Trash Pandas

First-off there are too many raccoons around these parts.  And while they're more trouble in an urban environment they're murder on ground-nesting birds, they crap in the deer stands and they're carriers of parasites and diseases.

They're so common on the trail cameras most days I give thought to setting a trap and thinning the herd.

Almost a month-apart (to the day) here are digital images of five raccoons together.  What are the odds?

 

Trash Panda

The title of this post is the pejorative used to describe the Urban Raccoonosaurus that would routinely raid the garbage in the cart overnight.

Save what someone might salvage from the compost heap there's no garbage to be had around here.

Nevertheless, we grow some of the largest raccoons I've ever been witness to...

 

Sniff Sniff

Took the pup out for a potty call.  It was raining and there was a whiff of Pepe Le Pew in the air.

Yessir.  Skunk  

The following day we found divots in the yard where the critter was digging for grubs.  

IR photo is from one of the trail cameras.....

 

 

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.

Dealing With Nuisance Coyotes

 

Urban coyotes can readily become habituated to humans causing all sorts of mayhem.   This is excellent advice from the Redwood City California Parks Department – all of it practical.   

Someone should be sure to notify the nervous busybodies over at Nextdoor.com…..

Deer Camp

The Girls and I left the Naked City and arrived late today.  

The 24th chapter of deer camp unfolds.  

And another paragraph of this year’s deer camp continues.  

From only a few days ago are these IR trail camera photos of El Coyote only a couple a hundred yards from the shack….

Wile E. Coyote

Canis latrans has been making its presence known quite regularly. 

Always after dark.....

Wile E. Coyote

The resident coyotes continue to appear on the trail cameras.  Here's a couple of infrared shots taken at the same location three days apart.  The first was just shy of 10 PM and the second was at sundown....

click on images for a closer look

 

Lurker

Lurking around the

At midnight

Tales From the Trail Camera

click on images to enlarge

The trail camera above was relocated to this spot last winter.  Chosen for it's shaded location in the woods overlooking a game trail I figured it would yield some nice photos.

I figured correctly...

Wile E Coyote

And is this the same critter a couple of days later?

Headhunter

Last year at the end of the deer season The Frau took one of the deer heads that was lying around and jammed it between a couple of closely-spaced tree trunks near the edge of the yard.

No, this wasn't some sort of weird voodoo, pagan talisman - rather our hope was to let nature clean it-up so we might have a clean, fleshless deer skull to do something-with.  It also kept the tempting apendage out of reach of the dogs.

As per usual, the best-laid plans were thwarted by wile e coyote.  

click on the varmint to enlarge

How this varmint managed to grab the head is beyond us.  I guess coyotes climb trees too? 

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

 

The Garden Chronicles

They say just about anything can be fixed with chicken wire and baling twine.  Good thing because I have a critter problem.

I planted four broccoli plants in the garden and they were looking healthy enough until last week.  I was weeding the garden and something didn't look quite right.  Not putting my finger on it immediately it finally dawned upon me that the broccoli was gone!  Vanished without a trace.  Not even a stem or any evidence of its previous occupation.

Some critter ate it.  Deer, rabbits or aliens it doesn't matter.

So I replanted four more broccoli plants and built a shroud of chicken wire to affix over them.  Each wire cage is anchored with a bamboo stake and a couple of turf staples.

Fingers crossed. 

Chicken wire does come with a few occupational hazards - namely the sharp wire ends sort of poke-up your bare arms...

 

Sidearm

click on image to enlarge

An essential tool when out for walks with the pooches or working in the woods.

The Platz has its share of varmints all of which will succumb to a well-placed .22 long rifle 1280 FPS velocity 36 gr. plated hollow point from the trusty Browning Buckmark and its 10 round magazine.

All In A Day's Work

Tree farm work weekend (again) pruning and clearing. 

Dogs finally had some success hunting shed antlers with the black Lab materializing with one.

click on image to enlarge

Had a close encounter with Mephitis mephitis. Fortunately, Mr. Browning (who always accompanies us in the woods) administered a sudden and fatal dose of lead poisoning. 

Crisis averted.

Never a dull moment…

Coyote

The resident coyote makes his nocturnal presence known...

click on image to enlarge

 

Death by the Roadside

I spied this going to town the other day.

I haven't a clue how they got here.  They certainly don't look like they got runover by a vehicle.  But they're in the ditch aside the should of the the town road.

Strange.

click on the raccoons to enlarge

Mama and the Twins

Still seeing these nasty, masked bandit, varmints on this trail camera.

Mama and the twins no less.  I should probably start a trap line...

Racoonasaurus Rex

From earlier this month a raccoon pay the camera a visit.  He even sticks his schnoze in the camera lens.  Check out the size of this bad boy.

I may have take-up trapping...

Raid!

While out scouting the other day I came across a couple of nest boxes that had been upended and raided by the local raccoon tribe.  Nothing sets me-off more than those beady-eyed bandits predating my nest boxes. 

click on image to enlarge

Just to show how low these flea-infested, low lives will go - a raccoon took a dump right on top of The Frau's box of hose end parts in her potting shed.  All the more reason to never leave home without a pistolero.  Who knows what opportunity might present itself to eliminate a varmint.

Grrrr!

Last weekend a rabbit (eyeing-up my garden) got a fatal dose of lead poisoning.  Nailed it with my trusty Browning Buckmark .22 target pistol.  

One shot, one kill. 

Thirty paces.  

Not bad...