Varmints

I realize that this post will likely be politically incorrect, but I am going to post it anyway.  My neighbors and I have an open season on squirrels, chipmunks, and similar type varmints due to their destructive nature in regards to our Victory Gardens.  But we are patriots, and will not stand for their shenanigans.  I have also had a problem with larger varmints trying to kill my chickens in the past.  Our gardens are producing like crazy, as are my chickens, and we want to keep it that way.  Gentlemen Farmers have been dealing with varmints since the dawn of cultivation, and this gentlemen farmer is not immune to it.  So, my son has been "hired" to kill all varmints that could potentially harm our gardens or chickens.  Yesterday he killed two squirrels with a high powered, and scoped, pellet gun.  It is awesome.  1220 feet per second muzzle velocity.  When zeroed in at 30 yards and in the proper hands, it can pick off squirrels across the street.  But I digress.

I came home to find two squirrels hanging on the fence as a sort of scarecrow, warning the varmints not to come around.  But that does not stop raccoons, opossums or coyotes.  It probably attracts them.  Most recently, something has been trying to dig into the coop and get a free meal.  That is something this gentleman farmer simply will not tolerate.  So, using farmer logic, we baited a trap in the backyard next to the coop with one of the dead squirrels.  Sure enough, we got up this morning to find it held one live and really mad raccoon, and a squirrel tail.  But, before it made its way into the trap, it managed to reach in and kill one of our chickens.  She was sick and not doing well as it was, so it was not a hard kill.  And it was not terribly gruesome.  There were a few feathers laying around, but it had not gotten around to doing anything dastardly yet.  I think it caught a wiff of the dead squirrel, left the chicken alone, and let curiosity get the better of itself.

But, this is where it gets hard.  Once you have a trapped raccoon, what are you supposed to do with it?  You can't let it go.  It is ticked and might come after you.  And, it might have rabies or some evil disease so you can't take any chances.  I can’t throw the trap in the car and take it for a drive.  I don’t want to make it someone else’s problem.  And, even if I did do that, I have to deal with releasing a mad raccoon.  No thanks.  So, I will spare you the details, but needless to say, this particular raccoon will no longer be digging into my chicken coop looking for free food.