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Post by Deleted on Aug 14, 2019 11:12:27 GMT -5
I think I mentioned, in the chicken murder thread, that my neighbors and I were plagued with varmints killing chickens and eating garden produce.
I have traps, but needed dog-proof coon traps. Bought some and found that I no longer had strength enough in my hands to set them---I'll have to buy or make a setter.
Any of you trappers running into that kind of problem?
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Post by spacecase0 on Aug 14, 2019 16:15:09 GMT -5
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tallpines
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Post by tallpines on Aug 14, 2019 16:47:22 GMT -5
Thats the type of trap we use. Caught a big ole coon just a couple weeks ago ....
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Post by Deleted on Aug 21, 2019 19:23:32 GMT -5
Tallpines: I have box traps like yours, conibear traps and now the dog proof coon traps Whatever this varmint is, it is trap-wise. stole bait again last night. Camera up tonight.
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Post by carolyn on Aug 21, 2019 21:13:22 GMT -5
sounds like coons to me. good luck. they are pretty smart. the one thing we have to do is fence with an electric fencer. we spray a very expensive bird repellant which masks the smell? of the corn and one other thing.
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Post by mgulfcoastguy on Aug 21, 2019 22:31:57 GMT -5
Maybe crush some green pine needles and rub them on the trap?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2019 13:30:07 GMT -5
I thought I had posted this but cannot find it, so will post here.
I bought a new camera to see what was stealing bait from my box traps. I did not realize that I needed a card reader to see the pics, and this computer does not have one. Finally got one Saturday; the culprit is a very trap-wise fox. he came in, stole bait from a box trap and then licked peanut butter off a rat trap, which smacked his nose. The last shot of him was a blur leaving the area. He is smarter now than ever.
Big boar possum this morning.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2019 11:15:38 GMT -5
The fox is no more. This morning he was in one of my box traps---a big one that has a quarter inch steel trigger rod. If that rod gets rusty it won't slide, so last Week I got out some garnet paper and sanded that sucker smooth.
One big Male red fox will kill no more chickens and bite no more melons. Bait was left-over scrambled eggs. :
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Post by brownrexx on Sept 25, 2019 11:31:24 GMT -5
I have a photo of a red fox in my yard but my chicken coop is secure so I have had no problems. I find it sad to kill a beautiful fox who is just trying to find food.
The only animals I EVER trap are mice.
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Post by carolyn on Sept 25, 2019 13:23:14 GMT -5
yep.. anything going after my chickens is fair game. literally. I did buy, just yesterday, the "nite guard" from Meyers hatchery. look around maybe someone carries it close to you without having to pay postage to get one. I paid 20.00 for one to see if it works. It says satisfaction guaranteed. it is a solar powered and red light beam. I mounted it next to the coop door to hopefully repel any nighttime visitors. the other option was a solar door but it was 230.00. I opted for the cheaper route first.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Sept 25, 2019 17:09:52 GMT -5
I have no qualms about all those squirrels (a.k.a. rats with fuzzy tails) that I trap! And I wish I could do the same with all those destructive rabbits, but I've just caught a few of those, in comparison.
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Tim Horton
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Post by Tim Horton on Oct 26, 2019 14:19:18 GMT -5
I have a photo of a red fox in my yard but my chicken coop is secure so I have had no problems. I find it sad to kill a beautiful fox who is just trying to find food. The only animals I EVER trap are mice. Here in the far north, we have more than our share of predators it seems. Being downsized to hobby farm level livestock growers we have had significant encounters. We have had a significant influx of people to the bush from more populated areas. Seemingly many feel they can have there horses, let there pets run free, and commune with nature as it were. That is not the way it is in the bush. To punctuate this if, when they do have an encounter with a predator they are incensed and indignant and many times demanding someone "do something" about this. They are usually shocked when the prospective is pointed out that they wouldn't let a predator take something off there dinner plate, it is the same if a predator takes livestock. If there OK with that, then next time we loose livestock they should be more than willing to reach in there pocket and pay for that. After all, the predator is just "making a living".......... There change in attitude usually solidifies when they suffer a loss of there own........ It has been many years since Wildlife Biology classes, however many things don't change. People think "nature" should be "nature".... Well nature will be.. But it isn't pretty at times... My 5 cents of experience and opinion.
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Post by brownrexx on Oct 27, 2019 7:35:48 GMT -5
I was not going to comment but since I was quoted I will express my thoughts.
Humans are an arrogant species. As people move into an area they want to kill any "predator" that threatens what they want to do. They kill some animals that are not even predators because they may do something like dig in their yard or eat their cultivated plants. My feeling is to find other ways to protect your livestock or plants such as fencing, dogs or secure coops or barns.
