Living in the woods with different likes of critters keeps us on our toes. They all cause some kind of trouble for us. Deer eating plants and shrubs and garden items. We are one up on the deer around here; well at least for now. Hundreds of those menacing squirrels. They always battle me when our peaches get ripe. I leave them alone until they start getting my peaches and then it's open season on those furry critters. I've found out that the squirrels are good for some thing. They clean the yard this time of the year by removing the acorns for their food source.We have had trouble with raccoons over the years. With a fish pond we have to be on our toes to keep them from fishing at night. My wife planted some new flower bulbs in one of her flower beds. A day later when I came home she said, " Get your gun; some thing has dug up all my bulbs I planted. I think it must be a raccoon." What ever dug up the bulbs didn't eat any of them. "
I have a haunch it's a raccoon she said. I'll get the trap out and set and bait it tonight. My favorite bait is meow mix, our cats only food she will eat. I caught Rusty a couple of years ago when we were having trouble with the coons. She want go near the trap now!! Trap set, baited and staked down to the ground waits for Rocky last night.
When I woke up this morning I looked out my bedroom window and sure enough I could see that the trap's door was down. I couldn't see what I had caught. After my cup of coffee I went to see what I caught. There he was, a small young raccoon. Usually when I trap a coon they are very hostile when I go near the trap. I called this one Rocky. He didn't seem to mine me coming near him in the trap. He never uttered a sound as I talked to him. " are you the guilty one I asked?" He just gave my a sad look with his eyes. I put my hand on the cage and he didn't react like all his cousins I have caught over the years. Well, I almost wanted to keep the little fellow for a pet, he was so cute. I knew my wife wouldn't go along with this idea.
I decided to take the coon on a road trip. I loaded the cage and Rocky into the bed of my pickup truck and drove about 7 miles to a perfect spot to release Rocky back into the woods. A near by stream of water runs through the woody area. I dropped the tailgate and opened the cage door. "Get out Rocky, here's your new home." Rocky just looked me in the eye as if to say;" I don't want to go. I want to go back to your house and have meow mix and dig in the fresh dirt and see what I can find." I had to slap on the back of the open cage to get him to jump out. Finally he's out and leaps from the tailgate and runs across the road into the woods. Free at last, Rocky Raccoon!!
