Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Guess I'm an old softy,..

AussieLad, I gotta take her out and put her on 'em. Scary work when the critters are few and far between.

Yup - you're an old softy. I think it happens to most of us.

So is Darby, got this from him.

I saw the 'Fire thread about softies toward wild animals, and the first thing I thought of was the local squirrels. These are generally Kaibabs with tufted ears, but there's also an occasional Grey. I'll find a shot of one of my buddies and send it along. Squirrels and birds are welcome, but javelinas get the bum's rush.

Neat critters. I hunted for Abert's in AZ one time, unsuccessfully. Never saw a one. Until a couple years ago I'd never even heard of jet black phase grey squirrels, and had never seen them, but some time after I found a clutch of them in a place I stumbled on. Pity every single one was of the suburban backyard variety. I have been told that in other places they are very common, but not here.

Another few pics of Chuckles Squirrel on a pistachio feast taken two or three days ago. So far, in observing him, the nuts that he finds that are shelled he eats immediately. The ones still encased in a shell, he stashes. I've been thinking of messing with him, and digging up his caches and leaving something else, but nah. That'd be mean. I think I may try the nut on a fishing line route instead. Squeal fishin' has possibilities...








@ TLEE:

Javelina get no quarter from me either.

Tree rats around here are like roving gangs that will destroy bird feeders to get at any sunflower seeds. Wifey likes to watch and feed birds, and we have a couple of nice feeders loaded with black oil seeds hanging in the backyard.

My GSP loves to lie at the back door and watch the birds come and go - his version of reality TV. But when he sees a tree rat sneaking in, he lets me know. The Winchester 67 and a few CB longs are always by the mantel. I usually kill over 50 a year from my deck. The young ones are saved for stews, or biscuits and gravy.

And sometimes I pick up worms off the driveway and throw them back on the lawn.

Age mellows, I guess.

We don't leave any feed out for critters up here - try to avoid attracting trouble and nuisances. And, generally, don't kill the squirrles/rabbits/chipmunks/etc. near the place as it is interesting to see the eagles and hawks do their thing.

An interloper invades the possum feeding grounds!

When I looked out, the Coon and the Possum were both eating out of the bowl.

The Possum split,..the Coon had to see what all the fuss was about.

you're thinking of Ellie Mae or Granny!

Mom had those damned coons coming right in her pet door out in the garage, after the cat food. She'd go out there and they'd haul azz, climbing up the pegboards and getting into everything.

After the cat ran off for good, she blocked the door, so the coons would stay out.




If she'd have called me, I'd have gone over there and whacked some coons in the head for her, but she's a tough old country gal and handles the little things her own way.

My two Huskies like to adopt possum from time to time....although it doesn't end well for the possum!

We had a fox that has hung around our yard for years. She has had multiple litters of babies in the haystack, and she isn't hurting anything so we let her mouse around. Probably a good thing to cut down on the mice population.

Around here tree rats get no quarter from me. They do too much damage in our orchard. Anything with a bushy tail gets blasted.