and they look it!
@AndySmith - I listened to a few of those videos . . . Good Grief! Blood-curdling. I don’t think I’ve ever heard that cry . . . (or maybe attributed it to one of the big herons who make some pretty strange sounds at night.)
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my father had one that got in his coop many years ago. killed 13 birds before my father, hearing the commotion, released his beagle. there was a fight in their coop, but the beagle won and the fisher left. scratched and bit her a few times but she healed. it didnt come back.
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Woah.
We had them in Maine and RI as well. When you heard them scream you’d think someone was strangling a baby. The shriek is hideous. Caught one in a hava a heart trap, but thank goodness it was a baby.
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Thank you @AndySmith , @steveb4 , @PomGranny and @mrsg47 for education on wildlife.
Yesterday, I noticed that my Hosui damage tended to be at night. I set a trap. Often, I caught skunks instead of intended targets like opossums or raccoons.
This morning, I got this.
I was quite happy. My happiness was short-lived. After work, I came home to this.
About 20+ of Korean Giant and 20th Century pears on the ground. Judging from the damage, squirrels are the culprits.
Hosui was wiped out by a raccoon and an opossum. My 20th Century went from hundreds to about 60. They are not yet ripe. By the time they are ready, I may not get any. The work mostly of squirrels.
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I’m not sure if 1" welded wire mesh is small enough to keep out squirrels.
So far the squirrel, one baby one, has not gotten into my fruit under the tulle. Only the June bugs got into the tulle. Next year I will cover my figs with large plastic bags from the supermarket. They seem not to retain any water even and nothing got inside.
That is heart breaking! I would have days like that. I would feel like quitting everything including growing fruit. But I always came back, i think now, between black knot and wild animals I would go boo-bats!
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@mrsg47 ,
Yup, seeing fruit being decimated left and right on daily basis is quite depressing. I think a drought has driven those animals to look for water/juice in droves.
@thecityman/Kevin,
I think I found the culprit that ate my watermelon. We were in our home looking out the front door. This was what we saw eating our watermelon vines on our front steps!!!
It is a baby groundhog.
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I absolutely should have guessed that!!! That REALLY makes absolutely perfect sense. N o doubt about it- you’ve got your criminal there. I should have thought of this before, but now I really do remember having groundhog problems and they did look like your photo.
I once had a friend who raised a groundhog from a baby (not sure how he came to have it) and it was the cutest thing ever. But in gardens, no, that is a whole other story!!!
Good luck dealing with him. I’ve not had much look catching or even shooting them (I know shooting isn’t an option for you as much as you might like too).
Good luck. Its amazing how much wildlife is in cities and suburbs these days.
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Yep, they ate all my cucurbits this year, I got zip. Woodchuck was eating them down before they could even grow: pumpkins; winter squash; cucumbers; watermelon; and melons. First time I’ve ever had a woodchuck in the veggie garden. Ate half of my beans too. So very sorry about your Pears Mamuang, that’s heartbreaking!
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What bait did you put in your trap to get that racoon? I know I have racoons but I only ever catch possums using cat food.
Kevin,
I have used ripe peaches (credits go to @SMC_zone6 for his suggestion). I got both opossum and groundhogs with ripe peaches. I remember @alan suggested marshmallow but I did not have it on hand.
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@AndySmith ,
We can commiserate and empathize with each other. My feelings are alternating between depressed and murderous.
These animals are called groundhogs and woodchuck here. I call them s.o.b.for now.
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The cost of the plant is just the down payment. Less whining and more countermeasures please.
Richard,
I am not sure what you mean.
Also, you may call it whining but I call it commiserating. A talk therapy.
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So … you are commiserating a lack of countermeasures?
Marshmallows for coons and possums. Peaches or apples work great for groundhogs, or some cabbage.
Coons eat a wide range of food, but skunks aren’t that crazy for marshmallows, although during drought they will go for them. Trapping skunks is inconvenient, especially if the trap doesn’t have a nice safety trap door that opens easily without risking getting sprayed.
Hey Richard, you are talking to people that have sprayed, fenced, netted, bagged (to a fare-thee-well) traps of all kinds and we still have incredible animal problems in the NE. I am now spoiled with your climate and lack of critters and insects and diseases, so ease up on those suffering to see such a loss after so much work. Thanks! Mrs. G
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