How do I get neighbors to stop feeding wild animals?

[kenstrac]

Outdoor domestic cats are a significant contributor to the huge decline in songbirds in the US. Yes, your barn cat kills rodents, but it very likely also kills a large number of birds as well.

You have a good point in complaining about your neighbors feeding the wildlife. You lose some of your moral high ground when you yourself are the cause of an animal they consider a pest roaming their yard.

Had 3 cats on the farm and never saw them kill or bring back a bird as a trophy PLENTY of moles -voles-field mice
Feeding raccoons and deer and having them around the house is leaving yourself open to rabies had 1 coon &1 weasel with it once and the deer bring all kinds of ticks that have Lyme disease and now another illness has cropped up from ticks.
I guess if you live in the city then cats would be more apt to go after birds.

 

[Chuck52]

Natural. Unnatural. Who gets to define? I figure Man is a natural creature....you want to be unnatural, be discrete, OK? How long does an introduced species have to be around before it becomes "natural" to the local environment? Are you under the impression that anyone knows the historic distribution of the majority of the wildlife presently in your area? If so, define "historic". This year, for the first time since I have lived on my little 10 acres, the deer population seems to have declined. I assume it is a local, perhaps very local, phenomenon, but at least I don't have fresh deer tracks through the flower beds every morning, and I haven't had deer in my garden even though I don't yet have my flagging tape up and blowing in the breeze over the cattle panels. I have an outdoor cat. He probably wanders around some, though he seems to hang out pretty close most of the time. He's getting a bit older and no longer climbs the trees for birds, but he was never very successful at that anyway. He does get a mouse or mole every once in a while. If one of my neighbors found him on their land and felt strongly enough about it to shoot him, well so be it.

BTW, I think we should all be working to eliminate the honeybee, an invasive species introduced to the Americas in the "historic" past.

Chuck

 

[Bird]

I sure wouldn't want to shoot anyone's cat, but I have borrowed the hav-a-hart trap from the city, trapped a couple, and called animal control to come get them.

 

[/pine]

How long does an introduced species have to be around before it becomes "natural" to the local environment?

the answer is never...the key word being "introduced" not to be confused with climate and geological transformations, permutations or incorporations...

 

[riptides]

Wow...

And I am trying to get my SO to stop feeding birds. It causes all sorts of issues with the cats who refuse to do thier jobs, because of the birds. And, well you never really attract what you want, in birds...

My neighbor use to feed deer, they of course ended up on my property. I use to tag them with a paint ball gun. He asked why I did that. I told him I was keeping track of them for damage control purposes. They ate most of the hard work in my fields and around the house.

Shortly after his car accident, he stopped feeding deer. Must have been the paint on the one he tagged.

A county supervisor also tagged one, not painted, a while back.

I myself have the S-10 deerslayer, which has bagged over 4.

You get one with a car, your opinion on them change.

 

[studor]

Plant a vegetable garden close to the property line -- tell your neighbours you will split everything with them the wildlife does not get
OR
as a gesture of friendship -- give them a plant that deer love (rose,small hardwood tree etc) and ask them to plant it and maintain it as a gesture of good neighbours -- you know what will happen but it is a cheap way of getting the point across
For the lady with the raccoons, ask her to switch to food with a rabies vaccine in it, otherwise, show her the treatment for rabies

 

[kidr]

Haven't heard from you guys who put out deer feeders to attract them so you can shoot them without working too hard. But thats probably different.

 

[Chuck52]

Pine,

Your interpretation of "introduced" is certainly correct, if by that you mean the deliberate introduction by Man of a species into an environment to which it is novel. However, my intent, and I do apologize for lack of clarity, was to suggest that what many see as "natural" species in a particular environment are, in fact, often not species which would have been found there before unnatural mankind came along. Not that they were necessarily deliberately introduced, or even that there is a clear path linking some action of Man to their being found where they had previously been unknown. Does the fact that horses were introduced into the Americas after ancestral horses had gone extinct on these continents make them unnatural? If so, then the elk in the Smokies are certainly introduced, "unnatural" beasties, and I'd bet there are deer in places now where they had previously gone, at least locally, extinct. What was the distribution of the coyote before Europeans came to the Americas? What was it before the original humans arrived....if anyone even knew when and from where the original humans came? We can ask the same question about song bird, deer, any number of apparently native species. The environment is not static. Local environments change dramatically over relatively short time periods. Man induces some of these changes, but then, as I have said, who gets to define Man as unnatural?

