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squirrel defense

Original Post
Tim Kemple · · Salt Lake · Joined Jun 2011 · Points: 170

After having my pack raided by the squirrels that seem to be everywhere at RR, I finally got an idea.....bear canister for rodents! Put your food in an empty Nalgene bottle. Perhaps if we all protect our food that way they will unlearn about human food and quit destroying packs!

sqwirll · · Las Vegas · Joined Mar 2006 · Points: 1,360

Don't be giving the squirrels a bad name. Are you sure they weren't ringtails?

Brendan Magee · · Parker, CO · Joined Jun 2013 · Points: 0
kemple sr. wrote:After having my pack raided by the squirrels that seem to be everywhere at RR, I finally got an idea.....bear canister for rodents! Put your food in an empty Nalgene bottle. Perhaps if we all protect our food that way they will unlearn about human food and quit destroying packs!
I've always put my food in a small plastic container and place it on the ground buried under a few rocks. I leave nothing in my pack and hang it in a tree. I've never had any problems with this method.
FrankPS · · Atascadero, CA · Joined Nov 2009 · Points: 276
kemple sr. wrote:I finally got an idea.....bear canister for rodents!
Why do rodents need to protect their food from bears? That's crazy, man!
KevinCO · · Loveland, CO · Joined Mar 2006 · Points: 60

A protein powder canister works great.

Sherri Lewis · · Sequim, WA · Joined Mar 2008 · Points: 316
Brendan Magee wrote: I've always put my food in a small plastic container and place it on the ground buried under a few rocks. I leave nothing in my pack and hang it in a tree. I've never had any problems with this method.
I've had good luck using this method until...

This is what my tupperware looked like after I returned to my pack at the base of a climb near Olive Oil a few days ago. The rocks which I had stacked on top of it were pushed off and the container was carried about 20ft away from the spot where I had left it. (I saw a chubby squirrel stalking us when we were racking up, so I am pretty sure this wasn't done by a ringtail.)

Time to get a metal container.
Brendan Magee · · Parker, CO · Joined Jun 2013 · Points: 0
Sherri Lewis wrote: I've had good luck using this method until... This is what my tupperware looked like after I returned to my pack at the base of a climb near Olive Oil a few days ago. The rocks which I had stacked on top of it were pushed off and the container was carried about 20ft away from the spot where I had left it. (I saw a chubby squirrel stalking us when we were racking up, so I am pretty sure this wasn't done by a ringtail.)
I tend to use a more rigid plastic that what your picture shows and I use several heavy rocks. The point is, my $150 pack is not destroyed and let them chew on the $5 plastic container all they want. Obviously if they really want the food they will get it. Just have to make it harder for them and hope they give up.
mark felber · · Wheat Ridge, CO · Joined Jul 2005 · Points: 41

Plastic doesn't cut it anymore, I use metal containers. Take the food container out of the pack and anchor it to the ground with a good size rock, then hang the empty pack so the critters are less likely to chew through it because of any lingering food smell. There's nothing like the smell of high calorie human food to bring out the resourcefulness and determination in a small, hungry rodent.

JCM · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2008 · Points: 115
JCM · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2008 · Points: 115
mark felber wrote:Plastic doesn't cut it anymore, I use metal containers.
What kind of metal container, and where did you acquire it?
Richard Murray · · Conway · Joined Oct 2014 · Points: 95

I've seen folks in rodent-but-not-bear country use these:

rei.com/product/846495/armo…

They're stainless steel mesh bags - much easier to deal with than a bear can.

hikingdrew · · Los Angeles, CA · Joined Jul 2013 · Points: 38

Ratsacks are pretty impervious to rodents and standard for long canyon trips I've done. Good idea getting them from REI since we had problems getting them directly from the mfg. several years ago..

mark felber · · Wheat Ridge, CO · Joined Jul 2005 · Points: 41
JCM wrote: What kind of metal container, and where did you acquire it?
Cookie tins and the metal containers that some fancy tea bags come in are good. Health food stores sell stainless steel sandwich and lunch containers.
Brandon Gottung · · CO Western Slope · Joined Dec 2010 · Points: 1,613

A spendy but convenient and light option I've considered but never invested in:

ursack.com/product/ursack-m…

jacob sidorin · · Loveland · Joined Feb 2009 · Points: 375
Xtine · · Mammoth Lakes, CA · Joined May 2008 · Points: 1,921

I bury my food stash in a bag under heavy rocks too....works like a charm. Never had problems. There are two cute, fat squirrels (partners...maybe husband and wife team?) at the base of BVC and they get fatter every year. They don't reside in RR for the climbing.

Buff Johnson · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2005 · Points: 1,145

If anyone develops marmot napalm, I'd be totally fine with that.

Doug Foust · · Oroville, WA · Joined Sep 2008 · Points: 165

Squirrels cannot be trusted

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Nevada
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