Um, what's that crashing through our fence!?

That is pretty neat. We don't have those here, but it is estimated that much of central Illinois will eventually have them. All we get are skunks, coyotes, and an occasional fox. Obviously there are possums around, as well as other varmints, but what we see is basically just skunks and raccoons. 

My parents, uncles, and grandparents, on the other hand, in the upper peninsula, have seen on their properties (within 1/4 mile of each other): coyote, fox, porcupine, possum, deer, skunk, squirrel, chipmunk, vole, mice, rat, snakes (at least two species, neither venomous), and of course, various dead fish washing up on shore--everything from salmon to sturgeon to bluegill. There have also been confirmed bear sightings within 3 miles of their place, and one time my uncle heard something running down the beach and the dogs went nuts... They don't know what it was still, because he hightailed it inside with the dogs, but we like to think it was a bear. 

Coyotes, deer and trash pandas here.

When it gets interesting is when a neighbor's border collie gets knocked up by a coyote and you end up with a coydog. She's a loving, smart, but very strange beast. 

ultraclyde said:

When I was growing up - late 70s, early 80s - we'd see them in deep south GA and Florida but not around home in Macon. Now we have them in central Georgia all the time and I've seen them regularly in the north Georgia mountains. They're spreading north.

I hear it's great sport to ride around in a golf cart while drinking (with a sober driver, of course) and chase them down with a single shot .410 shotgun. One of the septuagenarians at the church I attended did it weekly.  

Yep - I remember when armadillos were an oddity that we only saw on trips to Jekyl Island. Now they're all over the Atlanta area. Apparently they crossed the Rio Grande a few hundred years ago, and they've been slowly spreading out their range ever since.

Armadillo, MMM, Possum on the half-shell.

MadScientistMatt said:

ultraclyde said:

When I was growing up - late 70s, early 80s - we'd see them in deep south GA and Florida but not around home in Macon. Now we have them in central Georgia all the time and I've seen them regularly in the north Georgia mountains. They're spreading north.

I hear it's great sport to ride around in a golf cart while drinking (with a sober driver, of course) and chase them down with a single shot .410 shotgun. One of the septuagenarians at the church I attended did it weekly.  

Yep - I remember when armadillos were an oddity that we only saw on trips to Jekyl Island. Now they're all over the Atlanta area. Apparently they crossed the Rio Grande a few hundred years ago, and they've been slowly spreading out their range ever since.

LOL, we were doing trips to Jekyl every year too! Still one of my favorite places. Just got back from that area this weekend, but not the island. We have friends with a house on the marsh north of Darien.

captdownshift said:

Coyotes, deer and trash pandas here.

 

When it gets interesting is when a neighbor's border collie gets knocked up by a coyote and you end up with a coydog. She's a loving, smart, but very strange beast. 

Oldopelguy's dad had a half coyote, half dog.  She was really a nice dog. 

We have a fenced yard and 2 dogs, one if which will chase anything with a pulse. We have 3 (types of) frequent guests:

- One Trash-Panda

- One black cat belonging to some neighbor somewhere

- A million squirrels

What I just don't get it... why do they keep coming back?! There is nothing to eat in our yard, we don't leave trash out and our dogs chase them away as soon as we let them out (Which we do). Is it just a "Hold my beer and watch this!" thing, or... trying to impress the ladies?

Armadillo, the other white meat?

Return of Glyptodon. 

Dr. Hess said:

captdownshift said:

Coyotes, deer and trash pandas here.

 

When it gets interesting is when a neighbor's border collie gets knocked up by a coyote and you end up with a coydog. She's a loving, smart, but very strange beast. 

Oldopelguy's dad had a half coyote, half dog.  She was really a nice dog. 

Coydog... that's a thing... interesting.

We have:

• One armadillo that lives under the garage. I built a shelter to keep its burrow from flooding(as much).  
• A family of possums outside. 
• A fox who I caught sleeping in the backyard a couple weeks ago & we’ve seen again since. 
• A family of raccoons, usually at least one stops by for breakfast most days. 
• A varying number of a half-dozen or more turtles. 
• A couple snakes, at least 2-different species of frogs, skinks, geckos & anoles. 
• There’s a flock of wild turkeys in the neighborhood, and I’m a bit surprised they’ve not found our “sanctuary” yet. Though I’m afraid they may never leave if they do. 

Then inside, in addition to our 3-cats, 4-sugar gliders, and 1-rabbit; we have 2-litters(8-total) orphaned baby possums we’re rehabbing until they can eat on their own & go out to the rescue, and a female turtle who’s missing her left eye and has a misaligned jaw - she’ll be a permanent resident, likely in an outdoor enclosure eventually. Though she’s liking it inside right now. 

They're thick on the ground now in Central  MO.  I hadn't seen them around here until about 10-12 years ago, now they're fairly common.  My dad killed four of them in his yard a couple of years ago because they kept tearing up the landscaping.  He hasn't seen any around the house since.

captdownshift said:

Coyotes, deer and trash pandas here.

