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Fred
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Something raided my can
06/16/06 12:17 PM
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For the first time in over four years I had my garbage can raided. It sits on the ground at the end of my porch, next to the yard my dogs "use".
I typically don't keep smelly garbage in the house container, so after finishing some take out wings last night I put the bones and leftover dip in the outside container.... like I've done a hundred other times. This time the smell of the leftover wings must have been stronger than the dog turds and a critter managed to get in. I saw the wing box (minus the eaten lid), a dip container and a paper towel 20 ft away in the yard this morning. No bones could be found and the dip container was licked clean. Looking at the plastic can closer I saw that the edge of the garbage bag that was folded over the rim had been nibbled or scratched at about 1/4 way around the can. The critter must have hit the part of the lid that un snaps it and found its feast.
I have a crushed limestone driveway with some dust, but didn't see any footprints between the can and the garbage in the yard. The scratches or bites on the can were almost "dainty" looking, very tiny, and the handle on the side of the can had been nibbled on. I didn't see any sign other than those marks. Whatever it was had an appetite for 16 wing bones and some dip, but the other garbage, which included crab leg shells, was left alone. My ATV was a foot away, but I only had the shock alarm turned on, not the perimeter alarm, which an animal might be able to set off. Still, it wa close enough that if something had bumped it, it would have gone off.
Marlin and I might need a little night time surveilance and I might need to get a metal can.
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egon
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Re: Something raided my can
[re: Fred]
06/16/06 01:02 PM
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The Masked Midnight Bandit strikes again! 
Best be getting a substancial metal can that has hinges and a paddlock for the Bandit will be back!
Egon
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Fred
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Re: Something raided my can
[re: egon]
06/16/06 02:50 PM
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In reply to:
for the Bandit will be back!
That's what I'm hopin' for.... when I'm waiting for him.
I haven't seen any coon tracks around here for a while. The little bugger must have quite the appetite..... and possibly a torn stomach lining from the cooked bones. 
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BlueRidge
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Re: Something raided my can
[re: Fred]
06/16/06 03:06 PM
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Yep, that sounds like Ole Mr. Coon. They are regular visitors at my place. I'm tired of cleaning up after them, so this weekend I'm going to remodel an old dog house that the previous owner left. It's a good 8 feet wide and 4 deep, about 4 feet high at the back, 5 at the front. Shingle roof and nice siding, it looks decent.
I think it's going to make a nice trash corral, complete with locking doors.
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Pat
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Re: Something raided my can
[re: Fred]
06/16/06 08:28 PM
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HEY!! Rocky needs to make a living too! I used to keep a trench (FEL dug) next to the garden and as we separated all trash into different categories we emptied the compostable edible garbage into the ditch and covered it with a few spades of dirt (dailyor every other day routine. Then weekly add more dirt from the pile.
Well the critters, mostly coons, constantly dug up the stuff they wanted littering the place with what they didn't want so... I started just dumping into the trench and NOT covering it up at all. The critters take what they want and then the next day I cover the rest. Saves the critter all that digging, less stuff is scattered, and it is no hardship for us so it was a win win situation.
 Pat
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
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Fred
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Re: Something raided my can
[re: Pat]
06/17/06 05:24 AM
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In reply to:
Rocky needs to make a living too!
Rocky can make his living across the "Rainbow Bridge", if they have such a place.... 
Last night he had the lid popped by 8:30 and also a couple small holes in an unopened bag of birdseed I had on the opposite end of my porch. I replaced the lid and this morning there was a hole eaten in the side of the can and the bag of seed was about severed in half.
Tonight I'm going to give it an hour or two approaching dusk and see if I can bait him in.
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BlueRidge
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Re: Something raided my can
[re: Fred]
06/17/06 08:45 PM
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We keep our bird, dog, and rabbit feed in standard metal trash cans, secured by a bungee cord from handle to handle, and through the handle on the lid. I bought them new just for that purpose, so they're clean and odor free. Works great.
