The Big Sniff

A couple of weekends ago Ruby and I set out for a walk and a circuit to swap out the SD cards on the trail cameras.

Periodically, the dog would stop in her tracks on the trail, give a certain location a long and deliberate sniff followed by peeing on that specific spot.  Having accomplished that task at various seemingly random locations we would continue on our way.

I had my suspicions about this scent marking behavior and after I uploaded the photos from the memory cards onto the laptop sure enough; both red fox and our resident ditch tiger stopping to mark their spot on one of the trails.

Sorta like leaving a business card in someone's door jamb to let them know you've paid a call while you were out.

Wiley Coyote

From time to time I have discussed the interactions of red fox and coyotes if their territories overlap and share the same turf.  It's generally not collegial.

I cannot speak to the nature of their coexistence around here inasmuch as I have no evidence of it being good, bad or inconsequential.

Here are some coyote trail camera images and video retrieved from the most recent batch.  This afternoon I'll publish fox imagery taken from the same batch and same time span. 

 

 

Between you and me Old Wiley has probably robbed that loose cat around here of a couple of her lives....

Red Fox

Over the years this critter would show-up on a trail camera image sporadically and without any pattern.  Then beginning with the spring of 2024 this species of canine began showing-up on the trail cameras quite regularly and never stopped.  What is unusual is that coyotes persist and both species typically do not occupy the same neighborhood.  As a consequence of competition for similar prey choices it is generally one or the other.  Rarely both.

The Red Fox is distinguished from the Gray Fox by a white-tipped tail visible in the photos.  They’re omnivores that dine-upon everything from rabbits, small rodents, roadkill, fruits and nuts and insects.  They sometimes make their home in an enlarged woodchuck den, or hollow log, or underneath a log or rock in a stream bank or side of a hill.  A mated pair will defend their turf from other foxes but this canine frequently is prey to the resident coyotes and wolves.   

A female is called a vixen, a male is called a dog fox, newborns are called pups, kits or cubs.  And a group of foxes is called a skulk.  

Recent video and a photo.  If you want to checkout the library use the Label tool on the left margin of the homepage and click of Red Fox. 

 

 

That dang cat running around here is gonna get tangled-up with Mr. Red Fox one day and I won't be seeing the Ditch Tiger mooning for a photo-op anymore.

Ditch Tiger

I want to preface my remarks this morning with this:  I am an admirer of Felis catus - the genus name for the domestic cat and several other small wild cats. I've had a couple of cats in my life and they made for terrific companion animals.  Clever and playful they made a positive contribution to the household and our family.  

They were not allowed to roam freely outdoors.  They did wear a harness and clipped to an overhead line by a length of parachute cord they could enjoy sunshine, shade and the outdoors to the extent of the patio's edge.  

This was for their own safety, and knowing what I know about predator instincts.    

It is difficult to know if the cat in these photos is a feral (wild) cat, or someone's barn cat, or a house cat that is allowed to roam at will.  It is not wearing a collar and what is obvious is it has been showing-up frequently on the trail cameras lately.  And these photos are only a small sampling.

Colloquially known around here as ditch tigers, feral cats are not fuzzy, cuddly pets.  Hard-wired as predators they are stone-cold killers who kill solely for the thrill of killing.  Roaming cats are a scourge on ground-nesting game birds and song birds. 

Very few things get me grumpy as much as feral cats or cats that have been granted permission to roam freely at large.  Cats compete with other wild animals such as owls for small prey.  And cats introduce rabies, feline leukemia and other diseases to native wildlife.

In the United States alone, cats like the one pictured above, kill billions upon billions of wild mammals, reptiles and birds every year.  Many, many-fold more than are killed by human-related causes such as wind turbines, office building windows, power lines, farming practices, automobiles or habitat loss.  

Cats are predators of the highest order.  Not native to North America they are introduced and thus an invasive species.  And allowing them to roam is not doing native wildlife any favors.  If this cat is a member of a household or farmstead the risk to the cat itself is irresponsible.

I cannot think of a single socially redeeming element to tolerating feral and free-roaming domestic cats.  Can you?   

If you are interested in a balanced read there is this from National Geographic - To Save Birds, Should We Kill Off Cats?

Keep your cats indoors people.

Please. 

Traffic Jam

Last Saturday the dog and I ran the trail camera trap line and collected hundreds of images to be discarded.  To be fair, some were worth saving and possibly publishing here or on Face Book.

This particular camera is always a busy location - both day and night.

Interesting to me are these three photos taken within a couple of hours of one another.  A cat, a coyote and a skunk.  There were a pile a deer too but they're not pictured as deer are cheap.  Picture-wise.  