I don't think of Man or of any of his domesticated animals as "unnatural", though we are certainly pushing the envelope with some current research. You are entitled to your opinion and whatever definition you prefer. I'd rather you not call me ignorant for taking this stance, but as that seems to be your favored description for any who disagree with you, I will not be surprised.

Chuck

 

[MossRoad]

Hey Moss, Do you own any cats?

Yep. Lifelong cat owner. My family jokes that I was raised by a cat... the nastiest, foulest, meanest, most cantankerous feline to ever walk the earth. She was three years old when I was born and promptly adopted me as soon as they brought me home from the hospital. She slept in my crib and then my bed for the next 18 years! She'd sleep with her claws in my belly. If I rolled over in the night she'd "remind" me to roll back. Sometimes she would see her own tail and chase it like a little tornado screaming wildly as she spun up like the Tasmanian devil cartoon. She killed literally thousands of animals over those 21 years and brought most of them home to us, minus the head. Weird cat usually only ate the heads off of stuff. Many times she would bring the meal home for her baby (me) and leave them in my bed, on the floor, in my shoes, in my closet, etc... blecck!!! Anything from bugs, mice, birds, chipmunks, squirrels, rabbits, small raccoons, opossums and even some crows.

We also had many other cats over the years, all of which my mom also let outside. All they did was hunt and kill if they were not sleeping. And most of them got in fights, got injured, got hit by cars, etc... rarely living more than a few years each.

When I moved out and got married I got a cat of my own. He never left the house except on a leash, which he learned to walk on quit well. We'd take him and the dog out for walks. Cats walk a lot slower than dogs and like to stop and sniff stuff. He lived 17 years and was quit happy stalking the dog and hamster indoors, as well as catching two mice that got inside, although he didn't know how to kill them. When he passed away we got two more cats. Brothers. They are also house cats. After witnessing the carnage and unnatural balance cats do to nature, I would never let one of my own out to roam.

 

[cowboy357]

I Prefer to not mess with Mother nature Myself .But if I see a critter that appears to be starving & not just rabid or really sick. I will tend to it & feed it .

I Have several what Used to be Feral cats , now pretty much pets as I felt sorry for them Because They were either Dumped out here or the neighbors farm cats . They bother no one else as no one else is close . Also being bordered by 2 slews containg water 95 % of the time & a river in the rear of the property They stay pretty close to the house .

They also take care of the Mice , Moles, Voles & other varments i dont care for . mother nature also keeps them in check by other predators that feed on rabbits & similiar sixe critters .

I used to hunt for food purposes but no longer do. but will put down anything that looks extremelly sick , rabid or a threat . But if we needed to eat, I would have no problem doing what I need to to survive . I also Respect the one Neighbor We have & he does the same in return. So thats not an issue either .

I also wouldn,t have a problem puttin a load of light buckshot in someones rear side thats on our property if they posed a threat to Us or was just going to kill something for fun . if it was more serious then I would be as well .

This Might not have much to do with the OP,s post. but since most of You are Expessing your opinion. i decided to ad my 2 bits .


Oh & sorry about the odd caps again to, its a habit . . Bob

 

[QRTRHRS]

Where are all thees snakes and birds of prey anyway I only see 1 hawk around here The moles and voles and field mice outnumber him 200-1

Actually, all other variables aside, bird of prey numbers will be regulated by the amount of prey available.

In the past, I spent a good deal of time watching birds but the sport got to croweded and too political for me. I also used to feed them until I realized my money was better spent on plants or trees that provided shelter and feed.

We have a feeding station set up only for my elderly mother to enjoy otherwise we would not. I do admit to enjoying the pileated woodpeckers come for suet. A visual treat for anyone who likes to see birds.

We took in a stray cat that had kittens in our barn. Totally wild, she is now pretty friendly and a great mouser. I could have killed her when she came in with a scarlet tanager yesterday. Fortunately for the bird, I got him away in time.

