Viewing post #388604 by flaflwrgrl

drdawg said:One of my past-times, is to try to out-think my squirrel friends. My three feeders are all at least 8' away from the oak trunks, and the squirrels can easily jump from trunk to feeder at that distance. I began putting up fine-mesh netting, suspended from the branches and then tied to the lower trunk. Some of my netting is now three panels thick. Each time the squirrels figured out a way to bypass a sheet of netting, I put another sheet over it, wider and higher. We have a constant battle but it is fun to sit out on my porch with a cup of coffee and watch the squirrels try one thing and then another, until they either finally figure out a way to get to my feeder or they give up. Of course, they always come back day after day, having a go at it again. I have found that it is not terribly important how high the feeders are, though all of mine are approximately 6' high. They are that height so I don't bump my head when walking under them. My squirrels don't seem to be able to jump straight up from the ground to the feeders. I have never seen them even try this. They have to either approach them from the tree trunks or branches above the feeders. My feeders are hanging from wire, and the squirrels don't use the wire. They just jump to the feeders, and sometimes the branches are six feet (at least) above the feeder. All my feeders have plastic "cones" suspended above them to not only confuse the squirrels (not very effective) but to keep the seed dry during rains. Ken in Mississippi

OY! Maybe they grow 'em bigger in Mississippi. At the time I learned this it was way down in coastal S. Fl. -- maybe our squirrels were smaller & couldn't jump as far.
The dh & I have had fun watching squirrels slide down the pole of a pole feeder b/c we greased it with Vaseline.