I don't feel like buying enough of them to hold all our trash between twice-montly trips to the dump, or I wouldn't bother with the old doghouse.
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Fred
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Re: Something raided my can
[re: BlueRidge]
06/18/06 08:11 AM
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Yeah, I suppose I'll have to go metal for my house garbage, but I'll miss this old plastic garbage can.... The last time I went garbage can hunting I couldn't find any where a standard sized garbage bag (30 gal?) would fit the rim well. I then tried various sized bags and different makes of metal and plastic containers, but didn't have any luck. Either the bag wouldn't stretch over the rim or it was so loose that it would constantly fall in I don't get it  I think they have the same deal going on as the hot dog and bun people 
Wouldn't you know, I'm raided two night in a row and twice the one night, so last night with more bones and an open can of tuna fish just 10 ft away from the garbage can in my driveway... and with a nice clean view from a window in the house  .... he's a no show. Murphy's Law I guess.
Either that or he's dead somewhere with a torn stomach lining from all those bones. That'll work.
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Pat
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Re: Something raided my can
[re: Fred]
06/18/06 12:44 PM
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Fred, If you wire a motion detector security light with a bell or an AC operated radio or other sound producing device instead of putting light bulbs in it then it will alert you to the arrival of a warm blooded target. Put it where it can see the area of interest and run an extension cord from it to the house and plug a radio into it. When something big and warm enough to trip the circuit shows up the radio will go off like a radio type alarm clock and you know it is time to keep your appointment.
It will not discriminate between species so you'll have to have the discretion required to ID your target and not shoot your pet or neighbor.
Helpful hint from Heloise: Go ahead and buy your trash bags a little loose fitting and use a bungee cord around the top of the can to hold the folded over portion of the bag/liner. A DIY giant rubber band made from an old inner tube works super. The extra capacity of the loose fitting bag/liner makes closing and tieing the bag shut easier too and has some reserve space for last minute additions.
Pat
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
Edited by Pat (06/18/06 12:49 PM)
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Bird
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Re: Something raided my can
[re: Pat]
06/18/06 02:12 PM
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In reply to:
use a bungee cord around the top of the can
That's such a simple solution, anybody ought to know that! Wonder why I never thought of it before. 
I don't know why they don't make the cans and the bags fit when they're supposedly the same size. I have a 30 gallon plastic garbage can, but use 39 gallon Hefty bags. Those bags fit perfectly with the top of the bag stretched over the rim and it stays securely.
Then I also have a nice bigger plastic garbage can that was here when we bought the place. I'm not sure what size it's supposed to be but 39 gallon bags cannot be stretched over the rim. Instead I use 45 gallon bags and they're a little too big and loose, but I think the bungee cord idea should work just fine.
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Fred
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Re: Something raided my can
[re: Pat]
06/18/06 03:01 PM
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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.
Being in the poop scoop business 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  , 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  .
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Pat
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Re: Something raided my can
[re: Bird]
06/19/06 09:31 AM
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Bird, The term "anybody" is overloaded just like "somebody" is. I figured out (and told my boss one time) that I must reallly be SOMEBODY because everybody is always saying somebody should do this or that and I end up doing it so clearly I must really be SOMEBODY!!!
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.
Pat
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
Edited by Pat (06/19/06 09:32 AM)
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Pat
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Re: Something raided my can
[re: Fred]
06/19/06 09:55 AM
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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!
Pat
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
Edited by Pat (06/19/06 11:01 AM)
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Bird
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Re: Something raided my can
[re: Pat]
06/19/06 10:16 AM
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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. 
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Re: Something raided my can
[re: Pat]
06/19/06 11:04 AM
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In reply to:
MANLY
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?
Egon
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Pat
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Re: Something raided my can
[re: egon]
06/19/06 03:00 PM
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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.
Pat
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
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Bird
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Re: Something raided my can
[re: Pat]
06/19/06 03:10 PM
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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. 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.
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BlueRidge
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Re: Something raided my can
[re: BlueRidge]
06/19/06 08:13 PM
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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.
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