no...i'm not talking about my kids. .......though sometimes. *grin*
but raccoons.
we live out in the country.......we don't have trash service....
SOOO....that means all our trash for a week or two gets taken out to an old pickup that my dad uses just for that purpose.
we double bag everything that goes in the truck.....but that does not stop these little masked bandits.
we put tarps over the top of it and secure it with bungee cords.
now i'm not usually awake while they are getting into the trash.
but here they are......i've chased them away from it about 15 times already since before it started getting light out.
and nothing scares them....they are to the point where they just stand there and look at me....like....yeah lady...watcha gonna do about it.
they have gotten so bold that at night they come in the house and eat the cats food.....washing their little hands in his water dish.
leaving a big muddy crumby mess all over my kitchen.
that's gotten to the point where i can throw things at them and all they do is scoot a little ways out the door.
i could board up the cat door......but he's an indoor outdoor cat and the raccoons chase him and the dog chases him...and the neighbors have already shot him once.......yes.....THAT kind of place.
right now i'm looking out my living room window.....the sun is shining on the mountains.....and there are two of them eating dried up tortillas out of the trash i put out there last night.
the whole entire tarp is laying on the ground next to the truck.
i have no idea how they got it off.
but i am SERIOUSLY fed up with picking up gross slimy trash off the ground EVERY SINGLE MORNING.
raccoons aren't the safest things either....they carry diseases the same as rats.....and they are dangerous when cornered. it scares me that one of the kids might catch one in the kitchen at some point.
awwwwwwww. i'm watching this one crossing the hood of the trash truck...and it has an injured front paw.....it can barely walk on it.....
SEEEE. i even feel sorry for the damn thing.
they are so awfully very cute.
but dirty and IRRITATING.
i guess if littlest wasn't so cute i'd want to take a shotgun to her sometimes too.
not that i have one or anything.
any advice??? *sigh*
Fallyn posted on Jun 15, 2008
| views: 298
Comments
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hottips4u said on Jun 15, 2008....
Next time you toss something at them make it lead.... a 22 cal., will do just nicely, not to be mean, but you know how dangerous they can be if cornered or a child approaches too closely. pop pop and that problem is solved. Next litter, each will be bring their young too...hehe, short of live box trapping and relocating miles away, the 22 will work wonders. ; )
Get a dog....let him run. Most wild life will avoid a residence with a dog.
Jessi.
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botoni said on Jun 15, 2008....
I'm with you on the love/hate thing. Is there any agency in your area that deals with animal control? They might have some suggestions. Perhaps building a box on the truck that would somehow prohibit the little creatures from getting in would work. If their food source is removed they'll likely go away. That takes care of them outside but short of kitty having to ask for entry and exit I have no solution to indoor problem. -
hottips4u said on Jun 15, 2008....
Bot, with all due respect, as long as she cooks and they can smell the food or scraps as in trash bags, they will not go away. Stop down to your local store (country store) and inquire as to local trappers. Surely there has to be a man in your area that will be willing to end this problem and that is what you have to do, no half stepping actions will work as in building a box (they haven't created a wooded box coons can't get into if they think a meal awaits).
Besides, they are not the only coon in da neighborhood, and when you rid yourself of these, more will move into their area, thats nature.
Trap um, shoot them or just get a dog. Coon will not come near a dog. Dogs are used to hunt them, they hold a fear of dogs, just make sure it's a lab or retriever type of dog so that its bigger than the critters otherwise, he and your cat will end up dinner one day to a critter in da woods (fox and opossum lov cats as tasty treats).
With children around Bot....there is no room for critters. I know, I hunt, trap and live in the Mountains as well. Its not cruel, its them or maybe a kid chewed up, or you or rabies or or or....cute is bullshit when they sink their teeth into ya ass.....hehe ; )
Jess
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Fallyn said on Jun 15, 2008....
i'm thinking on the dog issue.
it would have to be a puppy so the cat could get used to it......
but jessi that's a great idea.
that's a great idea about the box....dad could build one that fully opens in the back. awesome idea bot.
the last time we hired a trapper to take care of a skunk instead of relocating it...or even as humanely as possible putting a bullet to its head....the idiot turned a hose on it in the middle of winter and froze it to death. i can't imagine a crueler death.
