NO SUCH THING AS A FREE MEAL

Controlling grey squirrels is a job that needs to be done right through the year if you are going to make a dent in their numbers – and keep them down. The methods we use can vary from season to season, but there is no denying that setting up a feeding station is one of the best whatever the time of year.

I didn’t actually use my feeding stations very much through the winter on one woodland permission.

This is because the wood is managed as a pheasant shoot and I can expect to encounter plenty of grey squirrels around the pheasant feeders during the colder months when natural food is scarce.

Things are changing now. With the pheasant season long behind us, the gamekeeper is putting out less grain for his birds. This, combined with the increasing abundance of natural food, means that the squirrels are spreading out more.

Rather than adopt a roving approach and trying to pick off any squirrels when I encounter them, I am re-establishing one of my feeding stations in order