At war with the squirrels

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TheRealJuliane said:
Fried squirrel is quite good, but they are small, so it takes a few to make a meal. Fix them like fried chicken.
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Soooooo tasty.

Also, if you’ve got kids (or you yourself) who aren’t afraid of getting dirty, I’ll give fifty cents for a treated fur-on squirrel pelt with the tail, up to 500.
 
prodigalson2011 said:
I don’t know about that, but your thread title made me think of a great joke!
Three churches in a small Texas town, one Presbyterian, one Methodist and one Catholic, were having a terrible problem with squirrel infestations. Predictably, they all had different ways of dealing with the problem.

The Presbyterian church called a meeting to decide what to do. After much prayer and consideration they determined that the squirrels were predestined to be there, and they shouldn’t interfere with God’s divine will.

The Methodist church got together and decided that they were not in a position to harm any of God’s creation. So, they humanely trapped the squirrels and set them free a few miles outside of town. Three days later, the squirrels were back.

The Catholic church came up with the best and most effective solution: they baptized the squirrels and registered them as members of the church. Now they only see them on Christmas and Easter!*
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:rotfl: Sharing.
 
LOL, this is best thread I’ve seen in some time.

There’s nothing wrong with managing game on your property, but like others have written, you need to respect local laws and hunting regulations, not to mention your neighbors’ safety. In many parts of the country, it’s open season on nuisance species, but squirrels are usually consider game, and some species are threatened and closed to all hunting. Depending on your situation, using traps and poison might be an alternative to poaching, although that could also be regulated. Failing to respect just laws in most cases is a venial sin.

Around my family’s properties, groundhogs and starlings are designated a nuisance species are shot on sight. Kind of funny when guests are over and someone hushes everyone and runs to the next room to grab a rifle.
 
bearer said:
LOL, this is best thread I’ve seen in some time.

There’s nothing wrong with managing game on your property, but like others have written, you need to respect local laws and hunting regulations, not to mention your neighbors’ safety. In many parts of the country, it’s open season on nuisance species, but squirrels are usually consider game, and some species are threatened and closed to all hunting. Depending on your situation, using traps and poison might be an alternative to poaching, although that could also be regulated. Failing to respect just laws in most cases is a venial sin.

Around my family’s properties, groundhogs and starlings are designated a nuisance species are shot on sight. Kind of funny when guests are over and someone hushes everyone and runs to the next room to grab a rifle.
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Oh me, I could be in trouble here. I’m safe on the nuisance management part and the only one threatening the species is me…and my Methodist neighbor. I haven’t been able to convert him, so I think God will grant leeway on the safety issue. Too many pets for traps or poison. There IS a season and I am shooting outside that season and I’m interpreting the local ordinance against “discharging firearms” to mean REAL guns. Maybe I’m stretching, but I envision my 1250fps Crossman in the same category as Ralphies Red Ryder BB gun (with a compass in the stock).

Ya got me on the game laws and most likely the bag limit. So my BIG question is: how many venial sins does it take to make a mortal one?

See, I’m already at 147…ooops, hang on.

See, I’m already at 148 and I need to know if I’m intrinsically evil :confused:
 
shipwrkd said:
Oh me, I could be in trouble here. I’m safe on the nuisance management part and the only one threatening the species is me…and my Methodist neighbor. I haven’t been able to convert him, so I think God will grant leeway on the safety issue. Too many pets for traps or poison. There IS a season and I am shooting outside that season and I’m interpreting the local ordinance against “discharging firearms” to mean REAL guns. Maybe I’m stretching, but I envision my 1250fps Crossman in the same category as Ralphies Red Ryder BB gun (with a compass in the stock).

Ya got me on the game laws and most likely the bag limit. So my BIG question is: how many venial sins does it take to make a mortal one?

See, I’m already at 147…ooops, hang on.

