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Outpost:  Wild Animal Encounters  |
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AnnieinIdaho
True Blue Farmgirl
437 Posts
Annie
ID
USA
437 Posts |
 Posted - Aug 05 2017 : 9:25:47 PM
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Hi Sisters, I am sure some of your stories will be more dramatic than this little experience. But I was just so surprised at the encounter and although raccoons can be pests this was a funny experience. We rented a cabin on the St. Joe river near Avery, Idaho and next door were three huge and old cherry trees, one ancient apple tree loaded with baby apples waiting for fall, and a loaded old huckleberry bush. I was so amazed at these trees I took my camera out to take photos and noticed the branches waving and bouncing around. There were five huge raccoons climbing down the cherry tree because they saw me and they ran one by one to the stone foundation air vent of the house on the property to hide. Two of the raccoons peeked out to see if I was still there. I had a fun time watching them feast on the fruit for the remainder of our stay. Crazy funny! Annie 
"The turnings of life seldom show a sign-post; or rather, though the sign is always there, it is usually placed some distance back, like the notices that give warning of a bad hill or a level railway-crossing." Edith Wharton, 1913 from 'The Custom of the Country'. |
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Tumbleweed
True Blue Farmgirl
1019 Posts
Nancy
Texas
USA
1019 Posts |
Posted - Aug 06 2017 : 08:34:05 AM
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I was hiking with a gal pal on Catalina Island years ago. We were walking along the road that led from the harbour to the North end where we planned to camp. We came around a curve in the road and in the middle of our path was a huge I mean huge Bison. I never seen anything that big up close a personal without a large sturdy fence between us. He was munching on grass in the road and pivoted to keep an eye on us while still munching. We were a little froze in our tracks for a moment as we couldn't continue forward. Did I say he was big? He was huge. We decide to cut through the foilage at the risk of being scratched up and continued on to camp rather than disturbing his snacktime.
TW
The fun begins where the pavement ends! |
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Red Tractor Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
6517 Posts
Winnie
Gainesville
Fl
USA
6517 Posts |
Posted - Aug 06 2017 : 10:26:47 AM
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Those raccoons have darling faces, but they can be a huge nuisance when it comes them getting into stuff outside that is edible. Thanks for sharing such fun photos.
Winnie #3109
Red Tractor Girl
Farm Sister of the Year 2014-2015 |
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AnnieinIdaho
True Blue Farmgirl
437 Posts
Annie
ID
USA
437 Posts |
Posted - Aug 06 2017 : 12:38:11 PM
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Nancy, crazy to see such a huge Bison unexpectedly. Good call on taking a different route. Bison may look cumbersome but they are also fast and can be so aggressive. They like their territory. I have seen them at Yellowstone and they are huge! Thanks for your story. Annie
"The turnings of life seldom show a sign-post; or rather, though the sign is always there, it is usually placed some distance back, like the notices that give warning of a bad hill or a level railway-crossing." Edith Wharton, 1913 from 'The Custom of the Country'. |
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Bonnie Ellis
True Blue Farmgirl
2474 Posts
Bonnie
Minneapolis
Minnesota
USA
2474 Posts |
Posted - Aug 06 2017 : 10:03:45 PM
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Love those raccoons when they're not in my corn.
You are lucky that bison was eating. I have been riding in a jeep through the herd many times and if they decide to charge, you might not have walked away.
grandmother and orphan farmgirl |
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Bear5
True Blue Farmgirl
13055 Posts
Louisiana/Texas
USA
13055 Posts |
Posted - Aug 07 2017 : 12:10:28 PM
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Beautiful pictures!!!
Marly
"It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up- that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had." Elisabeth Kurler-Ross |
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ceejay48
Farmgirl Legend/Schoolmarm/Sharpshooter
13564 Posts
CeeJay (CJ)
Dolores
Colorado
USA
13564 Posts |
Posted - Aug 07 2017 : 12:58:59 PM
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Great pics! Raccoons are cute as can be, entertaining but, as already mentioned, pesky and a nuisance
Right now, in our neighborhood we're dealing with a bear that keeps tearing into our neighbor's trash cart and demolished their chicken coop and killed 5 chickens. AND, there is also a mountain lion out and about killing another neighbor's sheep.
One must be on the watch and, yes . . . carry a firearm!
CJ
..from the barefoot farmgirl in SW Colorado...sister chick #665.
