Hi David, I bought my A18 traps from: goodnaturetraps.co.uk/product-category/a18-squirrel-traps/ I would recommend getting the metal guard cover because I did have a trap damaged by squirrels chewing through the tough plastic top cap. The guard protects the whole trap and also shields it from the damaging UV in sunlight. The A18 is now available in the USA but I don't have a link to a supplier. All the best.
Hi, I have had a few reports of the trap failing to kill the squirrel cleanly but it is rare. In all the trail camera footage I have captured I haven't ever seen an injured squirrel. I would suggest that you look at the position that your A18 is mounted. Make sure that there is unobstructed space below the trap so that the squirrel can enter with both front legs either side of the entrance and its head extending deep into the trap. Always change the CO2 cylinder before it runs low to ensure that the trap delivers a lethal blow. All the best.
Hi, I know that the squirrels are much appreciated for wild meat in the US. In the UK this meat is not popular and only eaten by a small proportion of hunters. Although, having said that, I suspect that wild game meat is slowly becoming more sought after as people begin to realise the benefits of eating pure wild meat. All the best.
zu Lwowitz Problems with SA 10 and those circular mini-mags (clips) is evident from instruction videos and users’ review letters . I have shot several thousands steel BBs (they are faster than any pellet and make more recognizable impact ) and pellets of at least three basic materials : lead , composites , and single light metals with the range from 3.9 gr to 7.9 gr ( by far the best were all-steel 5.4 gr BBs ). All the pellets did was to ruin my first SA 10 by getting out of the clip with bores in the rubber too big and getting stuck in the big mag with no easy way to get the mag out ; couple of them even crashed into each other in the barrel when the first somehow got stuck there ( all open to confirm by my dealer ) . So , now I am merrily shooting only BBs using only the “BB plastic clip ,”----- hoping that some dealer sells me couple of these BB PLASTIC CLIPS for a few bucks----- and both , me and my SA 10 , will be happy .
Every one of these you kill, is one less squarls to plat a forest of hardwoods. They harvest nuts, bring them to a nest fir winter, some are packed on the ground and forgotten about. Later the husk gets wet enough to let the seed get started years later you have a forest of hardwoods native trees. It makes since to live catch relocate and let go in a wild life area.
Hi, The A18 trap has relatively recently become available in the US. I just googled and the first supplier that popped up was: www.automatictrap.com/products/a18-squirrel-trap-kit However, as with all shopping these days it pays to do your research. All the best.
Hi, The PT-85 accepts 4.5mm (or 0.177 inch) pellets. I would suggest that you choose a very light weight pellet. Flat head (wad cutter) pellets will cut paper targets cleanly making scoring easier. There is no need to spend a lot of money on very high quality pellets. My personal recommendation is the H&N Excite Econ II pellets that are good quality and very good value for money. See my review of these pellets on this channel. All the best.
Hello, Excuse my ignorance on this but are these legal to use in my garden ? I have about 4/5 squirrels constantly raiding the bird feeders, so i stopped using them. They dig up my garden constantly and raided 3 birds nests in my garden just last year. I'm sick and tired of them. Ps are the totally safe for birds ?
Hi, Yes, the Goodnature A18 is licenced in the UK for the control of the invasive grey squirrels. So yes the A18 is legal to use in your garden. See the manufacturers website - goodnaturetraps.co.uk/shop/a18-grey-squirrel-trap/ The grey squirrels do a huge amount of damage to UK songbirds and to our trees. I operate 3 of these A18 traps and I have never seen evidence of any non-target species being harmed. Some years ago I obtained an extra safeguard which was simply a piece of smooth plastic sheet that fitted between the tree and the trap and extended maybe 100mm below the trap entrance. The idea being that any bird that attempted to land below the trap would not be able to obtain the grip on the smooth surface needed to lift itself up into the mouth of the trap. All the best.