See, I’m already at 148 and I need to know if I’m intrinsically evil :confused:
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I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt, but it seems you would need quite a large piece of property to be able to sustain a growing population of hundreds of squirrels. In many areas you’ll only see a handful of squirrels per acre.

And if you were a particular hunting forum I have in mind, you would be lambasted and likely driven away by admitting to poaching. It is quite dishonorable in the hunting community. The proper thing to to in your case would be to hire licensed professionals to remove your pests. Poaching is not only illegal and irresponsible, but it can land you hefty fines and seizure of your weapons.

As for venial sins, it isn’t that they necessarily add up to mortal sin, but dispose you to committing mortal sins. The fact that you are not repentant is the real problem.

From the CCC:
1863 Venial sin weakens charity; it manifests a disordered affection for created goods; it impedes the soul’s progress in the exercise of the virtues and the practice of the moral good; it merits temporal punishment. Deliberate and unrepented venial sin disposes us little by little to commit mortal sin. However venial sin does not break the covenant with God. With God’s grace it is humanly reparable. “Venial sin does not deprive the sinner of sanctifying grace, friendship with God, charity, and consequently eternal happiness.”
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While he is in the flesh, man cannot help but have at least some light sins. But do not despise these sins which we call “light”: if you take them for light when you weigh them, tremble when you count them. A number of light objects makes a great mass; a number of drops fills a river; a number of grains makes a heap. What then is our hope? Above all, confession.
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bearer said:
I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt, but it seems you would need quite a large piece of property to be able to sustain a growing population of hundreds of squirrels. In many areas you’ll only see a handful of squirrels per acre.

And if you were a particular hunting forum I have in mind, you would be lambasted and likely driven away by admitting to poaching. It is quite dishonorable in the hunting community. The proper thing to to in your case would be to hire licensed professionals to remove your pests. Poaching is not only illegal and irresponsible, but it can land you hefty fines and seizure of your weapons.

As for venial sins, it isn’t that they necessarily add up to mortal sin, but dispose you to committing mortal sins. The fact that you are not repentant is the real problem.
From the CCC:
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I see your point.But in my defense, it has brought me closer to God in prayer:

Prayer while dispatching
Lord, give me a steady hand and a smooth, firm trigger pull so this rodent needn’t suffer needlessly. And I’m on a fixed income and “good” pellets are becoming rather pricey
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.
Burial
If this rodent has a soul, I know it’s already with you. We now send the rest of him your way, and pray for a strong Zip-Loc bag, so he doesn’t stink up the garbage can
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.
Prayer of Thanks
Thank you Lord for the nice shot, and quick kill…but mostly not getting caught!
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BTW, I am an avid hunter and follow all other “Hunters Commandments”** to the letter!
**
And to the earlier poster regarding those pesky starlings, you could always practice “shoot and release”. :rolleyes:
 
maltmom said:
awwwww

I’m thinking…fried squirrel, squirrel stew, squirrel gumbo…ahhhh the list goes on
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In many Asian country’s, dog is preferred over USDA Prime, but eating a tree rat would be right up there with eating my dog Dam-it. So named by my fellow hunters in the interest of saving time and confusion. As in: “get back here Dam-it” or “Dam-it, go fetch that pheasant like you were trained to do”.
Gosh, I hope my dog’s name isn’t grounds for a new thread…:eek:
 
bearer said:
I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt, but it seems you would need quite a large piece of property to be able to sustain a growing population of hundreds of squirrels. In many areas you’ll only see a handful of squirrels per acre.
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The suburbs have little to no other natural predators, other then myself and my Methodist neighbor. Like I mentioned in my OP, 16 in my small front yard that has 5 oaks crammed in it.
The proper thing to to in your case would be to hire licensed professionals to remove your pests.
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I live in a large wooded area and professionals would make a “hole” in the population.Remember when Kevin Costner said “if you make it, they shall come”.
And if you were a particular hunting forum I have in mind, you would be lambasted and likely driven away by admitting to poaching. It is quite dishonorable in the hunting community
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.
I seem to be digging myself a bigger hole. I’m also an avid fisherman and there’s a lake near me that has some really nice sunfish, if you can get your bait past the clouds of bullheads in the lake. Now we also have a limit on them and even though it’s 100 fish, it’s still a limit. Now the bullhead is right up there with the squirrel and most (if not all) that are landed, are returned to the lake in less then perfect condition. Usually dead. While illegal, the local CO has no qualms with “thinning the population”, and turns his head.
But, I’m off topic and perhaps this is subject for yet another thread. 🤷
 