2010 Farmgirl Sister of the Year
Mother Hen: FARMGIRLS SOUTHWEST HENHOUSE
my aprons - http://www.facebook.com/FarmFreshAprons
living life - www.snippetscja.blogspot.com
from my heart - www.fromacelticheart.blogspot.com
from my hubby - www.aspenforge.blogspot.com |
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notathreatinsight
True Blue Farmgirl
626 Posts
Erin
Monroeville
IN
USA
626 Posts |
Posted - Aug 07 2017 : 2:44:28 PM
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Those pictures are awesome! The state park by us, Pokagan, has a lot of raccoons that just eat out of your hand. Not that I feed them, but I have friends that camp there a lot. It honestly makes me not want to go there, but those are cute!
Erin
Sister #3762
Farmgirl of the Month ~ March 2016
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AnnieinIdaho
True Blue Farmgirl
437 Posts
Annie
ID
USA
437 Posts |
Posted - Aug 07 2017 : 5:40:16 PM
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Oh whoa, yeah do not feed wild animals from your hands. They can carry so many diseases. Not a good idea to have food sources around your property or campsite if creatures are a problem. Because when they encounter humans again expecting food handouts and that person has nothing, they react aggressively trying to get food. This town on the St. Joe river is smart and they have no trash pickup so garbage is not in cans or street side. You have to take it to special bins at the edge of town. I have heard even some of the squirrels in Idaho are carrying rabies. I know soil (and it is dry and dusty) and animal droppings are potential carriers of all kinds of diseases.
CJ- I must say you never have a dull moment where you live. I am on alert here but not to your degree. The beauty is worth it, but it keeps ones on their toes, or should I say "eyes and ears". I am enjoying learning about these adventures. Annie
"The turnings of life seldom show a sign-post; or rather, though the sign is always there, it is usually placed some distance back, like the notices that give warning of a bad hill or a level railway-crossing." Edith Wharton, 1913 from 'The Custom of the Country'. |
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firecatinc
True Blue Farmgirl
1252 Posts
Lenora
Fulks Run
VA
USA
1252 Posts |
Posted - Aug 07 2017 : 6:37:43 PM
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Good pictures, great opportunity.
Nora
Farmgirl Sister #7131
Farmgirl of the Month, January 2017
http://firecatinc.wordpress.com |
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MaryJanesNiece
True Blue Farmgirl
6680 Posts
Krista
Utah
USA
6680 Posts |
Posted - Aug 08 2017 : 10:55:25 AM
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My family has had a couple encounters with raccoons before. They like to get in my dads garden and make a mess. Just this last year he had some massively huge ones. They are so dang cute, but so mean. Love how your pictures turned out Annie!
Krista |
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katmom
True Blue Farmgirl
17023 Posts
Grace
WACAL Gal
WashCalif.
USA
17023 Posts |
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AnnieinIdaho
True Blue Farmgirl
437 Posts
Annie
ID
USA
437 Posts |
Posted - Aug 14 2017 : 4:08:27 PM
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Hi again sisters,
Mama Moose came by to show her off her twins where she remembered there were cherry and apple trees and lots of native shrub greenery. After devouring many branches and the babies nursing they had a good snooze on our lawn. I sat on our porch and sang the same soft lullaby song I sang to the mama moose when she was a baby, and I sang the same song to her twins. They fell asleep on the lawn. I do think she is familiar with us, my voice and our property. But yes,I am still very careful. I use a long lens when taking pictures and zoom in so I am not as close as it looks. I can run into our front door in a skip and a hop! They are so cute and curious at this stage. Enjoy the photos! Annie
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katmom
True Blue Farmgirl
17023 Posts
Grace
WACAL Gal
WashCalif.
USA
17023 Posts |
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MaryJanesNiece
True Blue Farmgirl
6680 Posts
Krista
Utah
USA
6680 Posts |
Posted - Aug 15 2017 : 09:41:58 AM
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Annie, how wonderful is that! I would love to experience something like that in my yard. They are beautiful creatures.
Krista |
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HollerGirl56
True Blue Farmgirl
1334 Posts
Barbara
Flat Top
WV
USA
1334 Posts |
Posted - Apr 23 2018 : 11:22:36 AM
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I have had many wild animal encounters since I live in the middle of the woods. Bears have left footprints on our cabin windows. On evening we were cooking at the cabin and the dogs went crazy. I went to the end of the porch and there was a bear. I screamed and he ran away. We also had four bears cross in front of us when we were four wheeling. Our hunters are always showing us videos of bears they taped at their deer stands. I think we have thirteen close. I am not afraid of them because they will run if you yell at them. We are also whipped out with raccoons. I feed a sweet little baby who would come to the door and take bread out of your hand and then he brought his whole family. It is no longer fun. We will trap them and relocate them. We never kill anything. I have also been attacked twice by a deer because I got too close to a fawn. This sounds like a lie, ,I know, but I sure was glad to have a close tree to hide behind. Deers also attack our dogs when they have fawns.
