Washingtonians

[Stumpfarmer]

Quote:
The photos in the second link made me smile; I worked in the same program as Rocky Spencer for a while, and there he was, happy in his work.

We had a bear shot not far from me about five years ago, when Rocky Spencer was still alive; it had been hit crossing a road a couple of days earlier and was too ill to be rehabillitated. Rocky was visibly upset when he was interviewed on television: it really was his goal to find ways to save animals, and the beardogs are a great legacy to him. (He died falling from a helicopter while doing large=animal relocation).

We were all saddened with that tragic accident that took Rocky's life

Rocky was a wonderful guy. In our neighborhood we all knew him (we are up against the Seattle Watershed, so we get lots of wildlife) Rocky was tracking several cougars in the neighborhood. I had a neighbor fro NYC a mile down the hill from me raising chickens in a beautiful sturdy coop. The bear ripped the coop apart to get to her chickens! They tried trapping the bear, but the bear got the food without setting it off, so her hubby who's deaf bought a gun. I have no clue how this happened, but it did. Margaret was walking down her driveway with her 2 dogs (very long driveway on 20 acres) when a bear came out of the woods and headed straight for her. She screamed, hubby must hear high pitches because he ran outside and from right by the house shot that bear square in the forehead and killed it! Rocky came out then and he told her, BTW, she also had a den on her property with 3 cougars! (momma and babies I assume). She put her house on the market and moved! Rocky also came out when a different neighbor was having dinner on her deck with her nephew who coincidentally was studying to be a game officer in Wisconsin. They were watching a mother deer with her to newborn fawns when a cougar came out of the woods and hid behind a stump. in one leap it went over the giant old stump and killed one of the babies, and then got spooked and ran off. Rocky baited a trap with the fawn, but they caught a bear instead. I think I may have pictures of that one. I thankfully was not around when he released it, but he was standing on top of the cage, and when he opened it, instead of running off, the bear first turned and took a swipe at Rocky (missed), and then ran.

I heard he died a little differently - the hellicopter had set him down, and as it was about to take off, Rocky noticed a rope across a skid and went to move it. The pilot had also noticed it and turned the helicopter to get out from under it not knowing Rocky was there. Rocky was killed by the tail rotor. The pilot was his friend, they worked together frequently.

Either way, how tragic, and horrible for the pilot.

I'm going by the story that was in the Daily Zero: it may or may not have reflected reality.

North Bend is smack up against wild land, but short of the middle of one of the farming counties there's nowhere in this state where a bear or cougar might not show up(there have been both in Seattle, with cougars a little more likely, over the years), and the people who work on ways to keep those encounters from getting tragic are heros.

Not that it's just this state; John McPhee has a long article about bears in suburban New Jersey, including a mama bear who habitually denned up under the porch of somebody's weekend place.

 

[Chicken Rustler]

Quote:
I sent Don a "MotherEarth" article on Javas, he thinks they are so cool and wants some now, so he will help me divide the yard. Hopefully we won't hit any more utilities!

MAKE THE ONE CALL !!!! They will locate up to the meter and may or may not go beyond. If not then get somebody who is REALLY GOOD (like me

) to witch them out. I know there are nay sayers but I can use welding rod or most any stiff wire and find water and power. Phone is kind of iffy and have never tried gas. But get thos lines located. the cost of repair can be huge not to mention if ya hit a line and get injured or worse.
MAKE THE ONE CALL its free and they will be there within 48 hours.

 

[pettec63]

Quote:
A piece of duct tape over the hole will work, spary foam has formaldehyde fumes that emit forever..not good in an incubator.

oh jeez! well thanks for that!! he hasn't fixed it yet!!

 

[Chicken Rustler]

Quote:
I just happen to have a special on saws today !!!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/23104_mercury_saw.jpg

WOW CR!! thats awesome!! that's serious chainsaw action!! lol!

Made in 1956 it is a 6' bar and I have the owners manual. It actually ran when I got it but havent tried it in a while it is too hard on the ears.

 

[pettec63]

Quote:
WOW CR!! thats awesome!! that's serious chainsaw action!! lol!

