What bugs/diseases/critters have ya'll seen that weren't around 30-40 years ago?

[ponytug]

Only made it down to about post 16, but didn't see it, and it's not really a negative.

Bald eagles; when I was a kid, (I'm 42 now, so 80s/90s), if you saw a bald eagle, it was worth mentioning. Now, you'll see half a dozen a day, eating road kill, perched in a tree, or just gliding around.

Coyotes, see them a lot more than 20-30 years ago. They aren't "new", but i think they used to do a better control of them.

On the opposite side; FWC a couple years ago asked people to report skunk sightings; and that made me think; you really dont see them anymore, or not as much. Guessing that's directly linked to the coyotes?

My guess is that is more likely to be great horned owls or the bald eagles preying on skunks than coyotes. Birds do better with skunks than four legged predators who have a much harder time hunting with stink.

All the best, Peter

 

[Dftodd]

Only made it down to about post 16, but didn't see it, and it's not really a negative.

Bald eagles; when I was a kid, (I'm 42 now, so 80s/90s), if you saw a bald eagle, it was worth mentioning. Now, you'll see half a dozen a day, eating road kill, perched in a tree, or just gliding around.

Coyotes, see them a lot more than 20-30 years ago. They aren't "new", but i think they used to do a better control of them.

On the opposite side; FWC a couple years ago asked people to report skunk sightings; and that made me think; you really dont see them anymore, or not as much. Guessing that's directly linked to the coyotes?

I've seen one coyote a couple years back running down a utility right of way up the road.

Then a few days later I had one booking it across the road at 5:30 am about 3 miles the other direction.

Apparently there were a bunch around my property just before we purchased it. But they started harrassing the cattle across the street.

A neighbor who borders the south side of the field ( we are the west side) is a friend of the cattle owner.

He's has a rifle set up with a night vision scope, so he went out and thinned them out.

The ones he missed won't go near that pasture and moved on.

 

[Torvy]

They still exist...this one visited last week.

 

[BnRidge]

Lots of skunks here. I opened the barn door with a couple boards in my hands, and promptly threw the boards and did my best high pitched scream. You can see it did no good, they pretty much did what they wanted. The little ones just kept on coming, and burrowed into the slightest crevice with just their business end showing.

 

[brewdog]

Stink bugs and coyotes.

 

[ponytug]

Lots of skunks here. I opened the barn door with a couple boards in my hands, and promptly threw the boards and did my best high pitched scream. You can see it did no good, they pretty much did what they wanted. The little ones just kept on coming, and burrowed into the slightest crevice with just their business end showing.

View attachment 3649859View attachment 3649862

Reminds me of the time my wife and I were riding down a trail, and two adult skunks, tails fluffy and hanging down walked out of the shrubbery, followed by six or seven little ones, all seeming happy to go about their business. We, and the two horses, froze, and waited. Sure enough about fifteen seconds later one of the skunks noticed that we were there and only seven or eight feet away, and suddenly the scene went from cute fluffiness to 8 weapons pointed right at us. We all spun around, and bolted off to await their passage from a distance. The horses positively launched themselves. I had no idea that they had any aversion to skunks or appreciated the risk. Either that or my wife did a great job of communicating fear. I
After the fact, it was pretty funny, and probably would have looked even funnier to a bystander.

All the best,

Peter

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

I've lived in South Central Virginia all my 73 years. We never saw a deer until the early 1960s, my Grandfather next door growing up was amazed seeing one. Now at that homeplace not uncommon seeing 30-40 herd in the yard.
45 years ago moved 12 miles away & we had quail & pheasant but haven't seen any in years but see coyote and even a grey wolf.
Growing up a farmer nearby had pelts of a dozen foxes he shot in the area and many apparently are extinct now.
One dark night there at the lake a mountain lion walked within a few feet of me.
Skunks are very docile and fearless in my experience and warn before spraying. I did surprise one on a dark night, cornered on the front porch. I didn't see it until too late and it sprayed me in the face. Incredible pain like a fist.

 

[bigtiller]

Mrs.tiller seen twin baby fawns about 60' away from the patio this morning in our back yard and one of them was nursing.

I have found 2 deer antler sheds while mowing this spring.

Twice last fall we seen a Great Horned Owl in out windbreak around the place.

 

[Dftodd]

Reminds me of the time my wife and I were riding down a trail, and two adult skunks, tails fluffy and hanging down walked out of the shrubbery, followed by six or seven little ones, all seeming happy to go about their business. We, and the two horses, froze, and waited. Sure enough about fifteen seconds later one of the skunks noticed that we were there and only seven or eight feet away, and suddenly the scene went from cute fluffiness to 8 weapons pointed right at us. We all spun around, and bolted off to await their passage from a distance. The horses positively launched themselves. I had no idea that they had any aversion to skunks or appreciated the risk. Either that or my wife did a great job of communicating fear. I
After the fact, it was pretty funny, and probably would have looked even funnier to a bystander.

All the best,

Peter

I had a weiney dog that would get sprayed by a skunk and then show up to the door asking to come inside stinking to high heaven and soaking wet.....

This took about two weeks to figure out what was going on. My wife woke me up about 4am and told me the skunk was back.

So I grab the flashlight and pistol, go outside and tried to call off the dogs.

I follow the weiney dog around the corner and I spot the skunk. He's creeping up on it trying to sniff it's bottom

I then see the skunk lock and load, look back and take aim

I get out of striking distance, and watch how this plays out.

The weiney dog keeps creeping forward trying to sniff the skunk, and she shoots him right in the eyes.

The weiney dog goes past me fish flopping on the ground rubbing his face in the grass. He then bails into the kiddy pool that we keep outside for the dogs.

I hear snorting and splashing, he about drowns himself.

After a bit he climbs out of the pool and heads for the door on the sun porch.

Well now I know what's been going on

I shoot the skunk, grab the flat shovel and haul the skunk out to the end of the yard, and launch it out into the pasture behind my house.

Stinky got to spend the day outside until we got home that night and give him another bath

 

[Dftodd]

Mrs.tiller seen twin baby fawns about 60' away from the patio this morning in our back yard and one of them was nursing.

I have found 2 deer antler sheds while mowing this spring.

Twice last fall we seen a Great Horned Owl in out windbreak around the place.

We have a barred owl that lives on our property. I'll see him quite often sitting on a fence post at the end of our driveway hunting a water hole in the cow pasture.

Every now and then I'll accidently spot light him in our yard and tick him off. He gets awful mouthy when you disturb his hunt

He and his pals will get really chatty some nights and really make a racket as well.