We have had a small buck hanging around the yard. He likes the clover. He startled me the other night. Despite all the noisy fireworks, when I went out to deposit the burnables in the burn barrel, he was standing quite near, stock still, watching me. I stopped and stood quite still watching him. When he realized he had been seen, he turned and bounded off. I told Rim about it, and he said, "He is a strange one. I watched him sniffing all around the tracto when I had it parked in the yard." Yesterday, Tim went out to the lean-to. It runs the length of the garage, and he parks his tractors under cover there. He was quite surprised to discover that little buck curled up between the bucket and the tractor. The little buck wasted no time in making for the woods. I said, 'Perhaps he is a John Deere.'
We also have had a coon around. That fellow is quite bold too. He comes up on the steps. He is looking for any catfood. He is looking for garbage. He is interested in the compost bin. I have chased him off 3 times tonight. The last time the motion detector came on, I threw open the door to chase him away. Much to my surprise, this time it was a possum who was scared stiff. He promptly fell over to play dead.
We also had another visitor just before nightfall. A small black bear walked down between the house and the garage, moseyed his way through the yard down to the lease road and walked back to the gas well. He was so unexpected that by the time I got my wits about me, he was on that road and hidden by the brush. It would not have mattered, I suppose. I cannot load pictures tonight.
I don't suppose I should be surprised at all that the feral Tiger decided to come in for his supper. We don't mind that. Usually he comes in, has a second supper and then cries to go out. We were watching a movie (Japanese Story - Tubi) and forgot about him. He is somewhere in the house. We cannot find him.
Perhaps he has decided that it is just a little too wild out there.
We had to retire our dog door after the second time a raccoon or raccoons walked across the kitchen right in front of us over to where we feed the dogs. Raccoons are cute but I am afraid of them, and certainly they get big around here (probably especially if they dine on dog food). I'd draw the line at a buck or a bear for sure.
ReplyDeleteCeci
Raccoons can be very aggressive. I would rather not have them on the porch. The rest of them I don't mind.
DeleteGOsh, that's quite a selection of wildlife - and you can keep the bear!! I know we have Badgers in the garden in the night, but haven't seen them. A friend staying heard them and could just about make them out at the top of the yard - mum and youngster(s). They dug up my Red-tailed Bumblebee nest...
ReplyDeleteI did not realize badgers were nocturnal! The black bears here are for the most part harmless. I chased one off with a broom once. He had come to visit my bird feeders.
DeleteAnd even now, right this very minute, the raccoon is back at my door.
You live in a wildlife park! I hope Tiger enjoyed staying at home with you - maybe he's changing his habits.
ReplyDeleteHe was sitting at Houdi's side, both of them waiting to be let out this morning.
DeleteOn our farm in my youth, my father bought a John Deere tractor, I think made in Germany. It was very good, unlike your dad joke.
ReplyDeleteYou are surrounded by wildlife, including a bear even. Now I'm trying to recall if a black bear is worse than a brown bear. I'll give both a miss.
A loose male cat in the house. That could be smelly, at best.
I was worried about that but if he did, he used the litter box like a civilized cat. He and Houdi were waiting at the door this morning.
DeleteBlack bears are usually pretty mild mannered, and not aggressive like a grizzly bear. They have very poor eyesight but an excellent sense of smell. Only twice did a bear concern me. Once when a bear helped himself to a case of pop from a refrigerator he had tipped over at a neighbor's picnic pavilion. He was stretched out in my blueberry bushes boting into cans of cola and throwing his head back to drink the juice. My dog was in the bushes darting at him barking his head off. It was dark and I didn't realize what he was carrying on about. I was well into my blueberry patch before i figured it out. He growled. I grabbed my dog and left. I understood though. Too much caffeine makes me cranky too. The other time, a bear was trying to get the lid off my garbage can. I didn't want to clean up garbage the next morning so I grabbed my trusty broom and shot out the door yelling. He stood his ground and growled at me. I retreated immediately.
There have been a couple of black bear attacks on the eastern side of the state, but that is very uncommon. If you hunt around you will find very funny videos of cats and small dogs chasing bears away.
We have a momma bear with two cubs hanging about this year which makes me quite uncomfortable. God forbid one accidentally comes between mom and babies. We also spy, on the regular, a big old bobcat (harmless and pretty), several coyotes (which I despise) and the fattest porcupine I've ever seen hanging out in our yard and oak tree. It's an adventure taking the dogs for their last out every evening.
ReplyDeleteIf we had black bears hanging around regularly, I would wonder why they were hanging around. My garbage can would shut up in the garage. It would make me uncomfortable too. You understand life in the woods.
DeleteMaybe it's just safe haven for momma and wee babes? Garbage and bird feeders are surely locked up tight, so perhaps it's quiet enough around here for her comfort? Dunno. The bobcat will frequently cross my front lawn at sunrise, sit down and have a full grooming session. It's like watching a giant housecat go through the ritual. Lick front paws and wash ears and face, repeat. Charming as all get out. And as we both know, house kitties are really just miniature panthers and bobcats in disguise.
DeleteLol. That would be funny to watch. I have only seen one bobcat in my life. He was dead, having been hit by a car. My dad always told the story about one found a way into the coal room in the basement, and made himself right at home. It only became an issue when it got cold enough that they needed to fire up the coal stove. Quite a ruckus.