Hi, I don't buy 'branded' sights for these CO2 pistols. Most are Chinese made junk. When selecting a sight on eBay I look for the battery type, one-off switch type etc. Some of these sights use 3x ridiculously small sized silver button batteries that run down quickly. The model on this pistol has a slide switch and it became loose pretty quickly. The model that you can see on some of my other pistols has a much better latching push button one-off. However, the model has the very small batteries. But back to my original point remember that these are mass produced junk so it is probably wise to be guided by price and not be swayed too much by 'branded' products that come out of the same factory with just some added white stencilling. All the best.
Hi Vince, No, these traps use the slightly larger 16g CO2 cylinders that have a screw thread around the neck. I buy them in packs of 20 and get a decent price but they are definitely more expensive than the 12g cylinders that I use in my pistols. See my channel for some reviews of CO2 pistols, gun cases, pellets etc. All the best, Martin
Hi Jason, I don't have any association with the manufactures of the A18 trap. I share these videos to raise awareness of the effectiveness of the traps. You can actually see these traps in operation and working in 2 of my videos. I have previously explained that the traps are not a magic bullet and that the user needs to employ good field craft and choose the bait that the local squirrels find irresistible - hazelnut paste, peanut butter, almond butter etc. The proof I offer is that after spending my hard earned money to buy my first A18, I have gone on to buy a further 2 and now operate 3 of the A18 traps. There is no fakery - in the right hands these traps are efficient and on duty 24/7. All the best.
I have had two of these traps set up in my garden for two and a half years. I have a terrible issue with neighbours feeding squirrels and they won't stop. So far I have dispatched 116 of them using these traps. So definitely not a fake video and I have a few of my own as proof. As incognito says it does require time and patience and luring them with nice fresh Nutella or the like!
Great idea to put that cap on top of the A-18, I saw a lot of photos where the squirrel had chewed right through the plastic top to get to the bait. I don't know what your cover is made from, but, probably a good idea to make it out of metal that cannot be chewed. thanks whoever you are!
Hi Jane, Yes, I found out the hard way when squirrels chewed through the top cap on my first trap. I used tin snips to cut a slot in a baked bean tin so that it could fit over the trap. I sprayed it black and added a wire to allow it to be secured to the trap after baiting. It looked sort of like Ned Kelly armour but it did the job. Goodnature kindly sent me a replacement top and then told me when they produced heavy gauge aluminium covers. I highly recommend fitting the covers and they also protect the trap from the UV in sunlight. All the best.
Hi Philip, You raise an important point. The A18 is licensed in the UK for use against the invasive grey squirrels. In the UK the greys have already driven the native red squirrels from virtually all of England apart from a couple of reserves. It is therefore safe to deploy the A18 in England since there is very little chance of trapping a non target species. In the borders areas where there may be mixed populations of grey and red squirrels I would strongly advise that the A18 should not be used. All the best.
Hi, Squirrels get in to loft spaces through any existing holes but more often by chewing through the wood around the roofline. About 4 years ago a neighbour asked for my help when squirrels were chewing on their house trying to get in. Every morning their young daughter was being woken by the noise at daybreak. Those squirrels died of lead poisoning. All the best.
Hi Charles, In the UK they can be purchased from: goodnaturetraps.co.uk/humane-squirrel-traps/ Several viewers have mentioned in the comments that the A18 is now available in the US but I don't have a link. Try Googling 'Goodnature A18' . All the best.
Hi Chris, Yes, I think that it would be worth trying these H&N Excite Econ II in your HW99S. Given that they performed well even out to 40yds and the very low price they certainly deserve a look. I shot them straight from the tin without any sorting so they impressed me. I buy in bulk from JS Ramsbottom and get keen pricing, reasonable postage and the pellets are very well packed and arrive in perfect condition. www.jsramsbottom.com/h-n-excite-econ-hobby-ii-pellets-177-4-50mm-7-4gr-500-.html All the best.
