# Sad Day At Wolfwood



## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

Well, this has nothing to do with camping....except that we may have been camping when it happened.

Wolfwood is no longer a sanctuary for lost, forgotten, or discarded pigeons. I HATE MINKS...FERRETS....WEASELS....ALL OF YOU!!!! You may be Nature's Children but....right now...your nasty little faces had best NOT be seen by ANY of the residents of Wolfwood!!!! You have eaten your last meal here!!!


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## egregg57 (Feb 13, 2006)

Oh man! what happened!


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

Their dead. Every last one.


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## egregg57 (Feb 13, 2006)

wolfwood said:


> Their dead. Every last one.


OMG. I am so Sorry Judi.


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## thefulminator (Aug 8, 2007)

How awful. It is just the birds or are there more casualties?


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## rdvholtwood (Sep 18, 2008)

I am so sorry Judi.


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

thefulminator said:


> How awful. It is just the birds or are there more casualties?


*just* the birds .... He took all the fish (including 3 two foot koi) last year ....

There will be no more outside creatures ... No rabbits....no chickens ... No goats .... yes - all were future possibilities.


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## thefulminator (Aug 8, 2007)

I didn't mean to belittle the loss with "just". Simply didn't know what the other possibilities were.


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## duggy (Mar 17, 2010)

That's so sad to hear. It must have broke your heart.

My brother-in-law has sanctuary for rescued animals. They have goats, chickens, rabbits, ducks, and a few others. Hard to keep track of them all. It kills them every time one of the animals dies, for whatever reason.

It's fantastic that there are people like you who care enough to actually do something for these animals.


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

thefulminator said:


> I didn't mean to belittle the loss with "just". Simply didn't know what the other possibilities were.


I know that...REALLY!! not to worry!!!


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

duggy said:


> That's so sad to hear. It must have broke your heart.
> 
> My brother-in-law has sanctuary for rescued animals. They have goats, chickens, rabbits, ducks, and a few others. Hard to keep track of them all. It kills them every time one of the animals dies, for whatever reason.
> 
> It's fantastic that there are people like you who care enough to actually do something for these animals.


Thanks, Duggy. We DO care ...about ALL of them..."domestic" AND wild. The mink get to eat too...and he just did what a mink does....but SOMEHOW he got into a SEALED loft & aviary. We certainly DO respect him...we just don't happen to LIKE him at the moment!!!!!!

our days of rescuing outdoor creatures are over. we just can't fulfill our promise to them, anymore.......


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## Calvin&Hobbes (May 24, 2006)

Once apon a time (26 years ago) I raised ducks. I had a pen, coop, feeding area, and a tidal pool that they frolicked in. I had 45 Rouens (the look just like a mallards, except bigger). I had 40 females, and collected/ sold the duck eggs at a local market (great for custard pudding!!!). I also raised little ones as well. I had a habit of whistling when I approached the pen for feeding time, and they would all erupt in quacking as I feed them. This one morning, I whistled... no response. I whistled again, and I heard one pained quack. When I opened the coop, well.... it was right out of a horror scene. A racoon had dug under and through the plywood floor, and deceimated the flock. I had to put down three more because their injuries were so severe. That night I set the racoon trap, and caught a big old cuss. Well, I know they are gods creatures and all, and I wouldn't have minded if he ate one or two and left the rest, but.....the entire flock was wiped out and left behind.

I took care of business.

Judi, I'm sorry for your loss. I know how you and Kathy feel, and it SUCKS....

I haven't raised Ducks since.


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

So sorry of hear of your loss.


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## jake's outback (Jul 24, 2010)

Oh.... So So Sorry to hear!


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## anne72 (Apr 27, 2007)

Sorry Judi and Kathy, I know how much they meant to you! We're thinking of you, hugs!


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## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

So sad to here........Maybe you could start taking in lost Outbackers......


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

tdvffjohn said:


> So sad to here........Maybe you could start taking in lost Outbackers......


I think maybe we've already started doing that ....


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## luckylynn (Jan 9, 2007)

wolfwood said:


> Well, this has nothing to do with camping....except that we may have been camping when it happened.
> 
> Wolfwood is no longer a sanctuary for lost, forgotten, or discarded pigeons. I HATE MINKS...FERRETS....WEASELS....ALL OF YOU!!!! You may be Nature's Children but....right now...your nasty little faces had best NOT be seen by ANY of the residents of Wolfwood!!!! You have eaten your last meal here!!!


 Oh girls,this is just to sad for words and my heart is just broken for you both! Prayers will be said here at my home for you to ajust to the lose of your beautiful feathered friends.

My Best to you Both...Lynn


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## swanny (Oct 31, 2007)

So sorry, that breaks my heart.