You Might Be a Redneck If---you've transported a goat in an economy car.---Jeff Foxworthy |
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AnnieinIdaho
True Blue Farmgirl
437 Posts
Annie
ID
USA
437 Posts |
Posted - Apr 29 2018 : 6:19:44 PM
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And then there are the dirt diggers that can tunnel away! We have a group of Northern Idaho Ground Squirrels and oh my goodness they are so big! And the Marmots are so big I can see them from my kitchen window on the hill behind us. Crazy!!
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"The turnings of life seldom show a sign-post; or rather, though the sign is always there, it is usually placed some distance back, like the notices that give warning of a bad hill or a level railway-crossing." Edith Wharton, 1913 from 'The Custom of the Country'. |
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HollerGirl56
True Blue Farmgirl
1334 Posts
Barbara
Flat Top
WV
USA
1334 Posts |
Posted - Apr 30 2018 : 2:34:16 PM
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Never heard of a marmot---are they something like a groundhog? I can't imagine a big ground squirrel. Our little ones can be pesty enough although I absolutely love them. I raised one from a baby once and I would take it places underneath my shirt. I even took it to my husband's grandmothers visitation and it slept the whole time.
You Might Be a Redneck If---you've transported a goat in an economy car.---Jeff Foxworthy FarmGirl#7620 |
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AnnieinIdaho
True Blue Farmgirl
437 Posts
Annie
ID
USA
437 Posts |
Posted - Apr 30 2018 : 4:12:47 PM
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Well, they look similar but are actually considered a large squirrel in the classification of Marmota with 15 species. This photo made me laugh, as the two marmots were taking in the view shortly after snowmelt looking out toward Spokane Valley, WA. Ha,Ha!! Too funny. Enjoy! Annie 
"The turnings of life seldom show a sign-post; or rather, though the sign is always there, it is usually placed some distance back, like the notices that give warning of a bad hill or a level railway-crossing." Edith Wharton, 1913 from 'The Custom of the Country'. |
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HollerGirl56
True Blue Farmgirl
1334 Posts
Barbara
Flat Top
WV
USA
1334 Posts |
Posted - May 02 2018 : 06:08:50 AM
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| We often hear coyotes at night here and they give me the cold chills. Do you have coyotes in Idaho or wolves? Just wondering as I don't know much about the west. Saw my first big black snake of the season yesterday. Not looking forward to those. |
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AnnieinIdaho
True Blue Farmgirl
437 Posts
Annie
ID
USA
437 Posts |
Posted - May 02 2018 : 2:24:02 PM
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Oh yes, Coyotes are very common in the west, even in the cities. They like rocky canyons, but navigate very well in the urban settings now. They are very cunning and organized in their hunts. They will often follow people on a walk from higher ground watching them and the group will be in a circle around them. They usually eat rabbits, birds, snakes, mice, squirrels, animals like chickens in the coop pens, and pet cats. Our neighborhood has lost every single pet cat (except mine) to a coyote. I would never underestimate them. They howl here after they have made a kill.
