No apricots this year.
I have one tree left and raccoons cleaned them out just before they were ripe.
How do I know they were raccoons? They left behind a bunch of broken branches. Possum are lighter and less likely to break branches.
I understand that black bears (and moose!!!) make growing fruit a challenge up north. A black bear can tear the limbs off of a fully grown apple tree as it shinnies out to get the ripest apples near the ends of the branches.
It is my impression from growing sweet corn that raccoons are very sensitive to electrical shock. I could run a hot wire around the "serious" orchard but that seems like a lot of work and I have never had much predation on the apple or pear crop.
Another option is to harvest the raccoon population and turn them into meatloaf. Following the "harvest" idea to its logical conclusion, that means most fruit that ripens before the huge surge that starts in early-September will face very heavy pressure because there are not many other fruit trees producing in this period. I really don't have the fire in my belly to process a dozen raccoon carcasses in the July or August heat.
I'm sure some 'coons would heat up the compost nicely.
ReplyDeleteBuzzards gotta eat, too.
DeleteEnough coons here that I don't bother processing very many of them anymore. They go in the back of the pickup and end up in a ditch or windbreak somewhere.
ReplyDeleteI know that's wasteful, but those bastards can wreck a shed in a single night.
We are under a plague of Biblical proportions here in north central Ohio from the exploding coon population . I hate killing any critter but they have forced me to be insane with blood lust . Apples,peaches,pears all half ruined . Coon poop on the truck seat if I forget to roll up the window . I usually shoot them right in the face while they are eating my cats food . The dogs find them quite tasty though and it helps with the food bill . Don't care for them myself but iffin I get hungry enough I can eat them . Nobody hunts them anymore . The PETA folks raise hell over natural furs so I have to shoot 'em in the face . Way to go PETA .
ReplyDelete"The PETA folks raise hell over natural furs so I have to shoot 'em in the face ."
DeleteI know exactly what you mean. Not only does it cost you a round, but then you have to bury them PETA folk or they start smelling even worse.
My dog does not like coon meat. Will eat it if hungry enough, but prefers anything else. And we have plenty of possum and skunk to keep her fat and happy.
fly bait (poison granules) and soda in a dish, they seem to prefer Mt dew, and they barely make it a few feet from the dish.
ReplyDeleteDO NOT USE anywhere cats, dogs or domestic animals you wish to live can access.
Bread soaked with antifreeze. Same warnings about how to use.
DeleteWe don’t have coon here in Alaska but we do have moose. We gave up trying to grow an apple tree or for that matter currant bushes because the moose show up in winter and eat the tree or bush! I lost about 25 cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower in the outside garden before we got the 8 foot fence finished. The peas are inside this fence so we hope to harvest some this year after two years of loosing all of them because it was dry enough that the moose went through the hot wire on top of the four foot board fence because they weren’t grounded enough to feel the shock!
ReplyDeleteA few years back we had a Distemper epidemic here in the Western UP and that really knocked down the coons. Hardly see any anymore. I sure don't miss them. I went out this morning and there was bear crap in the yard by the raspberries and I can see where he was in there but I have lots of raspberries so we don't mind sharing. I just hope he/she/they stay out of the garden and the fence is hot so it will probably work. I hope.---ken
ReplyDeleteI think I trapped all the coons in our AO. I used a live trap and transported every one of them, plus a few Possums, at least 25 miles away up in the Forest Service land.
ReplyDeleteDon't blame you there...
ReplyDeleteCan confirm what Otis D. wrote. Although, save the soda, just put the fly bait on an aluminum plate.
ReplyDeleteMilton
I find a thermal scope and a nice quiet 24" barreled .22 rifle loaded with accurate subsonic .22 ammo works wonders on nasty varmints. With the right setup, you can nail these critters out to 200+ yards and neighbors will not notice.
ReplyDeleteCame home from a vacation and went to work that night on an evening shift. Wife calls just as it gets dark, “there’s either a bunch of 5 year olds or a bunch of raccoons in the attic!” I said, “I hope it’s the 5 year olds! It wasn’t…”
ReplyDeleteWhen the grocery stores go empty and start shutting down, the meatloaf approach will gain more favor.
ReplyDelete