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hottips4u said on Jun 15, 2008....
That idiot deserved an ass kicking !
Coons dig into logs, trees, and deep into stony grounds for dens. Their claws are sharp enough, not to mention gnashing teeth to render flesh right quick like.
In less thatn the passing of a moon, that box will be shredded to gain access to the smells coming from inside.
I didn't say it to down Bot's comment at all, just that I know the folly of a wooden box as a deterrent. I know the adversary if you will. ; ) Coon's can weight up to 50 and 60 pounds, plywood, particle board, chip board....slow um down a might but not stop them if they want what...... the think is in there and that would be something to eat ; ).
Do not go near them, they are telling you they no longer see you as a threat, but a distraction. When the natural fear is gone (coming inside - not afraid of humans now) you both are desensitizing yourselves to the real dangers present to both.
Get a dog, get a .22 to end this immediate problem, dig a hole and put um in it. But even relocating them now would only put other humans in danger as well, simply because they do not fear humans...they are the McDonald's now, if you will, for coon. There is plenty of raccoon, trimming those of yours from their numbers will not even be noticed in the animal kingdom, odds are not being afraid of human odors, they are destined for a leg hold or connibear trap anyways, or roadkill along the road looking for scrapes from what other humans toss out their windows.
Once desensitized....to any danger, the danger increases.
A nice lab or golden retriever is family orientated, good with household pets and dominant to chase away intruders......2 and 4 legged.
Honest Bot, no disrespect intended.
jess
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hottips4u said on Jun 15, 2008....
What in hell you doing out in the mountains without a weapon anyways ? Not only are there problems like above...but two legged dangers come out of cities and into the hills as well to do dirt.
Get a .22 rifle and a trigger lock, it takes care of pest and just might save you and/or your kids one day. Keep it secure, but readily accessible to an adult ya know ??
How long does it take to call a cop and have them arrive ? That's how long an intruder has to attack and or run from the scene as well.
; )
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Fallyn said on Jun 15, 2008....
there are a lot of places around here for them to move to.....the rest of our neighbors don't have children.....they can deal with this problem .....
i'm not meaning any disrespect to you jessi....but i know i couldn't shoot them. it's just not possible for me to do that.
we're in a weird place..... a small town.....about 17000 people.... we're one foot in the county and one foot in the city limits.
around here the land is divided into 1-12 acre lots. ...we're on 4 acres.....half of it is woods and marsh.
we have close neighbors all around.....and there is a strip of wild land running back of all our properties.... and beyond that another road....with similar properties backed up to ours.....so even though the area is a bit populated...we aren't exactly in the middle of nowhere alone.....it's a populated middle of nowhere.
we all deal with deer, raccoons, rats (not mice), coyotes, and rabbits.
and a little further up the mountain they deal with cougars.
this isn't a high development area yet......and likely wont be for a few decades.....so the existence with the wild things has been pretty stable.
if we put a box on the truck the raccoons will move on to easier neighbors and wild food.
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hottips4u said on Jun 15, 2008....
hehe...if you say so. Good luck, I forget even Denver is in da mountains.
Personally, I'd already of popped um and they'd of been nourishing a fruit tree or hardwood I recently put in just a feeding that root system w/ their carcass. = )
Bet your glad someone else prepares your meat and fish as well....hehe
I always wondered what will happen to some people if the shit hit the fan and no electric, no stores...no fresh food....fend for yourself.
I guess there will be statistics to record their having been here perhaps.
Have a good day.
jess.
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Fallyn said on Jun 15, 2008....
jesse....better believe it.
i acknowledge that it's a sissy pansy way of existence....and yes....if i HAD to kill my own food...i would. and could.
but i don't have to. i also believe that i don't have any more right to be here than the raccoons. i mean...it's not as though the raccoons can go down to the local bank and take out a loan to spend at the local real estate office.....
there are dangers everywhere. some preventable.....others not.
my life is no more sacred than the life of said raccoon....even if it is a pest and a nuisance.
i don't want disease spreading to my family and my kids.....but ...i acknowledge that we're part of the bigger population and this is WHY we are overpopulated.....because we believe we have more right to be here than the rest of the animals.
baboons and jaguars HATE each other. and will kill each other on sight when encountered ....but you don't see baboons gathering torches and going on a jaguar hunt.
harmless as a crocodile....that's my motto.
