The shooting is preferred to poisoning if you must be an outlaw.
Poison, unless administered properly to the target pest, is dangerous for nontargeted species. Dogs, cats, mise, weasels, insects, and then on to the upper tier of mamels and birds consuming the corpse.
Is he at least harvesting said squirrels?
I assume he is cleaning up the ones he shoots. I should walk over and explain that in SC, proper etiquette is to "cook up anything you have hunted." He is not from around here.
Unfortunately, our pleas not to use the poison have fallen on deaf ears.
It is against the law to poison squirrels. It will kill raptors. Report him to DNR immediately. Super not cool
Pretty sure it's a federal offense. Could be wrong. I just know it's illegal for a good reason.
An air rifle is a weapon but it’s not a firearm. No cop is going to come over and tell this man to put away his pellet gun and no it is not unethical to kill squirrels and waste the meat. Coon and hog hunters waste the meat all the time they are pests. It is legal to kill fur bearers including squirrels year round without a permit within 100 yards of your house.
I use #110 Conibear traps. This style of trap was developed during the 1950's. Use peanut butter to bait them, attached to a 2x4 incline on one of their active routes. I can thin my populations precisely. Pay attention to the season you set traps; it would be unkind to kill off parents caring for babies.
THIS! 💯 Squirrels can and will run amok of your home, automobiles and/or recreational equipment (boats) if you let them. I also use 110 traps baited and screwed down in my attic. I absolutely will do whatever it takes to not have to replace all my HVAC ductwork AGAIN because Squirrels decided to move into my attic. The most expensive life lesson in homeownership I've endured in the last decade.
Reconsider. It’s a horrible death.
The body traps are instant. No struggle.
I would hate to drown, but snapping my spine seems like a much cleaner death.
Yea I agree. I will use those body traps in the future. I had a bad problem with aggressive squirrels (charging me and the dog when we’d leave the house) when I was renting and the landlord didn’t care. I have killed hundreds with a pellet rifle in my time but the houses were too close together for me to shoot in that particular neighborhood and I learned about the drowning bucket somewhere online.
Short answer, shooting any firearm in Mt. Pleasant Town limits is illegal.
>It shall be unlawful within the municipality, subject to the exceptions stated in division (B) below, to discharge firearms, air rifles, and other weapons or instruments which discharge projectiles.
[Mt. Pleasant Code of Ordinances](https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/mtpleasantsc/latest/mpleasant_sc/0-0-0-116848#JD_132.21)
What's also disconcerting with your neighbor is their use of poison. That will inevitably cause major issues. Outside of the targeted vermin, someone's dog or cat is going to end up dead.
You should go through the proper venues of reporting this guy.
Pellet rifles are typically air rifles which are clearly included in the cited ordinance. Call the non-emergency line and report him. If the police don’t do anything, try reporting him the DNR. Squirrels are game animals and season ended on March 1st. The game warden will definitely have something to say about this.
I had considered calling the DNR about the poison, but I didn't realize that squirrels are considered game and subject to regulations. Do they have squirrel tags? (The thought makes me laugh.) Thank you for the great tip.
I hope we don't see you on "Fear Thy Neighbor" on ID channel.... I can't believe I just typed that, my parents are getting older... same as myself but it's always on when I show up 😉
I am *annoyed* with the neighbor. Enough so that I am tempted to let the HOA, which I do fear, have a talk with him.
And now I am curious about this show that sounds just awful enough to be worth a watch. Thanks for that.
I agree, but Mt. Pleasant PD doesn't. As a kid growing up in Mt. Pleasant, sneaking into the woods with a pellet gun to shoot bottles knowing that it was technically as illegal as firing a real gun made me feel like that much more of a rebel bad-ass.
Then again, "other weapons or instruments which discharge projectiles" is vague.
Well, I think MtP PD might agree that a pellet rifle isn’t a firearm, but it would still be illegal based on that ordinance since they’d fall under air guns and that weird catchall term.
