Mountain Lion Watch - Livestock Attack
(This message was from Mike Liebhold, who posted it to several local newsgroups) "Hello Neighbors, I got a call from neighbors at the Tunitas creek ranch to pass along news that there's been a rather unpleasant massacre of four milk goats Another three are missing. The four goats were found in a field near their southern property line near Toto and Broken Arrow ranches. Initially,everyone thought that marauding dogs are the culprits since the goats had their throats torn, but were otherwise uneaten. ( more doglike than catlike behavior) Yesterday, apparently, a fish and game officer concluded that the goats had been killed by a lion. The evidence is scant, but the missing goats weigh about 100+lbs. each and were carried away over a ranch fence - an impossible feat for a dog - unless, of course there's a gap in the fence…I'll try to find out a few more details…In the meantime, maybe we should all be a little extra alert…"
Deer Trouble?
”I've heard a lot of people have trouble with deer in their garden and just saw this tip on Henry's Garden on channel 4…Spraying it weekly kept the deer at bay. Anyway, Henry's Garden referenced KimHaworth.com - click on Home Made Gardening for other Home Gardening remedies. Here is what they had for deer:
Deer Repellent - My friend Thais Powers swears by this recipe to keep deer away from her garden. You will need: One egg - beaten 1/2 cup milk 1/2 teaspoon oil hot chili peppers 1 quart water Mix in blender, strain through cheesecloth, store in refrigerator. Apply frequently and especially after a rain or irrigating. Or: Hang bars of soap in trees and shrubs to repel deer. …Hope this helps!” From Sue DuHamel (message "8111)
In addition, a research paper on deer repellants is located at: http://www.walnutcouncil.org/deer_repellent_study.htm [View the actual report for details] “The Illinois Walnut Council planted butternut seedlings in 1994 at the Tree Research Area, Forest Glen Preserve, Westville, IL. …
The products that were chosen to be part of this study are products that are readily available from nursery and garden catalogs…First and foremost, deer repellents are very expensive to use and are labor-intensive to apply. The results are not guaranteed and depend on many factors such as time of year applied, weather conditions, application rate, following exact label directions, suggested re-applications, and the total
number of trees to be protected. Product active ingredients must be examined closely, but this is usually unknown when ordering from a garden or nursery catalog. An example of this is the product “Tree Guard Deer Repellent” which is yet to be tested in this study. It was purchased for $44.95 per gallon. When examining the active ingredients, it is exactly the same as a product already tested, “Durapel”. The price for Durapel, however, was $29.99 per gallon. Sometimes it is better to try and understand the deer. Deer are basically lazy animals that often use the same trails or paths. Along these paths (deer runs) you usually notice the most deer damage on trees (buck rubs or browse damage.) It is also easy to notice if deer are bedding down in the plantation at night. Deer damage is usually severe here. Our experiment with deer fencing worked because deer did not bother to jump a 48-inch fence, although they could do so easily without any effort. It also worked because we fenced in a small area of trees. A larger area would be ineffective unless a taller fence would be installed (costly.) If you have a favorite tree to protect, we have had great success by enclosing the single tree with fence wire, forming a cylinder. This protects trees from deer rubs, but not browsing. If the tree branches reach 4 feet in height, this will be above the browse line and the problem is gone. The key is to get the tree above that height. Annual browsing forms “bushy” trees. Deer also tend to rub on smooth barked trees. Young trees of all species fall into this category. When trees mature and form rougher bark, buck rubbing usually stops, or if it does occur, it does not damage the inner bark.
…how about Skunk problems?
“… What do folks around here do about skunks? We've trapped and relocated an opossum but I'm not keen about transporting three skunks in our car. Thanks, Serena” (message #8128)
Response #1
“Skunks have lived here forever. They are harmless animals who just need a place to live. As long as you leave them alone they will leave you alone. I have lived with them for most of my life and enjoy having them around. They kill lots of insects and also some rats and mice. Relocating wildlife is illegal in California. Moving the skunks to another area moves them into the territory of other skunks. They will not survive. There are companies that trap wildlife but they do not relocate them, they kill them.” from Barbara (message # 8129)
Response #2
“Skunks can be pretty amusing neighbors as long as you are careful to avoid a showdown. As with all animals, avoid cornering them, try not to surprise them at close range, and don't leave food around for them. If you see them tapping the ground rhythmically with their front feet, that is a warning dance that they are on the verge of turning to fire. Move back slowly, making a soft and sincere apology for offending them. It usually works. They aren't unreasonable. Some dogs learn quickly to leave skunks alone, some never learn. We had a resident skunk in our basement when we moved in here, and "Buddy" use to occasionally pop in the cat door and munch kibble with our cats, who seemed very comfortable with him. …After checking to be sure that Buddy was not a Budette with young'uns nested away under the house, I employed the simplest repellents, AM talk radio and a droplight in the crawl space. Skunks don't like sleeping with the sound of human voices, especially Rush Limbaugh. Neither do I, so I set the sound fairly low so it didn't reach our bedroom. It worked, he left in a huff, and after he was gone I sealed up his access holes. Once a week or so he would drop by to see if the situation had changed, but I kept the no vacancy sign up and he got the hint… …If your dogs get skunked, the best deodorizer is a mix of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, water and a little shampoo. I found a good recipe on the web by googling skunks. (I adopted a 2nd dog, who is not as quick a learner as the old one)” from Tom (from message #8133)
[from ed. – I used to have skunks and raccoons frequently in my house and my neighbor, Rufus, said to try a strobe light on a motion sensor near my pet door. I also included a talk radio station on the same sensor - I haven’t had a problem since.]