Interesting that this thread has re-emerged after over a year of living at the bottom of the pile!
I closed up all of their possible entrances to the attic - but the little ba$#%&*$ wouldn't give up trying to get into the warm house. This fall, just before I fired up the wood stove for the first time, a pair of 'em fell down the 6" flue and into the empty firebox. They were unable to climb back up the flue, so they
succumbed to two more of the crimped shot cartridges - and I can report that they do absolutely no damage to the insides of a Vermont Castings stove or stainless steel flue pipe.
Last December, I had another pair slide down the flue - but this time, they landed in a bed of ashes and coals - the squealing was something straight out of those Gremlins movies! I debated letting them slow roast, but Mrs. xtm would have no part of that - so they also
succumbed to the fine #12 shot. This was trickier because they were perched at the back of the stove on top of the internal flue - a couple of quick-and-lethal DA shots before they leap out the door and into the house! Again, no damage to the stove internals.
Interestingly, these weren't mated pairs - all four were large adult male fox squirrels. Rogue gay males kicked out of the squirrel community? :lol:
xtm