Hi Den, I think that you are referring to the metal cover that fits over the A18 trap. This is available in the UK from goodnaturetraps.co.uk I know that the A18 is now on sale in the US but I am not sure if the cover is available in the US. All the best.
These little tree rats have taken all my fruit trees and I have not gotten any fruits( fig, asain pears, Bartlett pears, plums, peaches, apricots) for 3 years now.
Hi Brian, The grey squirrel is an invasive species in the UK and were only introduced less than 150 years ago from the USA. In the intervening period the grey squirrels have done untold damage to UK native wildlife and trees. The most obvious impact has been on the native red squirrels which are killed by the squirrel pox carried by the greys. The red squirrels have now been driven from virtually all of England save for a a couple of protected reserves. The grey squirrels have also impacted native birds because the squirrels raid nests to steal eggs and chicks. Please do your own research. There is no 'season' for these destructive invasive animals and they may be controlled year round to protect UK native flora and fauna. All the best.
Hi Tony, Glad to hear that these pellets perform well for you. It is always a nice surprise to find a budget pellet that shoots well above its price range. All the best.
Hi, I know it sounds self-serving but I would suggest that you read through the comments below all of the squirrel videos on this channel because there are lots of tips and tricks discussed. I would suggest that you try the following: 1. Make sure that the CO2 is firmly screwed into the trap so that it pierced and powering the trap. 2. If you own a trail camera then place it near the trap to observe the behaviour of the squirrels - are they actually approaching the trap and placing their head deep into the trap in search of the bait? 3. Wear gloves when when you handle the trap to avoid transferring human scent that will deter squirrels. 4. Try a variety of baits - hazlenut paste, peanut butter, almond butter. I have also tried adding a little Nutella (chocolate and hazlenut spread) to the mix. Smear a few blobs of the bait onto the tree below the trap entrance. 5. When you add bait into the bait basket - take the basket out of the trap and press a little through the mesh in the bottom of the basket so that little noodles protrude out of the bottom of the basket. When you put the basket back into the trap the scent of the bait will be increased and lure in the squirrels. 5. If you don't have success after a week or two then move the trap to a different location - preferably a tree where you see squirrels running to and climbing. 6. Remember that when there is a lot of natural food available it is always going to be hard to lure squirrels into a trap. 7. A positive attitude and good field craft work wonders. All the best.
Just got the A18 in the states. The A24 couldn’t handle these ginormous squirrels here locally. Luckily GoodNature is a great company and honored their warranty.
I am pleased that the Goodnature A18 is at last available in the US. For anyone purchasing the A18 I would suggest that the metal cover is also purchased to prevent squirrels chewing through the top of the trap. All the best.
This thing is a scam. It does not actually come with any bait so out of the box it is useless, and when you go back to the website you find they do not have any squirrel bait for sale, just options for mice which do not work. Additionally the "kill counter" is triggered by the slightest vibration so it will increment even though the device has never gone off. You can put it out without the CO2 canister and over a week or two the counter will show it went off repeatedly. Don't waste your money on this worthless scam.
This thing is a scam. It does not actually come with any bait so out of the box it is useless, and when you go back to the website you find they do not have any squirrel bait for sale, just options for mice which do not work. Additionally the "kill counter" is triggered by the slightest vibration so it will increment even though the device has never gone off. You can put it out without the CO2 canister and over a week or two the counter will show it went off repeatedly. Don't waste your money on this worthless scam.
