This morning a student working in my lab called to say two raccoons had gotten in and consumed some of my brood stock bluegill. Those fish are worth a great deal. We are in process of moving to newly constructed lab in part owing to biosecurity issues such as these provided by existing lab that was originally constructed for hogs. I rounded up rifle, keys, flashlight and Scoob but forgot duck (important later). We loaded up car and took the 20 minute drive to lab which Scoob does weekly when we go to TSC for supplies. Scoob likes to sniff dog toys and gets treats from ladies at register so he likes trips for that reason alone. When we got to lab student walked me through carnage. No question coons were eating my brood fish. Pit tags to missing fish can be detected in piles of scat along back wall of room used to house brood animals. Scoob quickly lined out one coon (a kitten) that holed up in inside a cinder block. I found sow some distance away in pit that is nearly 60 feet long with heavy wire grate as a cover. We went after kitten first per Scoob’s direction. Scoob could not get at coon but was perfectly willing to try and chew thru concrete to do it. I pulled Scoob back and grabbed coon by very large pair of channel locks and pulled it out. Scoob grabbed and promptly killed it. Sow was targeted next. Scoob could not fit thru access point used by sow so I had to move a bunch of heavy materials to make so a grate could be removed. All said and done a good 30 minutes were chewed up doing that. Scoob now had sow lined out and was eager to get job done and sow knew it. Just as grate was lifted sow went down a 10” drain that Scoob could not access. We were not beat yet. I went over to one of the big tanks that could be drained into pit and pulled a pipe so water came washing down into drain. Scoob jumped out of pit to follow me. Just as last water went down drain, sow climbed out, somehow relatively dry. Scoob saw her and jumped down and proceeded to maul her. Surface was slick and strongly sloping to drain so Scoob did not have superior speed like he normally does against a coon. Fight lasted maybe 30 seconds and Scoob was causing coon serious hurt possibly rendering one of her back legs less than fully functional. Sow bit Scoob a couple times but fight was clearly going in Scoob’s favor and he would have finished her if he knew not to let her head get into drain where she pulled herself down. Scoob caused her more damage as she gave up on fight to get away into drain. Scoob was clearly frustrated and barked tree at coon not more than 3 feet away inside pipe. I drained another tank in effort to get sow to come out again but she would not. Scoob stood over drain as water rushed down waiting for sow to come up for rematch which she did not. She knew consequences. To make long story short, I placed a large cinder block over drain to block her access. Then as we walked out congratulating each other I walking into a propane pipe to heater and almost knocked myself out. That is what the duck was for. I am tallish and now have a major headache.
This is where using a hunting dog as a livestock guardian comes into it’s own. Scoob does not regard poultry as part of pack. If he did then poultry not mine would be attacked. Poultry are part of his landscape. Scoob’s biddable nature makes so he can work under my direction as part of a team. I reworked environment so he could get around better and he went where I directed to get a coons.
We will set a couple live-traps tonight armed with peanut butter in effort to get sow and any kittens we could not locate previously.
First victim, coon kitten.
Drain as water sent down before sow emerges.
Drain with cinder block in attempt to block sow from reentering lab.
This is where using a hunting dog as a livestock guardian comes into it’s own. Scoob does not regard poultry as part of pack. If he did then poultry not mine would be attacked. Poultry are part of his landscape. Scoob’s biddable nature makes so he can work under my direction as part of a team. I reworked environment so he could get around better and he went where I directed to get a coons.
We will set a couple live-traps tonight armed with peanut butter in effort to get sow and any kittens we could not locate previously.
First victim, coon kitten.
Drain as water sent down before sow emerges.
Drain with cinder block in attempt to block sow from reentering lab.
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