Made in 1956 it is a 6' bar and I have the owners manual. It actually ran when I got it but havent tried it in a while it is too hard on the ears.

man I bet!! It's cool tho, goes with my moto " go big or stay at home" !! lol

 

[pettec63]

Quote:
about the vitamins, I know you all are trying to get vitman D because of the lack of sun, we have something called Rooster Booster here, it has complete vitamin supplement and good gut bacteria for their stomachs, I use it when I get new chicks and chickens in for maybe three or four days, it's good stuff and not that expensive, just thought I'd pass that on. Oh by the way speaking of vegtables and lack of vitamins, that is why the AMA recommends supplementation and that's why our Herbalife business is going gang busters!! everyone is figuring out they need better nutrition! I'm so sorry you have horse pills to take, that is definitely not any fun! I had a tough time in the beginning my self, I'm better now!! How are your little cornish doing??

The babies are all doing fantastic.
They are so cute at this age...
the Cornish are leopard-like spotted & striped, very pretty babies.
I have read up on rooster booster and di not find it had all that much going on compared to the big packaged supplements.
Especially way more expensive.

hmm I didn't pay too much for it ?? Dang and I thought I was doing really good things for my chickens!!!! They have all kinds of Rooster booster products here, for roo fighting of course!! they try to keep it on the down low, but we know whats going on!!!!

 

[pettec63]

so I found some home make incubators on CL last night, the guy wrote me back and he made them for his exotic birds and they have the wiring to plug into the cigarette lighter too! he used to sell them at bird shows!!! He wants 25 dollars for them, or at least that's what the ad said?? So I'm going to call him and go look at them! could make awesome brooders and making trips over the mts for babies not as stressful!!! yea!!!

 

[herbandteas]

Quote:
Time to call your Dr

Unfortunately, I had to take my migraine meds. I left work yesterday but it is no better today. I'm supposed to avoid taking the meds with pregnancy but when I cannot function, I need to. This is the 3rd time I've needed to take it during my pregnancy. Feeling guilty every time. But I can't be a good petrie dish if I can't do anything because it all hurts.

I think with some women you have headaches when your pregant. My Daughter had headaches most of her pregnancy. I hope you can get past them .

 

[Ogress]

Quote:
I Love it! I could just see it - a parade of 2 banging on pots as we walk out to the bus stop!

I also have a rooster and bowling pin versions.

I think Blueducklings may take a offense if we started banging on bowling pins! Of course we could use the rolling pins to beat the rooseters.

 

[Stumpfarmer]

Quote:
There are bear and cougar sightings in our neighborhood multiple times per week, and so far they have left people alone. this bear is becoming a nuisance though and we were asked last night to wait until the last minute to take our garbage cans out, so I am sitting in here listening for the truck!

Someone left the familyroom door wide open last night, I came into the kitchen and found things knocked over and spilled on the floor. I think it was our feral cat. I've found him in the house before!

Oh man!

Be more careful!
Feral cat may have followed your poofy white cat in the house.
Glad he didn't spray all over your house!!
Gawd, getting cat spray all over everything is such a lasting pain...and cats keep on spraying over the other cats' spray.yuck!!
Bobcats spray really really STRONG almost gag you spray.
And they spray everywhere.
Very territorial cats.
I am not sure if cougars do that, have to ask Stumpfarmer or Cheryl, they have cougars about.

I think only male cougars spray to mark territory, females spray to mark dens, but I could be wrong. They're not the agressive markers that bobcats are unless they're in a state of overpopulation.

I meant to say, about Ogress' orchard: the only time I see bear sign here is when the orchard is in fruit, and one reason we keep the cattle in the orchard in September and October is to keep the windfalls from drawing bears. In Missoula, there's an ordinance against letting fruit lie on the ground, and a volunteer fruit-picking unit to see it doesn't happen: there are wildlife corridors (including Rattlesnake Creek Canyon, which is on my list of "get out of the car and stretch your legs" recommendations for long-distance travellers, about three miles north of I-90, and a beautiful place with about two miles of flat trail before the climbing starts) that don't get interrupted until the middle of Glacier NF and they get black bears in town every year, and grizzlies every once in a while.

My rule about predator threat assessment is assume you do have coyotes and raccoons (I saw both when I lived on Beacon Hill in Seattle) as well as some sort of avian predator. Assume you might have bears and cougars. But fence against your neighbor's dogs and don't be too trusting of your own. Remember that cat doors are an open invitation to anything the same size or smaller than your cat, and some of those are the things that carry rabies (skunks, possums, and small raccoons most commonly, but a friend in Oregon ended up with a mink in his house, and those things are nuts). There are always mice, and if you don't see them it's because there's something eating them, probably rats. And you can't exterminate everything that's a threat to your animals, so you need to build and manage against them instead.