I have been lucky enough to be involved in the Ranger XR project for many months using a prototype rifle to control grey squirrel numbers over my areas around Cumbria.
In chats over the years with Tony at Brocock, we have often talked about a small compact rifle, so when Tony contacted me to say let’s see what we can do I was delighted to be involved.
The reasons I was looking for that compact rifle is in my work I carry out as a red squirrel conservation ranger I can cover some miles walking about the woods and forests in search of maybe that one grey, thus having that lite weight compact rifle could be helpful. Either carrying or by using a sling the benefits are there also with the folding stock the rifle can be easily put in a small backpack which is another handy method to carry the rifle about. Other reasons are shooting greys at feeding areas using either a hide or from my pick up, the small short rifle is a bonus in confined spaces.
The ranger I have been using is in sub12 .177 and with a shot count of around 35 thanks to the onboard Huma reg is more than enough for me and my daily work in fact sometimes that’s fine for over a week.
Why control Grey Squirrels in the UK?
Red squirrels, at one time, could be found all over Great Britain, but can now only be seen in wooded areas throughout the north of England, western Wales and in many parts of Scotland. They are also found on Anglesey, the Isle of Wight, Brownsea Island and in Thetford Forest in Norfolk.
Red squirrels have been found in England since the end of the last Ice Age and are part of our native fauna.
The non-native grey squirrel was introduced to England in the late 1870s from America and is the primary cause of the decline of the red squirrel.
It does so by out-competing red squirrels for food in deciduous and mixed woodlands and by transmitting a disease ‘squirrel pox, the squirrel Parapoxvirus, which is lethal to red squirrels.
Who is Jerry Moss?
Jerry Moss is a professional pest controller and a member of the Penrith and district red squirrel group in Cumbria UK. For the last 18 years, he has been working to support the Red Squirrel populations in the Whinfell Forest area of Cumbria. An area of outstanding natural beauty.