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We Heard a Tap, Tap, Tapping......

geekette

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We live right near the Shawangunk State Forest. In winter, we can see the ridge line through the bare trees.Nature wise, it is a beautiful area- the foothills to the Catskills.

Yes- when our dogs passed we noticed the wildlife came closer to our home. Even the ground hog took up residence under our deck. We caught one and relocated it. but never caught the other and haven't seen it.

We, too, always seem to have a cat that keeps hanging around. But I have not filled our bird feeder in months so as not to attract bears.

Be careful with the coons, though. I would be worried. They can do a lot of damage. You might want to hire one of those guys who gets rid of nuisance wildlife.
Oh yes, it is wildlife experts coming out here. I'm not messing around, I only waited Sunday night because I didn't want an after-hours fee, Monday morning was soon enough, they have been coming since Tuesday evening, so 2 mornings. They know what they are doing, recommended by an environmental group and the nature preserve. They are re-homers, after testing the catches for disease. They had a cage of babies in the truck, that's how I got to see those. A couple years ago at a friend's house, I saw a mama take her several-months-old crew on a walk at night, reminded me of bear cubs, playing along the way. These were far smaller, less than 8 weeks, their eyes weren't open. the ring tail was very faint rings on fuzzy gray.

I called my friend that does reno and knows tons of great guys in the trades. He is always my go-to on finding people, so after the animal problem is over and whatever clean up/repair they do, I call in the next team, he is project manager. I needed insulation up there, but I also want wiring checked and possibly change out the can lights. I do "have a guy" I can trust, so it's not as scary here as it could be!! The seal-up against mice is going to be enormous, my gal pal that's going to live with me gets dirt cheap rent and just helps me right my life. I think she would enjoy going around with a can of Stuff It given what has occurred in her life the past few years. Just Stuff It seems like it will be a therapeutic phrase! I have a lot of crusty caulk guns that will round out the excitement. Honestly, my entertainment budget is very low because I get my kicks in some odd ways. I can't wait to see what weirdass mural we're going to paint on the side of my garage, but what the hell?? nobody will see it that isn't in the very private part of my backyard and so what if it was seen? who cares? My friend did not realize that I was serious about art therapy. When she was over last, I broke out the beads and we made cheap elastic bracelets.

She has no idea that Crazy Painting is on tap... at some point we will make leather tassles for key rings. dream catchers. lol, she has no idea... I have had a very rough few years so my list of amusements is long and often silly.
 

geekette

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You are mighty brave. If I were to live alone, it will be a home without yard maintenance, let alone having to deal with creatures.
I don't see snakes here. I wouldn't be ok with that. There are sometimes larger spiders than I can rationally deal with, I also am really scared of tornadoes. sometimes the coyote howls creep my sh!t out but I overall enjoy the songs. The mass of different butterflies, fawns in spring, up close living with hawks, horses past the woods out back, awesome scents outside of different things in bloom all the time, no road sounds, ... it balances out. It is still worth it tho home maintenance the past few years has tipped the decisions too far into Yikestown. Prop taxes are under $2k annually for an acre and a half, so once the mortgage is done, this is crazy cheap living, my own water and septic, wood stove, ceiling fans in most every room... I can remodel later if I can just keep the shanty standing!
 

clifffaith

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critter update: raccoon was in trap when I looked out this morning. Trap was empty when I went out to start yard work.

Great, I had to score Houdini Raccoon.

We were trying to catch a "bad cat" about ten years ago at our previous home. Skunk, neighbor's cat, raccoon were caught, but never the cat. The day we caught the raccoon we'd looked out at the cage from upstairs as soon as it was daylight, about 6am. Back to bed for an hour, then showers. By the time we went downstairs at 8am he was gone. This was a trap that had a V-shaped configuration in front where you first had to flatten one side of the V, then lift up. So it should have been impossible to get out from inside. We figured a second raccoon had to have leaned inward on the outermost panel while the trapped raccoon pushed upward.
 

