Shoot it or watch it??????

[JonnyP]

Does the Grey Squirrel cause more harm than good. It has ousted the Red and shredds the bark off trees, but it also plants a lot of trees, and is fun to watch, so would you rather shoot it or do you get more pleasure watching it................Jon

 

[stovie]

Hmmm!!!

Hard one this one....

 

[Abbe Osram]

shoot it, then eat it.
but in truth I had a red one in the scope the other day and didnt shoot.
He and his brother where playing so fine in the sun than I felt bad to shoot one away so I left it as that and moved happily on.

cheers
Abbe

 

[Pablo]

It's our fault it it was brought into UK in the first place like so many introduced species so we have to take the consequences. I really don't like the idea of cullling things just because we have made stupid mistakes. (Same with over-hunting and over-fishing). I know it is necessary in some instances, but I just enjoy all forms of wildlife and would never kill except if I needed food. I do my hunting practice by going on archery field shoots (ok they don't move - but we can get the idea!)

What would anyone gain by shooting them? They're true survivalists being so resourceful and ingenious, so you wouldn't stop the tree damage. It is the survival of the fittest and the Reds are still about (albeit in localised areas) so why interfere any more?

I've voted for watching. I've learned so much just by watching them in the garden. That's my 2 cents and at least I had 100% of the vote (being the first to vote )

Pablo

 

[jdlenton]

shoot it and eat it. they look good but reds look better

went out with a girl from inverness who thought greys were the rare ones in 25 years she had never seen a grey IMO thats the way it should be

very good thread man earns rep point

James

 

[demographic]

As it's a non indigenous species I would say shoot it but don't waste it, eat it.

Got a mate who gets the reds in his parents (Huge) garden and I would hate to see them ousted by greys.

 

[running bare]

if they over run the indiginous red then we lose them. so control is best and then eat them

 

[arctic hobo]

I voted watch it - they are suicidal enough in front of my bike without me shooting them too. That and the fact that they aren't in direct competition with the Red squirrel, it's just that the red's habitat has been replaced in our changing landscape, and a bunch of other things I can't remember

 

[wolf]

watch it,study it,learn its habits,then if you have to eat it trap it its easier.

[/IMG]

 

[Longstrider]

Shoot it. Then shoot it's brothers and sisters. Then move on to any other relatives you can find. Eat what you can, freeze the rest down for later. Yum !

 

[daveymonkey]

Watch it, unless your Elvis then have it on a bun

 

[dtalbot]

Sorry tosound repetative but shoot then eat!

 

[daveymonkey]

The hospital which i work at have them in the grounds and watching them when your walking across the car park on a miserable morning at 7 does cheer you up, they maybe rats with bushy tails but just for the above reasons i say save them! Anyone read this months Wildlife magazine about the escaped chipmunks?

 

[JoshG]

I'm definitely a watcher, I don't think I'd kill any living thing unless I really had to, if I was lost etc... which puts it into the category of survival for me. I'm still interested in trapping and other means of killing animals, just incase I was in a situation where I would have to use it. Sure the grey squirrels are mean to the red ones, but the red ones have conservation sites here in the UK, such as centre parks.

 

[The Joker]

Eat-em they are........................deelish

 

[daveymonkey]

Agree 100% and if you think they should be shot because they dominate other species, kill chicks,eat eggs and bark trees then we should start to shoot people aswell How could you shoot this? http://www.greysquirrel.net/

 

[daveymonkey]

Agree with josh that is!

 

[Laurence Dell]

shoot the :AR15firingreys! not that it makes any difference as even intensive shooting can only achieve localised control, the same goes for cage trapping and poisoning although those methods are more efficient at controlling numbers.

They do compete directly with Reds in deciduous woodlands which would have been part of the natural habitat of Reds before the greys were introduced. It is often forgotten that good ol squirrel nutkin was a red.

 

[elma]

Watch it.......Then shoot it....... then eat it :AR15firin

 

[tomtom]

they are currently trying to devise a way to put the grey squirrel on 'the pill' i hope they can as its a more humane way of doing it, and probably more effective too!

I have enjoyed watching them, they are certainly adapt acrobats and quite amazing but for me it has to be a 'shoot it vote' as i would much rather see the reds in the woods.. somthing i have never seen.

it has also been found that the re-introduction of some animals has been benificial to other parts of the echosystems which they are part of, obviously if the red was once again to become dominant the problems caused by the greys would be minimised but there may be other, as yet un-foreseen benifits to our damaged countryside.