Bushhogs and Wildlife

[jinman]

Every now and then the mowers at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport will have a coyote follow them around for the mice, rats, and rabbits they flush out of the grass. Last week we saw one following 5 big 20' batwing mowers. In about 10 minutes, we looked up to see the airport police chasing the coyote off the runways. Great entertainment from a 4th floor window overlooking the airport.

 

[Soundguy]

I doubt it!

Soundguy

Well did he accept it and forgive ya

 

[midlf]

I turned just in time to see a red tailed hawk slam into a flying dove. There's probably still feathers flying. Awsome display of power and grace.

We had a hawk, probably coopers, take out a mourning dove on the fly about 15' behind the house. Quite impressive. Our Goffin's Cockatoo saw the whole thing from her perch by the window. She did not appear to have the same appreciation of nature in action as we did. It definitely had her attention.

 

[N80]

I flushed a baby rabbit last weekend while mowing. He was big enough to manage on his own.

It is hay cutting time on my neighbor's farm. He gets nest full of turkeys and an occasional whitetail fawn (they will not move) with the disk mower. His wife won't mow the hay anymore because of this. He hates it too, but not much way to avoid it.

I remember watching a local guy ride on the front of a combine shooting rabbits that flushed out of the soybeans (or something). He'd pop them, jump down while it was still moving, pick the rabbit up and climb right back on.

 

[kossetx]

I've had coyote's follow my tractor looking for food. Sorry, but nothing better than mowing over a field rat.

 

[EddieWalker]

Yesterday I mowed around my small pond and had fun watching my pet ducks run up out of the water as I went by to catch grass hoppers. They would feast until I cam back again, then run back into the water until I passed, and repeat the process over and over again.

After an hour or so, three cattle egrets joined them. The ducks used to get along with the egrets and herons, but lately they have started attacking them and driving them off. The ducks can't fly, too big and fat, but they will swim or walk right up to them and bite them. We were shocked to see it, but what the heck, it's there pond. hahahaha

The same thing happened while mowing, the ducks started chasing the egrets around and several times the egrets would take off and come by me close enought that I could have hit them if I had a tennis racket with me.

It really added to the fun of mowing!!!!!!!!

Eddie

 

[ToadHill]

Those critters make a mess of the sicklebar.

 

[JazzDad]

When cutting the pastures, we make it a point to start in the middle and work out. (You can throw the clippings inward, if your deck doesn't discharge them to the rear.) Buy mowing this way, we give the critters a better chance to get away. If you start on the edges of your field and mow inward, you might keep pushing the wildlife toward the middle. They panic and are more likely to get ground up.
During the cutting we did 2 weeks ago, a fawn bolted just 4 feet in front of the tractor.