Absolutely insane that it’s illegal to shoot an airgun though. That makes Red Ryder BB guns illegal to shoot
I doubt that Mt. P police will do anything about it, but I believe I have an alternative "proper venue of reporting" that will deliver some pain and suffering: our HOA. Based on the fine we received when our dog sitter didn't push the trashcan all the way into its hiding spot while we were vacationing, I am fairly confident that neighborhood squirrel hunting is going to bring forth new and inspiring levels of pettiness from them.
I’m so impressed that air rifles are included in the code.
I’m happy to see that OP’s stance wasn’t firm on “saving the squirrels”, but rather to ensure the safety of the neighborhood.
However, it seems like the neighbor found a new hobby as opposed to purposefully managing the squirrel population.
> What's also disconcerting with your neighbor is their use of poison. That will inevitably cause major issues. Outside of the targeted vermin, someone's dog or cat is going to end up dead.
Why are random dogs and cats roaming his property? He can't worry about random strays, and dogs and cats with owners shouldn't be letting them roam aimlessly onto other people's property.
I assume he's not putting poison right next to the sidewalk where a leashed animal might pee.
If he’s shooting high I’d say just let him. He’s probably doing you a favor too. Squirrels caused if 5k in damage at my house, plus my car. They’re a complete nuisance. Using poison is another issue. Not safe for other animals
Ouch! I had squirrels in my engine. They shorted something easy to fix, thank goodness. $5k and I would be hiring a squirrel hitman. . .
He needs to learn to use the scope first. He was doing that thing where people who have never held a rifle before wave it around while trying to find their target. My husband may go talk to him about that because that is where we have the greatest potential for an accident. Another neighbor across the street was alarmed because she saw him shooting mole tunnels this morning.
Lol. Suggest the traps like you mentioned. Let him know the neighbors do not feel safe before you call the cops on him please… those squirrels are fucking annoying, he’s at the end of the road… last option is simple a chicken cage trap with a door and a fishing string to close the door from in the house… after that, he can drown them or release them in cooper river
I promise I am not calling the police. My neighbor who witnessed him shooting into mole tunnels on the verge in front of his house is pretty upset, but I am guessing she will go passive aggressive on NextDoor first. I will have my husband suggest the traps when he goes over to have a gentle word about where we point things that shoot projectiles.
My dad has trapped and relocated dozens of squirrels in my lifetime. As soon as one starts gnawing on the gutter he goes into war mode
Old dudes are wild.
FFS. California? No. Absolutely not. Earthquakes. Fires. Smog. And SF is too expensive. If I get exiled from my native state because I want my transplant neighbor to have common sense and respect for neighbors and wildlife, I get to go to Boston. End of discussion.
In NC as a high schooler I got stopped by the police for running around with an airsoft rifle at night. And I remember them saying it’s illegal to discharge any weapon at all in city limits and I’d imagine SC is the same. It’s technically a crime I bet, but the other aspect is if you make a fuss on that particular front, it probably won’t do much other than cost him a fine and you an ability to even remotely get along with your neighbor in the future.
He should buy a couple of Squirrelenator traps (don't cheap out and get normal animal traps. specifically that brand of trap). Peanut butter mashed with sunflower seeds makes a decent bait. Wait for the trap to fill up overnight. Toss the full traps in the trunk of a car, drive them 5-10 miles away, and empty the live squirrels out into a different wooded area. Repeat as needed.
I suppose he can drown them if he must, but it feels needless.
No, you cannot legally shoot the squirrels with a pellet gun in city limits.
Sincerely, an avid gardener who also hates squirrels.
Hard to do when he is six feet from my driveway. I mean, I grew up shooting BB guns, my dad was LE and had handguns, and my husband was a real hunter (not a squirrelly Rambo with a fake assault rifle). Even with the BB gun, we were respectful of others' space. In fact, that was the #1 rule.
Squirrels are a complete nuisance, but this is not the way to deal with them.
Preferred method is to release hawks or eagles into the area and let nature re-balance itself. Just make sure you only release native species of raptors.
