get rid of but they give my property a wide berth. This was my solution.

 

[britbike1]

+1

How she found this out I don't know but my daughter in law told us that squirrels will not eat Safflower seeds. They are a little more expensive than the black oil sunflower seeds we used previously.

Despite my skepticism, I can attest that the squirrels will not eat Safflower seeds. The dove, cardinals, and various other winged creatures eat them like they are candy, Squirrels won't touch them; go figure.

Also cow birds and blackbirds leave it alone.

 

[DWalt]

Back in the 1960s my dad was an NSS-A skirmisher, and he used Crisco as a lubricant and fouling softener for his rifle cartridges. He would coat the rings of the Minie balls with Crisco and fill in the hollow base of the Minie balls with Crisco and from what I remember it worked just fine.

I have used Crisco (or similar) as a lubricant in everything BP I own, and have for many years. Including in Minie balls. I keep it in a plastic squeeze bottle.

 

[fiasconva]

I've had the same baffle that Ditrina has for a couple of years and it works great. The tree rats keep trying but haven't conquered it yet. I've even had a few of them grab it at the bottom in their mouths and try to shake it loose but couldn't do it. They're still getting pretty fat from the seed knocked off the feeders onto the ground below.

 

[Rustyt1953]

Years ago a member stated here that he bought peanut butter in the large plastic jars. When it was close to being empty he would toss the opened jar in his back yard and watch the squirrels take turns inside doing barrel rolls.

JR and I have done it a few times.

We are easily amused.

 

[steelslaver]

I don't worry about squirrels. I do have some cats. If I put up a bird feeder I would put it in an open area a way from anything else and if the squirrels started raiding it, the cats would shortly turn it into their feeding station. I am sure they under stand the concept of what goes up must come down.

 

[Walkin Horse]

An old man once told me when I was a kid to use lard and I would grow into a man. I used Crisco and later realized it was shortening.

 

[Whit]

The idea of watching squirrels inside a peanut butter jar sounds entertaining. Wonder how the little rodents get all the peanut butter off thei fur? Maybe they are like monkeys picking fleas off each other.

 

[ACORN]

An old man once told me when I was a kid to use lard and I would grow into a man. I used Crisco and later realized it was shortening.

BOOOOO!!!!!

 

[MTC(SS)Ret]

We have a bird feeder on one of those shepherds hook poles made from 1/2" steel rod. Various lubes didn't work. I came up with the following idea....I got electricians tape and pushed flat headed thumbtacks through from the sticky side about every inch then wrapped long lengths of this "tack tape" around the pole from top to bottom. I thought for sure the little grey buggers couldn't climb the pole with all the tacks sticking them in their feet. My wife looked at it, said "great idea, you'll get rich from your idea!" I sat, watched, and waited. The first squirrel came by, looked up at the pole........and proceeded to climb right up the pole, using the tacks as little steps!!!!

 

[jeffrefrig]

An old man once told me when I was a kid to use lard and I would grow into a man. I used Crisco and later realized it was shortening.

That falls into the "That's funny, I don't care who you are" category.
As far as Crisco, I plead the 5th.