Alligator Attacks Our Tractor

[CurlyDave]

Did you get any pictures of the cat?

This one is from OR, not OK. It was stalking a deer hunting party about 2 years ago. My neighbor just got it back from the taxidermist.

For a size comparison, the housecat on the windowledge behind it is just your ordinary average-size cat. Not particularly large or small.

Keep a digital camera ready at all times!

I would rather have my Smith & Wesson if I ever met his brother...

 

[Renze]

Dave, that housecat of yours, i think that's what Europeans call a Lynx ??
I've never seen one, but i do know that there are populations in the Alps, they are kept high up in the mountains by farmers that protect their cattle.

 

[CurlyDave]

i think that's what Europeans call a Lynx

Around here it is called a puma, or mountain lion.

In North America lynx are significantly smaller than these. European lynx are larger than North American lynx, although I don't think European lynx get as big as this one.

This is one of the largest I have ever seen, although I am certainly not an expert on wild cats.

 

[Renze]

Hmm... i thought a puma only lived in Africa... I think there are also some mixed up names for the same animal, depending on continent...
I'm not an expert on any predator either, our ancestors killed most of them. Bears and wolves are long gone here, sometimes you can see a lost German lynx in a national park. actually i dont know if there is a real population or just a lone ranger that walked in here from Germany...

The european lynx has a kind of hair brush on each ear tip.

 

[HGM]

Hmm... i thought a puma only lived in Africa... I think there are also some mixed up names for the same animal, depending on continent...
I'm not an expert on any predator either, our ancestors killed most of them. Bears and wolves are long gone here, sometimes you can see a lost German lynx in a national park. actually i dont know if there is a real population or just a lone ranger that walked in here from Germany...

The european lynx has a kind of hair brush on each ear tip.

I've always called that a cougar(or Florida Panther)... The Lynx is a totally different cat, very similar to a bobcat..This link has some cool info..

 

[Renze]

Hmm yes, in NA you've got also bobcats... for some reason i find it a pity not having a chance to see more big cats in the bush around our place, but when i think of the havoc only the population of foxes and buzzards make to our chicken and feasants population, i'm actually happy that we dont have as many predators around..

My neighbor has some wild cats in the bush, they are just extraordinary big but they are born from normal European short haired domestic cats. He keeps feeding them milk (or actually they scare off the farm cats off their feed, so he feeds them so much that the wild cats, (and occasionally our dogs) leave enough food for his own farm cats

 

[SkyPup]

We have a bobcat that keeps getting our ducks, geese and chickens, usually on a rainy night when the dogs cannot hear or smell him sneaking in for the kill. I've seen the bobcat with some of my geese in his mouth and he is a beautiful animal. Listening to them scream can make every hair on your body stand straight up!

I'd trap or kill the bobcat, but they are solitary cats with about a 5-10 square mile range that they mark, no other bobcat will enter their range or they will have a major fight when they meet.

So it is best to leave the bocats alone, killing one will just allow the other two nearby to move into the empty range. I'll just have to sacrifice our ducks and geese to them now and then....

 

[SkyPup]

Was out walking behind the barn this past weekend checking out the blue and green wing teal on our pond along with a couple dozen wood ducks and found this dead gator on the other side of the pond.

He must have gotten lost or maybe died of old age as he's about 10+ feet long.

 

[kmdigital]

What a fasinating thread, Thank you, I'll stay hear in Massachusetts, nothing gona eat me hear

Are you sure about that?! Seems to me that in Taxachusetts, the politicians will eat you alive, financially speaking, but make sure you are still around to suffer and so that can get another pound of flesh from you as soon as you heal a little bit!

 

[JimR]

Are you sure about that?! Seems to me that in Taxachusetts, the politicians will eat you alive, financially speaking, but make sure you are still around to suffer and so that can get another pound of flesh from you as soon as you heal a little bit!

That is the God honest truth too. Now it is going to get even worse as we now have a Dummycrat Governor to go along with the Dummycrat Reps and Senators. Whoa is me and all the other trying to survive people in this state. I forsee a giant spending spree by the Dummycrats in 2007. Taxes will be going through the roof. Social programs are going to get a big boost in this liberal idiotic state of uselessness and laziness. Illegals will be allowed to get a license so that they can drive to work. They will be allowed to live in subsidized housing and go to our schools supported by our tax dollars. I'm afraid I am going to be eaten alive by political stupidity. I think I would have a better chance against a gator. At least I could shoot him in self defense. They haven't had an open season on politicians yet One would think that a state that told the Brits were to go with their taxation without representation would stand up and tell these politicians were to go. Unfortunately we have a lot of people here that have no clue. Instead the good people leave for greener pastures. I would love to, but cannot talk the wife into leaving.

 

[scott_vt]

I forsee a giant spending spree by the Dummycrats in 2007. Taxes will be going through the roof. Social programs are going to get a big boost in this liberal idiotic state of uselessness and laziness. Illegals will be allowed to get a license so that they can drive to work. T

Gee Jim, thats strange, thats the same read I get !

 

[JimR]

Gee Jim, thats strange, thats the same read I get !

Scotty,

You wouldn't be having those problems if all the people from N.Y., CT and Mass. had stayed in their own state. I've been up there and seen the signs. "Take Back Vermont" The land prices have shot upwrds also because of this influx of outsiders from what my friend up there told me.

 

[scott_vt]

Scotty,

You wouldn't be having those problems if all the people from N.Y., CT and Mass. had stayed in their own state. I've been up there and seen the signs. "Take Back Vermont" The land prices have shot upwrds also because of this influx of outsiders from what my friend up there told me.

Hey Jim,
I dont want to hijack Thoms thread ! Maybe I allready have Im not a native Vermonter so I best not say too much more other than the prices have skyrocketed post 911 !