"The turnings of life seldom show a sign-post; or rather, though the sign is always there, it is usually placed some distance back, like the notices that give warning of a bad hill or a level railway-crossing." Edith Wharton, 1913 from 'The Custom of the Country'. |
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hoosiercountry
True Blue Farmgirl
572 Posts
karla
north port
fl
USA
572 Posts |
Posted - May 08 2018 : 6:01:40 PM
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Well being raised on a farm you see all kinds of wildlife coons, possums, deer, snakes, and with two older brothers you learn not to let those things scare you. But then I married and he moved me to Florida, land of really big bugs and alligators. When we bought our home with 3 acres and a pond, I felt safe that the house and one acre was completely chain link fenced, with the pond on other side. Then one week before we moved I found out alligators can climb fence. So much for safety. I also had dreams of putting a small gazebo out by our pond, well we had been in the house 3 days and there he or she was, in my pond. So I call the wild life department to have them come and move this gator, and the very first question they ask me is "are you feeding it?" I'm thinking are you crazy. Well that began my education on alligators, it was explained to me that they have to be over 5 foot long, or aggressive, like hanging off your leg, because they do not relocate them they have to put them down. Then they sent me a booklet on "How to live with Alligators in your back yard" I was not giving up so over the next few months we got on first name basis with the wildlife people to come and remove the gator so I could get ducks or just take a walk by the pond. Every time we call the very first question was always "are you feeding them", my husband told them one time that "no he had ran out of neighborhood kids". Yes they finally came out, the trapper kindly explained that the one that was here was to small, and there would likely be another one tomorrow, since they travel pond to pond, so he proceeded to tell us how to shoot it, what happens after it is shot, and never admit to shooting one, it's against the law. Well we have never and would never shoot, but I learned to watch for them, and I learned their sound they make, we had 4 in the pound at one time. I always said I could walk downtown Venice at 3 a.m. and be safer than in my back yard at high noon, things there can eat you. Hugs Karla
FGOM March 2018
I dusted once, it came back. I'm not falling for that again. |
Edited by - hoosiercountry on May 08 2018 6:18:39 PM |
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HollerGirl56
True Blue Farmgirl
1334 Posts
Barbara
Flat Top
WV
USA
1334 Posts |
Posted - May 09 2018 : 04:57:14 AM
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I would rather kiss a bear on the lips than live close to an alligator. I am terrified of the thought of them and the fact that they would eat your pets. I walk my dogs every day and I can't imagine not being able to do what I want. Sounds horrid and so scary. I also read that they can run quite fast. I never shoot anything either but I would sure get a big old gun and deal with gators. HA HA---probably not. I can't even kill a spider. I catch them in jars and put them outside. Too bad these creatures prevent you from enjoying your pond. But all things have a right to live on this earth---at least that's how I see it. Live and let live is my motto and also why I am over loaded with animals. I love every living creature.
Life isn't finding shelter in the storm. It's about learning to dance in the rain.===Sherrilyn Kenyon |
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AnnieinIdaho
True Blue Farmgirl
437 Posts
Annie
ID
USA
437 Posts |
Posted - Aug 20 2018 : 9:12:50 PM
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Oh my another little baby moose has emerged out front near the neighbors cherry tree. Their big pick up truck startled it so it ran out in the open allowing me to get a camera shot with my long lens. I am calling this one Baby Cocoa because it has so many chocolate colors, dark, milk and even a bit of latte on the legs. Most of the baby moose I see are dark with whitish grey legs. These color markings are very distinctive and so pretty. The mating starts again here in October. I feel sorry for the wildlife here now because the smoke is so bad from all the fires I can barely go outdoors. They are breathing in such bad air! I can only imagine the smell makes them nervous too. Enjoy! Annie
"The turnings of life seldom show a sign-post; or rather, though the sign is always there, it is usually placed some distance back, like the notices that give warning of a bad hill or a level railway-crossing." Edith Wharton, 1913 from 'The Custom of the Country'. |
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AnnieinIdaho
True Blue Farmgirl
437 Posts
Annie
ID
USA
437 Posts |
Posted - Aug 20 2018 : 10:56:52 PM
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I never knew about paper wasps before moving to Idaho. We have 3 of these nests high in the pine trees and the neighbor has one too. We leave them alone because I do not need a swarm chasing me through the acreage. I can't run that fast any longer! I know when we visited a heritage park in Canada they had them there too and they said if you put a small paper bag blown up and tied hanging on your porch the wasp are so territorial they will not build a nest there. They perceive the brown paper bag as a nest. The heritage park had little brown paper bags hanging from all the buildings and tourist shops on the front porches,so I asked why. At the time I hadn't seen paper wasp nest yet. I am in my 6th year living here and each season I learn or see something new. The wasps and yellow jackets have been the most we have seen this summer! So interesting! Annie
"The turnings of life seldom show a sign-post; or rather, though the sign is always there, it is usually placed some distance back, like the notices that give warning of a bad hill or a level railway-crossing." Edith Wharton, 1913 from 'The Custom of the Country'. |
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janamarieje
True Blue Farmgirl
1022 Posts
Jana
Southern California
USA
1022 Posts |
Posted - Aug 21 2018 : 05:08:28 AM
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Annie, I love all your photos and experiences of wildlife in Idaho, thanks for sharing!
Jana
http://www.emhardt.com
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Gardening is cheaper than therapy and you get tomatoes. ~Author Unknown
All I really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt! ~Charles Schulz
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Outpost: Wild Animal Encounters |
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Wild Animal Encounters
