Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations man-made intervention; what and when?

And coyotes are filling the gap left when wolves were removed, here. The 2 packs near our pond are even bold enough to take on wild hogs.

B'ski I am shocked ! What did you do when you first started to think about a lake (that is no pond) or about building a shed or house? Are you going to just assume that one trapper knows the answers?

Guy get busy and learn all you can about your system (changed or not). Start with a talk with the local wildlife and fisheries dept. Call Dan and ask his advice. Start learning about the species present (tons of studies out there). Get a good wildlife mgt. college text. Set up a game cam and check on numbers and offspring (lots of offspring is an indication of system that will support a growing population). You can do non-lethal removal of small game species if you have a conscious problem. Learn how to trap.

How in the world can you manage a nature preserve if you don't know the questions that need an answer. With the info then you can be the WISE balance in the equation. Nature requires a balance as even the National Parks and Wilderness areas have a manager. Your job is to do so wisely based on info. I don't believe in allowing unfettered access to others to make and implement the decisions that are correctly my burden.

I have seen both sides of your question up close and personal - from hundreds of starving and sick deer or way to many sick and rabid coons (no predators or harvest) to a void of animals due to poaching and unregulated illegal harvest. Both are sickening. Just like balance in a pond without proper intervention you are apt to get one or the other or both. Life is about balance , one way or the other , and like it or not you took on the obligation of chief balancer.

... I hate cats.

Some of our newly arrived coyotes(last 10 years or so) are going over 50 pounds. No wolf, but they often run in pairs and 3's and I have seen them running deer. I doubt they have much luck on any but the weakest and fawns. I do know they do a hurting on fawns though... Bears eat piles of fawns and bobcats take a few as well. I saw a bobcat last year that easily went 50 plus pounds. I am sure it takes yearling deer here and there. Still, without hunters the deer population would blow up so fast.

On the feral cat note, they are actually the number 2 cause in songbird decline after habitat destruction. When I predator call, if a feral cat comes in, it doesn't leave...

One of the nastiest birds is the brown-headed cowbird. It is a nest parasite of other song birds. It will follow a song bird around(vireos, bunting, kinglets, etc) until it finds their nest. It will then slip one of their eggs in. Their eggs hatches much faster than other song birds. When that baby hatches, within a couple days it has rolled the other eggs out. If the other birds have already hatched, it quickly out grows them, takes over and literally starves them to death... A nasty little bird that destroys countless song bird nests each year. Legally they are protected as a songbird, but they are on the SSS plan in my book. Again, they were only native to the plains states and followed herds of bison. However, as man cut the forests down and introduced new domestic animals to North America, the cowbird spread throughout most of North America and with that spread it has wreaked havoc on song bird populations... Habitat destruction is a far bigger concern, but cowbirds sure as heck don't help the cause!

Hey CJ,
Don't know what part of Illinois your are or have been in but the southern tip is starting to report Cougars. The local gamewarden argued with one of the farmers that we don't have them so he took a picture and posted it on the wall next to the game wardens favorite early morning coffe break stool. Starting to see a lot more bobcats as well.

coyotes take lots of young deer and are a mojor source of mortality in areas where they are widespread.

What feral cats? If I see any, like CJ said, they don't leave.

I try to kill kill nothing that I won't eat.

However, I will eliminate things that cause me problems.

If a chicken hawk is getting my chickens, it is history. Chicken hawks are federally protected and I have no chickens. BUT....

If a beaver cuts my trees or messes with my dam, I'm going to use extreme prejudice.

If a neighbors dog starts hanging around my deer feeder or running my cows, it has had it.

Rattlesnakes are safe in the woods or pasture but not at the house or around the barns.

Coyotes kill fawns. However, deer need coyotes just like bluegills need bass to keep them from over populating. I've seen starving deer and DO crashes.

I'm not mad at coons, possums, skunks, foxes, or bobcats. They are all safe with me.

The jury is out on feral hogs. So far they haven't caused a problem.

We try to leave the animals, birds and fish alone. We like them a lot.

A few years back we had wild dogs around here and I shot 6 of them. The neighbor got the other four. They made great stew meat for the hawks and other scavengers, also (a couple that ended their dead run in the river) for the water scavengers.

So, it can be said that we will also defend the animals, birds and fish when they are threatened.

If you are a cormorant, though, all bets are off.

Some states in the midwest are seeing SMALL and I do mean small numbers of mountain lions filtering back from areas they are still found regularly. I believe the farther east mountain lions have a stable reproducing population is the Dakotas. May Dave Willis has some ideas on that as he is in the area... Most mountain lions seen are young males who are striking out to find their new home range. No females, so hardly a reproducing population. Hardly gonna put a dent in the deer population... I always hear rumors of mountain lions here in VA and PA. Always turns out to be a released/escaped pet or a mistaken ID.