Author Topic: Critters (Read 9000 times)

GSOgymrat · « **on:** June 19, 2008, 08:43:58 am »

I'm staying with my mother who lives in a residential neighborhood in Asheville, NC. She was looking out the window and yelled "There is a monster in my herb garden!" The monster turned out to be a large ground hog nibbling away at some oregano. I chased him off and the next day there is a small ground hog running around the garden.

So my stepfather calls a animal control company that sets a trap. The next day we have not a groundhog but a raccoon. Apparently the raccoon lives in a tree in the back yard of the lesbian couple across the street and had three baby. So we let the raccoon go.

We set the trap again and yesterday we got an opossum, who was not to happy about being in a cage. Mom told me she was worried the opossum might be dehydrated and wanted me to put a bowl of water in the cage-- hell no. So the animal control company is going to come today and release the opossum into the woods. The large ground hog remains at large but the small one was killed by the neighbor's dog.

Then my dad, who lives in a fairly busy urban area of Asheville, called this morning to say a big black bear picked up his garbage can, lifted it over his head, threw it on the ground and had breakfast. It's like Wild Kingdom around here.

Winiroo · « **Reply #1 on:** June 19, 2008, 11:37:26 am »

No bears or ground hogs around here but we got the other stuff. A couple of months ago there was a dead baby opossum at the bottom of the pool. Guess he got a bigger drink than he planned.

Jeff G · « **Reply #2 on:** June 19, 2008, 12:06:31 pm »

Yep , possoms can definitely swim .... just not indefinitely

minismom · « **Reply #3 on:** June 19, 2008, 10:25:00 pm »

We have all manner of critters roaming around here. We've not seen any bears, but we have our share of rabbits, racoons, skunks, possums, foxes, wild turkey, deer (WV cockroaches), snakes, groundhogs, wolves, and chipmunks.

Wendy, we've never found anything that big in my parents' pool, but we're forever fishing out frogs, chipmunks, and snakes.

Mum

Jeff G · « **Reply #4 on:** June 19, 2008, 10:31:44 pm »

We have had some scary looking wild pigs roaming around here in the morning lately .
I hear they can be aggressive but so far when I come across them they just run away as I'm running in the other direction .

Buckmark · « **Reply #5 on:** June 19, 2008, 11:38:06 pm »

Quote from: GSOgymrat on June 19, 2008, 08:43:58 am

It's like Wild Kingdom around here.

Ford,

I'd definitely say someone in your family is channeling Marlin Perkins.

Cheers,

Henry

aztecan · « **Reply #6 on:** June 20, 2008, 01:24:35 am »

I haven't seen any bears here yet, but they like living just north of here.

We do get the occasional mountain lion sighting. It depends on the winter and where the food source is to be found.

I do have some of the smaller varmints lurking about though. We have the itinerant squirrel, who likes to live in my wood pile.

Fried squirrel is tasty, but one does not make a meal. It takes more, so I will have to wait.

I have bats. I finally put up a bat house for them, but so far, I think they are still preferring to roost in my chimney.

Of course, we have the usual snakes, rabbits, deer (damn things eat everything under the sun) coyotes and prairie dogs. I am told prairie dogs are tasty, but have yet to try them myself. If they keep multiplying, that may change.

We have lots of different types of birds, including vultures, which make a big mess when they decide where they want to roost. The mocking birds are pretty, but noisy, the robins like to follow me around the garden picking up worms and other tidbits I disturb in my weeding frenzy.

I have a Flicker, a type of woodpecker, that has decided it can hammer its way through my stove pipe. It sounds like a jack hammer going off on the roof when he gets going.

I like my creatures though. I would like to have more snakes on the property. If the mouse population keeps climbing, I think it will.

Ah, the joys of living in a rural area.

HUGS,

Mark

lydgate · « **Reply #7 on:** June 20, 2008, 02:55:44 am »

Ford, return to civilization at once! Remember the relevant Woody Allen quotes: "Nature and I are two" and "I don't trust air I can't see."

GSOgymrat · « **Reply #8 on:** June 20, 2008, 07:27:01 am »

Quote from: lydgate on June 20, 2008, 02:55:44 am

Ford, return to civilization at once! Remember the relevant Woody Allen quotes: "Nature and I are two" and "I don't trust air I can't see."

LOL. I thought I was in civilization. My parents both live within the city limits.

GSOgymrat · « **Reply #9 on:** June 20, 2008, 08:22:51 am »

This morning we have another groundhog. This one is small and not the original "monster" groundhog. This could get expensive as it costs $60 every time they release a critter. The housecat was teasing the groundhog by pawing the cage.

Winiroo · « **Reply #10 on:** June 20, 2008, 01:05:37 pm »

Maybe ya'll should invest in your own live capture traps and release the suckers yourself.

weasel · « **Reply #11 on:** June 21, 2008, 06:27:14 pm »

We have had some scary looking wild pigs roaming around here in the morning lately .
I hear they can be aggressive but so far when I come across them they just run away as I'm running in the other direction .
[/quote]

Hullo , Here in Missouri , IT IS THE LAW TO SHOOT AND KILL ANY WILD PIG ON SITE ANYWHERE IT IS !

