The raccoons keep on coming...

[OhZark Biddies]

groundhogs vs. woodchucks....there's a difference?

Same animal ... but I have friends that call folks that are from "backwoods" locations 'woodchucks', particularly when they are involved in logging or other forestry occupations.

Which can cause some confusion to the uninitiated when they hear something like, "I passed some silly woodchuck on the county road today, and he about ran me into the ditch, I think he was either drunk or on a cell phone."

I had a co-worker who was raised in the suburbs who accidentally coined the term "dirt-squirrel" when he was trying to tell us about a groundhog he saw... so I like that one too.

 

[kwhites634]

Just a difference in how they are referred to. Groundhog, woodchuck, and whistepig are all m. monax which are found in North America. Genus Marmota.

We were hunting them with rifles once in a fallow field when a chopper showed up, carrying passengers who seemed mighty interested 'til they realized what we were doing so close to their "boss", the peanut farmer, who was just over the hill at Camp David.

 

[techbsmith]

We were hunting them with rifles once in a fallow field when a chopper showed up, carrying passengers who seemed mighty interested 'til they realized what we were doing so close to their "boss", the peanut farmer, who was just over the hill at Camp David.

Ohhh...I'm sure that got quick attention, high levels of endorphins, and then some laughs. Glad you didn't disappear!

 

[kwhites634]

Same animal ... but I have friends that call folks that are from "backwoods" locations 'woodchucks', particularly when they are involved in logging or other forestry occupations.

Which can cause some confusion to the uninitiated when they hear something like, "I passed some silly woodchuck on the county road today, and he about ran me into the ditch, I think he was either drunk or on a cell phone."

I had a co-worker who was raised in the suburbs who accidentally coined the term "dirt-squirrel" when he was trying to tell us about a groundhog he saw... so I like that one too.

I was in a car with the neighbor years ago when he intentionally ran off the road & across a field trying to run over a groundhog.He hated them from working on a horse farm & seeing expensive Thoroughbreds break or otherwise injure legs from stepping in groundhog holes. Yet, I pastured 12-15 horses of other breeds, including my own Walkers, on 25 acres laced with groundhog holes without incident.

 

[kwhites634]

Ohhh...I'm sure that got quick attention, high levels of endorphins, and then some laughs. Glad you didn't disappear!

We'd have been locked up for it today; people weren't quite as paranoid then.

 

[MotherHen1234]

We had a problem with raccoons too. It killed all 4 of our hens. We put chicken food out with poison around the coop, the next day we came outside to a dead raccoon in our yard.

 

[OhZark Biddies]

We had a problem with raccoons too. It killed all 4 of our hens. We put chicken food out with poison around the coop, the next day we came outside to a dead raccoon in our yard.

I'm not big on poisons for a number of reasons, but they do have there place at times, particularly where there is an infestation, such as mice and rats, or raccoons around grain bins and such.

But I used to hunt on a large farm and the farmer lived on another farm closer to town, but kept a garden and an enclosed chicken coop & run on the larger farm. He would occasionally put out the blue liquid flybait in a pan next to the coop, and the coons and possums that would drink that stuff would be found within feet of it with a mess coming out of their back ends. So it must have been very effective, fast acting stuff.

I don't think I would recommend using that stuff in that off-label way, though. And would caution against leaving it or any poison where a neighbors dog or cat could get into it.

 

[bruceha2000]

We were hunting them with rifles once in a fallow field when a chopper showed up, carrying passengers who seemed mighty interested 'til they realized what we were doing so close to their "boss", the peanut farmer, who was just over the hill at Camp David.

Oh I bet they were VERY interested, and armed better than you. Glad they figured out you were just clearing out varmints.

 

[OhZark Biddies]

... Glad they figured out you were just clearing out varmints.

I bet they were a bit conflicted though... after all their job was to protect a politician, which is really just a certain type of varmint.

 

[techbsmith]

I be they were a bit conflicted though... after all their job was to protect a politician, which is really just a certain type of varmint.