To make this post just a bit legal, I have seen some bobcats from a distance and they are something to watch, talk about fast,even though its only a quick glimpse !

I will send you a PM.

 

[IslandTractor]

That is the God honest truth too. Now it is going to get even worse as we now have a Dummycrat Governor to go along with the Dummycrat Reps and Senators. Whoa is me and all the other trying to survive people in this state. I forsee a giant spending spree by the Dummycrats in 2007. Taxes will be going through the roof. .

Check your history. The just departed Republican governor left Massachusetts with a ONE BILLION dollar deficit. As I recall the budget was in reasonably good shape when Dukakis left. That's what happens when your "fiscally responsible and experienced businessman" Republican governor spends almost his entire term either outside the state or pursuing silly policies while sucking up to outside interests in order to gain a presidential nomination.

 

[JimR]

Check your history. The just departed Republican governor left Massachusetts with a ONE BILLION dollar deficit. As I recall the budget was in reasonably good shape when Dukakis left. That's what happens when your "fiscally responsible and experienced businessman" Republican governor spends almost his entire term either outside the state or pursuing silly policies while sucking up to outside interests in order to gain a presidential nomination.

Yup your right. Let's not forget that everytime he wanted to cut something to save money the Dummycrats in Boston stopped him cold or reversed his decision. Now we are really going to pay for it. Just like the Mass Turnpike and its toll takers making $56,000.00 a year to take tolls on a road that is supposed to be FREE. The toll takers are all related one way or another with someone in office. Or the fact that Mass. is the only state in the country that requires a police officer on any road work detail which may include cutting of trees, any type road construction, water pipes, running cables, telephone poles or sidewalk work. Hhhhmmmm, they have yet to solve this problem either. The state doesn't pay for this either. WE DO.

Scotty, If you ever get a chance to see a Bobcat in the woods without him seeing you. Position yourself in hiding and wait till he gets to you. At the last minute jump out in front of it and yell. The cat will jump 2-3 feet off the ground straight up. It will do a 180 in mid-air and run like hellburned over his butt. I did this to a cat while deer hunting. I saw him coming down a deer run and set myself up to have some fun. I never saw a deer that day. The cat made my day though.

 

[3RRL]

Scotty,
Wes and I were still hunting the property one day when we spotted a young bobcat. We froze and ended up watching him as he was walking down the dirt road, making his way to a meadow. We probably watched him for 5 minutes before he he got off and disappeared. It was truly a moment we will never forget.

These are from our game camera.

 

[JimR]

Nice photos of the Bobcats. They are a pretty animal. I've only seen a few in my lifetime up here in Ma.

 

[Casco1]

Check your history. The just departed Republican governor left Massachusetts with a ONE BILLION dollar deficit. As I recall the budget was in reasonably good shape when Dukakis left. That's what happens when your "fiscally responsible and experienced businessman" Republican governor spends almost his entire term either outside the state or pursuing silly policies while sucking up to outside interests in order to gain a presidential nomination.

Actually check your history. Dukakis's "Massachusetts Miracle" was he inherited a $ 100 million deficit, raised taxes by $300 million then bragged that thru fiscal knowhow he left the state with a $ 100 million surplus.
How smart do you have to be to accomplish that.


And as far as the current "crisis" our departing Gov. left a balanced budget for fiscal '07, the incoming newguy restored $325 million in cuts which threw the 2007 budget in the hole by the same amount. The suposed $1 billion deficit is for fiscal 2008 based on assumed revenues & income and since the budget for '08 hasn't been worked on yet how can anyone know if there will be a deficit or surplus. It's just propaganda by the incoming Governor to save face after the Senate president put him in his place by reminding him who really runs the state the day after the inauguration.

 

[JimR]

Actually check your history. Dukakis's "Massachusetts Miracle" was he inherited a $ 100 million deficit, raised taxes by $300 million then bragged that thru fiscal knowhow he left the state with a $ 100 million surplus.
How smart do you have to be to accomplish that.


And as far as the current "crisis" our departing Gov. left a balanced budget for fiscal '07, the incoming newguy restored $325 million in cuts which threw the 2007 budget in the hole by the same amount. The suposed $1 billion deficit is for fiscal 2008 based on assumed revenues & income and since the budget for '08 hasn't been worked on yet how can anyone know if there will be a deficit or surplus. It's just propaganda by the incoming Governor to save face after the Senate president put him in his place by reminding him who really runs the state the day after the inauguration.

Nice job. I didn't know this even happened. Just goes to show you how evil the people in charge in MA. really are. Of course they have their jobs and could care less about the little guy.

 

[IslandTractor]

And as far as the current "crisis" our departing Gov. left a balanced budget for fiscal '07, .

We'll have to see if that is real. I agree we cannot trust press releases from either side. Too much spin doctoring. Let's wait and see what his fellow Republicans have to say about his budgetary management over the past few years. I'm sure some of his red state competitors will be examining this issue.

It's hard to tell what the ex governor was doing for the state during the past four years. However, one cannot deny the grandstanding by Romney to "drop" toll charges on the Mass turnpike a few weeks prior to the election. If that was fiscally responsible why didn't he do that six years ago? It wasn't responsible it was a pathetic attempt to earn his designated successor some positive publicity with no discussion or vetting of fiscal consequenses.

Weld was a good Republican governor, Romney was a major disappointment. The GOP got kicked out largely because Romney was campaigning for president instead of running the state. He spent his time polishing his image and traveling out of state yammering to the media about issues that were just about irrelevant to the public back home. As a consequence, his coattails were worth nothing and the good people of MA sent the GOP packing. This was one GOP loss that could not be blamed on Bush.

Instead of behaving like spoiled sports, why not acknowledge this was a landslide victory for the Democrats and see how Duval does.