Squirrel Attractant with a Twist

[wolverine]

1st let me state I've been hunting squirrels since the early 70s. I know what squirrels eat and how to attract them to a safe area to shoot, however, where I live now we have bears. Lots of bears. Forget about bird feeders or using peanuts, peanut butter, safflower, or sunflower seeds. I'll get bears. Bears have destroyed all the bird feeders I hung to attract blue birds. (i didn't know bears would eat mealworms)
We've been in this house 2 years now. Our 1st squirrel season here I eliminated over 40 squirrels from our backyard. Now they're back in numbers. Problem is most are in the front yard where I can't get a safe shot off. We have woods to the north and to the south our neighbors have 2 very large pecan trees in their backyard. The squirrels use our yard as a highway to the neighbors, and while they're here they tear things up. (last year i replaced the boat trailer wiring twice and it never left the yard) I need something that will attract squirrels without attracting bears. I know someone here has dealt with this so I'll be patient and wait for their answer.

Thanks in advance! 

p.s. it's not just my yard. this entire area is infested with squirrels

[Rat Sniper (AKA: PaulT58)]

We have more than our fair share of Black Bear as well and have given up on trying to have a nice bird feeder to attract birds.

I do do my share of shooting rats in the woods behind my house and built a feed station with a concrete backstop to help stop pellets when shooting the rats that visit.  I just put bird seed on it. It also attracts the bird and squirrels, but since it’s essentially a concrete slab, it’s pretty much bear proof!  Yea, the bears will visit and eat the seed, but then they move on without destroying it in the process. And once they are gone, the birds, squirrels and rats return!  The birds and squirrels generally get a pass, but I have not had any damage caused by the squirrels. None caused by the rats either, but hey, they’re rats, so no one really cares that I shoot them! 

[wolverine]

thanks for the reply. 
my problem is we have a screened in patio with a grill and griddle. we also have friends with a similar setup. they have had bears tear through the screen twice, and once had the screen door ripped off by bears that came to lick the grease off the grill. i don't want the bears anywhere in the yard. so far, we haven't had the same problem, but it would cost $$$$ to replace the screen.

when we lived in the midwest, we had a bad problem with raccoons knocking the grill over for the grease. i put many to sleep with my NP2. 

[dk1677]

Black sunflower seeds are nutter crack

[only1harry]

Carl, you can always put a bowl out full of black-oiled sunflower seed in your backyard shooting lane, and bring it back inside the house before dark.  This should work for a while until the bears decide to come during the day.  They will come around at night because of the empty shells on the ground, so they might decide to come out earlier before dark to investigate.  Just be careful because it's the off-season for squirrel now..

[Back_Roads]

  Or dress like a nut

[wolverine]

Carl, you can always put a bowl out full of black-oiled sunflower seed in your backyard shooting lane, and bring it back inside the house before dark.  This should work for a while until the bears decide to come during the day.  They will come around at night because of the empty shells on the ground, so they might decide to come out earlier before dark to investigate.  Just be careful because it's the off-season for squirrel now..

Not in North Carolina. We have a spring season. It ends on the 26th. It's only viable on private land.

[wolverine]

Black sunflower seeds are nutter crack

They also attrack bears.

[Sqrl Klr]

You ever find pecans in your yard that nutters left like I do from my neighbor's? I always wonder why go through all that effort then just leave it in the next yard. 

[wolverine]

You ever find pecans in your yard that nutters left like I do from my neighbor's? I always wonder why go through all that effort then just leave it in the next yard.

I have 4 kayaks stored upside-down. When I take them out, I have to clean the pecans out of them.

[Sqrl Klr]

These here don't pack anywhere, just leave them out in the open. Can't be too hard for them to open so that blows my mind why they decide to do that.

[Blowpipe Sam]

You hit the nail on the head with your first post.

Trailer wiring.

Squirrels can't resist it!

[gendoc]

You hit the nail on the head with your first post.

Trailer wiring.

Squirrels can't resist it!

farm equipment wiring also !!!

[Back_Roads]

    Chipmunks, Rabbits and Squirrels, all have chewed my wires ! Mice just nest in air cleaners and the like LOL

[Nvreloader]

Have you tried an single strand electric cattle fence,
works very well on any critters, ask my dogs...they know about them    lol

[Rat Sniper (AKA: PaulT58)]

Maybe just wire a dummy trailer to that electric fence transformer!  Chew away Mr. Squirrel!   

[ranchibi]

Bears eat everything squirrels eat and then some! Maybe just a water dish you can empty at night? I would think squirrels would drink from it.....just a thought. A black bear had torn thru a friends window and was halfway in in the middle of the night woke my friend and his wife up and they screamed at it and it luckily backed out. Good luck!

[Back_Roads]

 For Da Bears

[Blowpipe Sam]

Bee keeping is a business in these parts and the commercial bee keepers have leases in the National Forest.  They fence off a quarter acre for an apiary with electric fence to keep the bears out.  Just twelve volt batteries for power but they seem to work.

[NorCal David]

Yes, electric fences do work for keeping bears out of my apiary. If the bear has already “visited,” then a strip of bacon hung on a hot wire will condition it to stay away. The mouth and tongue really feel it, but their thick hide is not so sensitive.