Rare Predator Sighting

[Johnsfolly]

We see a lot of live skunks at Eagle Bluffs CA here in Columbia. Mostly just after the waterfowl hunting seasons end. Baby skunks are one of the cutest animals. In college I was walking one of our fraternity dogs in the evening past a cemetery. I saw four baby skunks running amongst the tombstones. They saw us and ran behind a stone. Then one after the other a little head would pop out from behind the same stone just slightly above the previous one. As the fourth one clambored on top to see us they all toppled over then scattered. A very Disneyesque moment. I'm glad that the dog didn't see any of this or else we may have headed home for a tomato juice bath.

[snagged in outlet 3]

Put out a game camera.  You'll be surprised what you see in your yard at night.  Fox, skunks, coons, coyote, deer, squirrels, cats, dogs, kids.  There's a party in my backyard nearly every night with one thing our another and I live in the burbs.  Had 7 deer bedded up around my patio one night.  Looked like they were here for a BBQ.   Finally figured why a shrub kept dying in a particular spot even though I kept replacing them.  Big ole buck was using the spot as a scrape and was ripping and peeing on them.  The squirrel must hear the camera because he stares into the lens all the time.

[tjm]

Lived in a small village while in the Navy and every nice evening my bride and I would walk the quarter mile of street to the old bridge and back, usually see 20+ skunks on that walk. Skunks are better mousers than cats, imo, and eat piles of insects that I don't miss. I think distemper took most of the skunks hereabouts some years ago; I consider them rare and only see a few road kill per year now.  The babies are cute, we had a den in a corner of the yard for many years.

fwiw, tomato juice won't have any effect on the skunk smell on you or the dogs, here is a recipe that is said to work though;

Mix all ingredients together in a plastic bucket;

1 quart hydrogen peroxide
1/4 cup baking soda
1 teaspoon liquid dishsoap

Use a sponge or cloth to wipe the animal, can do the inside of the mouth but KEEP OUT OF THE EYES!  Mix as needed, doesn't store well after mixing.

Said to have been developed by a chemist, its been used by a lot of trappers. If you forget the formula and do need it sometime search the net for 'best homemade skunk wash' or similar. I've seen it on dozens of sites over several years.

[Al Agnew]

No doubt that whippoorwills are a lot scarcer than they used to be.  Culprit seems to be the declining numbers of moths, probably due to agricultural pesticide use.  Whippoorwills feed entirely at night on flying insects like moths.  Also, in the Ozarks, it seems the whippoorwills have largely been replaced by the closely related chuck-wills-widows. They aren't common, either, but I've heard far more of them than whippoorwills in recent years.

[BilletHead]

7 minutes ago, Al Agnew said:

No doubt that whippoorwills are a lot scarcer than they used to be.  Culprit seems to be the declining numbers of moths, probably due to agricultural pesticide use.  Whippoorwills feed entirely at night on flying insects like moths.  Also, in the Ozarks, it seems the whippoorwills have largely been replaced by the closely related chuck-wills-widows. They aren't common, either, but I've heard far more of them than whippoorwills in recent years.

         Same here in the Western part of the state Al. 

BilletHead

[BilletHead]

6 hours ago, tjm said:

Lived in a small village while in the Navy and every nice evening my bride and I would walk the quarter mile of street to the old bridge and back, usually see 20+ skunks on that walk. Skunks are better mousers than cats, imo, and eat piles of insects that I don't miss. I think distemper took most of the skunks hereabouts some years ago; I consider them rare and only see a few road kill per year now.  The babies are cute, we had a den in a corner of the yard for many years.

fwiw, tomato juice won't have any effect on the skunk smell on you or the dogs, here is a recipe that is said to work though;

Mix all ingredients together in a plastic bucket;

1 quart hydrogen peroxide
1/4 cup baking soda
1 teaspoon liquid dishsoap

Use a sponge or cloth to wipe the animal, can do the inside of the mouth but KEEP OUT OF THE EYES!  Mix as needed, doesn't store well after mixing.

Said to have been developed by a chemist, its been used by a lot of trappers. If you forget the formula and do need it sometime search the net for 'best homemade skunk wash' or similar. I've seen it on dozens of sites over several years.

            Yep this works real well. The BilletHead's dog knows this!

BilletHead

[lee G.]

12 hours ago, Al Agnew said:

No doubt that whippoorwills are a lot scarcer than they used to be.  Culprit seems to be the declining numbers of moths, probably due to agricultural pesticide use.  Whippoorwills feed entirely at night on flying insects like moths.  Also, in the Ozarks, it seems the whippoorwills have largely been replaced by the closely related chuck-wills-widows. They aren't common, either, but I've heard far more of them than whippoorwills in recent years.

Same here also.

[tho1mas]

That mixture works well on carpet pet stains. I know because my wife just got a new ankle biter - she named him Marty?

[BilletHead]

I love it Thomas. ,

 You must let her read some of my posts, I have been known to nip at a few heels,

  BilletHead

[snagged in outlet 3]

15 minutes ago, BilletHead said:

I have been known to nip at a few heels,

Better watch it, you'll get a swat in the head with a newspaper doing that.