Squirrel overload

By BECKY NELSON
Bramblings
Squirrel! My son and his friends in high school used to shout this whenever a friend was quickly and easily distracted from whatever they were doing, like a dog or puppy is easily distracted from whatever it might be doing when a squirrel crosses its path and a chase ensues. This year, shouting “squirrel” is usually also followed by a cuss word here at the farm as they are eating up our crops.

We estimate that squirrels have destroyed about 15 or 16 bushels of corn this year and eaten several quarts of blueberries. Every time the crew and I headed into the blueberry patch, scaring out the anticipated bird or two and at least three or four squirrels was the normal routine. The opportunistic creatures climbed right up into the bushes, snacking away to their hearts content, leaving very few berries for us to pick on many bushes.

In the corn, unlike skunks that reach up the stalk and scratch the husks away, eating just a strip down the ear or raccoons that knock the stalk over and eat most of the ear or bears that actually knock everything over and pick the ears off then munch the kernels off the cob like a human, squirrels climb up the stalk, eat the husk away from the ear then eat all the kernels off the cob, leaving the empty cob sticking up off the plant. Every time we head into a newly ripe block of corn this year, three or four gray squirrels run out of the patch. It is discouraging and frustrating.

Not only have they invaded the corn, but they have nibbled on the squash and an occasional cucumber and have invaded most of the farm buildings as well. Squirrels are everywhere. We have chased them out of the garage, out of the barn and out of our yard. Every highway and byway is littered with dead squirrels that have tried to cross the road to get to new territory to invade. I swear at them every winter as they raid the bird feeders, and I can’t imagine how the birds will get anything to eat this year with the herd of squirrels that is around.

On social media, I have read many of my friends’ posts asking why there are so many squirrels as they see them in their yards, their houses and all over the roads. New Hampshire Fish and Game has confirmed the huge population of squirrels this year and think much of the increase may be due to the large acorn and pine cone production of New Hampshire trees last year. If you have been outside where there are any oak trees this year, we are in for another population boom, as there are more acorns this year than I remember seeing under the trees. Not having to struggle looking for food in the winter months because of the bounty, young squirrels who are often susceptible to winter die off made it through and have bred their way to a population explosion that is taking full advantage of the nut load.

My theory, in addition to this one, is that there are fewer predators, therefore more squirrels. We used to see a lot of hawks around the farm, and have only seen a couple this summer. We often heard owls at night and have heard them only once that I remember over the summer months. We haven’t seen our pretty little foxes in the fields and we have only heard a coyote pack once this summer. The only fisher cat we have seen had also been squashed on the road and its rare to see a bobcat anyway … but I hope they are around but just unseen. Predator decline is also is a problem as the squirrel and rodent population boom and predators can’t keep up with the smorgasbord.

My dad always said about both skunks and squirrels that every seven years, there was a population boom. According to an article in the Concord Monitor recently, his theory and observation may have been right on the mark, as according to historical data, large squirrel migrations and population increases occurred in New Hamsphire every couple of decades when all the forces of nature came together to favor population booms.

Fish and Game has also announced the lengthening of squirrel hunting season due to the increased population. I remember reading a year or so ago about the invasion of Great Britain by the furry gray fellows and the response to the problem by some, even restaurant owners, was eating them. My dad was an avid squirrel hunter, and I’m not ashamed to say we ate squirrel dinners on occasion as kids. It didn’t taste like chicken, but it really isn’t bad as I recall. Maybe we should all take a hunter safety course and go out squirrel hunting. The season does run until January …