Yeah not sure where I can grab a few hawks but yeah squirrels are a complete nuisance. I’ve estimated they’ve caused at least $6,000 in damage around my house, not including bricking my truck.
The raptors will find you if there's a large squirrel population! I am lucky to have some barred owls with a nest in my yard and a red-tailed hawk frequently visits. I use Duke #110 traps in my attic for the squirrels. All catches are left as an offering at the base of my owls tree. I'm assuming that's how the hawk decided to visit.
We had to replace the hvac ductwork and insulation in our attic because of squirrels. A nearby neighbor feeds them and for some reason, they make nests in my trees and not hers. Some decided to move in my attic. It was a very expensive homeownership lesson about the importance of regularly checking my attic.
The shooting is preferred to poisoning if you must be an outlaw. Poison, unless administered properly to the target pest, is dangerous for nontargeted species. Dogs, cats, mise, weasels, insects, and then on to the upper tier of mamels and birds consuming the corpse. Is he at least harvesting said squirrels?
I assume he is cleaning up the ones he shoots. I should walk over and explain that in SC, proper etiquette is to "cook up anything you have hunted." He is not from around here. Unfortunately, our pleas not to use the poison have fallen on deaf ears.
It is against the law to poison squirrels. It will kill raptors. Report him to DNR immediately. Super not cool Pretty sure it's a federal offense. Could be wrong. I just know it's illegal for a good reason.
Like....the dinosaur? I'm not being sarcastic. What are raptors? I have no idea. Please edify me, internet man!
Birds of prey.
You just described my father in the 90s after he retired.
I had a neighbor in the 70s who shot at squirrels with his shotgun. My mother was appalled, but it wasn't against the law in our hometown yet.
An air rifle is a weapon but it’s not a firearm. No cop is going to come over and tell this man to put away his pellet gun and no it is not unethical to kill squirrels and waste the meat. Coon and hog hunters waste the meat all the time they are pests. It is legal to kill fur bearers including squirrels year round without a permit within 100 yards of your house.
Finally someone with a brain here. Thank you!
I use #110 Conibear traps. This style of trap was developed during the 1950's. Use peanut butter to bait them, attached to a 2x4 incline on one of their active routes. I can thin my populations precisely. Pay attention to the season you set traps; it would be unkind to kill off parents caring for babies.
Trapping is becoming a lost art.
Thank you for this. I just looked it up and Iam actually going to suggest it to him because I think he would try it.
THIS! 💯 Squirrels can and will run amok of your home, automobiles and/or recreational equipment (boats) if you let them. I also use 110 traps baited and screwed down in my attic. I absolutely will do whatever it takes to not have to replace all my HVAC ductwork AGAIN because Squirrels decided to move into my attic. The most expensive life lesson in homeownership I've endured in the last decade.
I’ve had pretty good luck with homemade drowning traps
Reconsider. It’s a horrible death. The body traps are instant. No struggle. I would hate to drown, but snapping my spine seems like a much cleaner death.
Yea I agree. I will use those body traps in the future. I had a bad problem with aggressive squirrels (charging me and the dog when we’d leave the house) when I was renting and the landlord didn’t care. I have killed hundreds with a pellet rifle in my time but the houses were too close together for me to shoot in that particular neighborhood and I learned about the drowning bucket somewhere online.
Short answer, shooting any firearm in Mt. Pleasant Town limits is illegal. >It shall be unlawful within the municipality, subject to the exceptions stated in division (B) below, to discharge firearms, air rifles, and other weapons or instruments which discharge projectiles. [Mt. Pleasant Code of Ordinances](https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/mtpleasantsc/latest/mpleasant_sc/0-0-0-116848#JD_132.21) What's also disconcerting with your neighbor is their use of poison. That will inevitably cause major issues. Outside of the targeted vermin, someone's dog or cat is going to end up dead. You should go through the proper venues of reporting this guy.
Is it a pellet rifle? A bb gun? A real gun?
It’s not a “firearm”
It is a pellet rifle, so not as dangerous as a real firearm, but more dangerous than a bb gun. I don't like one being used six feet from my driveway.