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hottips4u said on Jun 15, 2008....
Really ? How many hogs have you ever scalded ? How many game birds have you dipped, plucked and sizzled ?
Ever gut a deer and watch the entrails come steaming and moving, twitching as they burst from freshly sliced skin ?...hehe
Ever walk up and cut the throat of a deer as it lay unable to run...fear and snot steaming from it's convulsive nostrils agape in total knowing its about to die ?
Ever take a Buck 110 and walk up to a goat you at one time bottle fed knowing it was going to be great bbq'ed as you now slice it's throat holding its muzzle not unlike when you played the summer away together ? hehe
Such is life and animals are here for food first, domestics second.
Damn...as an Native Indian, I sure you folks thought like that about Indians as well as how you think of animals... ; )
You have great conversations at times, this just happens to one such.
All BS aside, I hope you and yours stay safe and coon free once your box is secured and pest free.
jess.
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hottips4u said on Jun 15, 2008....
amended :
I sure [ wish you ] folks thought like that about Indians as well as how you think of animals... ; )
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Fallyn said on Jun 15, 2008....
well jessi, actually yes, i have.
i have been in attendance and helped with a hog butchering.
i didn't kill the animal....but yes. i was there, i watched, i helped, and yes it tugged at my emotions......but again....some people do well as a vegetarian....me? i can't take enough iron supplements to live that way. my colon would clog up...so mine has to come from red meat as well as vegetables, as well as supplements.
i've caught fish and gutted and cleaned them. watched as they lay gasping for breath. it's not something i enjoy.....but i can.
i've helped butcher chickens and watched them run around a second or two or ten missing their heads. ...again...not something i enjoy.
my children know good and well where their food comes from.
however....i respect the lives of these animals and acknowledge that though they've died for me to eat i don't need to take their lives unnecessarily.
that said....i'm guilty of buying meat from the grocery store......not the best source by a long stretch......but there isn't another way at this point.
i don't have meat at every meal, it's not necessary for survival right now.....if we were without electricity.....and there was five feet of snow outside in the winter, you'd better believe there would be a couple of deer and whatever else prepared for winter.
i do realize where the food i buy and consume comes from ...for the most part.
and yes....i wish more people felt that way about the indians too. but here i am...and no where else to go.
shall i commit ritual suicide because it was wrong so many years ago?
my friends in the macaw tribe wouldn't agree with that.
my friends in the sk'lallam tribe wouldn't agree with that either.
my ancestors in the blackfeet, cree, and chippewa tribes likely wouldn't agree with that either.
i'm not berating you at all for your statement...and i whole heartedly agree with you that most people don't know where their food comes from and likely would not be able to kill and prepare an animal for consumption.
not sure where this happened.....but a woman came in a store, it was a general store. they had groceries as well as clothing and even a pet department.
well...she lays her purchases down on the counter....some of which consists of pork chops, a beef roast and chicken legs.
and says, well...i have to shop here today but i'll have you know i am boycotting your store in the future because i'm a card carrying member of PETA and i protest the sale of live animals.
and the clerk just looks at her and says "ma'am, we sell dead ones too."
and her mouth drops open and she says "how can you get away with such a thing!!?" and pays for her purchases and stomps out of the store.
this was submitted on a post on another site as a personal story by someone i know well there.....so is likely true.
the stupidity of some people is astounding.
the guy that posted it got written up by his boss for being rude to a customer.
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hottips4u said on Jun 15, 2008....
lol....PETA ILLNESS and MENTAL ILLNESS are treated with identical medications ironically enough...hehe
Astounding...they get away with the selling of dead animals...hehe or that she may well spread fetus tissue on her pores and thinks pretty thoughts all aglow....
