Critters and wildlife in your area - post your pics

[Ddski5]

Don’t want to sound like a poacher but an alligator in my yard would be considered meat all year around.
There is a season for them down here, but nobody is gonna turn you in for harvesting a nuisance alligator. People care a lot more for their pets and would welcome you to do it.

 

[JanS]

Don’t want to sound like a poacher but an alligator in my yard would be considered meat all year around.

Any threatening animal that comes in our yard and is constantly after our pets would be removed one way or another. Not too much can get into the dog fence or at least it's not worth the trouble to them but something like a cougar could easily climb a tree and get in.

 

[Ravenbird]

here is a season for them down here, but nobody is gonna turn you in for harvesting a nuisance alligator

I totally get it, and agree. Just wondering since there seem to be plenty of them. Every state has their own laws too, but I think it's legal in every state - to some degree or other - to kill coyotes whether they are on your property or not. I don't have any reason to go coyote hunting, but for sure if one started hanging out or stalking the chickens or the dogs, that would = toast. Also I guess Alligators have a market for their hide & meat so I can see it becoming a problem if they didn't have a season.

 

[JanS]

Every state has their own laws too, but I think it's legal in every state - to some degree or other - to kill coyotes whether they are on your property or not.

In this state with nuisance wolves who are preying on your livestock or pets the law is "shoot and shut up". We don't have horses anymore but if we saw wolves going after them we would have to use that law.

 

[MyBuddy]

No offense, @jazzies mum but yikes!

 

[jazzies mum]

No offense, @jazzies mum but yikes!

You get used to it! I would be afraid of bears and mountain lions.

 

[MyBuddy]

You get used to it! I would be afraid of bears and mountain lions.

Haha, probably!!

 

[Two Dobes]

What was the thing behind the couch? It was grey....I never knew Kangaroos had those TALONS!!!!! YIKES!

 

[MyBuddy]

What was the thing behind the couch?

I think a wombat.

Did you see the spider in the first one? Holy crap that thing was big!

 

[GennyB]

 

[JanS]

@GennyB do you get many pileated's there? We have tons of them but I didn't think their normal range was that far south.

 

[BG1]

Y’all have bears…
I have alligators.

I was sitting in my shop working on a broken wind mill when I hear the neighbors dogs barking crazy, daughters screaming and him using a stern voice of direction. Freyja ran to the corner of the fence with hackles up barking, she doesn’t normally do this to the neighbors. I am somewhat concerned but tbh, he is home and his daughters tend to whine and cry a lot.

He sticks his head over the fence and ask me to come help him with something.

A 4-5 foot alligator had come up through his backyard of 1 acre on to his back patio, going toward his crated two dogs.
View attachment 153423

He was puffing up, hissing and did not look happy. I had a great plan to get him but the neighbor had already officially called 911 and the Sheriffs office was on their way. My wife knew I was 7 beers in and wanted to catch the alligator so she came out there and stopped me before the Sheriff showed up.

Wildlife and Fisheries showed up, caught him with a rope pole and hauled him off. If he would have been in my yard? Tbh, he would be skinned and meat in the freezer. Alligator is some good food.

Throw some gator on the barbie, mate!
"Tastes like chicken!"
Cheers!
Now tell me about freezing iguanas and roping boas.

 

[GennyB]

@GennyB do you get many pileated's there? We have tons of them but I didn't think their normal range was that far south.

We do! I wasn't sure of their range so I looked it up...

 

[MyBuddy]

View attachment 153543

We've got the brown-headed cowbird but not the woodpecker! He's really cool looking!

We do! I wasn't sure of their range so I looked it up...
View attachment 153546

That's amazing. It's just that skinny little area for you and it leaves us out!

 

[JanS]

It's breeding season so these guys have been hanging out in the yard and gobbling like crazy.
This one was fighting with it's reflection in the window and it took me a few minutes to figure out what the loud banging was downstairs. He spooked when I went to get some video.

 

[BG1]

Extreme range on iphone, Merlin ID'd it as
Nuttalls Woodpecker

 

[MyBuddy]

My neighbor next door with the Bullmastiff told me she just saw her first snake yesterday. These are usually bull snakes that are 4 ft long. And she's terrified of them. She also has a raccoon that's been hanging around. Yeah, and she also told me that she has seen the coyotes since that first time she told me about them. But they haven't been as close to her as they were back then. I was amazed telling her that I haven't seen a single thing. A snake, raccoon or a coyote. She just seems to see them all! But her backyard is more wooded than mine and they walk around the perimeter. So I assume she'll just see more than me.

Until this morning ! LOL I'm talking on the phone with my friend getting ready to go out to feed the horses when I see a coyote in my pasture! I couldn't believe it! Just after I told her yesterday I haven't seen any! So I took a grainy, zoomed in picture with my cell phone from the house.

Then I went out, armed, and got a little closer. This one wouldn't let me get too close. A little more skittish than the first two that I saw in early spring.

 

[GennyB]

We've got the brown-headed cowbird

Most people around here despise the cowbirds but they don't really bother me.

That's amazing. It's just that skinny little area for you and it leaves us out!

I find it amazing how many more varieties we have here than at my old house. And they aren't really destructive here. At my old house people wanted to shoot them

 

[JanS]

Most people around here despise the cowbirds but they don't really bother me.

They've never been a problem to me either and the horses loved them when they would sit on their back and catch bugs.

 

[JanS]

We've had a red bellied woodpecker hanging out here the last few days. I know they aren't uncommon but we hardly ever seen them since we're at the northern edge of their range.