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05-22-2018 11:30 PM
@Kachina624 wrote:@Allegheny. If the raccoon came toward you when you opened the door, it's pretty obvious that someone has been feeding it which is a dangerous practice. When a wild animal loses its fear of people and expects food, they become vulnerable to be harmed.
Some friends and I had a "girls week-end" at a cabin in the woods near Ruidoso in the Southern NM mountains. After we came in for the night, we looked out and there were 5 or 6 huge raccoons sitting on the porch rail right outside the door. I bet each of those big, fat things weighed 40lbs. I dont know what we would have done if we'd had to go out or someone arrived to come in.
@Kachina624 I have always heard a big one can kill a dog. I know someone who swears a big one held his dog underwater in their pond and nearly drowned it. He said the dog would stand by him and sort of bark softly when one was around after that but wouldn't make a move toward it! Good sense on the part of the dog.
05-23-2018 04:50 AM
@Sooner@Kachina624, what a scary situation holding the dog underwater.
We have ave beavers here at the lake. They are busy as I can see the perfectly chewed and stripped sticks at water’s edge. We also have porcupines and they are quite active now. My dog has never had an encounter but I worry about it. I know from experience that they don’t learn if quilled. LM
05-23-2018 12:29 PM
@Lilysmom. I can affirm that dogs don't learn about skunks either. I used to have a miniature poodle that lived to chase skunks. Nothing like being tired and all ready for bed then have to contend with a stinky dog.
05-23-2018 12:52 PM
@Kachina624😩 about the skunks! Never had that problem thank God.
I think the porcupines have a den on the way to the lake. I watched a huge fat one walk across the stone deck attached to the house the other morning ... just before I was headed to out the dog out. I knock d on the window, didn’t phase him a bit. Walked along the path to my neighbor’s house. Why hurry when you have such a great defence system? LM
05-23-2018 01:15 PM
@Allegheny wrote:@jlkz@fthunt@SeaMaiden@Imaoldhippie@IslanderGirl62
We have a menagerie of wildlife, our house is in the middle of woods up the road from the farm I grew up on.
Early one evening I opened the front door and a huge owl was sitting on the railing. I actually said "excuse me" and closed the door. If the deer could, they'd probably wave to us when we come up the driveway. I don't feed wildlife feeling that it is actually detrimental to do so. Though sometime painful to witness I subscribe to letting nature take its course.
When it comes to my home however, I do my best to deter wildlife from becoming too cozy. It just surprised me that Mr. Raccoon came running up to the door, almost like a pet seeking entry. He did look very young though, so I decided to give him a pass.
We live in the country too, surrounded by woods, and the wild life here is just that, pretty wild.
We have to look closely every time we step out any door after dark. It isn't unusual to find skunks, raccoons and possums all having a meeting in the yard some nights. And the coyotes make it scary to take the dog out late at night.
Usually making a lot of noise going out, and scanning the yard with a very bright flashlight help them to scatter. We get so over run with raccoons, and sometimes ones that are out during the day, and some that are sick, that we have to eliminate, for our own safety and that of the pets. It isn't pleasant, but sometimes has to be done.
05-24-2018 01:26 PM
I know @Mominohio. We don't see an abundance of possums. Groundhogs are aplenty. Coyotes are around, but I haven't seen or heard them yet. Don't get to see raccoons or skunks much since they are nocturnal. I was taught if you see a nocturnal animal out during the day, to beware.
I have had cats as pets only. I would never leave them out unattended. I was always a few feet away. One of the three enjoyed being outside. The other two planted themselves on the porch and never ventured further.
05-26-2018 03:40 PM
@Lilysmom wrote:@Kachina624😩 about the skunks! Never had that problem thank God.
I think the porcupines have a den on the way to the lake. I watched a huge fat one walk across the stone deck attached to the house the other morning ... just before I was headed to out the dog out. I knock d on the window, didn’t phase him a bit. Walked along the path to my neighbor’s house. Why hurry when you have such a great defence system? LM
@Lilysmom Yes, I have watched skunks here and they waddle so slowly that it surprised me the first time, then realized, lol.
05-26-2018 03:48 PM
@Allegheny wrote:@jlkz@fthunt@SeaMaiden@Imaoldhippie@IslanderGirl62
We have a menagerie of wildlife, our house is in the middle of woods up the road from the farm I grew up on.
Early one evening I opened the front door and a huge owl was sitting on the railing. I actually said "excuse me" and closed the door. If the deer could, they'd probably wave to us when we come up the driveway. I don't feed wildlife feeling that it is actually detrimental to do so. Though sometime painful to witness I subscribe to letting nature take its course.
When it comes to my home however, I do my best to deter wildlife from becoming too cozy. It just surprised me that Mr. Raccoon came running up to the door, almost like a pet seeking entry. He did look very young though, so I decided to give him a pass.
@Allegheny One doe recently had a feast here. One section of a fence was bent over, and while gardening the other day, I heard hooves hitting the wood, so then realized that a deer was getting in.
They got in last year through an open gate and stripped all shrubs on the front walk and all hydrangeas on the other side, also pruned so many roses, ate strawberry flowers and lily buds, etc. This spring, the hydrangeas were gorgeous with flowers forming. I went downstairs to get some packages delivered, and then noticed that the shrubs and hydrangeas were stripped again, so no flowers again this year. They know exactly when the new leaves are on the shrubs and come back then. We will be having the fence repaired, but until then, I told DH to attach some firm wire to the top of the bent part so he did, no deer this week. He put orange strips at the top, though I told him deer have great eyesight.
05-26-2018 04:50 PM - edited 05-26-2018 04:51 PM
@Allegheny, @mousiegirl, isn’t that maddening? I have a Labrador Retriever so she keeps the wildlife away up here at street level. We have a road to our lake . The dog has been trained not to go down the road without us. The deer know exactly where she goes and doesn’t go. I had a gorgeous dapple willow loaded with gorgeous blooming leaves. The next day I went to the lake, it was half the size a day before. It was the deer.
The most destructive are the beavers though. There are a number of them who marauder the lake shores. I planted a gorgeous red maple at lakeside and the devils took 3/4’s of the tree in one visit. When we come down in the Spring, there is usually a pile of sticks soaking in the lake completely denuded of their bark. The teeth marks are so sharp and precise, it looks like the tree has been cut with a knife.
My Rhodos, evergreens and lilac bushes are left alone. They come at night. I have never seen them during the day
Never a dull moment in our part of suburbia😊. LM
05-26-2018 05:05 PM
My bird loving neighbor put out little cups of jam and fresh orange slices last night for the birds to enjoy. A destructive racoon ate everything up. Tonight her husband is setting a trap with canned salmon in it.
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