Irresponsible Neighbor

[lleighmay]

BRAVO Billfields!
And I want to add that I love animals (all of them) but I let them be animals. I keep mine as safe as possible and I let the wild ones around me (including bears and cougars) be just what they are- wild. I've planted food plots and animal friendly native plants and left natural habitats/hiding places/etc. but dinner is not served in a pan. When I rehab wildlife (including creatures that eat chickens) the goal is to keep them as wild as possible and release them in a safe place where they can go on about their business. If my neighbor set up a feeding station for everything that came along I would report them too- it just sets up a bad situation all the way around. I think the OP made the right choice.

 

[joebryant]

Quote:
That'll learn 'er, durn 'er. She'll not do it again.

 

[Ibicella]

Good point, Noodleroo. That's a good clarification. Birds aren't really an issue, but deer and bears, most definitely!

 

[MysticScorpio82]

Quote:
OMG - is he now buried somewhere on your property? He would be here. My 36 acres is fenced all around with a big main gate. Yet, last weekend I see 2 teenagers riding bikes across my front yard. What the....? When I asked how they got in and told them to leave they said I couldn't tell them what to do because I'm a renter. Ummm, no I'm not. According to them, neighbor to the west told them they could ride here. <sigh> Little creeps thought they could argue with the old lady and she'd back down. So, they've now met my dogs. Don't think they'll be back.

Good for you! I would have done the same

To the OP = Yes, I think you did do the right thing. You have tried talking to her on several occasions, and educating her on country life as well as cause and effect of her feeding racoons, and bears. Wildlife Control has already talked her once over the phone before you called. If it was me, then yeah I would have called. I also would continue to call everyday she feeds them (since it's ILLEGAL). I am not risking my children and my animals because a neighbor thinks she is above the law...

 

[CMV]

CariLynn, you absolutely did the right thing. Feeding wild animals is dangerous for not just the person doing it, but anyone who happens to be nearby. I am fortunate to live in a neighborhood where people are sensible and experienced in living in rural areas. Nobody would be stupid enough to feed the wildlife. I would not hesitate to call the game warden on anyone doing otherwise, regardless of my personal feelings toward the person. Your neighbor is a menace to everyone around her.

 

[Mattemma]

Feeding the animals will make them less likely to find their own food,so she is dooming them to death.Saw on the news how bears in one area are often shot because they make a habit of raiding homes.One bear broke into a vacation home and made himself at home for the winter.Homes are now boarded up and electrified with fencing during off season. I would worry about ticks from the deers and roundworms from the raccoons. I saw on monsters inside me show how a coon hunter had gotten the roundworn inside him.It went to his eye and had eaten most of it before they figured out he had the worm.

 

[chkn]

Boy, you sure don't need bears hanging around.

 

[The Yakima Kid]

Quote:
No kidding! There USED to be a cute little farm house next door, just on the other side of my fence....now there's a micro-mansion there...and they HATE my birds, thusly, I have added roosters to capacity!

They don't speak to me at all anymore....works for me!

to them!

Yes then those that have their horse , but don't want any stinking cows around. To me both their **** smells the same.

We live where we live in Nevada because while we were looking our first choice was rezoned from Rural Residential to Estate. The difference was no sheep, donkeys, goats, hogs, cattle or mules - but horses, llamas, and alpacas are permitted. I don't know about fowl - I suspect emus and ostriches are allowed but keep those nasty geese, ducks, and chickens out of Dodge.

The worst part was families that had lived there for years had to get rid of their children's 4-H projects to keep the yuppies happy.

My favorite country song is "Forty Acres and a Fool."

 

[CariLynn]

Oh yes...we get the country folks out here trying to citify the place. One neighbor, who's "flotation devices" on her chest has more numbers than her brain cells, drives a nice convertible Mercedes...she was complaining the dirt road and rocks causes dings in her beautiful car and wants paved roads!! And others complain about the dust, ruts, pot holes, etc....go back to the city if you want convenience...

 

[Dora'smom]

You absolutely did the right thing. You went about it nicely, too, it seems to me. You tried to talk to her about this on several occasions before calling Fish and Game.
The idea of bears being encouraged to come around our place just chills me to the bone. I know they are out there, but I don't want them where I live. Many years ago, when I was camping in Canada with my parents, a park naturalist I knew was killed by a mother grizzly. The only thing the naturalist did wrong, was "be there". She and her fiance were hiking a mile or two off the main road, and she was mauled to death as a result, and her fiance was mauled but not killed. It made a lasting impression. Nothing that brings bears around can be good.
I think she needs to move somewhere else. Wildlife already existing in the area is fine, but drawing in additional wildlife and setting the expectation that there will be food, is all wrong.
You did the right thing.