Your situation is similar to mine - squirrels eat everything, and your setup is very similar to what I envisioned - a trigger in HE and a valve opening.
I've got both the IRIS and Sonoff Zigbee valves, so I was going to try using those first. The missing piece is the trigger.
HUE: I've read about the HUE outdoor motion sensors but am not sure the squirrels are large enough to trigger them vs. just getting triggered on branches swaying in the wind. How far away from your HE could you put the HUE sensors and still have a reliable connection?
OTHER: I've been poking around the forums and see that the Camcet has the ability to identify squirrels vs other creatures. I also poked around the Camcet website a bit but data such as what the annual fee does for you (vs what the Camcet does if you don't pay the fee) and how much the annual fee is if you don't buy "lifetime" with a $1k Camcet, is VERY difficult to find. I concluded that although Camcet may be the correct solution for home security one day, since I'm not ready to delve into that now, Camcet is far too expensive for this project. Are there any other more affordable cams (IP or wifi or other) that will detect squirrels (or even "small critter in tree") and communicate that to HE as a trigger?
Get a good pellet gun - Gamo makes some great choices designed to hunt small game and vermin. I picked up this one a little while ago. It shoots .22 pellets at over 1000 fps. Has a built-in suppressor, so it is quiet. Accuracy is pretty good.
With hollow-point pellets and accurate targeting you can take out something as large as a raccoon. Which is pretty incredible for a pellet gun!
Had one in high school and when I got married it went in a drawer and was forgotten. I mistakenly left the cartridge in so it refused to come out. Managed to drill a hole in the cart and used a screw to yank it out, but the seal came with it,
Went back in the drawer for a few years until the squirrels started eating my bird seed. Bought a seal kit, watched the YouTube video, and decided that my eyes couldn’t focus that well. I put it on eBay with a full explanation and the seal kit. Ended up making enough to buy a brand new one just like it.
I know I could do it with a scoped .22 Ruger rifle, no problem, even from standing. However, the target is close to a neighbor.
My (not extensive) experimentation with a similar air rifle produced less than accurate results. I have no other experience, but my feeling is that you have to spend big bucks for accuracy. Perhaps you also want an air canister model-I actually recall pinching the webbing of a hand while pumping it, lol, but again, my testing wasn't extensive.
Then too, you have to hang out, in my case, waiting for a chipmunk to make an appearance. They are more "squirrely" that actual squirrels. Hanging out exposed to the mosquitos, etc, because you can't have anything in the way, like a screen, until they pop out from their hole. I guess it depends on the individual situation.
I've used a Havahart trap on chipmunks. Not legal to relocate, water was involved. I did catch little squirrels in the little trap once or twice and let them go. Been several years...chipmunks are taking over again. Distasteful, but may start campaign again this year.
Thing is, with a trap, you have to be prepared to deal with something you weren't "aiming" for, like a skunk.
I personally can't see putting out a bird feeder and then getting pissed that the squirrels are eating the food set out there and shooting them. Around here, they attract bears as well.
I popped one the other day and thought it ran out out of the yard. My chihuahua found it and was knawing on it. . MrsG took it away from her and threw it over the fence.
Last time I visited NYC, where I grew up, a number of years ago, I noticed a lot of black squirrels.
When I was growing up, all the squirrels were grey.
I did not , and will not, search the interwebs on the subject.
. MrsG took it away from her and threw it over the fence.
