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Post by macmex on Apr 24, 2023 8:26:51 GMT -6
Around here one seldom sees fox. I believe this is because coyote eat them. It's kind of like ground hogs. I lived here for over a year before I saw a ground hog. Back in NJ we were overrun with ground hogs. Now that I think about it, I saw more fox out there too. Yet coyotes were moving in, even in NJ. The only fox I saw here had rabies and I had to shoot it.
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Post by FrostyTurnip on Apr 24, 2023 11:13:48 GMT -6
I generally follow the principle that any rooster that attacks a human goes to the freezer and is replaced. We're fortunate with the strain of Buckeye that we have, that we haven't had a problem with such aggression, and yet, unlike the birds I had gotten from Murray McMurray Hatchery, years ago, these still stand up for themselves. Sometimes, even the hens will BITE when I'm taking them to the chopping block (more often the roosters). I don't hold it against them.
Bet it was a coyote, Frosty. They can be terrible on poultry. Back around 2003, in NJ, there was a person come into the feed store who lived in the Pine Barrens. They said they had a beautiful flock of 30 Rhode Island Reds but that every day, around noon, a coyote would run in from the woods and grab a chicken, running off with it. This continued for 30 days until there were no more chickens. If this happened around here, someone would have been sitting on a stump, eating their lunch around noon, and cradling a shotgun, but out there I guess it never occurred to them to get a gun.
You might try replacing your rooster and seeing if the replacement behaves less aggressively. So glad your hen turned up in one piece! Thank you for that. I don’t know where to draw that line without having experience. Imagine the potential horror after having payed a hefty price for a fine specimen of a full blooded roo for husbandry. I’m glad I didn’t jump in. Need to get the horse before the cart on this matter with a static run attached to a coop.
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Post by macmex on Apr 24, 2023 11:32:36 GMT -6
One tactic we learned while visiting friends in very rural parts of Mexico was to arm the kids with a stick, say, like a switch used for spanking in the old days. We instructed them to use it on aggressive Tom turkeys which would often attack strangers (especially children). This would easily keep them at bay. They turkeys learned to respect them this way. With a slight flick of the switch a four year old could make a turkey smart, and the turkeys often outweighed the child!
This would probably work with roosters too.
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Post by FrostyTurnip on Apr 24, 2023 13:11:25 GMT -6
We saw a fox just north of St John's hospital on Utica. If you know tulsa, this is pretty far from anything resembling it's habitat. It was close to the swan lake neighborhood though. My dog didn't eat chickens, she thought they were toys. Something wild took one, tried to drag it out of the yard but it wouldn't fit through the fence. I bet it was someone’s pet. They are protected and people love them which might also be reason. I’m vowing for pet if it isn’t scared in that area. That place is so compacted, I can no longer drive its narrow roads because of my eyesight.
This reminds me when I was rooming with my elderly friend in Oklmulgee while taking my college electives. One day as we were watching TV and discussing exotic pets. She mentioned her son, when he was younger, had a pet alligator. I vividly recall her say, “And then one day it was gone. Not sure what he did with it.”
A couple years later, I had been excitedly watching this new dinosaur series on TV and we got to discussing the critters that are considered dinosaurs that survived, like an alligator (which is erroneous, it is the crocodile). It prompted her to recall that years back the small town rag reported that an alligator was in the county. It had to be trapped by wild life control as it was killing all the wildlife in a local pond. I made the mental connection to the disappearance of her son’s alligator and because I can have the subtly of a flying Mallet, on that day, her grown son was in big trouble. LOL
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Apr 24, 2023 19:52:35 GMT -6
I've seen several foxes around here. My neighbor raises somewhere between 1,000 to 1,500 chickens in an attempt to breed fighting roosters. Anytime he sees one that is deformed or otherwise defective, he shoots it, sometimes quite unexpectedly. He's spooked me more than once by popping off a .22 pistol beside the path as we walk along the cages, tending his birds.
Anytime a chicken dies of natural causes or some other reason, (Acute Lead Poisoning) he tosses the carcass over his back fence. Because of that, there is a perpetual supply of varmint food out there. The foxes, coyotes, buzzards, and other vermin delight in that practice and are thick around here.
I've seen grey foxes sneak right up to our house in Winter to swipe food out of our dog's food dish in the tool shed. They get fairly brazen in their attempts to steal things at times. I've had them run up while my back was turned and nab a laying hen right off her nest while I was still out there feeding the geese, rabbits, and chickens. I lost more than one good hen to that particular grey fox before I finally nabbed him. I never saw the fox as it attacked, I'd only got to see it at a distance, running through the woods with one of my hens in its mouth.
I saw a red fox out there one day with someone's white and black, spotted Rat Terrier in its mouth. I tried trapping the foxes for a while, but I caught too many dogs in the process, so I stopped doing that, but not before I got 5 or 6 of the foxes first. I think I've trapped and killed three grey ones, two red ones, and one good-sized bobcat. I trapped several possums and coons in the process.
Raw Grey Fox pelts used to fetch $35.00 each, and Bobcat fetched about $135.00 but the bottom dropped out of the fur market a few years ago, so I just learned to tan my hides instead of selling them raw.
