Something raided my can

[Fred]

Hmmm, not a bad idea. I've been meaning to put a motion light out there anyway. It would be a simple matter to run the wiring from a surface mounted weather box I have on the back corner of the house and also be in the perfect spot. You don't have those things work out that perfect very often. [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Being in the poop scoop business [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] I've found the best bags out there to be Glad 3-ply with the drawstring. They are far better than those new steel sacks because they don't snag on things and tear open. They aren't too big, so you don't overstuff them. Their red drawstring has never let me down. I am hopelessly addicted to these garbage bags for life [img]/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img] , so I will look for the can to fit them again.

I know I could bungee them, but I find it a PITB to even put a large rubber band around the office trash cans and their bags that never fit, but yet are for rectangular office trash containers. Plus the rubber bands dry out and snap off when you least excpect it. I haven't found a bungee strap that doesn't weather when outside either.

It is so much easier to put the bag in the can, push the air out and stretch it for a perfect fit over the lip of the can.

It would also be easier to eliminate the source of even needing a new can [img]/forums/images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] .

[Pat]

Bird, The term <font color="red">"anybody" </font color> is overloaded just like <font color="red">"somebody"</font color> is. I figured out (and told my boss one time) that I must reallly be <font color="red">SOMEBODY</font color> because everybody is always saying somebody should do this or that and I end up doing it so clearly I must really be <font color="red">SOMEBODY!!!</font color>

Several stores sell wimpy little elastic cords to put around trash cans but they are marginal when new and they wear out too fast. I like MANLY bungees or GIANT RUBBER BANDS made from old inner tubes. Some I have made that work well are scraps of small rope with 1/4 or so of the total length a doubled over bungee that is too short to do the job by itself.

If you have a rapidly tapering trash can sometimes the bungee tries to roll down the can but a transverse scrap of wood in the knot will stop it or you can use webbing with a section of bungee which also is roll resistant.

Of course, once you have the bungee on the can you never have to take it off. Just slip it down out of the way to remove and insert a bag/liner and then put it over the turned back excess bag top.

My personal preference runs to using oversized bags as they are less prone to being holed when rremoving, they are easier to put in and out, and ... typically my need/desire to empty the trash can is motivated by having some trash to toss out and there isn't room under the lid. With an oversized bag you will likely have room to get "just one more glob/hunk/handful" of trash in the bag and get the bag shut without running out of space or ripping it when trying to close it up. Of course, removing the bag before the last defiant act of over stuffing helps prevent a rupture.

Note: Anyone under the age of 30 reading this should take notes as it may be on the exam.

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[Pat]

Fred, You suffer from wimpy elastics. A cure for that is manly cloth covered bungees or DIY straps made from inner tubes. Cheap and easy. The black rubber not cloth coated trucker type bungees, extended with rope, can be used and they will last a good long time (big cans not office ones.)

If you have a handy security light or install one aim one of the bulbs at the bait and remove the other one. Screw in one of those medium lamp base to 2 blade socket adaptors in the other lamp socket. Plug an extension cord into that socket and run it into the house where you will hear the radio come on that you plug into it. Set the delay time long enough to give you time to collect your wits, pick up a gun, chamber a round, locate and ID the target, etc.

Oh by the way... THis is mildly abusive to the marginal circuit in the security light so don't use a 500 watt per chanel 7.1 chan superduper stereo blaster. A amall AC clock radio or whatever will be OK.

Now when your "FAVORITE" station comes on, radio station KOON, you have a well illuminated target and didn't have to waste a lot of time during the wait. Ideally you will have a window with a good "View to a Kill"

It may not work perfectly the first time but the coon, if disturbed by the light and that isn't a shure thing, will get used to it coming on when he approaches and soon will be feeding with gusto in his illuminated dining room.

I personally solved my coon problem (raiding bird feeders and the garden) by deporting 6 of them unharmed after catching them in live traps. Eventually others will infiltrate badk into the area swept cleam by my actions but it doesn't happen very fast. If I were trully overwhelmed with coons I'd be shooting too but that isn't my first choice for those cute little bandits. You will have other coons eventually fill in the available territory freed up by elliminating this one animal.