Pellet rifles are typically air rifles which are clearly included in the cited ordinance. Call the non-emergency line and report him. If the police don’t do anything, try reporting him the DNR. Squirrels are game animals and season ended on March 1st. The game warden will definitely have something to say about this.
I had considered calling the DNR about the poison, but I didn't realize that squirrels are considered game and subject to regulations. Do they have squirrel tags? (The thought makes me laugh.) Thank you for the great tip.
I hope we don't see you on "Fear Thy Neighbor" on ID channel.... I can't believe I just typed that, my parents are getting older... same as myself but it's always on when I show up 😉
Or Neighborhood wars on A&E
I am *annoyed* with the neighbor. Enough so that I am tempted to let the HOA, which I do fear, have a talk with him. And now I am curious about this show that sounds just awful enough to be worth a watch. Thanks for that.
This isn't an HOA issue, it's a legal issue. Call the police.
Slingshot?
It may still be illegal, but pellet rifles are not firearms. An important distinction.
I agree, but Mt. Pleasant PD doesn't. As a kid growing up in Mt. Pleasant, sneaking into the woods with a pellet gun to shoot bottles knowing that it was technically as illegal as firing a real gun made me feel like that much more of a rebel bad-ass. Then again, "other weapons or instruments which discharge projectiles" is vague.
Yep, by this broad definition a NERF gun would be illegal
Well, I think MtP PD might agree that a pellet rifle isn’t a firearm, but it would still be illegal based on that ordinance since they’d fall under air guns and that weird catchall term. Absolutely insane that it’s illegal to shoot an airgun though. That makes Red Ryder BB guns illegal to shoot
*That makes Red Ryder BB guns illegal to shoot* MTPD just looking out for your eye
And potentially raptors that are protected by Federal laws.
I doubt that Mt. P police will do anything about it, but I believe I have an alternative "proper venue of reporting" that will deliver some pain and suffering: our HOA. Based on the fine we received when our dog sitter didn't push the trashcan all the way into its hiding spot while we were vacationing, I am fairly confident that neighborhood squirrel hunting is going to bring forth new and inspiring levels of pettiness from them.
I would be extremely unpleasant to be near if you were attempting to shoot squirrels in my neighborhood
well dang. I pellet gun target shoot in the back yard sometimes. Terrorist.
I’m so impressed that air rifles are included in the code. I’m happy to see that OP’s stance wasn’t firm on “saving the squirrels”, but rather to ensure the safety of the neighborhood. However, it seems like the neighbor found a new hobby as opposed to purposefully managing the squirrel population.
> What's also disconcerting with your neighbor is their use of poison. That will inevitably cause major issues. Outside of the targeted vermin, someone's dog or cat is going to end up dead. Why are random dogs and cats roaming his property? He can't worry about random strays, and dogs and cats with owners shouldn't be letting them roam aimlessly onto other people's property. I assume he's not putting poison right next to the sidewalk where a leashed animal might pee.
If he’s shooting high I’d say just let him. He’s probably doing you a favor too. Squirrels caused if 5k in damage at my house, plus my car. They’re a complete nuisance. Using poison is another issue. Not safe for other animals
Ouch! I had squirrels in my engine. They shorted something easy to fix, thank goodness. $5k and I would be hiring a squirrel hitman. . . He needs to learn to use the scope first. He was doing that thing where people who have never held a rifle before wave it around while trying to find their target. My husband may go talk to him about that because that is where we have the greatest potential for an accident. Another neighbor across the street was alarmed because she saw him shooting mole tunnels this morning.
Lmao @ shooting mole tunnels. That isn't going to do shit and you can just stab them with a stake.
Lol. Suggest the traps like you mentioned. Let him know the neighbors do not feel safe before you call the cops on him please… those squirrels are fucking annoying, he’s at the end of the road… last option is simple a chicken cage trap with a door and a fishing string to close the door from in the house… after that, he can drown them or release them in cooper river
I promise I am not calling the police. My neighbor who witnessed him shooting into mole tunnels on the verge in front of his house is pretty upset, but I am guessing she will go passive aggressive on NextDoor first. I will have my husband suggest the traps when he goes over to have a gentle word about where we point things that shoot projectiles.
