Backyard wildlife

[wrecking-crew]

When the going gets tough, The tough uses Hav-a-hart traps. We use it to catch the squirrels or woodchucks & place them elsewhere. Isn't that more humane ?

What ever my grandpa catches, he releases next to a busy road. He plays a game of "Will the squirrel make it?". The groundhogs get shot and left for the birds or coyotes. Which ever arrives first.

 

[straycat]

More humane by moving them and making them someone else's problem? I think not. Besides, it is actually illegal to relocate wildlife in most states, you can get in serious trouble with the Game Commission if you get caught.

Don't get me wrong, I don't condone killing just for the sake of killing. But you can't save everything, too many of a particular animal can be just as bad or worse than too few. Take deer for example. They have very few natural predators anymore (actually far more are killed on roads anymore than by natural predators since we killed of most all of the mountain lion and the like), so the population has exploded. Less and less people hunt them, partly because the latest generation enjoys video games and thinks that it's bad to kill animals and partly because of the difficulty finding places to hunt in some locals. So what happens? People whine and cry that their beautifully landscaped yards get eaten by deer, they complain about hitting them on the road and the damage it does to cars, and it's a proven fact that deer are responsible for a large number of deadly wrecks. Trapping and relocating is not an option, the problem is too widespread. Most parents would freak if someone announced that to deal with the problem they were going to release a large number of mountain lions and the like to deal with them - everyone would be worried about the safety of the kid in the backyard. Farmers would be upset because the natural predators released would not just hunt deer, they would hunt livestock and the like as well. Sterilizing deer is not feasible because of the large numbers out there, even if you can round most of them up for a spay/neuter session, the cost would be enormous. The other option is to round up large numbers, kill them and dispose of them - but that method usually does not sit well with the large majority of people either. The most cost effective and humane method to deal with the problem is controlled hunting, there is just no way around that.

So go hug your animals if that's what you enjoy. I really don't care. Just don't tell me that I'm an evil bad person if I shoot a deer for food and a raccoon for a hat to keep my head protected from this white "global warming" crap that's falling.

To think that I was going to share some wildlife pictures in this thread until it turned into a "bash people who kill animals" thread.....

Good hunters will always earn my respect. It is the bad ones that I hate...the ones that go out and shoot as many deer or hogs or elk just for sport not for the meat. That is wrong. Our hunters and fisherman pay fees to hunt and fish and that money goes to parks and recreations and to the county that takes care of wildlife and pet adoptions. So we need to keep our good hunters hunting and our fisherman out on the waters as well. My property is inaccessible to anyone but us. The county flies over every year in a copter and drops rabies vaccine in the form of a fish pellet. The fox, raccoons and the squirrels get it and so to the possums and other wildlife.

 

[Beef52751]

Stray, i don't often agree with your opinions but your last statement i have to say thank you for... as an avid hunter/trapper/fisherman i do everything as legal and ethical as possible. i respect you for admitting not all outdoorsman are bad for wildlife

 

[straycat]

Stray, i don't often agree with your opinions but your last statement i have to say thank you for... as an avid hunter/trapper/fisherman i do everything as legal and ethical as possible. i respect you for admitting not all outdoorsman are bad for wildlife

Thank you as well. My dad was a big game hunter and he respected the wildlife. I learned from him how to shoot and track, but I never killed an animal. He never cared. He respected me for my values.

 

[gjm4l]

When the going gets tough, The tough uses Hav-a-hart traps. We use it to catch the squirrels or woodchucks & place them elsewhere. Isn't that more humane ?
Plus, what if that "a well place shot" misses the target on your 1/2 acre property in the middle of the suburbs ?
Another reason I leave the critters alone is that the rural property I live on (was a hunting area @ retired this year) borders the NY Thruway (87) & Rt.32. I see more animals lying flat on the asphalt than I see roaming around.
Your statements on domesticated pets being deserted, being unrestrained, showing wildness & veterinarians being overwhelmed, costs factors makes sense to a point-

There's no where to release em' around here without it becoming somebody else's problem and I'm frankly to likely to forget to check the traps and then I'm engaging in a form of animal cruelty by forgetting about the little buggers and having them trapped and starve to death.

Granted I miss from time to time but thats where basic shooting skills come into play. They offer cheap/free classes to teach people basic gun handling skills. I took one when I was 10 and my dad taught me daily until I moved out. Boyscouts, 4H, FFA, and similar programs will also teach youngsters the basics early.

1. ALWAYS keep your gun pointed in a safe direction
2. ALWAYS keep your finger off the trigger until your ready to pull it
3. ALWAYS assume the gun is loaded (double check it for safe then still treat it like it is)
4. ALWAYS know what your backstop is.

The last one applies especially to where I live now in the 'burbs. I used to use a .22 when I was in the woods of western NC but I now use a quality pellet gun for use around here where quiet and efficient is best. On that note a quality pellet gun is every bit as effective as a .22 but it's better for tight quarters as the lighter projectile loses most if not all of its velocity when it makes contact with anything.