Anyway, you'd think that with all the wildlife traffic here at my woodland version of Piccadilly Circus There might be a need for a traffic cop...

Tracking

From our walk this morning it was 22 F and sunny - no gloves or hat required

Blonde Dog and I did some tracking 

We crossed the Oregon Trail of rodent tracks (sun low on the horizon = long tall shadow) 

Some sort of canid came loping thru leaving pairs of tracks spaced 5-6 feet apart

Smaller, closely-spaced tracks belong to a cat or racoon?

 

Tracks

 From our walk there were these tracks in the snow.

I posted them on my Face Book page and guesses were racoon, fox, bobcat and dog.  Small paw prints space 8 to 10 inches apart.

We uploaded the SD cards from the camera that covers this trail and here is the culprit.

As I expected - a Ditch Tiger......

Ditch Tiger

This is a trail camera photo of what is referred-to around these parts as a ditch tiger - a feral or free-roaming domestic cat.  Very few things get me steamed as much as feral cats or cats that have been granted permission to roam freely at large.  

In the United States alone cats, like the one pictured above, kill billions of mammals and birds every year.  Many, many-fold more than are killed by human-related causes such as wind turbines, power lines, farming practices and automobiles.  

Cats are predators of the highest order.  They are an introduced, non-native and thus an invasive species.  And allowing these stone cold killers to roam is not cute and is not doing native wildlife any favors.  

The negative impact of domestic and feral cats goes beyond just killing. 

Other damaging effects include disturbance or fear effects – for example, one study showed that briefly placing a taxidermied cat near a blackbird nest reduced subsequent feeding of their young by 1/3.  Cats compete with other wild animals such as owls for small prey.  And cats introduce rabies, feline leukemia and other diseases to native wildlife.

There is not a single socially redeeming element to tolerating feral and free-roaming domestic cats.

If you are interested in a provocative read there is this from National Geographic - To save birds, should we kill off cats?

Shooting ditch tigers is the harshest of sentences.  

Keep your cats indoors people.

Firearms Safety

Those who know me would tell you that it is not at all unusual for me to have a pistol on my hip while walking or working in the woods or just generally out-doors.  

And no I am not some sort of deranged wacko gun nut, someone making a political statement or attempting to intimidate a visitor.  I am simply living the Boy Scout Motto - Be Prepared.  This habit started about a dozen years ago when around Christmastime I received an email from a friend that included a trail camera photo of a gray wolf taken a couple of miles north of here.  Hunting dogs and wolves are not on generally good speaking terms.

Over the years I've spared my dogs a couple of bad encounters with skunks, killed a few raccoons stumbling-around during daylight hours and behaving rabid and dealt a measure of justice for the depredation of nesting songbirds by ditch tigers.  There is also the risk of dogs running at large and locking horns with my dog.  I've never had an encounter with other dogs that has risen to the level of deadly force - but I had a close call a year ago.  Being prepared is a good best practice in rural America.  

In September of 2016 I was issued a Wisconsin permit to carry a concealed weapon - a CCW License.  

I should hope that I would never have to use a firearm for any purpose other than hunting or target shooting - nevertheless it is an additional level of preparedness.

It also affords me the luxury of carrying a loaded handgun secreted in a vehicle, the glove box of a UTV, a backpack, briefcase or concealed beneath an article of clothing. 

Anyway, the Missus and I have been engaged in various adult education endeavors in our retirement including taking classes in person and online.  For instance I recently completed a course on Native Americans of Door and Kewaunee County and Beyond.  Also the very timely:  Electoral College Past and Present.  On tap are additional subjects including:  The History of Diesel Locomotives, Medicinal Herbs and much more.  Exercising your brain cells is a good best practice.

Last weekend I spent a Saturday completing a firearms safety course.  A prerequisite to obtaining a CCW License.  Even though I already am a legal license holder I figured it would be a good refresher.  And it was.

Facilitated by a USCCA and NRA Certified instructor it was a review of basic firearm safety, handling and storage.  Basic stuff. Included was legally permissible possession, transportation and use of firearms. Most important was a review of the use of deadly force and techniques for avoiding and controlling violent confrontations.

Some takeaways for those of you who are not licensed but might be interested in what responsible firearm use is all about include the following:

It is legal to 'open carry' a weapon in public.  Nevertheless, is is not recommended.  It can draw unwanted attention and appear provocative to the general public.  A best practice is to carry concealed.
 
In Wisconsin brandishing a weapon is against the law.

You can carry a concealed weapon into a tavern as long as you are not consuming alcohol on the premises. Furthermore, you cannot carry with detectable alcohol in your system. 

Wisconsin is not a 'Stand Your Ground' state. Wisconsin follows the 'Castle Doctrine'.  Deadly force is permissible only to defend life in your own home (automobile or business) if the aggressor is over the threshold.    

