DeanT - Posted - 09/19/2012:  13:19:25

I already know it would be a big zero on that one....

OM45GE - Posted - 09/20/2012:  06:59:23

I was walking Toby earlier this week REAL early in the AM - total darkness. He was on a retractable leash and went very wide off in the street. I was watching him and almost walked into the skunk he was avoiding. Fortunately the skunk was avoiding me and I didn't get sprayed.

DeanT - Posted - 09/20/2012:  07:16:00

So far so good here... we see them a lot, but no problems. It's like we are getting used to eachother.

OM45GE - Posted - 09/20/2012:  07:32:11

I used to have a Golden Retriever. My (now ex) wife was letting him out for one last pee and saw a skunk in the driveway. Instead of hauling him back in the house she said "Oh look Kelly, a skunk!" He ended up soaked with spray from his shoulders forward and smelled like a skunk for about a year - especially when he was wet, Long fur + skunks = phew!

dat - Posted - 09/20/2012:  07:48:05

we have lots of coons and possums and armadillos come around the house, but not many skunks

OM45GE - Posted - 09/20/2012:  08:01:16

They were everywhere at my last house. I've only seen a couple since we moved 2 1/2 years ago. The rabbits are thick along with wild turkeys, possums and the predators like coyotes and foxes. There are so many dear they have a special bow season to thin them out in neighborhoods that are too close for guns.

DeanT - Posted - 09/20/2012:  08:24:54

I see two or three skunks every evening when I'm out with the dogs. I even know the culvert where they live. 

OM45GE - Posted - 09/20/2012:  09:00:08

We had a family of skunks under the front porch of the last house we lived in. The funny thing is, you couldn't really smell them.

dat - Posted - 09/20/2012:  09:10:49

as long as they don't spray, they aren't bad

OM45GE - Posted - 09/20/2012:  09:29:10

When I was a kid a friend of mine had a de-scented skunk for a pet. He said he named it after me - Sweet William. I wasn't sure it was a compliment.

DeanT - Posted - 09/20/2012:  12:45:38

They look weird slinking along with their tail straight up

OM45GE - Posted - 09/20/2012:  14:05:36

Yeah. It's like they don't know if they want to hide or be threatening.

dat - Posted - 09/20/2012:  14:44:34

they are really pretty animals with their color contrast

DeanT - Posted - 09/20/2012:  15:18:17

They got little heads

dat - Posted - 09/20/2012:  15:20:53

and big tails to aim with

DeanT - Posted - 09/20/2012:  15:59:08

and beady little eyes

OM45GE - Posted - 09/21/2012:  04:47:22

Toby's black and white so he sort of matches.

DeanT - Posted - 09/21/2012:  07:52:50

How about this guy

dat - Posted - 09/21/2012:  08:46:57

dat - Posted - 09/21/2012:  08:48:32

OM45GE - Posted - 09/21/2012:  09:58:04

dat - Posted - 09/21/2012:  09:59:04

he is probably a little stinker at times

DeanT - Posted - 09/21/2012:  11:54:31

oh my look at those claws!

OM45GE - Posted - 09/21/2012:  12:10:31

Yeah, those claws are scary.

DeanT - Posted - 09/21/2012:  12:19:36

I think I'll stick with dogs and cats

OM45GE - Posted - 09/21/2012:  12:40:09

You and me both. I'm not into exotic pets.

DeanT - Posted - 09/21/2012:  15:29:47

well, we do have two pet starlings... they fell out of their nest, and my wife raised them on cat food. They talk! 8 years old and show no signs of slowing down.

OM45GE - Posted - 09/21/2012:  17:31:50

Personally, I don't count birds as exotic pets.

DeanT - Posted - 09/21/2012:  18:27:14

They love it when we throw bugs in their cage

OM45GE - Posted - 09/22/2012:  07:38:31

That must be fun to watch.

DeanT - Posted - 09/22/2012:  07:49:31

They are faster than you can imagine. Flys are no match!

OM45GE - Posted - 09/24/2012:  04:24:12

When I was a kid we used to catch flies live and toss them into the barn spiders' webs. They moved pretty quickly too.

dat - Posted - 09/24/2012:  07:02:17

we used to throw little pieces of gravel up in the air right after dark and watch the bats fly into them.    I should have at least thrown something that they could have eaten

OM45GE - Posted - 09/24/2012:  07:23:36

We used to do the same thing. We would use slingshots and shoot cherries up and watch the bats chase them until the realized they weren't worth chasing.

One time we shot a Lady Finger fire cracker up. It went off and the bat chasing it dropped to the ground and didn't move until it got it's hearing back. It seemed cool then but i fell bad about it now. The bats are good cause they eat the skeeters.

dat - Posted - 09/24/2012:  07:34:24

now we have 5 bird feeders and a hummingbird feeder out.   still enjoy the animals but in a better way now

DeanT - Posted - 09/24/2012:  07:50:59

I've always thought that animals are God's eyes and ears.

OM45GE - Posted - 09/25/2012:  04:27:51

Some of them don't aren't paying attention.

5steve - Posted - 09/25/2012:  05:00:43

Its Mouse season here now that the weather has cooled down, 9 in two days in the traps. One trap is near the Cockatiel cage and they squawk when the trap sets off til I empty it.

OM45GE - Posted - 09/25/2012:  05:52:47

They are starting to move indoors for sure.

DeanT - Posted - 09/25/2012:  08:29:43

Yep... I hate killing the stupid little mousys... but I hate them in my walls worse. I'm at 11 in the last few weeks. One day I saw one eating milk bone crumbs the dogs left behind... so I'm using milk bone in the traps, working great.

dat - Posted - 09/25/2012:  09:15:25

I heard about a guy using the big rat traps nailed to a tree to squirrel hunt with in some of the state parks around here

OM45GE - Posted - 09/25/2012:  09:45:14

I used to use chocolate bits in snap traps. They wedge under the little loop on the foot so the rodents have to gnaw at them with predictable results SNAP!!!!!!!!

DeanT - Posted - 09/25/2012:  11:53:28

we've had totally stupid mousys jump off the work bench, into the sunflower seed bucket in the garage... but can't jump back out...

dat - Posted - 09/25/2012:  14:35:23

test

OM45GE - Posted - 09/25/2012:  15:14:54

It's supposed to be a pretty effective mouse (or chipmunk)  trap to sprinkle sunflower seeds in a 1/2 bucket of water with a board leading up to the rim. Supposedly they jump in and eventually drown.

5steve - Posted - 09/25/2012:  16:31:17

I have seen the bucket trap work, I use peanutbutter seems to work well we'll see what tonight brings in.

DeanT - Posted - 09/25/2012:  16:33:54

Sometimes our hung ceiling in the basement moves.... it's the cat tracking mouses. One night he fell through one of the plastic light panels.

OM45GE - Posted - 09/25/2012:  17:22:50

Happy hunting!

DeanT - Posted - 09/25/2012:  17:24:57

The cat (Frets) loves hunting spiders too...