My niece had problems with critters in their trash cans when they lived at Big Bear lake in SoCal. So one night on hearing the metal trash can lid hit the sidewalk her hubby hit the door at a trot to run the coon off and stopped in his tracks about 3 ft from a black bear. He did a 180 and went in the house, slammed the door, and got his pistol and warily watched the door for a while.

I told him he missed a neat opportunity. He shouold have hit the doorbell button on the way back into the house and announced, HONEY...It's for you!

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[Bird]

When my brother built his place in the woods near us, his wife thought the coons were cute, so she started feeding them. She started buying l00 loaves of bread at a time from the bakery thrift shop (when they found out what she was doing with it, they let her have what they were going to throw away for almost nothing). So every evening she put out 6 to 8 loaves of bread and about half a coffee can of "deer" corn. That was in addition to the two bird feeders the coons and squirrels raided. So just about dusk every evening they had a dozen or so coons around the patio in back. Some would even come take bread from her hand.

And then, after a few years, they sold the place and went back to full time RVing. I've often wondered how the new owners coped with the coons. [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]

[egon]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
MANLY

[/ QUOTE ] <font color="blue"> </font color>

My understanding of laguages and words is limited but would not those nefarious creatures of the evening recognize a place where "Manly" was evident in other than material ways and studiously avoid any conflict less they suffer harm? [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Egon

[Pat]

Egon, Coons have become so enured of humans that "marking your territory" is mostly innefective as a means of deflecting their visitations.

Bird, We rented an RV for a vacation along the left coast and at one stop we put out some going-moldy-bread for the critters. Coons showed up in fair numbers in daylight, having been trained to people food by previous tourists. We had some grapes to share so I opened the door and went down the steps to toss them some grapes. They came closer and at least one individual followed me up the steps as I backed away and would have come inside if I would have allowed it.

Another campground we overnighted at was MOBBED by coons at evening twilight. Not 10, not 20, but apparently over a hundred fanning out through the camp, panhandling, mugging, dumpster diving, etc. It got a little bit too frantic for my tastes and we avoided participation. I'd hate to think what would happen to little Johny or Jill if they went to the bathrooms or to throw out some trash and got surrounded by a bunch of surley coons demanding food. They can get a tad nasty if they don't get what they expect in these situations.

Of course, there is always worse, I've seen folks send their kids toward bears to feed them cookies so the parents could get a cute snapshot. This in sight of roadside warning signs depicting a child with a bloody nub where a hand used to be and clearly stating in English to not feed the bears. This was back in the days when most folks spoke English, too.

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[Bird]

Pat, my wife and I worked in an RV resort in Virginia Beach the summer of '92. The office had big signs up warning people about the damage squirrels and racoons could do. And we still had RVers and tent campers who left doors open, coolers and food out, etc., then wanted the RV park to pay for the damage. [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img] We actually saw relatively few raccoons during the day, but at dusk there were plenty of them. And anyone going back where the dumpsters were, after dark, would result in a dozen or more come piling out the dumpsters. The squirrels did most of the daylight damage. [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]

[BlueRidge]

I WUZ WRONG!

I think. Went out to the garage about midnight last night to get something, and as I walked out onto our ramp (long, wheelchair friendly) I spotted movement in the front yard. Hit it with my flashlight, and there was Reddy Fox looking back at me about 10 feet away. We had a good long look at each other, then I gave him a hearty, "Hello, Mr. Fox!", and he took off.

Swung the light over to the trash area, and it was a mess.

I think I may have been falsely accusing Mr. Coon!

Got me to thinking - I just finished a 10x12 rabbitry for my daughter (basically a big cage in which to keep her hutches), and we're about to move her rabbits out there. I think I'm going to put a chicken breast out there overnight and see how well it survives, before I trust it to guard the rabbits.