Looking for stone corner today. Didn't find it.
After sorting through some rocks I stood up and was checking the distances with the GPS to some other points. I looked down and there was a weasel standing between my shoes. So I stood still and it just sort of set there. I started to worry that it might decide to climb up my leg (not a pleasant thought especially inside the pant leg) so I moved a bit and it went on its way.
Usually they are pretty shy and you don't see them that often and never that close.
All the critters are coming back thicker than ever. When I was a kid every boy had a 22 and maybe a shotgun and shot up everything. Hardly anybody does that anymore and now the wildlife is over running us. I'm OK with most of it but I don't like deer and geese (can't shoot these but I'd sure like to). I'm not that fond of rattle snakes on my property. I've got rock chucks on the property eating everything. Got 5 so far with a shotgun.
Maybe I'm just noticing more than when I was younger. We have several pairs of hawks, bunch of ravens, I've seen eagles and even a blue heron trying to eat my fish. Doves, robins, cardinals, ducks, geese, gopher snakes, ring neck snakes, squirrels, raccoons, and chip monks. Deer, elk even seen a small moose a few years ago on the farm. We ain't killing off the wildlife it's coming back strong. I'm providing the food and space for a bunch of it whether I want to or not. It's not that lush around here practically a desert (by the mountains – 14 inches annual rainfall). The endangered species is me.
Had never heard of a rock chuck. Had to look it up. Discovered it is also known as the yellow-bellied marmot. Had to laugh. Perfect critter for Utah as it seems to adhere to the Brigham Young school of thought on marriage.
From wikipedia: Marmots reproduce when about two years old, and may live up to an age of fifteen years. They reside in colonies of about ten to twenty individuals. Each male marmot digs a burrow soon after he wakes up from hibernation. He then starts looking for females, and by summer may have up to four female mates living with him. Litters usually average three to five offspring per female.[2] Marmots have a "harem-polygynous" mating system in which the male defends two or three mates at the same time.
“Doves, robins, cardinals, ducks, geese, gopher snakes, ring neck snakes, squirrels, raccoons, and chip monks. Deer, elk even seen a small moose a few years ago on the farm. We ain't killing off the wildlife it's coming back strong”
Although miles apart we have similar critters here in "Florida World”
Robins: Winter
Doves: Too many
Cardinals: Zillions – SWMBO feeds them
Ducks: Yes lots of ‘em. The Muscovy duck is everyone’s favorite. NOT
Geese: Nope
Gopher snakes: Yes lot’s including lots of gopher tortoise’s
Ring neck snakes: Population declining where I am.
Squirrels: Don’t even get me started on these “things”!
Raccoons: Zillions, we use them instead of regular garbage collection.
Chipmunks: Only at Disney World.
Deer: Everywhere. Favorite food; Flowers (begonias especially)
Elk: Nope, Only thing Elk are clubs where people imitating Elk’s congregate and drink.
Moose: Don’t think so, even though I thought I’d seen one in an “altered” state.
In addition we have Sharks, Lionfish, Cottonmouths, Coral snakes, Alligators, Pythons, Iguanas and "I'll do it cheaper than ANYBODY" surveyors.
The newest critter to gain the spotlight is the coyote. From a Florida website:
"Habitat:
The coyote (Canis latrans), once strictly a western species, now occurs throughout the eastern United States. Coyotes began expanding their range into the Southeast in the 1960s, reaching northwestern Florida in the 1970s. In a 1981 survey, coyotes were reported in 18 of Florida's 67 counties. A similar survey in 1988 reported coyotes in 48 counties. They are most numerous in northern Florida, but their numbers appear to be increasing state- wide. The eventual occupation of the entire state is likely.
In addition to their natural range expansion, coyotes have been illegally trucked in from western states and released. Documented releases of coyotes have occurred in Gadsden, Liberty, Columbia and Polk counties. In Polk County, coyotes were released by a local fox hunter who believed he was stocking a depleted fox population with animals sold to him as "black fox." Coyotes are extremely adaptable; just about any type of forest or farmland is suitable habitat. Most of Florida, with the possible exception of the densely populated cities and the expansive saw grass marshes of the Everglades, is suitable coyote habitat."
Have a great week! B-)
Have you had any wildfires within 50 miles or so lately?
About two years ago we had multiple large wildfires, all within 10 miles of my place which is right in the middle of 'old town' Norman. After the fires we had kites, coyotes, coon, possum, skunks, stokes and even a young buck whitetail wandering through the neighborhoods. God knows what else slithered through there that I didn't see.
Rock chuck - the only known beneficial use of these varmits is an aid in the improvement of ones marksmanship.
We've always had a few rock chucks on the farm. Last year was the year of the rock chuck. The population just exploded from maybe half a dozen to about a hundred. I don't think they all survived but there is still a lot more than normal. I heard stories of young guys going hunting them and getting a hundred in a day. It was like this all over the intermountain west.
