Found out where all the cat food was going.....

[astepup]

Right into the mouths of two very large yet docile opossums. The hound was barking in the machine shed so I grabbed the G21 (seriously wrong choice to walk into a shed with), shined the light and there they were sitting with a couple of cats having a high old time munching away. They actually waited while I ran back to the house (keep in mind I'm not a runner) to grab the Buckmark .22 and return. One had the nerve to look at me as though I was interrupting his fine dining. I managed to shoosh one off the table into the jaws of Baer and he took care of things in a few quick moments. My GSD is as amiable and chill as they come but after seeing what he did to that varmit and hearing the bones crunching I sure hope he never decides to bite me!

I guess doing a nightly scouting investigation will be in order for a few weeks. I have 12 outside farm cats but even I didn't think they could eat THAT much. 

[janice6]

53 minutes ago, astepup said:

Right into the mouths of two very large yet docile opossums. The hound was barking in the machine shed so I grabbed the G21 (seriously wrong choice to walk into a shed with), shined the light and there they were sitting with a couple of cats having a high old time munching away. They actually waited while I ran back to the house (keep in mind I'm not a runner) to grab the Buckmark .22 and return. One had the nerve to look at me as though I was interrupting his fine dining. I managed to shoosh one off the table into the jaws of Baer and he took care of things in a few quick moments. My GSD is as amiable and chill as they come but after seeing what he did to that varmit and hearing the bones crunching I sure hope he never decides to bite me!

I guess doing a nightly scouting investigation will be in order for a few weeks. I have 12 outside farm cats but even I didn't think they could eat THAT much. 

I have only had 2 show up to clean up under my bird feeder at night.  They do good work and don't bother the day crew, so I just ignore them and they wander off eventually.

My little Yorkie thought he was the king of the hill one day, when he cornered one that was a little bigger than he was.  He didn't get into it with the possum, but called for reinforcements.

I took him away so the poor Possum could have a chance to run away.  My dog often reminds me of the day he saved me from that wild beast.  We both get a charge out of his version of the story.  He's so old now, all he has left are his memories.

[tadbart]

Possums are pretty cool critters, They eat a TON of ticks, and are unable to catch or carry rabies because their body temperature is too low. I'd rather have possums around than coons or foxes.

[Dave514]

We had to start closing the garage doors early in the evening, cats in and possums out. Only 1 problem...3 juvenile possums were living in a box of sleds and balls IN the garage.

[janice6]

1 hour ago, tadbart said:

Possums are pretty cool critters, They eat a TON of ticks, and are unable to catch or carry rabies because their body temperature is too low. I'd rather have possums around than coons or foxes.

 

19 minutes ago, Dave514 said:

We had to start closing the garage doors early in the evening, cats in and possums out. Only 1 problem...3 juvenile possums were living in a box of sleds and balls IN the garage.

I think I had a small one living under my patio steps for a while.  they were about 10 feet from the bird feeder.

Problem was that, at some point there was a mag wheel brush stuffed under there too, so it was hard to tell the difference.

Edited October 29, 2019 by janice6

[Walt Longmire]

4 hours ago, astepup said:

Right into the mouths of two very large yet docile opossums. The hound was barking in the machine shed so I grabbed the G21 (seriously wrong choice to walk into a shed with), shined the light and there they were sitting with a couple of cats having a high old time munching away. They actually waited while I ran back to the house (keep in mind I'm not a runner) to grab the Buckmark .22 and return. One had the nerve to look at me as though I was interrupting his fine dining. I managed to shoosh one off the table into the jaws of Baer and he took care of things in a few quick moments. My GSD is as amiable and chill as they come but after seeing what he did to that varmit and hearing the bones crunching I sure hope he never decides to bite me!

I guess doing a nightly scouting investigation will be in order for a few weeks. I have 12 outside farm cats but even I didn't think they could eat THAT much. 

You know, possums eat a metric ton of ticks every week. Cats? They **** in a box.

[G19Tony]

Yea, I'd have given those oppossums a pass. 

[gwalchmai]

I'm pretty much live-and-let-live concerning possums, as long as they aren't making a nuisance of themselves scattering garbage, etc. BTW, my great-grandmama on my mom's side was the champion possum & sweet potato cook at the Haralson County fair for several years running. In the early 20th Century that was a Georgia delicacy, apparently. I can't say I ever had the pleasure.

[willie-pete]

My shooting buddies house.

 

 

He's got like five generations there. That's where all his cat food goes ( and sometimes Kit Kat bars ).

Edited October 29, 2019 by willie-pete

[ASH]

We got a raccoon family visiting us in carport every other night. So we just put out extra .the cat is feral but we feed it. 

[janice6]

Racoons are just another part of the cleanup crew here.

It's fascinating to watch them walking around and trying to figure out how to get up into the feeder.  Occasionally one worries me, but so far none have been able to "crack the safe".

Long ago I had to move it a couple of feet farther from the patio roof so the Squirrels couldn't jump to it. 

I can see an occasional Squirrel running up and down the edge of the patio roof now trying to decide of they could make the jump or not.  Then I see them go back to the house roof and down to the seed on the ground.

Watching them you can just see the gears going in their heads trying to solve the problem.  It's fascinating to watch.

Edited October 29, 2019 by janice6

[ASH]

1. i love our raccoons and all our outdoor critters ,  i did have to relocate a fox  den  from under house  to back in woods, since our grandkid stays alot with us  but is never outside alone . the funniest thing is few months ago roof needed doing so we went with metal roof ,well the squirrels   used to jump from pecan tree to roof  go off other side ,  but few days after new roof was on , i heard slide bump . lol.  i was already outside squirrel slide off and i swear cussed me . they now have a thin piece of parachute cord fro m tree to other side to climb over .  i love my critters 

 

also my wife showed me a raccoon video of raccoon down by the creek , someone had some cotton candy  and you would laugh your ass off when the raccoon went to wash it and poof  gone .  the raccoon was like wtf!!!!

[janice6]

I figure that if they don't hurt me, the family, or the property, I let them do their stuff.

Minnesota is a pretty harsh place in the Winter, and I won't begrudge wild critters what little food they find on the ground under the feeder. 

I do scrape the snow back after each snowstorm so they can find the seed easier.  I try to be a little sloppy when filling the feeder to ensure some finds the ground.

One fill of the feeder is about three gallons of seed.