Perfect example again, today before picking up the computer I had another grey squirrel that somehow found his way into my roof. I scared him out and was prepared to eliminate him (can't explain to a squirrel why I don't want him in my house) and I just never got the shot he even stopped 10 yards away in a tree and just stared at me. It's about a 99% sure hit for me at that distance but because the side of my neighbors house would be the back stop I waited. He then ran down the tree and across the yard toward the woods but he never stopped for a clean shot (I don't try to hit the little buggers on the run to much chance of not getting a clean shot and them getting away to die slowly) He went into another tree about 45yds away but again in a tree and just hung out just out of my comfortable shooting range with my pellet gun plus again no reliable backstop. Maybe I scared him out of the house so badly he won't be back. I can only hope but I doubt it

On lil_blue_fords point wasn't there a town or city or something suburban or another not to long ago where they allowed a certain team of hunters into the parks and wooded areas with bows to thin out the herd that was causing havoc for the city and was so large they were starving themselves out. It was like a one week season or something and all deer that were harvested were all donated to the local homeless shelters and the like and if I remember everybody ended up happy or I only caught the beginning stages and it never happened? We need that around here. Seems everyday they get braver and except for that one 13pt they are all scrawny little, barebones things.....

 

[Andy D]

Straycat, what is the kitten? An Ocelot? Spotted Lynx? I live off the road backing up to fresh water marsh. Practically like a zoo for all the birds and reptiles, deer coyotes, fox turkeys, 3 or 4 kinds of non poisonous snakes, turtles. bugs and stuff. All the usual squirrels , skunks possum. Something has done in the wood chucks that plagued me. I'm contemplating reviving an heirloom flintlock pistol and poppimg the squirrels because they are chewing on the house.

 

[straycat]

Straycat, what is the kitten? An Ocelot? Spotted Lynx? I live off the road backing up to fresh water marsh. Practically like a zoo for all the birds and reptiles, deer coyotes, fox turkeys, 3 or 4 kinds of non poisonous snakes, turtles. bugs and stuff. All the usual squirrels , skunks possum. Something has done in the wood chucks that plagued me. I'm contemplating reviving an heirloom flintlock pistol and poppimg the squirrels because they are chewing on the house.

You have a neat area, Bro. Glad to hear that. I hate to hear about people killing squirrels (just for fun). I understand that your home is where you live and we don't want squirrels chewing up our homes. I understand when this happens and you have no choice. I am grateful that I have never had that happen....EVER!! I have a lot of squirrels in the yard but they stay there, and I am so happy for that.
My cat in my Avatar is Donny, my pet bobcat. I had him for about three years and he went to a safe haven in Ocala where he lived until he was about 12 years old with an older couple who had lions and tigers and a few panthers and other wildlife. Donny had his own place to share with other cats and he was a great cat. You could let him sleep with you like a house cat and he got along with other house cats and dogs. I rescued him when his mother was killed by a car near our house.

 

[getrdone52]

I love everything on this planet!!! Sankes are so cool!!!!

Eastern Diamondback by our property. My friends think I am crazy to love these deadly creatures, but I will stop and pick one up and move it off the road. This road only sees a few cars a day…but I still have to stop and smell the flowers wherever I go…lol

Your a good photographer! Those pics are awesome, especially the snake one. I don't know if you said this before, but where do you live to get all of these cool animals around your property.

 

[straycat]

Your a good photographer! Those pics are awesome, especially the snake one. I don't know if you said this before, but where do you live to get all of these cool animals around your property.

We have property in Ocala and in Litha, Florida. We have a river and a brook that runs across our property and a beautiful pond that is fed from the Alafia River. The pictures I posted are from Lithia, east of Valrico. Our backyard wildlife.

 

[getrdone52]

Wow that's awesome I wish I lived there. How much property do you actually own?

 

[straycat]

Wow that's awesome I wish I lived there. How much property do you actually own?

We (and my dad) have right at 130 acres total in Florida. My dad owns 90 acres of that in Ocala. He bought the property years ago when land was cheap. We have 70 acres in Mississippi along the Tombigbee Waterway. My parents have a few homes up there and I have a log cabin up there. It is next to the state park area nature preserve.

 

[dangerranger83]

Its because of straycat that I want to own a bobcat now. Not saying right now in my life but one day. Want to raise one for a zoo or something like that and be all legal about it too.

Ya Im a hunter but at the sametime I do respect wildlife and have a heart for them.

 

[straycat]

Its because of straycat that I want to own a bobcat now. Not saying right now in my life but one day. Want to raise one for a zoo or something like that and be all legal about it too.

Ya Im a hunter but at the sametime I do respect wildlife and have a heart for them.

Great to hear that. I respect good hunters, aways have and always will. To raise a bobcat takes a lot of trust (from the both of you). Not like a house cat due to the size (up to 48 lbs) and those teeth and claws are like razor blades...lol. Bobcats are incredibly strong. Donny was a great cat...sweet and gentle. He never scratched or bit us. Just the nips like the house cats give. We wrestled and tumbled together. He slept on the bed with the other cats and got along with the dogs. He got a bath once in awhile. He got his checkups at the vet as well. You just got to give them a lot of attention like kids.....lol

 

[4.0B2]

70 acres in MS... and that's a good hunting area....hm.... lol j/k bro.

 

[dangerranger83]

No thats good wheeling/camping/hunting area.