Cats do kill alot of birds but then introduced species such as cowbirds do a lot of harm if not more. I don't like big brother but I think somehow nuetering and spaying need to be strongly incouraged.

All this does not solve the neighbor feeding the deer problem. All other options aside, a good fence makes a good neighbor. If you can keep the deer out then the problem intensifies on someone else or on the feeder. That will take the weight off of your shoulders.

 

[biggerten]

Wow! What I thread. I think someone said "If they're not breaking the law, you can't do anything." That's that. Done deal. Fini.

As for myself, I consider the things large rats, and last year reduced the population by one with a Ford Expedition (Actually maybe couple more, since I could see it had been nursing, this was in early July).

As for your cat (or if it were a dog) I wouldn't tolerate it on my property. I'd mention it to you, and you'd take care of it, or I eventually would. If I did, you wouldn't hear about it.

"God grant me the power to change the things I can change, the serenity to accept the things I can't change, and the wisdom to know the difference."

Good luck, whatever happens. I like the paintball idea.

 

[cowboy357]

Wow! What I thread. I think someone said "If they're not breaking the law, you can't do anything." That's that. Done deal. Fini.

As for myself, I consider the things large rats, and last year reduced the population by one with a Ford Expedition (Actually maybe couple more, since I could see it had been nursing, this was in early July).

As for your cat (or if it were a dog) I wouldn't tolerate it on my property. I'd mention it to you, and you'd take care of it, or I eventually would. If I did, you wouldn't hear about it.

"God grant me the power to change the things I can change, the serenity to accept the things I can't change, and the wisdom to know the difference."

Good luck, whatever happens. I like the paintball idea.

This aint much more off topic then anyone elses post . I Just had to say I agree with You , allthough i probablly wouldn,t hurt anyones critter that came on the property . I run them off a few times but cant see hurting them unless their a threat & I Love your signature BTW . . Bob

 

[ByronBob]

If you want to really get their attention skin it then hang it in the tree for them to see.

 

[mikefromnh]

Not sure how I could keep a barn cat from roaming other than shooting it. But if I did that than the voles would be back, and honestly I don't know what kind of damage or nuisance it causes anyways. Voles and coons damage my source of food. Maybe I'm old fashioned but I prefer not to attract rabid predators and large rats.

As far as natural or not the cat works for me. Heck I've been told native earthworms were wiped out during the last ice age and all the worms around here were introduced from Europe. But, I smile when I see them working the ground for me.

 

[lucky llama]

You seem to be dealing with vegitarian city folk. It would seem your best defense is to smile and compliment your neighbor on his feeding efforts. Then when they leave after Christmas, invite some friends over and thin the herd. Some may disagree with this approach, however, your neighbor seems to have a total lack of understanding of country living.

 

[biggerten]

This aint much more off topic then anyone elses post . I Just had to say I agree with You , allthough i probablly wouldn,t hurt anyones critter that came on the property . I run them off a few times but cant see hurting them unless their a threat & I Love your signature BTW . . Bob

I'm sorry, I should have explained myself better by saying if they were on my property AND CAUSING A PROBELM.

For example, we had a neighbor's dog that was ripping open our trash bags and leaving me a mess - I'll tolerate that for only a short while. OTOH, if they come over to visit for a doggy treat, that's OK.

I apologize for not being as clear as I should have been. Mea culpa.

 

[mikefromnh]

I can't argue with that.

 

[cowboy357]

I'm sorry, I should have explained myself better by saying if they were on my property AND CAUSING A PROBELM.

For example, we had a neighbor's dog that was ripping open our trash bags and leaving me a mess - I'll tolerate that for only a short while. OTOH, if they come over to visit for a doggy treat, that's OK.

I apologize for not being as clear as I should have been. Mea culpa.

NP biggerten , allthough I quoted your post i didn,t think you meant it that way . i still agree with you , as with everything else theres different actions for different areas & locations .

in my case i can just yell atem & they most likelly wont be back. If there doing damage of some kind, i,ll still give them every chance with a few warning shots to let them go on their merry way .

As far as the ones that have no problem shooting some poor critter just to hang on the fence to make a point . I wouldn,t be near as nice if they stumbled onto our property , nor would the wife . . Bob

 

[Bird]

This thread has gotten too contentious and has been pruned and is being closed.