Well, you sure started something, Stuart.
Alas, it doesn't look like much of it would be
very useful to you.

As for your responders who propose eating
squirrels, one has to accept it, I suppose.
Predation of larger animals on smaller animals
is part of nature's plan, like it or not.

But as for the folks who say they like to kill or
torture animals just for enjoyment, I hope they
are merely trying to be funny--in a bad taste way.

If they are serious, my revised hope is that they get
to meet some of their victims again--accompanied
by much larger friends from the animal kingdom--
at some point in the afterlife.

But this is probably a faint hope, even if there is
an afterlife. Most of the animals would be going
UP, and most sadistic animal-abusers would be
going DOWN. So their paths wouldn't cross.

"Stuart" wrote in message
.. .
Antenna Group~

The squirrels here the my neighborhood have suddenly decided they like to
eat my coax and control cables. They seem to be particularly attracted to
the self-vulcanizing rubber used to seal the connections but they have
eaten
some coax cables as well. Anyone know of a cure for this problem?

Thanks

Stuart, ki6qp

Dear Ed:
On my farm, varmints are shot on sight. There is no component of
hunting or enjoyment or torture. It is a matter of stopping theft and
the real danger that their holes present to livestock, humans, and even
farm machinery. (I have a nasty scar on my shin due to a plunge into a
woodchuck hole.) They also pose a danger to drainage systems.
I have never shot at a squirrel. They are very rare here and just
not a problem. Woodchucks and deer are the major problems. Deer cause
hundreds of accidents, some quite serious, per year in this county
alone.
Someone who took delight in torturing anything would be a pariah in
this most rural and tolerant township. That is just not on.
..... and back to antennas
73 Mac N8TT

--
J. Mc Laughlin - Michigan USA
Home:

"Ed Senior"
snip

But as for the folks who say they like to kill or
torture animals just for enjoyment, I hope they
are merely trying to be funny--in a bad taste way.

If they are serious, my revised hope is that they get
to meet some of their victims again--accompanied
by much larger friends from the animal kingdom--
at some point in the afterlife.

On Sun, 10 Aug 2003 15:10:19 -0400, "J. McLaughlin"
wrote:

Dear Ed:
On my farm, varmints are shot on sight. There is no component of
hunting or enjoyment or torture. It is a matter of stopping theft and
the real danger that their holes present to livestock, humans, and even
farm machinery. (I have a nasty scar on my shin due to a plunge into a
woodchuck hole.) They also pose a danger to drainage systems.
I have never shot at a squirrel. They are very rare here and just
not a problem. Woodchucks and deer are the major problems. Deer cause
hundreds of accidents, some quite serious, per year in this county

You want a thrill...I was landing my airplane ( a 3100#, High
performance/complex/retractable at the Gladwin Airport (GDW) one night
when a big doe decided she wanted to be on the other side of the
runway

http://www.rogerhalstead.com/833pics.htm (bout 243K)

The mains had just touched down the nose gear was still up when she
charged across. Her head hit the underside of the leading edge of the
right wing about 2 feet out from the fuselage. Just about inside the
prop circle.

The impact drove her head down and then the right main hit her with
the wheel running over. It tore the gear doors right off and busted
the stainless steel brake line.

All this at something like 70 MPH drove the right wing up and of
course the left wing down. The wing tip was probably within 3 or 4
inches of hitting the runway. I could see the runway lights above it
as I was watching out of the corner of my eye.
I managed to maintain control, riding down the runway on the left
main only. I didn't even know if I had a right main still attached.
I kept it on one wheel as long as possible and then the right main
settled onto the pavement. ( Yippie! I had one!)

Now I was riding on both mains with the nose gear still up in the
air...I didn't know if I had one of those either. Fortunately I did
and the roll out was uneventful...other than I discovered that broken
brake line which resulted in only having brakes on the left side.

Between the brake line, tire, gear doors, hinges and a very small dent
on the underside of the leading edge the freight came to a bit over
$5,600. Those little tiny stamped hinges for the gear doors are $480
each.

They said it was either the third or fourth deer airplane accident in
the previous two weeks.

Roger Halstead (K8RI EN73 & ARRL Life Member)
www.rogerhalstead.com
N833R World's oldest Debonair? (S# CD-2)
alone.
Someone who took delight in torturing anything would be a pariah in
this most rural and tolerant township. That is just not on.
..... and back to antennas
73 Mac N8TT

Roger Halstead wrote:


You want a thrill...I was landing my airplane ( a 3100#, High
performance/complex/retractable at the Gladwin Airport (GDW) one night
when a big doe decided she wanted to be on the other side of the
runway

http://www.rogerhalstead.com/833pics.htm (bout 243K)

Thanks for the link, Roger. Great web pages!


- Mike KB3EIA -

I was landing my airplane ( a 3100#, High
performance/complex/retractable at the Gladwin Airport (GDW) one night when a
big doe decided she wanted to be on the other side of the runway

Ouch....I've hit birds before (biggest...an owl...collapsed the leading edge on
the Luscombe) but a friend, landing on a private lighted strip one evening,
managed to turn 10 Black Angus cows into steak and hamburger. The owner forgot
to clear the field when he turned on the landing strip lights. The pilot and
passenger walked away, but the Beechcraft Bonanza (cousin to Roger's Debonair)
was totalled. Barbara, the pilot, said she didn't suspect a thing until
touchdown and one cow turned towards the approaching airplane. "Shining eyes"
is all she saw. Think she's vegetarian today!!! (joke)

As for the coax, I've use the sour apple stuff...local squirrels apparently
don't like it, and wander off to greener pastures. 'Course, when all else
fails, a .22 and some CB shells take care of the rest. Thank goodness for
living in the South and not living in a city.

