Old saying

[Warren Watt]

Better than Ezra

Don't want to break the spell, but...
The song writer must have been from the East,

Didn't want to be picky, but that stuck out like a sore thumb...hmmm...wonder where sore thumb came from....?
= )

I believe the writer is from New Orleans. A little poetic license I guess. Gee Norm, I thought you'd know where that saying comes from...Maybe the writer made it up......not sure..

[MoparNorm]

MoparNorm,

All kidding aside, you are correct that balance is needed.

Because of the local restrictions on discharging a firearm within city limits, the coyote population is never going to be reduced and we will always have a very healthy population here!

Common sense does need to be applied when determining the amount of predator control is acceptable.

Wanton destruction of any species in bad for the environment. Well, ok mosquitoes are exempt from that statement!

Urban coyotes are a problem in SoCal as well.
Little Kitty's are called dessert, lap dogs disappear and trash cans are raided. Coyotes are the only wild animals I know of that have thrived with the coming of man, mainly because we are such a messy lot, trash, liter, etc.
Man in cities has always brought rodents and cockroaches, now man in suburbs brings coyotes....I'm starting to miss the wolves and sabertooths...= )

[Longhunter7]

Balance

MoparNorm,

All kidding aside, you are correct that balance is needed.

Because of the local restrictions on discharging a firearm within city limits, the coyote population is never going to be reduced and we will always have a very healthy population here!

Common sense does need to be applied when determining the amount of predator control is acceptable.

Wanton destruction of any species in bad for the environment. Well, ok mosquitoes are exempt from that statement!

[Longhunter7]

Care Package?

We have plenty of owls, hawks, eagles and birds of carrion, such as turkey vultures and an occasional Condor, but removing the coyotes tipped the scales of what was proven to be a very delicate balance.
For at least two summers you could look out across the valley and see what appeared to be the ground moving, only to realize that it was a plethora of ground squirrels...apparently birds of prey can't fly when full, but coyotes can eat with the best of them....= )

MoparNorm,

Ok, how many coyotes can we stuff into semi- trailer? I'll be pleased to send you as many as we can!

I just saw two today, right in a subdivision along the road. We can do a round up and send you a herd.

[MoparNorm]

We have plenty of owls, hawks, eagles and birds of carrion, such as turkey vultures and an occasional Condor, but removing the coyotes tipped the scales of what was proven to be a very delicate balance.
For at least two summers you could look out across the valley and see what appeared to be the ground moving, only to realize that it was a plethora of ground squirrels...apparently birds of prey can't fly when full, but coyotes can eat with the best of them....= )

[Bruce]

Amen Brother

I must take exception to that saying.
In the early 1970's, the valley where my ranch is located, was overrun with coyotes. They were killing farm animals, pets and livestock. The local ranchers decided that the only good coyote is a dead coyote and began the wanton destruction of the entire coyote population in the Valley.
By the next Spring , without their natural coyote enemy, we had an extreme overpopulation of rodents and ground squirrels (one and the same really). The thousands of ground squirrels soon overcame any obstacle and decimated nearly every cash crop in the Valley. They were like locust, we shot hundreds to no avail.
By winter the overpopulated rodents had run out of food and became diseased, ill and flea ridden. That Winter the rodents died off by the thousands and their parasites and fleas spread to livestock and pets.
The following Summer my neighbor needed help with his horses, he hired his cousin to come up the mountain and help him, along with my sister and I. After a hard days work, his cousin sat down under a tree and later started to complain that he was bitten by something. The next morning he was so ill that they rushed him to the local hospital, none of the doctors could figure out what he had and before tests could be completed he died.
The next morning the tests revealed that he had died of Bubonic Plague, the 'Black Death' of Europe, which once killed 75% of the worlds population. None of the doctors had ever seen the Plague before, my sister and I were quarantined for 7 days. It was the first reported case of Bubonic Plague in CA in 100 years.

Our natural environment needs balance. Responsible thinning of game, predator and pest populations is the prudent thing to do, overreaching is not. Had a few coyotes been left to create a sustainable but manged pack, none of the resulting problems with the crops, rodents and Plague would have happened. God placed all creatures here for a reason.
Never again did the ranchers wantonly destroy the coyote population and never again did we have a re-occurrence of the Plague in our valley. Neighboring areas have not yet learned that lesson and the Plague has returned occasionally where folks are slow to learn.

What a scary thought, no predators for the squirrels/rodents.

[MoparNorm]

Warren Watt,

Yep, we are covered up out here in coyotes! We'll be happy to send you a couple of thousand if you want 'em!

They've killed off most of the small game and are killing family pets. There is no closed season on them and you can use any weapon you want to take them.

In keeping with the original intent, I will add an "old saying"

The only good coyote is a dead coyote!