Hi Brian, I bought my A18 traps from Goodnature in the UK. The traps were supplied with hazlenut paste lure (bait). The Goodnature website does have a page dedicated to lures - bait. goodnaturetraps.co.uk/product-category/long-life-lure/ I personally have found these traps to be very effective and there are lot of comments on my videos from other users who also highly rate the product. In my other A18 videos you will see the traps cull many squirrels so I do not agree that they are any kind of scam. I do not have any affiliation to Goodnature other than as a satisfied customer. I have always made it clear that these traps aren't a magic bullet and the user needs to play their part by using good field craft, selecting an appropriate bait and generally managing the trap properly. I tested my counters by striking the trap sharply with a metal spoon to get the counter to increase. My counters do not increase with gently tapping. So I wonder if you have a faulty counter? Have you been in touch with the vendor who supplied your trap? I would think that the vendor would be interested to hear your complaint and would seek to send you replacements. Perhaps the bait was not included in your box by an oversight? Hope you can get this issue sorted out. Please comment again to let us all know how you get on. All the best.
@@brianc9567 @brianc9567 Hi Brian, I just had a look at the US site and I agree that it appears to lack baits for squirrels. My advice would be to try a variety of store bought items such as peanut butter, almond butter, sweet hazelnut paste. I have also tried adding a little Nutella chocolate and hazelnut spread to the mix. I also recommend putting blobs of all the baits on to a tree frequented by the squirrels and see which one they lick off. If there is a local natural food source such as a nut bearing tree then grind some of those nuts and add to the bait. When you add bait into the bait basket press it in gently so that a few noodles of bait hang down into the trap and provide a strong scent to encourage squirrels to put their heads deep into the trap. If you don't get success after a week try another bait until you find the one that they can't resist. If you have trail camera then set it up to cover the trap so that you can see the squirrels behaviour. All the best.
So of these guys are pests, why is this trap placed in what seems like a home built in the forested areas? And why is the trap not on your house, where you want to deter or stop the ones attempting to nest in your rafters? This seems like you wanted to kill a whole lot of squirrels, for no reason? These squirrels don't seem all that annoying, them climbing the trees and living their lives must be too much for the human who likes death so much. Such a nice place so quiet and calm, you can hear the trap go off and kill each one. I could see this used for highrises or areas where there are a lot of homes, not in a nice wooded area, right where the squirrels go home. Sigh, its a good death trap and video I guess. It said don't watch if your offended, what it failed to mention was what it was actually showing.
Hi Andrew, I recognise that not everyone supports the culling of the invasive grey squirrels. Of course I respect the right of others to hold views that differ from my own. I put a very clear warning about the content at the beginning of the video. The invasive grey squirrels were introduced to the UK from the USA less than 150 years ago. In the short time since those ill thought out introductions the greys have driven the native red squirrels from virtually all of England. The grey squirrels carry the squirrel pox to which they are immune but which is fatal to the native red squirrels that then suffer a horrible lingering death. The greys also do untold damage to other UK wildlife and to our trees. They strip the bark from young trees which often then die. On more mature trees the squirrels strip the bark from the branches up in the crown of the tree which leads to damage that over a period causes the decline and even demise of the trees. The invasive greys predate on our native birds by hunting their nests to steal their eggs and chicks. Recently I have been desperately trying to eradicate the grey squirrels that are mobbing the owl boxes in which Tawny Owls are nesting. Last year I lost this battle and the squirrels eventually drove the owl's from the box in daylight so that they could steal the eggs/chicks. No young owlets emerged. So yes the grey squirrels may appear innocent and it was man's interventions that have brought us to this sad position. However, with a huge effort we can reverse this invasion and reintroduce pockets of native red squirrels in reserves in England - see cornwallredsquirrels.co.uk/ So in conclusion I would invite everyone to do their own research on the grey squirrel problem in the UK in order to come to an informed understanding of the issues. All the best.
Hi, The A18 trap is powered by a small 16g CO2 cylinder which is capable of firing the trap 18 times before it needs to be changed. When the trap is triggered a captive bolt is fired which crushes the skull and delivers a quick humane cull. The trap automatically resets itself after firing so it is always ready for the next squirrel. The very similar but smaller A24 trap is indeed design for destroying rats. Please see my earlier video on unboxing and setting up the A18 trap. This video has more information on how the trap operates and how to install it - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-4K09zA0S0mc.html All the best.