geekette

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We were trying to catch a "bad cat" about ten years ago at our previous home. Skunk, neighbor's cat, raccoon were caught, but never the cat. The day we caught the raccoon we'd looked out at the cage from upstairs as soon as it was daylight, about 6am. Back to bed for an hour, then showers. By the time we went downstairs at 8am he was gone. This was a trap that had a V-shaped configuration in front where you first had to flatten one side of the V, then lift up. So it should have been impossible to get out from inside. We figured a second raccoon had to have leaned inward on the outermost panel while the trapped raccoon pushed upward.
YES, I do think they run in pairs or more. If a mother dies, the kids will, too, unless they already know how to forage and find water. I think it likely that the teens hang together if mom quits coming back. they can be very clever and use their hands well. It's not like these traps are new, these smarties have seen it and done it, and probably ancestors have the solution etched on a rock somewhere... racloglyphics?

I did see truck drive away with cage in back, so I guess the critter gitters just git to the gittin

It is getting towards time to see one going out for the night and in a few hours, in for the evening, so I have a spot out back to chill out and watch.

Probably it is not a good thing that I think they are cute. Nobody has seen the interior damage yet, so cute is going to be in the rearview fast. I already know that I will need to be seated when I hear whatever the number is to repair and restore. I am heading for a glass of wine just thinking about it...

cute. yeah. for a while.
 

WinniWoman

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Spoke to soon. Huge snake was coiled in the corner of our siding today. Hubby saw it as he was blowing debris off the deck and must have spooked it. He tried to snap a picture of it but it took off under the deck. He doesn't know what kind it was, but I suppose it could have been a milk snake.

Now we are finding wasps in our master bathroom.

Always something....
 

geekette

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oh crap, more snakes! ewwww!!! I would not be able to handle that, oh gees, I'd have to move!!

I may be done with raccoons, haven't seen anyone in the trap, haven't heard anything from the attic. Maybe it was a party of 2 thinking they'd start a family and now they will do that somewhere else. I was told that babies in the attic would sound like cicadas. I have definitely not heard that so I may be very lucky on this.
 

clifffaith

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oh crap, more snakes! ewwww!!! I would not be able to handle that, oh gees, I'd have to move!!

I may be done with raccoons, haven't seen anyone in the trap, haven't heard anything from the attic. Maybe it was a party of 2 thinking they'd start a family and now they will do that somewhere else. I was told that babies in the attic would sound like cicadas. I have definitely not heard that so I may be very lucky on this.

Two houses ago we had an ocean facing deck. Dogs weren't allowed on the deck -- first thing we did when we moved in was have a guy block off access to the deck. But if I was puttering in the yard and deck gate was open they did "take the tour" at least once a week. One day we heard really terrible growling under the deck, I'm sure set off by the click clack of doggy toenails. The light was just right and the tiny spaces between boards were just wide enough for me to see there was a raccoon under the deck. Freaked us all out, so dogs were happy to go back to their side of the yard. One of our neighbors took a picture of mom and four or five babies peeking around a fence post at her -- all faces stacked up one on top of the other like a totem pole. It was so sweet it would have been suitable for a calendar photo!
 

Talent312

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Once when I was camping, a raccoon stole food out of my pack.
Another time, one watched me as I cooked up a pot of stew.
I learned to hang my pack up high. These bandits aren't so cute.
 

geekette

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I'm just thankful that they don't get into my trash.

I'm rather live and let live, so long as my superior human life is not overly disturbed (like moving in without my permission, that's overly disturbing). I don't much care what the critters eat, except last year I was ready to shoot with a bb gun whoever was stealing tomatoes, taking one bite, and tossing them. Hey, if you steal it, EAT IT!
 

shorts

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When our kids were young and in scouts our middle son and dad were on a camping trip at the scout camp on a platform tent with openings on each end. It was just before bedtime and they were enjoying an Oreo snack when a raccoon reached in the tent and took the Oreo right out of our son’s hand! Talk about a memory!

We live fulltime in an RV now and where we have been the last couple weeks there is a cardinal that I think is crazy. We have shiny wheel covers on our truck and the cardinal spends all day flying from each wheel and banging it’s head into the cover over and over. Today the cardinal decided to change it up and starting banging it’s head into our back RV window! Maybe it’s trying to commit suicide? Crazy!
 

fillde

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This is the tapping on our windshields every May:Love bugs in Florida
upload_2019-5-12_13-8-4.jpeg
 
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