Kathy


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

I feel your pain, I lose a couple of my gold fish every year to either a Great Blue Heron or a Raccoon. Neither are welcome in my yard! Is your gold fish pond completely fish free? You had so many when I visited.

As for your pigeons, did you have any eggs this year? Not sure how many pigeons you still cared for.


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

CamperAndy said:


> I feel your pain, I lose a couple of my gold fish every year to either a Great Blue Heron or a Raccoon. Neither are welcome in my yard! Is your gold fish pond completely fish free? You had so many when I visited.
> 
> As for your pigeons, did you have any eggs this year? Not sure how many pigeons you still cared for.


Hi Andy.

Yes, the Koi pond was emptied by the Mink last year ... mid season. We, in fact, had 43 fish, ranging from last year's babies up to 2'+ koi ... and everything in between. Even still had a few of the ORIGINAL golds who were put in there as 'feeder fish' 10yrs prior. We only know the precise # because we had just had the pond drained down & cleaned ... and had the guy count the fish at the same time. He didn't believe me when - 1 week later - he delivered some plants and I told him we had NO fish. ... and there was NO trace. The Great Blue's will often leave a skeleton behind ... not a Mink!! We decided NOT to restock last year and NOT to provide fast food for him. He then took out a few pigeons ... and LEFT. We did find how he got into the Aviary and sealed that up tight. And, we didn't see him again ... not all winter and not even out on the big pond where we usually see them jumping around in the snow.

We were just about to put a few Koi back in the garden pond .... and then this. Yes, we had let several of the adults keep some eggs (we had lost 7 birds last year) so we had several young birds ... 4 had JUST been weaned while the other 10 were rescues. We were back up to 14 birds, including the original who got this whole thing started 3 yrs ago.

HOWEVER, after these HORRIBLE couple of days, THIS is what greeted us this morning - - in the backyard RIGHT UP AT THE HOUSE !!

*Hope REALLY does spring eternal and life at Wolfwood moves on!!*


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## thefulminator (Aug 8, 2007)

So how did he get in?


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

thefulminator said:


> So how did he get in?


No idea. YET!!


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

wolfwood said:


> So how did he get in?


No idea. YET!!
[/quote]

Any chance any of the adults flew the coop and survived?


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

CamperAndy said:


> So how did he get in?


No idea. YET!!
[/quote]

Any chance any of the adults flew the coop and survived?
[/quote]

Nice thought but....no. All were accounted for.


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## mountainlady56 (Feb 13, 2006)

Judi,
Did you have like chicken wire, or hardware cloth covering the garden pond? Just wondering.
As far as the "new neighbors"?? ARGH!! Canadian geese can be viscious!! I'd hate to see anything try to get them! They'd become victims, themselves!
Used to live directly on the water (house within 15') on a lake, and God help me, if they were occupying my back yard, and I decided to go out!! The battle was on!! LOL
So sorry for your loss. I know how much you both love the animals.
Hugs!
Darlene


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

mountainlady56 said:


> Judi,
> Did you have like chicken wire, or hardware cloth covering the garden pond? Just wondering.
> As far as the "new neighbors"?? ARGH!! Canadian geese can be viscious!! I'd hate to see anything try to get them! They'd become victims, themselves!
> Used to live directly on the water (house within 15') on a lake, and God help me, if they were occupying my back yard, and I decided to go out!! The battle was on!! LOL
> ...


We did have the garden pond covered at one point but uncovered it when BIGGER problems were happening - - like frogs & turtles NOT being able to get to the water, deer trying to get a drink and getting tangled up, etc. With the covering removed, we had no allusions of safety from Blue Herons & the like ... but we CERTAINLY weren't expecting to be MINKED! The pigeon loft, on the other hand, was VERY carefully sealed up - and he still got in - - somehow.

btw - the geese aren't new ..... just this year's babies are!







We (and the dogs) co-exist quite well with a couple dozen adults & 3 or 4 'litters' of young every year. When we step outside, the adults head for the pond ... which is good 'cuz we can also clear the yard that way for the dogs to then go out & run. The dogs think the chicks are their own personal wind-up toys and, every now & then, catch one. They'll then carefully bring it to one of us to "throw again". The adult geese just float in the water YELLING at us ... and then LOUDLY scold the youngster when we put it out in the water.


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

Kathy here.
Anyone got a nice 20 ga. Side by side they're interested in selling? I'll bet I can at least be better prepared the next time...the 50 cal might explode the whole loft!


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## thefulminator (Aug 8, 2007)

wolfwood said:


> Kathy here.
> Anyone got a nice 20 ga. Side by side they're interested in selling? I'll bet I can at least be better prepared the next time...the 50 cal might explode the whole loft!


I would suggest a wire mesh trap and then giving the trap and your mink a soak in the pond.







Less noise and mess that way.


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