DeleteWell you have your own little zoo - look after it and it should give you endless entertainment. All we have is a little mouse under the book cupboard in the sitting room.
ReplyDeleteNow a mouse in the house would get me far more riled than a raccoon on the porch.
DeleteMy squirrels sound tame after reading about your wildlife encounters.
ReplyDeleteWe don't see a lot of squirrels oddly enough.
DeleteWe had some scary moments with racoons when we were visiting in Vancouver. They are quite bold out there.
ReplyDeleteJohn Deere ✔️✔️😁
*smiles modestly* I am glad you approve.
DeleteThey are quite a problem. Those clever little hands can open a lot of animal proof containers. They are also quite aggressive if they need to be. The persistence wears me down.
I saw a coyote running through the subdivision yesterday - can't imagine where it was heading. We have a forest preserve a bit north of us but it's just neighborhood after neighborhood around me and it was heading the wrong direction.
ReplyDeleteYou have to be careful when you head outdoors!
They say coyotes are becoming urban pests. I know they are around, but we see rarely see them.
DeleteI scare off John "Deeres" every day from my flower beds. I have to tell myself "there's enough for all" so I don't explode my heart by having conniption fits when I see the buds nipped off my flowers. Haven't seen a raccoon since Farmbeau took a couple shots (missed) at one. -Kate
ReplyDeleteTim rarely misses.
DeleteI have a skunk, a racoon, several squirrels and very rarely a coyote will run by on his way back to the valley My daughter gets moose and bears. Gigi
ReplyDeleteI had a skunk in the garage once. I was going down to feed the ferals. In the darkness, I could see black and white at the cat dish. I assumed...
DeleteWhen I realized what I was seeing, I stopped dead. He spun around and I thought for sure I was about to get it. But he just waddled out the back of the garage.
Our cat seems to keep most of the other animals away from at least the perimeter of the house. There are a few feral cats that live in or around the garage and if they get near, she goes insane. Occasionally we do get a possum on the porch.
ReplyDeleteCan I borrow Maurice?
DeleteWow, you guys have a literal zoo in your front yard! Shaking your finger at a deer is one thing, but having a black bear mosey on past the garage is next level. The buck hiding in the lean-to is so sweet, and your "John Deere" joke made me laugh out loud. Safe to say Tiger has the right idea finding a quiet closet to sleep in until the backyard clears out.
ReplyDeleteAnd we have not seen hide nor hair of him today!
DeleteAnd all this time I thought we had too much wildlife, with our Marmots, Wild Turkeys, Ravens, Quail, and the occasional Coyote, but y'all are the clear winners.
ReplyDeleteWe have crows. We do not feed them in the summer though, but they are fun to watch in the winter though. I don't think we have ravens. Funny story about ravens though. They have them at tower of London. Vladimir Putin was on a state visit to the UK and toured the Tower of London with Queen Elizabeth. A raven greeted him with 'Good Morning!' It frightened him.
DeleteYou have some interesting critters vising your yard.
ReplyDeleteWant some? We'll share!
DeleteI wonder if Mr. John Deere is hiding where he thinks it's safe from all of the other critters. Loved the joke. Need a pic of the deer next to a Deere tractor. Hope it's not ill or rabid. I know they cull deer with the wasting disease sometimes in Kansas / Missouri. My brother on the western side of the Rocky Mountains made some kind of bear scaring noise maker to keep them off his porch. Banging pots and pans might be better than a broom. Stay safe. Linda in Kansas
ReplyDelete'John Deere' is representing. Tim has two Farmalls, one Oliver and a Kubota.
DeleteHow lovely
ReplyDeleteI wish they'd stay off the porch is all.
DeleteA John Deere! 😂 We've had a fearless doe eating the fruit from the ground under our pear trees.
ReplyDeleteThey like our apple trees too.
DeleteWe have lots and lots of raccoons in the neighborhood. My husband spent a long time coming up with an enclosure with locks and other accessories which have now made it impossible for me to take out the trash; only he can operate it. But it has kept the raccoons out. My neighbors are always sharing stories, one rolled a full plastic can to a driveway and chewed through the bottom.
ReplyDeleteI do have a skunk who walks across my front porch every night but he doesn't linger.
We also have a herd of deer that hang out in my side yard in the early morning (yes, I live in town). I am worried about ticks with them and try to keep the grandkids out of the side yard.
If you have a spreader, put down diatomaceous earth. It will kill ticks and freak. It is also non toxic.
ReplyDeleteDarn Autocorrect! FLEAS@
DeleteDarn, I wanted to see ticks freak out! LOL
DeleteWe have deer up in the hills behind us but they rarely venture down. I would be afraid of your other wildlife. I think nothing of walking for five minutes to a friends house at night. Would you be safe to do that?
ReplyDeleteActually, yes, I would. We don't have any animals that lie in wait, ready to pounce. I have a battery lantern. I would carry a light and make sure I was making enough noise that I wouldn't be surprising anything. If I saw a stranger on the way I'd be nervous, but any animal I can think of would run/waddle away.
DeleteBears? OH gosh! Thank goodness we didn't have to contend with bears in Illinois.
ReplyDelete