Thursday 4 June 2009

Squirrel Orders - by Royal Decree!


Prince Charles 'declared war on Britain's three-million strong grey squirrel population yesterday', according to an article in today's Daily Mail newspaper, who saw fit to give it a whole page's worth of coverage. Well, I've been saying that for years - and I know plenty of other airgunners who concur with the Prince's views!

Of course, there's the usual 'but they're cute and nice' claims from the RSPCA and bushy-tail lovers - but I'm pleased to say that, for once, the journalism was pretty unbiased. It laid out the case extremely well, citing the ever-increasing numbers of this pest as being a major reason for the extinction of our native red squirrel.

Tree-rats - as we airgunners prefer to call them - do untold damage in the wild, raiding songbirds' nests (for eggs and chicks) and killing young saplings. They strip the bark to wear away their ever-growing molars and to line their own nests with.

But the Mail also pointed out that the grey squirrel - which is not an indigenous critter to these shores, having been introduced from the Americas in the late Nineteenth Century) - causes untold havoc in the city. There are reports of them eating through lofts, cables... you name it, they've ruined it.

So, with HRH's full backing, I'll be taking a lightweight carbine - either the Prestige Kub or Brocock Concept - into the woods this weekend for a spot of grey-bashing... and I suspect there will be plenty of other airgunners straining to train their sights through the summer foliage to pick out the flick of a grey-brown tail, too.

Unless you shoot in Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire or Bedfordshire that is. Apparently, you've got a strain of aggressive 'black' squirrels to contend with. (Better use a scope with an IR reticle then!)

So as long as it's not red, the squirrel is now officially Britain's no. 1 pest species - and you've been ordered by none other than the future King of England to exterminate them!


4 comments:

  1. Future king? I thought you said it was Charles?
    SBW

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  2. I shoot as many tree rats as i can when i go to my largest shoot. It borders the hardwick hall grounds and the surrounding woodland is rife with them. Best count to date....18 dead tree rats in a 5 hour session...not bad going in my book.

    Richard @ DVS.

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  3. I am from south Alabama here in the U.S. I just wanted to say that if you have never had gray squirrel to eat you are really missing a treat. I hate to think of killing anything and having the meat go to waste. If you will pan fry tree rat as you call it and then add some gravy for it to cook simmer in until tender you will have a mighty fine dish to serve over rice or mashed taters. Throw in some home made biscuits and it will make you slap your momma for more. Long live the gray squirrel and momma's home cooking.Sincerely, Steve House (Uriah, Alabama)

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