They like to live in rock piles. I bought the old dairy farm back and been cleaning it up. After all the old barns were pushed down and burned I started pushing up the concrete. Turns out the piles of broken concrete are rock chuck castles. So until I get it all hauled off I've got all these rock chucks. They're kinda dumb. The rocks give them a feeling of security. So they will sit on top the pile thinking they can duck for cover in an instant. I wasted about twenty rounds of 38 special ammo but never got one. Borrowed a shot gun and things improved a lot.
Documented releases of coyotes have occurred in Gadsden, Liberty, Columbia and Polk counties.
That's almost unbelievable. You'd get lynched for doing something like that around here. They hunt them with planes and helicopters for the sheep ranches. I tried to run one down with my truck in a field a couple years ago. A coyote is one of the least endangers species on earth. They can live just about anywhere. They'll be here long after we are gone.
I remember in the 1970's seeing a wild goose in Nebraska was something to talk about. Then in the 1980's the local parks in the major cities had small populations here and there which were nice to watch. By the 1990's the Canada goose population became more like rat or pigeon status. Today, they have completely overrun every park, golf course, and pond. The airport has to constantly fire 'bang' shells to keep them away from the runways to prevent a major air disaster. A few times it was mentioned that the population of geese should be reduced and fed to the homeless, especially during the holidays. Then the do-gooders made such an uproar about that. I miss the old days when seeing wildlife was worth watching because it was rare or at least viewed in a natural environment.
We had the Wood Hollow Fire last year. About 50,000 acres, they evacuated my town one night. I ended up getting some survey work to flag section corners to save them from dozer chaining. I wrote an article about in the Utah Foresights Magazine (Utah Land Surveyors). It hasn't been posted on the website yet, just the print copy is out.
This fire burnt what we call the west hills. The larger mountain to the east hasn't burned for about a hundred years. It's primed. Everyone is just anticipating this fire. It's going to be real bad, thousands of summer cabins going to go poof.
What is a Woodchuck? I really don't know. Someone said it's a beaver.
I have a problem with groundhogs (think Punxsutawney Phil) on my property-must be at least 10 of them. I don't mind the deer, turkey, rabbits, et al but the groundhogs are a nuisance because of all the holes they dig. I think they are the same as a woodchuck mentioned above, but not sure.
Yes, I have a trap, but they won't go in (I tried cantelope). Can't discharge firearms in my urban/suburban county. Thinking of a crossbow, but gotta get close enough to them for that.
My nephew suggested a .22 with a silencer.....
> What is a Woodchuck? I really don't know. Someone said it's a beaver.
From Wikipedia, More than you ever wanted to know about Groundhogs
> What is a Woodchuck? I really don't know. Someone said it's a beaver.
In some places it's called a "land-beaver", but it's more commonly known as a "groundhog". Not a beaver like the ones that build dams in the water.
Welcome to Ilha de Queimada Grande, a 110-acre uninhabited island off the coast of Brazil, but locals refer to it as "snake island." And with good reason!
The island is home to the Golden Lancehead snake, a super poisonous reptile whose bite causes bleeding orifices, brain hemorrhaging, and kidney failure. Yikes!
Researchers claim there is one snake for every square meter of land, which makes the island so dangerous that the Brazilian Navy doesn't allow humans to even go there.
Coyotes have been spotted in the Bronx, a mere eleven miles from Times Square.
We've got all of those
(minus the Elk and Moose) plus copperheads and gators. Within the past week neighbors have caught two small (2-3 feet) gators out of my fathers pond. Only one more (that we know of) to go. MMMMM I smell gator tail cooking (grin).
Andy
Critter encounter>Scicowboy
4 legged or 2 legged kind? 🙂
Geese are totally out of control. Many have become resident and don't migrate any more. As far as I'm concerned if they are here when they should be in Canada/Alaska or where ever they go in the winter it should be open season just for target practice. They are protected by the Migratory Bird Act but they don't migrate any more. They've been dumbed down I suppose. We've had neighbors that feed them on a five acre pond. Thousands of geese, they bragged about spending up to a thousand a month to buy leftover bread for the geese. She died and he has decided to sell (older guy). The real estate gal is having a hard time getting him to give up the geese, stop feeding them so they will fly away. There is goose poop all over the porch, driveway, lawn etc. Who would buy it other than another goose lover. It's actually a nice place (except for the geese), asking $900,000 for the house buildings, pond, water rights and about 26 acres. I hope the next owner likes fish or something other than geese. A few gators in the lake would help but would probably freeze to death over the winter.
I worked in Puerto Rico surveying in a lot of brushy places at times. I asked the locals about what snakes that I should be wary of in the field.
They replied "none" because the mongoose was introduced to the island many years ago. They had eradicated the snakes for the most of the island. I did see a few mongoose in the field briefly because they are super fast .
On one of my last days there during one stint, the mofungo almost sent me to the ER the next day.
We have a resident goose season in early september prior to the arrival of the migratory birds
