Two developing catasetum spikes devoured!!!what to blame???

[Keysguy]

I am a gentle, nature loving, kind of guy.

Me too until something screws with my orchids. Then it's war!

DC---pellet gun offer is still on the table.

[Fairorchids]

JS,

Exactly my attitude to other living beings.

I am not familiar with the situation in Oklahoma, but grackles are native birds in Central & North America (total 11 species). We have them in NJ too; when a flock of 50-100 birds swoop in, they can strip the bird feeder in about 20 min.

[isurus79]

I was also going to chime in about grackles. They’re native.

[JScott]

Originally Posted by Keysguy

Me too until something screws with my orchids. Then it's war!

DC---pellet gun offer is still on the table.

Yep, that pretty much sums it up right there. I'm with you. One time when I was in college, I lived in an old house right by campus at University of Oklahoma. It had a crawl space under it. Skunks would sometimes get under there, and my Irish Setter Saffron would bark at them.

Mostly it was just annoying. BUt one day she barked enough that the skunk got scared, and it sprayed under my house. The whole house reeked. Everything. It even got it in my clothes. And you know how if you smell a smell long enough, your nose gets blind to it and you can't smell it anymore? I had no idea the smell had gotten into my clothes until I got to school ad people started saying, "What smells like skunk?" and I realized that it had even gotten into my clothes.

A few nights later, Saffron was barking. I look out the back window and that skunk was there. I thought oh hell no. Not again, skunk. So i got my shotgun, slowly lifted up the window, and shot and killed it in one shot.

Shortly after that, a police officer came to the house, said he had reports of gunfire and asked me if I had heard anything. Instead of telling him, "No sir, I heard a bang, but I couldn't tell if it was a gun or not," or some reasonable harmless lie, I straight up told him I shot a skunk in my back yard because it had bothering my dog and had sprayed under the house.

He then proceeded to write me a ticked for like 220 dollars for discharging a firearm in a residential area. Can you believe that?

Why oh God why didn't I just say I didn't know anything? Why did I have to tell him the truth when a simple, easy lie would have got me out of this with no trouble.

I'll tell you why. I didn't want the police out all night investigating a shooting when I Knew it was really just a skunk that got shot.

But looking back on it, I shouldn't cared. I should have just lied, lied, lied. It would have been a harmless lie. To this day I still feel so stupid for looking that officer in the eye an saying, "Yes sir, I'm the one who fired the gun." hjahahahahah

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by JScott

That being said, I hate non-native invasive species. They upset our ecosystem, they harm natural inhabitants. They can completely wipe out native populations.

I know just what you mean JS! But interestingly - I do sometimes think back to how the non-native species got there, such as whether they got there by themselves - or was it us - us people - that put them there. I know for sure that in Australia - it was people that brought pretty much everything here. I don't even know who or what to blame hahaha.

The culprits were probably some of our ancestors. Us humans definitely destroy a lot of ecosystems, populations, species etc. It's disappointing - but I guess it's still part of 'nature'.

[JScott]

Originally Posted by SouthPark

I know just what you mean JS! But interestingly - I do sometimes think back to how the non-native species got there, such as whether they got there by themselves - or was it us - us people - that put them there. I know for sure that in Australia - it was people that brought pretty much everything here. I don't even know who or what to blame hahaha.

The culprits were probably some of our ancestors. Us humans definitely destroy a lot of ecosystems, populations, species etc. It's disappointing - but I guess it's still part of 'nature'.

Absolutely, people are awful for the planet!

[Dollythehun]

As Master Gardeners, we learned that many nuisance animals have thrived because of suburbia. Oddly, we were taught that running rail road lines contributed heavily to the deer population.

If we did not subdue nuisance wildlife, we would have our structures undermined, our bird population decimated, no gardens etc. And yes, we are ruthless.

I commend you JScott for your truthfulness, a rare but valuable commodity.

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by Dollythehun

And yes, we are ruthless.

That is so true!!!!! It was definitely people - ie. they generally first brought 'themselves' (as well as other species) into areas. So the damage is basically caused primarily by people, and whatever else the brought with them.

[Dollythehun]

That wasn't quite my point, South Park. The Hun house is ruthless in subduing nuisance wildlife.

[DirtyCoconuts]

well i jumped in.


I got the pellet guns out of storage and sighted them in...the rifle will not be needed unless i decide to canal cruising for iguanas but the two hand pellet guns are amazing in 5-8M range, i have a decently steady hand.

i spoke to a few of my neighbors (the ones that grow things) and they all agreed the anoles do NOT eat the plants it is the curlys or the iguanas....i have sprayed 3 cans of great stuff under the house and into deck holes. i have reinforced screening and will try to sure that up even better and i read and have implemented uncleaned egg shells as a deterrent...a potential 'bubbemiesa' (old wive's tale) but apparently to a lizard a chicken is the scariest animal in the world and they know this as instinct??? cant hurt

mostly i have three good spots to set up for culling them while they bask in the sun....pew, click......pew, click....