- Mar 16, 2008
- 131
- 1
- 131
I haven't posted on this section of the board much but I just have to share my latest trials and tribulations. Posted a little while back about having issues with a raccoon killing my birds. Still having issues with the 'coons! I borrowed 2 live traps from a neighbor after trying to track the coon(s?) down and shoot them prooved futile. With 4 little kids and a husband that works a lot I just can't stay up all night on a stake out.
Anyway, we've had the traps 2 nights now. As always, nothing goes as planned!
Night #1 I get up bright and early to check the traps anticipating a big fat raccoon awaiting disposal. My trap in the small pasture had been sprung, but is empty. The hook to hold the trap door shut didn't engage so the coon stole the bait, opened the door and left. Grrr!!! I fiddled with the trap and got it working for the next night. Went to check the second trap on our back property line along the coons walking path. Low and behold there was a raccoon! The smallest, most pathetic scared to death baby raccon you'd ever hope to not find in a trap. Gosh it was pathetic. I left it there and went in to tell my husband I couldn't shoot it. A big one yea, without hesitation. But not a baby. I agonized over it all morning. Went out to muster up my courage as it got hot knowing I couldn't leave it out there to bake and suffer in the sun. Poor little thing was already panting hot, huddled in a corner and miserable. I stood there looking at it. It sat there looking at me. The it reached a little paw out of its cage in desperation. Don't know what made me do it, but I reached a finger out and the little bugger grabbed on and held my hand and begged more eloquently than anyone with spoken language coudl do. Yep. I'm the worlds biggest sucker. Little guy is no longer where he can do any damage and if he has any sense he'll live out a nice, long easy life. Way, way far away from my chickens (and yep... I know ALL the implications involved in that one).
Here he is (yea, that's the cat cage I dumped him into out of the live trap):
Free under a big tree far, far from me (and chickens and any other edible domestic animals):
I failed to mention the best part though. Upon walking back from checking the traps I checked the horses big water trough and about had heart failure. There was a THING swimming laps in it! At first I thought it was a rat. Ewww!!!! Upon closer inpection (as I was pondering how to get it out and kill it and wondering where the heck my umpteen barn cats had gone off to) I realized it wasn't a rat after all. It was a baby possum! I scooped it up, took it inside, dried it off and it's become the latest charity case. Local wildlife rescue doesn't want it. Local game warden (who is a hoot and knows me after an interesting wild pig situation I had a few months ago, and cougars before that) firmly told me that what he doesn't know about me keeping wild critters won't hurt either of us. Guess I have me an orphan to raise!!
Yea, yea... I know. Trust me I know all the implications of this one too. But could you kill this little guy? I sure can't.
This morning all I had in my traps was a big ugly male possum. He's outta here.
Hopefully tomorrow morning I'll catch the darn coon I've seen killing my chickens! This is just getting plain silly!! Coulda been worse I guess... at least I didn't catch a skunk (knocking wood, throwing salt....watch one be waiting for me in the morning)
Liz
Anyway, we've had the traps 2 nights now. As always, nothing goes as planned!
Night #1 I get up bright and early to check the traps anticipating a big fat raccoon awaiting disposal. My trap in the small pasture had been sprung, but is empty. The hook to hold the trap door shut didn't engage so the coon stole the bait, opened the door and left. Grrr!!! I fiddled with the trap and got it working for the next night. Went to check the second trap on our back property line along the coons walking path. Low and behold there was a raccoon! The smallest, most pathetic scared to death baby raccon you'd ever hope to not find in a trap. Gosh it was pathetic. I left it there and went in to tell my husband I couldn't shoot it. A big one yea, without hesitation. But not a baby. I agonized over it all morning. Went out to muster up my courage as it got hot knowing I couldn't leave it out there to bake and suffer in the sun. Poor little thing was already panting hot, huddled in a corner and miserable. I stood there looking at it. It sat there looking at me. The it reached a little paw out of its cage in desperation. Don't know what made me do it, but I reached a finger out and the little bugger grabbed on and held my hand and begged more eloquently than anyone with spoken language coudl do. Yep. I'm the worlds biggest sucker. Little guy is no longer where he can do any damage and if he has any sense he'll live out a nice, long easy life. Way, way far away from my chickens (and yep... I know ALL the implications involved in that one).
Here he is (yea, that's the cat cage I dumped him into out of the live trap):
Free under a big tree far, far from me (and chickens and any other edible domestic animals):
I failed to mention the best part though. Upon walking back from checking the traps I checked the horses big water trough and about had heart failure. There was a THING swimming laps in it! At first I thought it was a rat. Ewww!!!! Upon closer inpection (as I was pondering how to get it out and kill it and wondering where the heck my umpteen barn cats had gone off to) I realized it wasn't a rat after all. It was a baby possum! I scooped it up, took it inside, dried it off and it's become the latest charity case. Local wildlife rescue doesn't want it. Local game warden (who is a hoot and knows me after an interesting wild pig situation I had a few months ago, and cougars before that) firmly told me that what he doesn't know about me keeping wild critters won't hurt either of us. Guess I have me an orphan to raise!!
Yea, yea... I know. Trust me I know all the implications of this one too. But could you kill this little guy? I sure can't.
This morning all I had in my traps was a big ugly male possum. He's outta here.
Hopefully tomorrow morning I'll catch the darn coon I've seen killing my chickens! This is just getting plain silly!! Coulda been worse I guess... at least I didn't catch a skunk (knocking wood, throwing salt....watch one be waiting for me in the morning)
Liz