I do hope your nieghbors know how to handle guns !

I love my deers and possums ,grey foxes , red squirrels , grey squirrels ! many birds .

and most of all COONY my Racoon !

Coony follows me around everywhere , as we live on 25 acres in the OZARK Mountains he we be able to have a wild SEX life when time comes !

Coony sleeps in the third bathroom we hardly ever use . It is ZOO-EE at the moment , thank heavens it is so far away from the living area !

I have never found the animals to be fond of POOL water , maybe the stream is enough ?

I hope we never get GROUND HOGS , I would have to have them BAKED ! LOL

KARL

CJWAUS · « **Reply #12 on:** June 22, 2008, 12:59:44 am »

shoot the garden creature and get on with life

GSOgymrat · « **Reply #13 on:** June 22, 2008, 01:01:33 am »

Quote from: CJWAUS on June 22, 2008, 12:59:44 am

shoot the garden creature and get on with life

LOL! Good advice.

Peter Staley · « **Reply #14 on:** June 22, 2008, 08:15:39 am »

Speaking of which, did you see my favorite article in the past month from the New York Times?

Peter Rabbit Must Die
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/05/garden/05animals.html

It's a long article, but worth every word.

One of my favorite lines:

Quote

After a season of grueling labor and multiple attempts at benign deterrence, the sight of a trashed garden is often the last straw: the moment when a gentle gardener will suddenly go Rambo.

RapidRod · « **Reply #15 on:** June 22, 2008, 10:07:01 am »

We have everything here except the Mt. Lions and Bears in this part of Ohio. It's a wildlife zoo. Deer are our biggest pest.

lucas clay · « **Reply #16 on:** June 22, 2008, 09:26:03 pm »

My mother used to adopt just about any homeless critter around.
When we lived in Detroit about 1978 she had me build a " cat house" because she had found a mother cat and 5 kittens in the garage nextdoor. It was winter.
She would take this big old pot and mix milk and the cheapest cat food she could buy. and cook it on the stove feed the cats and put the rest in the ice box . Then in the morning she would scoop some of the "MIX" in a small pot heat it and feed the cats. (smelled horrible)
I would ask her if she was "sloppin the hogs"

In 1994 she was living next to a nasty river just outside of Detroit, and tells me "something is living under my shed" i asked what does it look like? and she told me it was " big and ugly" but it liked carrots and cabbage.

She didn't know what the hell it was but she was feeding it

That was my mom the animals best friend, she passed away a year ago this month.
Mom would tell ya'll just to feed the damn critters.

( sorry for the hijack)
Lucas

GSOgymrat · « **Reply #17 on:** June 22, 2008, 11:12:29 pm »

That was a nice story about your mom, Lucas.

weasel · « **Reply #18 on:** June 23, 2008, 12:23:23 pm »

i BUY 50 pound bags of cheap dog food !

I feed my nice animals every night !

I love to watch the dear eating my clover field , We planted the area out the living room window in big BLUE clover

the Bunnies and the dear love it !

I find if you feed the PETS , not only are they great to watch , they stay out of the veggie garden cause they got food already !

Murial ,our raccoon deluxe has brought her three babies to eat !

I know wonder why my Racoon baby has a CAT tail ?

anyway feed them all , you eat don't you .

time to weed , Karl

Winiroo · « **Reply #19 on:** June 23, 2008, 02:46:49 pm »

Quote from: GSOgymrat on June 22, 2008, 11:12:29 pm

That was a nice story about your mom, Lucas.

I agree. It was very heart warming.

The only ones I can think of at the moment that I would not want in the yard are mice or rats. Because if you see them in the yard they are likely in your house too.

cjc · « **Reply #20 on:** June 23, 2008, 09:47:14 pm »

Ford, get a rifle and shoot the ground hog because they are very destructive especially if they get under the house. I live on 32 acres ,with family, and we have an abundance of wildlife. Deer, possums(very aggressive), foxes, snakes, a pond with turtles, snakes and fish, very large wild pigs, beavers and otters, raccoons, wild dogs, bobcats, birds,squirrels and probably more. As long as they don't bother us or destroy stuff,except the copperheads and water moccasins, we let them live. I like the city, am originally from Greensboro but love it here in the country. Just sit back and enjoy but kill the groundhog and they are not good eating. Best of luck. Cristy

GSOgymrat · « **Reply #21 on:** June 24, 2008, 10:28:10 pm »

Okay, so we trapped yet another groundhog today. I told mom to please get rid of the trap as we are obviously outnumbered.

I'm lying out by the swimming pool keeping Chester the groundhog company and my mom calls me on the walkie to tell me the gardeners are here. No problem. The gardeners turn out to be two handsome, shirtless, swarthy hunks (yea mom!). I maintained my composure, resisted the urge to gawk and continued my reading. After about thirty minutes the younger comes up and starts telling me about all these bugs on the front lawn. I don't know much about entomology but happen to know they are box elder bugs and explain they they are harmless as sweat drips down his six pack. It was all very Lady Chatterley.

