NEPA Hunters~ When is it skunk season? (Mars: place to live, eat)

[fisheye]

varmintblaster,

“Capturing, sterilizing, and releasing them may control their numbers, but it does not save the area wildlife - a neutered cat hunts just as well as a non-neutered one.”
I agree. It is just that neutering project is politically/socially acceptable today.

If it was up to me (it isn’t) I would have all the trappers do a garbage can sets for raccoons. This is the trap where you put the two spring conibears on stakes if front of a half filled garbage cans laying on their sides. Then you set some wood on the sides of the trap, so anything that wants to go into the garbage can, passes through the trap. I don’t know if trappers still use that set today? I do know that it eliminates many of the problems with feral cats and skunks and possums. Forty years ago the lost column, in the local newspaper, would swell during trapping season.

[varmintblaster]

Fisheye - pipe sets, somewhat similar to what you described, are still used today - mostly by mink trappers along creek banks.

The size of the pipe limits the critters that can get caught to smaller species (minks,cats,). - no wandering dogs.

Neutering feral cats may be politically/socially acceptable, but just like most of the PC practices today - IMO - they are ineffective and are nothing more than a feel good band-aid for the sensitive folks.

I'll stick to the tried and true method of SSS.
I don't know a single PGC officer or farmer that is offended by the practice - and it is their opinion that matters to me...

[coalboy]

Feral cats and Polecats plaque my 'hood...it's and older established suburb of a Capitol City, newest house was built 1947, most houses were built 1920's.

It is sandwiched between the Delaware River and the Delaware and Raritan Canal,,,it abuts a large country club Golf course, a rarely used County airport, a large prison dairy farm and 2 large private coporations on farmlike campuses.
On any given day/night this neighborhood has Wild Turkey, beaver,red fox, coyote, Blue Heron (wiped out my entire population of fish in the backyard pond) an occasional black bear, possum, or Wild Cat walking about.

I can deal with them, but the stanky skunks and feral cats I cannot abide.
A few older couples and senior 'biddies' have taken to feeding the feral cats...they have wiped out the rabbit population, an entire family of Cardinals/Goldfinches and BlueJays, and Ducklings and Goslings on the canal path.
They kill for amusement...I have seen them break the front legs of baby rabbits and squirrels and play with them til they tire of their sport and waltz away.

My Golden Retriever, used to tame neighbors house cats walked up to a Feral on the street to say 'hey' and got his snout scratched up to hell.

My Golden loves to hunt lost golf balls on the flanks of the golf course, and has been skunked 2 times...me I've been lucky so far since I'm usaully right behind him with my rucksack picking up the errant golf balls to use or sell.

Almost every night in late summer the smell of 'skunk funk' wafts thru our bedroom window giving me an instant headache.
I have pellet air guns, 22 's and larger cal stuff since I am former Law enforcement/ Military but I just can't bring myself to shoot these pests.

It hit me about the time I retired, I even stopped fishing for awhile but I picked that up again...Loved Fisheyes story and got one to share later too...

Anyway, sorry for the long rant...just thought I'd share...
you guys and girls seem like a great bunch of 'peeps', and I love reading your posts.
peace,
coalboy

[coalboy]

Originally Posted by varmintblaster

Fisheye - pipe sets, somewhat similar to what you described, are still used today - mostly by mink trappers along creek banks.

The size of the pipe limits the critters that can get caught to smaller species (minks,cats,). - no wandering dogs.

Neutering feral cats may be politically/socially acceptable, but just like most of the PC practices today - IMO - they are ineffective and are nothing more than a feel good band-aid for the sensitive folks.

I'll stick to the tried and true method of SSS.
I don't know a single PGC officer or farmer that is offended by the practice - and it is their opinion that matters to me...

Hey partner...what does 'SSS' stand for?

[varmintblaster]

shoot
shovel
shut up

[coalboy]

Originally Posted by varmintblaster

shoot
shovel
shut up

Ah, the fog has lifted...thanks

[Summering]

SSS........Oh too funny.........Yes, fog has lifted. LOL

coalboy..........I do have some feral cats around, and yes they certainly sent the birds out of town.
But the first one came by way of the farm below us. She was just about ready to have kittens.
So we fixed all of them and her and some others that came our way. It was a big cost really...but we want to end the feral issue in our area and not keep it going.
Not a one ever hurt our dog. In fact two use to follow him around and snuggle on each side of him while he walked.
I do think that some can be meaner then others, we just don't have mean ones.
They have always been clean....never messin' my deck.......and head up to the woods.

As far as the skunks go.......So far they have moved on, and I hope they keep goin' and goin' and goin'...........

[johnqpublic]

Big difference between barn cats and feral.......

[coalboy]

Originally Posted by johnqpublic

Big difference between barn cats and feral.......

Bout 25 years ago I bought a 1864 farmhouse and outbuildings and restored it...In the barn was a female tiger stripe cat who was prgnant...after she had the kittens we had her ;fixed' and found good homes for all the babies...she never lost her need to hunt and was good at kiling mice and rats around the chicken coop, that was good but then she started killingthe peeps, and rabbits when I was at work.

Ididn't 'SSS' her but I did take her for a long, long ride about 20 miles from the house...
figured she had lived that kinda life before and could do it again.

[coalboy]

Originally Posted by Summering

As far as the skunks go.......So far they have moved on, and I hope they keep goin' and goin' and goin'...........

That wouild be nice...I wish I could get one of my neighbors to do the same.