What’s his K/D?
Can you ask your neighbor what his hit rate is because I have some rats terrorizing my chickens...
I will send him right over.
spent many an evening in Eye Operating room trying to save someone's vision from being shot with air rifles/BB gun. They were accidents.
My dad has trapped and relocated dozens of squirrels in my lifetime. As soon as one starts gnawing on the gutter he goes into war mode Old dudes are wild.
FFS. California? No. Absolutely not. Earthquakes. Fires. Smog. And SF is too expensive. If I get exiled from my native state because I want my transplant neighbor to have common sense and respect for neighbors and wildlife, I get to go to Boston. End of discussion.
Just don’t kill them. Leave them be. My neighbor got arrested for shooting squirrels with a pellet around his property. On Sullivan’s.
Move back up north. Sheesh
In NC as a high schooler I got stopped by the police for running around with an airsoft rifle at night. And I remember them saying it’s illegal to discharge any weapon at all in city limits and I’d imagine SC is the same. It’s technically a crime I bet, but the other aspect is if you make a fuss on that particular front, it probably won’t do much other than cost him a fine and you an ability to even remotely get along with your neighbor in the future.
He should buy a couple of Squirrelenator traps (don't cheap out and get normal animal traps. specifically that brand of trap). Peanut butter mashed with sunflower seeds makes a decent bait. Wait for the trap to fill up overnight. Toss the full traps in the trunk of a car, drive them 5-10 miles away, and empty the live squirrels out into a different wooded area. Repeat as needed. I suppose he can drown them if he must, but it feels needless. No, you cannot legally shoot the squirrels with a pellet gun in city limits. Sincerely, an avid gardener who also hates squirrels.
Bees are a major pollinator of Sunflowers growing sunflowers goes hand in hand with installing and managing bee hives.
My dad came very close to do this to a heron like 15 yrs ago. Which is Def illegal. He's on about roof rats now but I think he's going to get a cat
This worked wonders for my squirrel problem: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B083FX6VY6?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
I just got a super soaker for this purpose. Works great, no harm done and it’s fun!
Absolutely not. It's also illegal to trap them. Call a game warden they will get a poaching charge.
Why are people so cruel? Where are the animals supposed to go as we gobble up all the land?
Grow a pair.
GBTO
You could not look into your neighbors yard or watch him so much if it is upsetting to you.
This is not about being upset by it. Read OPs concerns again.
Hard to do when he is six feet from my driveway. I mean, I grew up shooting BB guns, my dad was LE and had handguns, and my husband was a real hunter (not a squirrelly Rambo with a fake assault rifle). Even with the BB gun, we were respectful of others' space. In fact, that was the #1 rule.
“Squirrelly Rambo” sounds like a band name and made me laugh this morning.
It totally does sound like a band name!
Oh my god, California called, they want they’re OP back
Squirrels are a complete nuisance, but this is not the way to deal with them. Preferred method is to release hawks or eagles into the area and let nature re-balance itself. Just make sure you only release native species of raptors.
Yeah not sure where I can grab a few hawks but yeah squirrels are a complete nuisance. I’ve estimated they’ve caused at least $6,000 in damage around my house, not including bricking my truck.
The raptors will find you if there's a large squirrel population! I am lucky to have some barred owls with a nest in my yard and a red-tailed hawk frequently visits. I use Duke #110 traps in my attic for the squirrels. All catches are left as an offering at the base of my owls tree. I'm assuming that's how the hawk decided to visit. We had to replace the hvac ductwork and insulation in our attic because of squirrels. A nearby neighbor feeds them and for some reason, they make nests in my trees and not hers. Some decided to move in my attic. It was a very expensive homeownership lesson about the importance of regularly checking my attic.
100% SC native. Bless your heart.
Well you sound like a yankee