I also used to work for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, so I was fortunate enough to get to hang out quite a bit with local law enforcement. The Rangers around here, and the Municipal Police carry .22 rifles in trunks of their patrol vehicles to dispatch feral cats at night. They load the rifles with .22 short shells, rather than long rifle shells. It is amazing how quiet those things are. I've seen police officers shoot cats just a block over from Main Street and not a single household was any wiser. It really impressed me that the .22 short shells were so quiet that the people inside their houses never heard the shot being fired.
Firing a .22 short at a varmint at night would not be my weapon of choice around here, but if I lived in town, it definitely would be. If anyone decides to try this at home, take note that .22 rifles are much quieter than .22 pistols. The shorter the barrel, the louder the report.
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Post by FrostyTurnip on Apr 25, 2023 7:44:05 GMT -6
That’s actually a really good idea. We’ll need to get one! The popo next door probably wouldn’t hear a loud one as they sit inside their concrete compound, but it’d be my luck that a gaggle of officers would be strolling through the parking lot to their woo woos right as I start popping off.
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Post by macmex on Apr 25, 2023 8:27:15 GMT -6
During our time in South Jersey we had PETA type neighbors, within 80' of our back door. Our property was long and narrow, so they were pretty close, being off to the side of us. I had trouble with the woman sneaking over and feeding our horses and critters, as she had it stuck in her head that we weren't feeding them. Had to get kind of tough with her at one point, as we had to call the vet for colicking horses. She had no idea what she was doing. Anyway, she was extremely nosey.
At the same time our four acres were home to an incredible number of squirrels. The squirrels harvested my tomatoes and ate squash and melons. They husked and ate our corn. I waged a continual war on squirrels and ground hogs, which also abounded. All this, while my neighbor was snooping and would call animal control on us at the drop of a hat. She would have freaked out if she saw me shoot a squirrel, yet for quite a few months we had squirrel every Monday evening... It was the only way to save the garden.
I used my 22 with CB caps. They made about as loud a noise as a toy cap gun, yet at 50' the bullet would go through an inch of pine. Of course, they didn't have much range. But I learned to get by pretty well. I would spot a squirrel from the kitchen window and wait till it wasn't looking to step out the back door with my 22. There was a large Lombard cedar there, blocking the neighbor's view of my back porch. From there, I could often dash to the southeast side of the chicken coop, which also blocked the neighbor's view. I would pick off the squirrel and lean the gun against the chicken coop, leaving it there while I picked up a bucket and walked (nonchalantly) over to the fallen squirrel. There, I'd set the bucket down and "tie my shoe," quietly transferring the squirrel to the bucket before continuing out to our barn. Walking behind the barn, the neighbor couldn't see and when I came around to the West sided of the barn I would open the tack room door (which would block her view) and hang the squirrel on a piece of baling twine, conveniently placed on a nail, on the inside of that door. I'd skin the squirrel and drop the meat in the bucket, strolling back to the house to wash and bag it. Later, I'd retrieve my rifle. I did this for a couple of years.
As a teen I used CB caps and the same rifle, equipped with a scope, to pick off cottontails in our suburban vegetable garden. The neighbors never knew. I just got out there way before they woke, in the morning.
I hear that one of our local gun shops sells subsonic 22 long cartridges, which are quiet. They told me they are very popular in town, for varmint control.
It is extremely important, when shooting like this, to be extra cautious about what lays in the possible trajectory of the bullet. Even in our current environment, where no one would object to me shooting, I have to always recognize that a bullet may not only continue on, after hitting its target, but even deflect, going off at an angle from the original trajectory. I'd be devastated if I accidentally hit one of my critters by mistake.
One other idea: there are some superb air rifles out there, that probably hit as hard as a CB cap. They'd be legal in more circumstances and even more quiet.
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Post by FrostyTurnip on Apr 25, 2023 14:28:02 GMT -6
I about lost my mind when I read about your neighbor feeding your horse. I’m so glad you’re not living there with animals any more. Whew!
I had a female police officer parked on the road within eye shot of the backside of my property. She was there for a good while until she saw me lift the girls and put them in the coop. Then she left. Can’t see the coop where it’s at except for that one spot. The tractors and the makeshift run are visible, but it’s hard to know where their coop is. I bet someone complained. Irony: The tractors are safest. The coop is more comfy for them.
I bought Bill one of those 22 air guns. He can crack a squirrel skull with it, but it is super loud (the gun, not the skull cracking. That would be awesome, but nah.) Bill’s not always willing, so I reverted to the 110 coni’s. I even load them out front visible to all passersby. One look at our eves shows the right to exterminate. Bill is an excellent marksman. It is so satisfying to watch them fall from the top of the telephone pole.
As far as the bun buns go, not many people know they are there. Probably just the meter maid. I figure they being all floofy would attract PETA type people, so their hutch and setup and standard of care (I keep notes!) has won any battle that might come along.