Jeff G · « **Reply #22 on:** June 24, 2008, 10:43:40 pm »

One problem critter in my yard is mole's . They have made tunnels all through my front yard , now they are destroying the side and back yard . Its gotton so you have to be carefull not to trip on all the soft spots .

I looked at mole traps and they just seem so cruel to me , the traps look like little boxes with fish hooks that snag the mole leaving it to starve . I thought maybe they would just eventally leave on there own but it just keeps getting worse ... What to Do ?

Winiroo · « **Reply #23 on:** June 24, 2008, 10:46:05 pm »

I saw smoke bombs at the store. I wonder if they work.

Jeff G · « **Reply #24 on:** June 24, 2008, 10:48:27 pm »

Quote from: Winiroo on June 24, 2008, 10:46:05 pm

I saw smoke bombs at the store. I wonder if they work.

Are they made for Moles ? or ?

rondrond · « **Reply #25 on:** June 24, 2008, 10:57:14 pm »

Quote from: jg1962 on June 24, 2008, 10:48:27 pm

Are they made for Moles ? or ?

I've never dealt with moles before but this may work:

http://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/moles.htm#control

GSOgymrat · « **Reply #26 on:** June 24, 2008, 10:59:39 pm »

Quote from: jg1962 on June 24, 2008, 10:43:40 pm

One problem critter in my yard is mole's . They have made tunnels all through my front yard , now they are destroying the side and back yard . Its gotton so you have to be carefull not to trip on all the soft spots .

I looked at mole traps and they just seem so cruel to me , the traps look like little boxes with fish hooks that snag the mole leaving it to starve . I thought maybe they would just eventally leave on there own but it just keeps getting worse ... What to Do ?

Get a cat.

Jeff G · « **Reply #27 on:** June 24, 2008, 11:16:19 pm »

Quote from: GSOgymrat on June 24, 2008, 10:59:39 pm

Get a cat.

My English bulldog would divorce me

minismom · « **Reply #28 on:** June 25, 2008, 09:25:43 am »

I was doing the nasty job of cleaning and organizing the garage yesterday. I knew that we had mice running about, but never gave it a thought. Then, I was emptying out a box and a mouse JUMPED out, BOUNCED on my head, and RAN to exactly where I was working. Yes, I screamed like a girly girl and ran like there was no tomorrow out of the garage, down the driveway, and all the way to the barn, grabbing up kids as I went. That was it, I was DONE. I made Hubby go back into the garage and shake down the shelves I was filling to make sure that Mickey had fully vacated the premises.

Of course that sly devil of a rat hid out behind the boxes until I set back to work. As soon as Hubby left, and i was feeling safe, that stupid thing ran smack acrossed my foot. I jumped up, grabbed the machete, perfectly willing to sacrafice a few toes if it meant Mickey was moving on to rat heaven. The ever crafty Mickey managed to duck and dive, thus saving his neck and my appendages.

Last night, I set out traps - the unhumane variety - with very tasty treats. We'll see who has the last laugh when Hubby goes down to check them. (you didn't honestly thing I was going down there, did you?)

Mum

rondrond · « **Reply #29 on:** June 25, 2008, 10:09:54 am »

Quote from: minismom on June 25, 2008, 09:25:43 am

I was doing the nasty job of cleaning and organizing the garage yesterday. I knew that we had mice running about, but never gave it a thought. Then, I was emptying out a box and a mouse JUMPED out, BOUNCED on my head, and RAN to exactly where I was working. Yes, I screamed like a girly girl and ran like there was no tomorrow out of the garage, down the driveway, and all the way to the barn, grabbing up kids as I went. That was it, I was DONE. I made Hubby go back into the garage and shake down the shelves I was filling to make sure that Mickey had fully vacated the premises.

Of course that sly devil of a rat hid out behind the boxes until I set back to work. As soon as Hubby left, and i was feeling safe, that stupid thing ran smack acrossed my foot. I jumped up, grabbed the machete, perfectly willing to sacrafice a few toes if it meant Mickey was moving on to rat heaven. The ever crafty Mickey managed to duck and dive, thus saving his neck and my appendages.

Last night, I set out traps - the unhumane variety - with very tasty treats. We'll see who has the last laugh when Hubby goes down to check them. (you didn't honestly thing I was going down there, did you?)

Mum

enough is enough

err, let's put the machete away now...

lydgate · « **Reply #30 on:** June 25, 2008, 11:07:50 am »

I am SO feeling like the effete urban denatured intellectual this morning!

Winiroo · « **Reply #31 on:** June 25, 2008, 02:46:37 pm »

Quote from: minismom on June 25, 2008, 09:25:43 am

As soon as Hubby left, and i was feeling safe, that stupid thing ran smack acrossed my foot. I jumped up, grabbed the machete, perfectly willing to sacrafice a few toes if it meant Mickey was moving on to rat heaven. The ever crafty Mickey managed to duck and dive, thus saving his neck and my appendages.

Oh dear lord ! LOL

I had a really nice mental picture of the toes flying. Not pretty.

GSOgymrat · « **Reply #32 on:** June 25, 2008, 06:29:40 pm »

Is anyone else thinking Ratatouille?

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