 

When it gets interesting is when a neighbor's border collie gets knocked up by a coyote and you end up with a coydog. She's a loving, smart, but very strange beast. 

We had what certainly seemed to be a Coyote/ German Shepherd when I was a kid.  Out of a pure Shepherd, but furrier, walked kinda sideways, hella hunter, and she could see a brush hidden behind your back from 200 yards.  She'd let you scratch her, pull tufts of winter fur, rub, whatever.  Step out of the back door with a curry comb behind your back, gone like a shot.

Wonderful dog.

Armadillos are all over North MS. We call them Texas speed bumps.

stafford1500 said:

Armadillo, MMM, Possum on the half-shell.

I’ve actually always heard the only way to get leprosy from them IS to eat them. It’s still crazy rare.

I See them on the South side of Atlanta but not Seen any Up Here in the Mountains.If ultra Clyde Has seen them though I  belive it. I thought they were Called Possom on a Half Shell. 

With the Polar Shifting /Global warming it's Just a Matter of time befor they Invade  Coyotes are becoming a Problem Really Quickly, 20 years ago we didn't have them up here, Bears and Big Cats Abound,

Pete Gossett said:

We have:

• One armadillo that lives under the garage. I built a shelter to keep its burrow from flooding(as much).  
• A family of possums outside. 
• A fox who I caught sleeping in the backyard a couple weeks ago & we’ve seen again since. 
• A family of raccoons, usually at least one stops by for breakfast most days. 
• A varying number of a half-dozen or more turtles. 
• A couple snakes, at least 2-different species of frogs, skinks, geckos & anoles. 
• There’s a flock of wild turkeys in the neighborhood, and I’m a bit surprised they’ve not found our “sanctuary” yet. Though I’m afraid they may never leave if they do. 

Then inside, in addition to our 3-cats, 4-sugar gliders, and 1-rabbit; we have 2-litters(8-total) orphaned baby possums we’re rehabbing until they can eat on their own & go out to the rescue, and a female turtle who’s missing her left eye and has a misaligned jaw - she’ll be a permanent resident, likely in an outdoor enclosure eventually. Though she’s liking it inside right now. 

I have a cat I don't want, hopefully the ex takes him lol

I went in petsmart on Tuesday and realized I don't miss the smell of having animals etc. Whew! 

In reply to Dr. Hess :

The one Dad had when you were up should have been Bear, and he's still kicking around at something like 18 years old now.

When my dad was a kid his father raised raccoons, skunks, and bobcats as pets. There are some interesting stories about the half housecat half bobcat kittens. 

David S. Wallens said:

Scene: Our backyard last night. My wife and I taking out the dogs since someone needed to go. (Yes, she pooped.)

You make your wife poop in the back yard? 

At least it wasn’t Bigfoot or a chupacabra lol.

In reply to oldopelguy :

Yeah, that's the one I remember.  Glad he's still kicking.

This: bigfoot happened about 5 miles from my house.  It happened about a month or two after my family moved from the burbs out to the sticks.  I didn't go outside after dark for months.  I was about 8, so pretty impressionable, and my dad thought it hilarious to stoke my paranoia.  Good times.  

Also: LOL'd at "Battle Possums".  We've only got "non-battle" possums around here, but they love to cross rural roads in the middle of the night.  The "freeze and play dead" thing works against them in the roadway, leading to the (perhaps local) joke: "Why did the chicken cross the road?  To prove to the possum it could be done."

Pete Gossett said:

We have:

• One armadillo that lives under the garage. I built a shelter to keep its burrow from flooding(as much).  
• A family of possums outside. 
• A fox who I caught sleeping in the backyard a couple weeks ago & we’ve seen again since. 
• A family of raccoons, usually at least one stops by for breakfast most days. 
• A varying number of a half-dozen or more turtles. 
• A couple snakes, at least 2-different species of frogs, skinks, geckos & anoles. 
• There’s a flock of wild turkeys in the neighborhood, and I’m a bit surprised they’ve not found our “sanctuary” yet. Though I’m afraid they may never leave if they do. 

Then inside, in addition to our 3-cats, 4-sugar gliders, and 1-rabbit; we have 2-litters(8-total) orphaned baby possums we’re rehabbing until they can eat on their own & go out to the rescue, and a female turtle who’s missing her left eye and has a misaligned jaw - she’ll be a permanent resident, likely in an outdoor enclosure eventually. Though she’s liking it inside right now. 

And the count increased by 3(or possibly more) today...

The exterminators were here treating for termites today. I’d warned them about watching for turtles between the house & garage, and not 10 minutes later he knocks on the door saying that he uncovered a nest with 3 eggs & 3 hatchlings. So the hatchlings are in a temporary terrarium on my desk until I can build a safe enclosure for them outside, and the eggs are buried in dirt in a pot in our laundry room(the warmest room in the house). It’s unlikely they’ll hatch, but I’ll give them through the weekend & see.