My father-in-law hated the little pine squirrels as he called them. He said they would get in a building and make a mess of everything. We never had them in my southern Wisconsin town, but I have the third in my cage beneath the bird feeder right now, it is light enough to not trip the squirrel proof bar, so I have been taking them out of here. You up north guys, are they any worse than grey squirrels?

they love to chew off vacuum lines and wiring under your hood. also will stash food caches under the hood. last winter they filled the exhaust pipes of my harley with dog food from my labs self feeder. it was interesting when i fired it up for the first time that spring.

They seem to be far more destructive than grey squirrels. I hate those little buggers.

When it comes to squirrels, I'm color blind. I treat them all the same, but I do grab the gun faster when I see a pine squirrel.

also, if youre trapping them, eat the greys and fox squirrels, and toss the reds.

My FIL lived and ran a resort in northern Wisconsin. He was not a hunter but he sprung into full battle mode with his .22 whenever he saw a red squirrel anywhere on his property. At times they had gotten into the cabins and when they did it was pure destruction.

Moosetrot

Those little buggers are nasty.
They will get in everything.
Like to chew holes and get in wherever they can.
They will also beat the crap out of grey squirrels.

They chew on everything, getting into buildings and messing with all kinds of stuff. I shoot them on sight and put rat poison in buildings where the chew in.

Red squirrels are bad news if they get inside a building where things are stored. I don't have any trouble with grey squirrels; it seems like they are content to winter in trees.

I hate them more than mice.

So far I think giving them swimming lessons has been the right thing to do.

My neighbor at the lake bought a brand new John Deere lawn tractor as a retirement gift to himself... last week a red squirrel ate the steering wheel coating right down to the insert molded steel core the first night he had it. They're destructive little buggers, Leo Hoeft once told me that they castrate gray squirrels as they're chasing them up a tree.

Added to the comments already written, they also invade nest boxes in spring, chewing the holes bigger to access baby birds and eggs. They will blow your cover big time by harping at you as you hunt loud and long.

Chewing on everything inside autos , causing lots of damage.

On the plus side, shooting them with a 22 long rifle makes a person good at aiming fast.

The Northern Flying squirrel is just as bad as the red.

I had a tree next to our cabin at the lake. A red squirrel would go out on an overhanging limb, jump onto the roof, and get into the attic. It burrowed through the insulation. Made a real mess. A Victor wooden rat trap like some trappers use for weasel works real nice.

Chipmunks are just as bad. I had a pair of waders hanging in the garage. When I went to slip them on the legs were full of acorns. Rat traps work good on them too.

Had a lot of problems with them chewing sap lines, syrup jugs nests in tractors,cars on and on. Traded them for pack rats, mice building nests in vehicles, eating flowers and destroying wiring in vehicles.

I dont set traps around the camp so I dont catch any weasels there.
A weasel around your camp will do wonders to keep the squirrels and mice away.

When is the best time of year to kill them to put the biggest dent in the population? Early spring?

Absolutely right! They love to find their way into a home along the roof line. Active at night so they can drive a man insane crawling around above your head when you are trying to sleep. Not many red squirrels around here as they usually suffer acute lead poisoning!

Chris

Unlike all the other squirrels,red squirrels are a furbearer here,so can only be taken legally between Oct 25 and end Feb.
They generally prime up by mid november.
The individuals that are causing problems on your property can be taken out as nuisance anytime.