shipwrkd said:
We live in a suburban neighborhood with many beautiful oak trees and in those trees, many annoying and destructive squirrels. Used to think they were cute and enjoyed playing games with them and my bird feeders.Then they started to cause damage. Chewed their way into the attic and nested, damaged screens by crawling on them, gnawed the siding etc. My devout Catholic wife counted 16 of them in our 75 X 100 foot front yard a few years ago and for my birthday a couple weeks later, I received a pellet gun and war was declared. It’s not a just war because I have no chance of winning it. My neighbor and I have turned this into a competition in which the rules of engagement state we can’t shoot anything not in our own yard, so if one makes it to the fence, it belongs to him. He’s not Catholic, but I’m a better shot and together, we’re over two hundred confirmed kills. Do I need to confess this???
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Not if your eating the greys, and foxes. While my area has plenty of Red tailed, and Coopers hawks, Coyote’s, and red foxes. I still believe that as the apex predator, I eat first.

I’m using a GAMO Hunter.
 
TheRealJuliane said:
Fried squirrel is quite good, but they are small, so it takes a few to make a meal. Fix them like fried chicken.
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👍 Or make the infamous squirrel stew. I believe squirrel is the finest meat in the woods. Followed closely by black bear.

ATB
 
Mickey_Finn said:
.I’m using a GAMO Hunter.
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Darn, Mickey, I really wanted one of those, but my wife never heard of it and thought they can’t be any good. Hence…the Crossman. I’d be real happy to swap with ya!

Now I have to check on the other “educational” thread I’m following called The Ban Game…then off to church. The older I get, the more prayer it takes to maintain good vision and a steady hand.

Wow, I really must be intrinsically evil.😦
 
Mickey_Finn said:
👍 Or make the infamous squirrel stew. I believe squirrel is the finest meat in the woods. Followed closely by black bear.

ATB
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Those fuzzy little bunny rabbits are pretty tasty too. And Bambi is yummy, if you know how to fix it. Deer sausage is high on my list of favorite foods.
 
TheRealJuliane said:
Those fuzzy little bunny rabbits are pretty tasty too. And Bambi is yummy, if you know how to fix it. Deer sausage is high on my list of favorite foods.
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I’ve never eaten squirrel or rabbit. I agree about the deer sausage. I quit buying ground beef the day my ex-husband introduced me to venison. I have some deer steak in the freezer. hmmmm it may be what I’m having for dinner tomorrow night. 😃
 
The only way I can possibly see sin in this is if the law doesn’t like you shooting squirrels. Morally speaking, this shouldn’t be any worse than any other method of pest control (such as putting mousetraps up or stomping roaches on the spot).
 
shipwrkd said:
C…hewed their way into the attic and nested, damaged screens by crawling on them, gnawed the siding etc.
…It’s not a just war because I have no chance of winning it.
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shipwrkd said:
So my BIG question is: how many venial sins does it take to make a mortal one?
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“Just war” cannot possibly apply, since war is by definition against another human. This falls under the category of stewardship of the Earth. I think you’re safe, although perhaps you’re not quite getting through to the other squirrels, since they keep coming…

Venial and mortal sin are different in kind, that is, no number of venial sins adds up to a mortal sin. Just don’t intentionally torture the animals, and I’m sure you’re fine.
 
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