Whats Next when it comes to wildlife at the pond? - 09/15/17 11:59 AM
This past week I found a dead and floating GBH in the pond. The wind had blown it to the shoreline and I could see something floating from a distance but as I got closer I thought what the heck? I have no idea what caused the death of the thing, other than it choking on a fish or it gouged itself with eating too many of my fish. It was not lead poisoning. There is always a GBH around the pond and there will be one soon to take up the opening slot around the pond.
And then earlier in the week I found a half eaten 15" HSB laying on the pier. My thinking was it had died of natural causes and it had been picked out of the water by a coon. The coons will walk the shoreline each night and gather up the fish that have died and float to the bank. There is most always a dead cnbg or a Tp that dies during a day of the week. And then as I walked to one of the feeders "that sets on its own pier" I herd a big splash but did not see what it was. And again the next day another big splash from under the shore based, over hanging pier. The pier makes a nice hiding place under it. Could that splash come from a big Bull Frog? Nah! Too big a splash. Could it be from a large lmb feeding on a cnbg around the feeder, yep, it could be. And then there was yesterday, as I walked to the and on the feeder pier, I saw it, another River Otter has discovered the pond. I only caught a glimpse of the thing but I have seen them before at the pond. Damm it! I don't have time to fool with trapping again, I have wildlife food plots going in this week. One more thing to note, I have always looked for otter scat when I suspect otters, but I have seen no scat and that is one of the reasons I was slow to figure it out this time. So, I boiled and dyed the Conibar traps yesterday and will set some traps today. So, What's next at the pond?
And then earlier in the week I found a half eaten 15" HSB laying on the pier. My thinking was it had died of natural causes and it had been picked out of the water by a coon. The coons will walk the shoreline each night and gather up the fish that have died and float to the bank. There is most always a dead cnbg or a Tp that dies during a day of the week. And then as I walked to one of the feeders "that sets on its own pier" I herd a big splash but did not see what it was. And again the next day another big splash from under the shore based, over hanging pier. The pier makes a nice hiding place under it. Could that splash come from a big Bull Frog? Nah! Too big a splash. Could it be from a large lmb feeding on a cnbg around the feeder, yep, it could be. And then there was yesterday, as I walked to the and on the feeder pier, I saw it, another River Otter has discovered the pond. I only caught a glimpse of the thing but I have seen them before at the pond. Damm it! I don't have time to fool with trapping again, I have wildlife food plots going in this week. One more thing to note, I have always looked for otter scat when I suspect otters, but I have seen no scat and that is one of the reasons I was slow to figure it out this time. So, I boiled and dyed the Conibar traps yesterday and will set some traps today. So, What's next at the pond?