To me, moving to an area where these animals have lived for hundreds of years and killing them isn't any different than burning the rain forest in Central America so that humans can raise cattle or coffee plants. What about the Bald Eagles who catch and eat the fish that we might want to catch? Where do we draw the line?
I try to live in harmony with nature and I am very offended by reading this talk of traps so in the future I will try to avoid reading these threads rather than argue with those of you who think that killing animals for reasons other than hunting is OK.
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Post by octave1 on Oct 27, 2019 10:28:41 GMT -5
The worst predator my chickens encountered, many years ago, was a wiener dog that managed to sneak into my yard and proceeded to chase and injure many of them. That dog belonged to someone who though it was a good idea to let the dog run around unleashed. To this day I believe (and found evidence of) that dogs are by far chickens' worse enemies, and yet, I never hear of people setting dog traps to capture and kill them. I guess it's not fun unless it's "wildlife".
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Post by mgulfcoastguy on Oct 27, 2019 10:39:29 GMT -5
Hmm? I don’t want to egg this on to much but some of my uncles are farmers. Stray dogs that hassle calves are disposed of. In the city people usually call animal control which often has the same result if somewhat delayed and secondhand.
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Post by brownrexx on Oct 27, 2019 10:50:58 GMT -5
Stray dogs that hassle calves are disposed of. I don't have a problem with that. They are not native animals and should not be roaming free. Several years ago I had a neighbor's Husky kill several of my fenced ducks. When I threatened the neighbor with calling Animal Control, they got rid of the dog.
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Tim Horton
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Post by Tim Horton on Oct 28, 2019 18:42:59 GMT -5
The only animals I EVER trap are mice. >>>>> Everyone has there own comfort level of handling issues, and tolerance for the cost of the consequences. You are lucky if you have Animal Control service that is effective. Many jurisdictions may have it but it is far from useful for many restrictions and other reasons. >>>>>>>>>
Humans are an arrogant species. >>>>>>>> Definitely agree they can be, in many ways on many sides of any given subject.
>>>>>>>
As people move into an area they want to kill any "predator" that threatens what they want to do. >>>> For anyone to move to an area and deliberately try to "sterilize" there surrounding is not sane thinking or possible. Most interactions by humans are a reaction to an issue by a predator.
Coyotes........ Coyotes are bad enough in there own way in many places more so than others. That is one thing. An apples and oranges thing to a point compared to other issues.
Fox... Maybe not as prevalent as coyote in many places, but just as adaptable and can be just as destructive. Actually, fox would be a food source to coyote.
The other thing is re introducing the wolf to some of the places it has been done is the biggest mistake that could be made. Too many times this is pushed by people believing things like "wild places need wild animals" The fact being 99% of these people will not have to live with the consequences of this action. My pet peeve and opinion.
Because they look a lot alike, and a lot like Fido many people think the wolf and coyote will predictably act alike... To a small point yes, but not so in many many ways.
For instance.. I have read some of the follow up reports of re introducing the grew wolf to upper Wisconsin under Lake Superior. To include the numbers re introduced, the ultimate result of them reproducing to a population 400% or more bigger numbers than predicted in the given time. How there range has increased deep into the central state. Yes people have been quite shocked to see them running through corn and bean fields. How they have impacted the elk herd imported to the upper area requiring 2 or 3 more herd to be imported to try to produce a stable population of elk. How they have impacted deer populations. How they have impacted livestock... Pet losses, and you name it.
We have much the same here. The wolf has decimated the woodland caribou to a dangerous low level. The feel good legislation to stop grizzly hunting has led to a sky rocket of livestock and human incidents. Again people with nothing more than emotion and using emotion to over ride science. People who do not suffer the consequences of there actions. Consequently they tend to vote there emotions, rather than science..
Again my 5 cents of opinion, knowledge, and pet peeve.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2020 19:45:59 GMT -5
This is an old thread, but last week something happened that reminded me of this. Son went down to the gulf coast where I was raised. In all my time until I left home I never saw a live alligator, though they were there and my friends who lived in the river bottoms occasionally killed one. Son was fishing IN THE BAY, NOT IN THE RIVER, and an 8 foot alligator swam by the boat. He was at least fifteen miles from the mouth of the river. Son sent me a picture, said the alligator hung around for some time. I suspect tourist fishermen had been throwing him fish. In the bay S. of Port O'connor Texas.
Alligators are protected now, but my friends killed them because they would try to drag calves into the water. Caught in the act.
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