Did you hear the one about the fox, opossum and the raccoon?

[Barb Schuetz]

I did! Last night in my yard between the coop and my house! I was up sick all night and at about 3 in the morn I heard some really strange noises outside. Upon further inspection(me with a flashlight staying as close to the house as possible), I see four sets of eyes! I don't know that they were playing or fighting or what- I have absolutely no idea what was going on but there were 2 raccoon, a opossum and a fox looking like they were a bunch of kids that just got caught doing something naughty- deer in headlights kind of thing. They all just stopped what they were doing and stared at me! Then, I notice another set of eyes off to the side- our pesky feral cat laying on the sidelings just watching! We've been trying to catch this stupid cat for weeks now but have had no other predator issues until now. I don't know what was going on last night but I want to do more than just chase them off screaming my head off only for them to come back and actually do some harm. Any pointers? Oh, I have smelled skunk in our yard a couple of times but have not seen any evidence of one.

 

[Cracker]

Looks like the only ones missing from the party were the hawk, coyote, and bobcat! What a gathering!

 

[silkiechicken]

Wow, now that's a party!

 

[lacyloo]

i hope u have a realy seure coop

 

[cheapcheap_jeepjeep]

WOW that must have been a site. It may have not been a skunk, it may have been the fox you smelled. Fox have a smell that seems like a skunk but will a bit more musk to it.
Anyway I hope they don't come back anytime soon.

 

[Wolfpacker]

Well I was waiting for the punch line. You know, something like, "So the possum looks at the fox and says, 'Not much man, just hangin' out!'"

 

[Barb Schuetz]

I do have a very secure coop but my chickens free range during the day and I have seen raccoon(not on my property but around the area) and that cat during the day. The cate will sit on the neighbor's fence across the road and watch my chickypoos.

 

[usbr]

Barb, do you have a cage trap? That will get the coons and possom find thier way in as well. You will have more than 2 though if you actually seen 2, probally more like 20. Are you or your DH a local to that area? I know some people from the area and I bet they could help you out or steer you in the right direction. In fact, trapping season will roll around pretty quick, might want to befriend somebody now and let them trap the animals out. If that cat tends to hang out alot, somebody would be willing to just do a redneck driveby for the fun of it.

The fox will probally be a little harder to get, they dont like cage traps but not impossable to get them.

HTH

 

[Jon Schuetz]

I don't have any traps and we are actually short on cash right now BUT we do own firearms. Not having shot the cat yet is just a matter of opportunity, the others..... Maybe we'll just have to pull an all nighter or two. We recently relocated here from the Madison area so we're still getting to know ppl.

 

[usbr]

Short on cash sucks as I think the standard livetrap for a coon is $35 at Fleet Farm. You should be able to borrow one if you get the word out to the right folks but its something to keep in mind that everybody in rural areas should probally have one. I know Harbor Freight sells cheaper fold flat ones but I havent used one so I cant comment too much about them other than Harbor Freight tends to be cheaper stuff (Harbor Freight is on the south side of Madison if you ever get back home to visit). The cat may go in but I have only cought dumb city cats in town, feral cats dont last out at the farm, too many people around here take care of that problem when they see them.

An all nighter wouldnt hurt, I have gotten a few that way too but Im about as effective with daily treats left out for the nusance animals (removed at daylight so the chickens dont get in them) and then placing a trap. A #2 leg trap only set me back $9 at Gander and combined with the daily treats works well. They come in every night for treats, then set out the trap and eventually they take a wrong step and you got them. Not as slick or sucessful percentage wise as a good trapper but we are not talking a trap line here, we are talking your home where you checking it every day, is not a big deal.

You can also do the ole' good treats for a few weeks and then the poison treat to take care of them. The Amish near me told me the good stuff to use, I didnt think I could get anything good anymore but a few are still available. That cat would be gone in days if you targeted him.

If you want and can go west of Viroqua, I can recommend a tavern to stop at to ask some questions and some people to ask for. Email me for the info, I dont want to post it on the forum.

If you just want some more help with the trapping aspect, email me as well, this site has been overrun lately with people that like to argue about things they dont know about or understand and I would rather not have this thread flounder or get locked.

HTH