Glad ta hear you won't be a statistic... so pop um already...hehe Hell, I would'a popped um right there in the kitchen, no second chance...22, pop pop pop ...
mop mop mop, problem solved, except maybe a small amount of wood fill in the hardwood flooring...hehe
Get a dog = )... no popping sounds ; ) just yipping and yapping unless the coon catch fido napping (they're sneaky critters).
jess
(ohh, and I was saying I wished sc'ers treated Native Indians ( like myself...hehe ) as well as they treated animals (I was being sarcastic rather than historic)... ; )
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Fallyn said on Jun 15, 2008....
jessi.....sarcasm is so hard to interpret here.....i figured you were being sarcastic...but at whom was misinterpreted.
*grin* my stance still stands as to the raccoons however. lump me in with the bleeding hearts......i can't/won't shoot an animal for only trying to survive. they'll find food somewhere else.
i'm looking for a dog.
but in the mean time...kitty gets a new collar.....and an electronic collar reading kitty door.
and dad's putting a clamping bed cover over the truck bed. it weighs about 50 lbs. complete with screw down vice grips. pain the .... coming off and on....but oh well.
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hottips4u said on Jun 15, 2008....
ahhh...a cap! Now that should do the trick ! Not as sure as pop pop pop, but so what what what...hehe Glad you sat down and figgered it right nice like....hehe
Oh..... that was a general sarcastic retort, you must share, it wasn't exclusively yours...hehe
Kitties disappear in dem-thar woods darn it !
Seems pussy is delectable as well as irresistibly delicious even to woodland creatures such as the fox .... ; )
Wouldn't it be cruel to put a gps chip in your cat so you can know where its at... only to go looking for it and find you've been chasing the belly of a fox ? : /
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Fallyn said on Jun 15, 2008....
*laughing* i know that shouldn't be funny....but it is rather.
he can take care of himself....i give him food and a place to sleep.......but he is a cat after all....they've been fending for themselves for millenia.
we don't have foxes here.....we have coyotes.
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hottips4u said on Jun 15, 2008....
Same family (dog) even if they don't look alike (canine predator).
Yea....it would be funny, they shoulda used it in pet detective...hehe
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Fallyn said on Jun 15, 2008....
are foxes canines? ...which one is it that looks like a canine but actually isn't. i can't remember....anyway....
the coyotes around here are more like wild dogs...... they're so interbred with the local population of strays.
we don't have the thin lanky ones....we have the massive huge fluffy ones.
they tend to stay to themselves though. except for the occasional pet. which is a risk......but i say it's a quality of life issue.
sure there's a risk he could get eaten by a coyote......and if he wanted to stay in the house all the time and not take that risk....that's up to him.....he's a predator, he knows there are other predators out there.....i say leave the risk to him...he's not stupid.
there isn't any reason for him to go outside....except to live.
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hottips4u said on Jun 15, 2008....
Healthy outlook...fido gets eaten ole well...but save the coons !.....hehe
Those would be what is known as " CoyDogs"...and just as dangerous as the blue blood...er um...relative =) (in law of course)...
Your on the net silly google gray and/or red fox.....
jeepers...I'd bet you'd be a blast on a camping trip...hehe
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Fallyn said on Jun 15, 2008....
hey.....if the coons get eaten? oh well...but i won't be responsible for their demise.
and yes, i know my views aren't exactly "average" or "standard" i have my own way of looking at life.
it's hard to explain at times.
why is that? camping is fun.
is that sarcasm i'm detecting? *grin*
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tiposcettico said on Jun 16, 2008....
Seems two me you have three choices
1)catch them in a humane trap and re-locate them far away from your home
2)shoot them
3)get a better dog
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Fallyn said on Jun 16, 2008....
well...a dog would be better than no dog at all.
when my parents dog is over here they don't come near the place.....but he's too much a pain in the ass to keep in the house. he chases the cat and steals food off the table and out of the kids hands. if he's just in here at night he sleeps on the bed with me and won't stay on the floor.
my parents aren't exactly great with raising things ........
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crybabylu said on Jun 16, 2008....
send them my way, I'll shoot them! -
hottips4u said on Jun 16, 2008....
Desensitizing kills in the animal world as well as ours.
No one ever accused me of being overly sensitive = )....so
jess.