A

I guess that it could be a big problem..I live out in the country and i feed
the little guys all the time and have never had problems with them..I keep corn
in trays and spread out on the ground for them and have never had problems with
them eating coax...yes before you say "wait itll you stop feeding them"..I have
and have no bad things come of it..I have around 10 of them in the yard ever
morning and afternoon....
oh well just a thought..Give them something else to eat....sounds like they
may be hungry or they are lookingh for stuff to build nest....

Randy

ARS: WB4UNA
Randy Chavis
247 Goff Court
West Columbia
S.C. 29172

"Stuart" wrote in message ...
Antenna Group~

The squirrels here the my neighborhood have suddenly decided they like to
eat my coax and control cables. They seem to be particularly attracted to
the self-vulcanizing rubber used to seal the connections but they have eaten
some coax cables as well. Anyone know of a cure for this problem?

You can "protect" your coax & control cables with an autoloading 105mm
howitzer but for every one of the little beasts you terminate two more
take it's place within minutes. Killing and/or trapping them is simply
an exercise in futility. I see two choices: Squirrels have strong
alergic reactions to cats. Big nasty young female cats preferably from
feral stock. And don't feed 'em too much. There's one possibility.

The other is to use coax and control cables which have
rodent-repelling jackets and sealants which tree rats don't like. For
the coax see

http://www.davisrf.com/ham1/coax.htm#buryflex

There are probably control cables with the same general type jackets.
Maybe tree rats don't like silicon sealants, I dunno. Check out

http://www.thewireman.com/products.html

No doubt both Steve at RF Davis and Pres at the Wireman have handled
the problem many times, give 'em a buzz, it's only phone calls, save
yourself from the goo and ammo expenses.

Thanks

Stuart, ki6qp

w3rv

I live on a hill in the country where one can still practice ham radio
without interference from civilization. I used to see quite a few squirrels.
Although a12 gauge shotgun is instantaneously effective, the little buggers
breed like rats, er, squirrels. Since a feral cat I call Max (Short for
Hiram Percy Maxim, since he likes to nap on the S-Line.) has moved in, no
squirrels, skunks, raccoons, snakes, etc. Except for wild dogs, which I
shoot on sight, usually with a Weatherby 7mm08, with Max's approval, I might
add.
I vote for the cat option.
73
H.
NQ5H

"Brian Kelly" wrote in message
om...
"Stuart" wrote in message
...
Antenna Group~

The squirrels here the my neighborhood have suddenly decided they like
to
eat my coax and control cables. They seem to be particularly attracted
to
the self-vulcanizing rubber used to seal the connections but they have
eaten
some coax cables as well. Anyone know of a cure for this problem?

You can "protect" your coax & control cables with an autoloading 105mm
howitzer but for every one of the little beasts you terminate two more
take it's place within minutes. Killing and/or trapping them is simply
an exercise in futility. I see two choices: Squirrels have strong
alergic reactions to cats. Big nasty young female cats preferably from
feral stock. And don't feed 'em too much. There's one possibility.

The other is to use coax and control cables which have
rodent-repelling jackets and sealants which tree rats don't like. For
the coax see

http://www.davisrf.com/ham1/coax.htm#buryflex

There are probably control cables with the same general type jackets.
Maybe tree rats don't like silicon sealants, I dunno. Check out

http://www.thewireman.com/products.html

No doubt both Steve at RF Davis and Pres at the Wireman have handled
the problem many times, give 'em a buzz, it's only phone calls, save
yourself from the goo and ammo expenses.

Thanks

Stuart, ki6qp

w3rv

"H. Adam Stevens" wrote in message ...
I live on a hill in the country where one can still practice ham radio
without interference from civilization. I used to see quite a few squirrels.
Although a12 gauge shotgun is instantaneously effective, the little buggers
breed like rats, er, squirrels. Since a feral cat I call Max (Short for
Hiram Percy Maxim, since he likes to nap on the S-Line.) has moved in, no
squirrels, skunks, raccoons, snakes, etc.

Doesn't sound like a Grade A feral cat but if he does the job . .

I had a buddy long since an SK who lived on a mountain top in an old
hunting lodge turned big multi-multi DX contest station on contest
weekends. He had a huge bobcat which lived in a hollow log about 50
yards from the lodge, the feral cat and coax security guard from hell.
The first time I heard the thing "meow" he near scared me outta me
skivvies.

Except for wild dogs, which I
shoot on sight, usually with a Weatherby 7mm08,

I see. What do you use when you need real firepower, a Weatherby .460
Mag?

with Max's approval, I might
add.
I vote for the cat option.

Oughta work.

73
H.
NQ5H

w3rv

On Sat, 09 Aug 2003 16:23:10 GMT, "Stuart"
wrote:
Anyone know of a cure for this problem?

As the squirrel population in my neighborhood went up, they started
chewing their way through my attic wall to nest and play. No
repellents -- chemical or ultrasound -- worked.

I can not legally use a gun of any kind in this neighborhood.
Besides, who has the time to sit around and wait for them?

I finally started to catch them on the ground in Hav-a-Hart traps
baited with peanut butter, driving each one around a mile away (across
two major roads) and releasing them into the woods. I transported
almost 30 of them over a two week period. The populaiton on my
property is way down and I rarely see one anymore. I would
guesstimate that I get maybe one new one a month from neighboring
properties. He quickly joins his friends a mile away. There have been
no chew-ins for over six months.

My property is also traversed by rabbits, chipmunks, moles and rats
but none of them seem interested in the peanut butter -- which is good
because they do no harm.

If it doesn't bother you, you can immerse the traps in a garbage can
filled with water (must secure the locking bails first) and save the
two mile (R/T) drive.

Ken C2JDY

Ken
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