Corollary:  The best weapon for home defense is not an AR-15 or a handgun - but rather a pump-operated shotgun.  If you are defending your castle it is a best practice to not go looking for an intruder but to retreat with your loved ones to a 'safe room' with your shotgun and call 911.

Use of deadly force to defend property is criminal.  Dogs are property.
 
Use of deadly force is allowed only:  

• In the face of great bodily harm   

• You must be an innocent party     

• No lesser force is sufficient/available    

• There is no reasonable means of retreat/escape

If you discharge your weapon it is not unreasonable to expect jail and charges even if ultimately found to be in the right.

A CCW license does not absolve the holder of civil or criminal liability for negligent weapon use or storage. 

The single best thing to do is to avoid violent encounters in the first place.

Riding the Range

Sometimes a rare advertisement really tickles the funny bone.

This is a gem...

Ditch Tiger

click on image for a closer look

 

A marauding cat. 

The scourge of ground-nesting game and song birds.  Also called a ditch tiger feral cats are not fuzzy, cute pets.  They are stone-cold killers who kill solely for the thrill of killing. 

This is a non-native predator - an invasive species - and generally comes down with a fatal case of instant lead poisoning here on The Platz.

Guess The Critter

Last week I posted a photo of some tracks paralleling the south bank of Silver Creek.  I guessed they were left by a weasel.  Nevertheless, I sent a photo to my pal who is a biologist with the UW-Madison Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology.  You know her - she's the same person mentioned in Sunday's post.

She suggested mink - so I wasn't too far off.

Last weekend while out turkey hunting I came across these tracks.  About the same size as the mink tracks but in single file.  A critter walking deliberately and not leaping in fits and starts like a weasel.









My guess is feral cat.  

I'll save pestering my biologist friend for the difficult critter identification.

click on images for a closer look

 

Ditch Tiger

click on the image for a better look

As I have said previously this is absolutely not good.  Not at all.  Not the least bit.  Nothing good will come from this marauding predator - the feral cat.   

This is not a fuzzy, cuddly, purring house pet.  This is a lean, mean killing machine.  Number one predator of birds - particularly the most vulnerable of birds - the ground-nesting species.   

This is Public Enemy #1 and if I catch it in my sights....

Ditch Tiger

Meet Public Enemy #1 - the feral cat.  This is not a fuzzy, cuddly, purring house pet.   

This is a lean, mean killing machine.  Number one predator of birds - particularly the most vulnerable of birds - the ground-nesting species.  

Maybe this feline is stalking bunnies?   Or migrating woodcock?  If I catch it in my sights....

Bedroom Surprise

Remember that surprise found outside the bedroom window not too long ago?  The dead ringneck pheasant?

It was gone from its resting place upon our return and other than a couple of errant pheasant feathers the dogs found in the yard I figured it was carried-off by a racoon, coyote or some other well-deserving varmint or scavenger.  That is until the blonde Lab was attracted to the futon frame on the screen porch that was carefully packaged in a tarp to protect it from the elements. 

Blonde dog was sniffing, shuffling and attempting to squeeze beneath the tarp covering the futon frame.  Attempting to shoo the lab from what she thought was only mice hiding under the tarp The Frau took a peek beneath and found this...

Yup.  The remains of that pheasant.  Blech.

My guess is a ditch tiger did this.  Just a guess.  But a racoon wouldn't make the effort to dine in such confined surroundings.

Ditch Tiger

click on image to enlarge

As I have said previously this invasive species is absolutely no good.  Not at all.  Not the least bit.  Captured you on the camera you dirty, rotten predator of song birds.  

From the rescued trail camera one of the final photos was this feral cat!

Survivor

I was musing about survivor whitetails the other day and it occurred to me that there is definitely a survivor our there because I know the guy who told the tale.  A stone cold killer of song bird lives to another day.

This Ditch Tiger used-up one of its nine lives recently....

click on image to enlarge

 

Ditch Tiger

click on the killer to enlarge

Another of these non-native predators showed-up on the same camera that my brood flock of turkeys visits regularly.  Feral cats are a blood-thirsty murderer of native birds and other critters ill-equipped to defend against their depredations.

Stone cold serial killer the ditch tiger is.  If I have an opportunity this critter will be made to feel very unwelcome...

Ditch Tiger

 click on the ditch tiger to enlarge

This non-native predator showed-up on the same camera that took the picture of the brood flock of turkeys posted a few days ago.  This is a very bad predator.  A blood-thirsty murderer of native birds and other critters ill-equipped to defend against the depredations of this cat.

Stone cold serial killer the ditch tiger is.  If I have an opportunity this critter will be made to feel very unwelcome...