How do I keep squirrels from eating my pumkins?

-- Kelley Powell (bpowell@arifleet.com), October 06, 2001

Answers

We've had this problem with the deer. I don't know how many you have or whether this would be practical for you, but I finally went out and covered each good sized pumpkin with a pillow case or wrapped a few in newspapers, to discourage those munchies.(it worked)

-- mary (marylgarcia@aol.com), October 06, 2001.

I'd consider the pumkins as bait and would do a little squirrel hunting. Yum, Yum, squirrel dumplin's.

-- r.h. in okla. (rhays@sstelco.com), October 06, 2001.

Sprinkle old fashioned mothballs around them as close as possible, works for most all critters, wild and domestic.

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), October 08, 2001.

I like the flavor and taste of pumpkins in a plethora of recipes. However, there is no taste that tickles my tastebuds more than properly prepared fried squirrel. Try it, you'll like it! GL!

-- Brad (homefixer@SacoRiver.net), October 09, 2001.

Put your pumpkins in a more squirrel-proof container....such as your house. Pumpkins inside the window are just a decorative as pumpkins outside the window. If you're using them for food but don't have enough storage space, dry them. I can fit 8 pie pumpkins in a quart jar. As for the squirrel, I've got to get over to Brad's for dinner on one of these squirrel nights. He speaks of the flavor so positively that he has me curious!

-- Sheryl in Me (radams@sacoriver.net), October 09, 2001.

I once read somewhere to feed them peanuts. "You can't beat the squirrels, you can only work with them" was the jist of the advice. I used to live where squirrels were numerous and I remember they liked peanuts. But we had no crops to protect. Seems to make sense, though: if they can't resist peanuts, and you fill their bellies with them, then they'll leave your pumkins alone, right? Let me know if it works.

-- Bob (robertblessum@netscape.net), October 11, 2001.