I must take exception to that saying.
In the early 1970's, the valley where my ranch is located, was overrun with coyotes. They were killing farm animals, pets and livestock. The local ranchers decided that the only good coyote is a dead coyote and began the wanton destruction of the entire coyote population in the Valley.
By the next Spring , without their natural coyote enemy, we had an extreme overpopulation of rodents and ground squirrels (one and the same really). The thousands of ground squirrels soon overcame any obstacle and decimated nearly every cash crop in the Valley. They were like locust, we shot hundreds to no avail.
By winter the overpopulated rodents had run out of food and became diseased, ill and flea ridden. That Winter the rodents died off by the thousands and their parasites and fleas spread to livestock and pets.
The following Summer my neighbor needed help with his horses, he hired his cousin to come up the mountain and help him, along with my sister and I. After a hard days work, his cousin sat down under a tree and later started to complain that he was bitten by something. The next morning he was so ill that they rushed him to the local hospital, none of the doctors could figure out what he had and before tests could be completed he died.
The next morning the tests revealed that he had died of Bubonic Plague, the 'Black Death' of Europe, which once killed 75% of the worlds population. None of the doctors had ever seen the Plague before, my sister and I were quarantined for 7 days. It was the first reported case of Bubonic Plague in CA in 100 years.

Our natural environment needs balance. Responsible thinning of game, predator and pest populations is the prudent thing to do, overreaching is not. Had a few coyotes been left to create a sustainable but manged pack, none of the resulting problems with the crops, rodents and Plague would have happened. God placed all creatures here for a reason.
Never again did the ranchers wantonly destroy the coyote population and never again did we have a re-occurrence of the Plague in our valley. Neighboring areas have not yet learned that lesson and the Plague has returned occasionally where folks are slow to learn.

[MoparNorm]

Waking up
The Mesa sun and the sky
All the way
To Tucumcari
And Santa Fé
Seems a stone's throw away

Coyote, coyote

Coming down
The Phoenix sun on your face
Turns it red by the afternoon
And to the right
The Grand Canyon is wide

Sing along
Needle skips in the wind
Count the stars
Of Death Valley
And in the dark
Barstow starts to fade

Don't want to break the spell, but...
The song writer must have been from the East, because if you pull out a map of Route 66, you will see that, coming from Sante Fe, it's Flagstaff that is on the Mother Road, left of the Grand Canyon, not Phoenix, to get to Needles and then to Barstow.
Creative liberties aside, the Phoenix Sun does run warmer than the Flagstaff Sun, especially if you follow basketball.
Didn't want to be picky, but that stuck out like a sore thumb...hmmm...wonder where sore thumb came from....?
= )

[Warren Watt]

Kids at home

Spring break, both of them# 1 son home on break from the 5 year plan, daughter hasn't left yet, doing community college!

Enjoy every minute Bruce. I miss the heck out of mine.

[Bruce]

All Home This Week

Spring break, both of them# 1 son home on break from the 5 year plan, daughter hasn't left yet, doing community college!

[Longhunter7]

Kids and Critters

Bruce,

Kids and critters are some of the best things in life. The time you spend with them is never enough!

[Bruce]

Critter's

We have cut loose peacock, pea hen and numerous guinea fowl at least one, I call it a stimulus bill for the fox & coyote. Our co-op, Southern States loves it. We have seen the peacock twice in 16 years, hear the pea hens all the time, day & night, mostly night, the guinea's make an appearance once & a while, they live in the quince privet.
All in all, we are surrounded by development, completely, so our 56 hectare's are an oasis for all creatures, great & dumb. (us)

[74w300uteline]

fur auction nj

I found a trappers auction at Space farms, Beemerville nj 3/22/09. There's gonna be some happy 8 year olds running around my backyard with critter skin outfits. Davey Crockett Daniel Boone real American male role models. I also ordered a sportsmens game bird combo from Murry McMurry Poultry. let the kids raise the chicks and set em free. pheasants, partridge, quail. lets see if the town can complain about wild birds, they made me get rid of my kids chickens& roosters.

[Longhunter7]

Song Dogs!

Midlothian, that is about 2.5 hours south. I suppose I might see one if I stop by Bruce's.
Longhunter 7 - I suppose you could consider it pest control / target practice. Can you shoot only on your property? Or is there open federal / state owned lands to hunt / shoot?
We are OT here but I'm glad one of my threads made it to 2 pages. I do know that if you raise your feet as you cross the state line your vehicle slows down. Or not if you are using cruise control.....

We can hunt on state areas but some of them are limited to shotgun only.

When you come to the state line, get out of your Power Wagon and hop across the state line. Then you will be raising you feet as you cross the state line!

So easy a caveman could do it!

[Warren Watt]

Well, if they are in

Midlothian, that is about 2.5 hours south. I suppose I might see one if I stop by Bruce's.
Longhunter 7 - I suppose you could consider it pest control / target practice. Can you shoot only on your property? Or is there open federal / state owned lands to hunt / shoot?
We are OT here but I'm glad one of my threads made it to 2 pages. I do know that if you raise your feet as you cross the state line your vehicle slows down. Or not if you are using cruise control.....