I have to be honest about the A18 squirrel killer. It's well designed & constructed. Obviously by an engineer. But its stark appearance & bulk must deter a lot of its potential victims. It simply isn't in harmony with its surroundings. I know Squirrels are extremely wary of it - no surprise there! In fact, I'm amazed that any squirrel goes anywhere near it. Even when the 'camoflage' box is attached to it, to conceal & disguise its shape it still doesn't look convincing. The 180 quid asking price is also a big wedge to fork out for it!
Hi, You have made some good points. The appearance of the A18 does suggest that it is an engineered tool and it does stand out in the natural environment. However, my experience is that the squirrels quickly come to accept it and it is certainly effective as you can see in my other videos of the A18 in action. The metal cover serves 2 important functions: to protect the trap from gnawing and from UV damage from sunlight. As you say it does also help the trap to blend in to the environment. I certainly recommend fitting the cover to the trap to protect your investment. I agree with you the the price of the A18 seems high compared to other spring powered traps. But I choose the automatic A18 because I don't have the time available to be out checking spring traps daily as the law requires. So I thought long and hard before buying my first trap. But it is a well engineered product that will last many years. So I don't regret my purchases and can recommend the A18. (I don't have any connection with Goodnature other than as a satisfied customer). All the best.
Hi Ian, I live in the SW of the UK. The invasive grey squirrels were introduced from the US less than 150 years ago but in that relatively short time they have driven the native red squirrels from virtually all of England. Therefore there are no red squirrels within 400 miles other than in a couple of small reserves. So any squirrels in my area can be very confident that they are grey!
Yeah these traps are fantastic, and well worth the price tag, since it is basically a self sufficient trap that resets and can end 18 squirrels. The one thing about these traps is how fast they end the pest. a seriously hard blow the the head, enough to crush the skull and kill the brain and it does it in less than a second, which is less time than it takes for the creature to even register what has happened. I still like doing this with my Rifle though, and I use ammo that hits so hard that the animal is dead in a very short time, plus all my shots are head shots and the Stingers are brutally fast moving ammo. Now if you do not want to shoot an animal yourself, this trap is your best friend.
@@4321grp The direct approach, I like it, but it's only good for the first time and the others run away, the cowardly things! There needs to be a more subtle solution, say a .22LR motion detecting minigun? But then again, you'd need a power source for the electric motor. Although you could make it out of DC current and then utilize the solar panel... LOL
A lot of guys buy an accurate Air Rifle, put up a feed station in the woodland and improve their shooting using squirrels as the target. That seems like a better idea. 1. You're away from the Mrs. 2. You're doing a public service for mankind & wildlife. 3. You have a lovely day out with your mates. Now, that seems a far better. Me? I just use a spring door trap off eBay costing approx 16 quid (incl p&p). A trap divider fork off the internet costing 10 quid + postage to 'push' & trap the Squirrel up to one end of the cage to stop him wriggling about. And a Chinese Air Rifle I bought years ago for the kids that cost me 12 quid. Then I get a 'head shot' in for a quick despatch of the Squirrel. I've killed loads of them using this method & my garden is now Squirrel Free.
I like your style. When I have the time I like to setup a peanut feeder then sit under a soft mesh camo net and shoot them (only head shots) using a PCP air rifle. This method provides a humane despatch and can yield good bags. However, the A18 traps are on duty 24/7/365 and, provided that you play your part by correctly siting the trap and using an appropriate bait, these traps will provide a steady stream of clean culls. All the best.
Yes, the squirrels can sometimes take quite a while to accept the A18 and be prepared to venture inside. I have previously suggested building in a window so that the inside of the trap wasn't so dark but I have no proof that this would actually offer an advantage. I do know that wearing gloves while handling and baiting the trap can be helpful because it limits the transfer of human scent on to the trap. All the best.
