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Squirrels and deer (1 Viewer)

Wnybirdfeeder

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I am trying to discouage squirrels and deer from eating all of the bird seed in my feeders. Any ideas? Would chimes scare away the birds along with the squirrels and deer? If this is not were I should be posting this, if not can someone please help me find were to find this.
 
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Solutions short of mayhem are usually only temporary but for deer you can try scent deterrents, among which I've seen dryer sheets, coyote urine, human urine, and blood meal fertilizer recommended. Better perhaps are motion triggered spray devices you hook up to your garden hose- good for deer but my local squirrel horde learned all the paths of safe approach very quickly. The most effective deterrent I've found is inaccessibility- my feeders are either all hung high above even squirrels' abilities (not easy), or are models that close themselves off when a large animal tries to breach them. Unfortunately those are not that welcoming to larger birds but at least the SQs and deer are left with what seed gets dropped on the ground by the birds themselves. And up to a point it's fun to watch the SQs trying to breach them. Actually my SQ horde has learned to crack every feeder I've had, even if only by removing one seed at a time with a single claw on their little paws. but watching how it was done and moving the feeders slightly or putting in extra shielding and so on has done the trick.

Now if you really want problems, I know people who get raided by black bear, quickly becoming a problem animal all over.
 
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Tobasco Sauce and Cayenne Pepper does not work. Red Chili Flakes do not work. Mint oil does not work. Squirrels keep coming back and dissemate your bird feed. Squirrels are curious, persistent problem solvers and if they want your bird feed they are going to get it. After endless internet searches and trying all sorts of methods for keeping squirrels away from my bird food I have figured out a solution.

Remember, squirrels and deer have tongues and are sensitive to chilis. Birds do not have tongues and are not affected by chilis.

I have used this solution for whole peanuts in the shell and for striped sunflower seed.

1. In a tupperware container add desired amount of bird feed.
2. Lightly sprinkle a few drops food grade oil to your bird feed. (I use both olive and canola oil.)
3. Shake bird feed in sealed container vigorously to coat bird feed with oil.
4. Now for the good part - Sprinkle "Carolina Reaper Powder" over bird feed.
5. Shake bird feed until chili powder is dusted evenly over bird feed. (Add more oil, if necessary, for powder to stick.)
6. Feed your birds.

Observations and Suggestions:

Carolina Reaper Chilis are the hottest chilis in the world, so be careful. Wash your hands after this process and "DO NOT RUB YOUR EYES" with your hands or fingers.

My goal is to deter squirrels without harming them. I've read accounts of squirrels clawing their eyes out with similar methods so proceed with caution. The amount of chili powder that's needed will be trial and error. My method is after I've sprinkled my whole peanuts with the chili powder I a put a peanut in my own mouth to gage its effectiveness. (Of course, with a large glass of milk nearby.) Not much of the Carolina Reaper Powder is needed to create an intolerable heat. This makes using the powder fairly cost effective.

I was excited to see what would happen with the squirrels. Several squirrels would eat my peanuts in minutes and leave nothing for my blue jays, grackles, woodpeckers, or cardinals. They would watch me from afar and as soon as I would put my bird feed out they would pounce. So here is what happened when I dusted my peanuts with the Chili Reaper Powder...

The squirrels cavalierly came prancing up to my peanut feeder, giving me the evil eye, of course. A wry smile came upon my face. Then the alpha squirrel took the first peanut as always. Almost immediately I could see a puzzled look on his face. Then he dropped the peanut and and shook his head violently as he ran as fast as he could. The other squirrels got scared and followed. Was I bit worried that I might have harmed the squirrel? Sure I was but only time would tell. It was early evening when I first used this chili method so I did not see the squirrels for the rest of the evening. Even the birds were put off by what they had seen and did not eat any peanuts for the rest of that evening.

The next morning, however, all of my peanuts were gone. I could tell they were eaten by birds and not by squirrels because the squirrels always discard the shells nearby. There were no shells to be seen. Even so, the squirrels came back the next afternoon. I was glad to see that the alpha squirrel had not clawed his eyes out. This time, however, he was far more cautious. I could see him on top of the peanuts sniffing the chili powder, trying to decide whether or not to take another peanut. He did not. His partner then had her turn. She too sniffed the peanuts and walked away.

Then there were a couple of squirrels I had not seen before. They immediately took the peanuts in their mouth and just like the first squirrel violently reacted to the chili powder, dropped the peanuts and ran away. So far, so good! My method is working. I hope this method will work for you too. Please, try and it out and report your findings here. I am also curious to see if this will work with deer, and even bear.

Good luck.

https://www.amazon.com/Carolina-Reap...ct_top?ie=UTF8
 
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