Every battle is won before it begins. The Art of Sun Tzu
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Apr 26, 2023 20:18:01 GMT -6
What George mentioned about the subsonic cartridges is a big part of what makes them so quiet. When a regular cartridge is fired, there are two reports, the first report comes from the powder exploding, and the second report comes as the projectile breaks the sound barrier. If you can find cartridges that propel the projectile at subsonic velocities, there is no second report. That's a big part of what makes pellet guns so quiet.
One way to avoid the use of a gun in an urban setting is to use a short handled trapper's shovel to dispatch the critters you catch. A fox is easy to dispatch that way, if you hit him right between the eyes with the edge of the spade. www.southernsnares.com/collections/trapping-tools/shovel
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Post by macmex on Apr 27, 2023 8:50:29 GMT -6
My trapping mentor taught me to use a broomstick for that. When I started trapping (in NJ) at age 13 it was illegal to carry a 22 on the trapline. It hadn't always been that way but it was then. I thought that's why he said to use a broomstick. He taught me to hit them just like you said, Ron. When I was 16 they made it legal to carry a 22 rifle on the trapline. Happily, I did. The first time I used it, I came up on a huge sow raccoon, caught by a single toe in a #01 Victor steel trap. She was standing in about 3" of water. I put a 22 through her head and she dropped like a rock. I thought, "Wow! That really did the job. Worth the noise!..."
The raccoon dropped like a rock, and as she dropped, her toe slipped out of the trap. Standing only 5' away, I stepped forward to pick her up and put her in my trap basket, but as I did, her eyes opened, she got up, and with a snarl... SHE CAME AFTER ME!!! Fortunately, I had my trapping staff in my hand (my version of the trusty broomstick). Deftly, "I killed her again," this time for keeps. This started a tradition for me. Only a few times, yet always memorable, have I had to "kill'em again." The most memorable occasions were usually with raccoon. From that day on I left the 22 home. I already had to carry the staff. Most of my trapping was done in swampy areas and I was customarily wading through knee to thigh deep water and mud. The stick helped me with balance.
Ron and I can really swap stories, as, though we didn't know one another at the time, we were trapping contemporaries.
Though I pretty much stopped trapping after the 80s, those skills have stood me in good stead for life. I automatically read the signs when examining my garden. When dealing with predators on the farm, I automatically think in "trapping terms:" where'd he come from? What'd he do while in my domain? How did he (or she) leave? Where might they have a den? etc. I taught my son, who was fascinated with this skill set. I'm afraid these skills are disappearing from the American scene.
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Post by FrostyTurnip on Jun 1, 2023 15:23:19 GMT -6
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Post by woodeye on Jun 1, 2023 22:53:16 GMT -6
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Post by macmex on Jun 2, 2023 5:37:10 GMT -6
Buckeyes make that sound a whole lot! A lot of websites repeat the comment that they characteristically make the "dinosaur roar."
Our egg production took a plunge in the last ten days. Figured it out yesterday during chores. I found this fellow simultaneously shedding and polishing off a nest of eggs, out in the rabbit shed.
Some years ago we had an epidemic (probably a virus) which swept through and killed all the black snakes in our area, for several miles around. For several years we had an exponentially higher number of rodents, which, among other things, pretty well wiped out my sweet potato crop.
Normally, I estimate that we have about 20 or 30 on our ten acres. Only a few end up causing trouble with the poultry or rabbits. I used to kill any rat snakes I found in the barn or chicken coop but after the epidemic experience I stopped. Would far rather suffer some losses to the snakes than the alternative. Yet I cannot allow the offenders to continue, or else I'd lose chicks and eggs at a very unacceptable rate. So... I relocate them.
Most black snakes (rat snakes, chicken snakes, etc.) are rather docile. Non are venomous. So, I've learned that I can just pick them up. once I get hold of any part of them, I can pull them out of wherever they are holed up, and carry them off. Yesterday, this fellow was under a very distressed duck. I picked him up and took him away. Needed to drive him a couple miles and drop him off but because he was so large (probably 5 1/2') I couldn't hold on to him and manage driving. I needed my wife to drive. She was in the house. I did manage to get the kitchen door open and step inside to ask for assistance....
Remind me to wear ear protection whenever I step into the house with a five foot snake in my hands! To her credit, Jerreth did drive us (a bit further than I had asked). She insisted that I ride, with my snake, in the bed of the pickup and she made sure all the cab windows were rolled up tight, but we got him relocated. This was proof of my wife's great love and dedication.
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Post by woodeye on Jun 2, 2023 6:32:33 GMT -6
Nice catch, macmex.
Evidently the snake population around here has plummeted, except for one snake skin out near the cannas last summer, I've not seen any signs of snakes around these parts. I still have mice, but pack rats seem to have left my area. Strange...
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Post by FrostyTurnip on Jun 2, 2023 6:55:39 GMT -6
That video brings me to tears every time.
Too funny about Jerreth’s reaction! I cannot believe she made you ride in the bed, but that really is a large rat snake! Goober killed one up near the house a couple weeks back. I really admire them for their cleaning up the mice and we’ve seen black snakes, we have a resident black snake we see at least once a year. We’ve never encountered any venomous ones and generally have admiration for these snakes.
We lost our 4 chicks to possums. Lesson learned. But the next batch just hatched. Super cute.
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