Trail Cam: Stray Returns - "I'll Never Be Hungry Again"
Can't really complain with 3 months into winter without snow and walking on bare ground. Coming in now and will be enough to track this stray back to its lair. If so, I can feed HER (per video glimpses) without competition. Key was assuming she would check this spot again. No problem there; footage from both nights shows she returned several times over each night. Notes:
1. Such a perfect den site! Nobody seems to be using it; perhaps a nest of rattlers on the bottom.
2. Earlier in day, I put a metal dish filled with juice from a can of chicken (my cats snubbed). Added some Cat Chow. Dish was gone when I set up the evening bait. No camera. Now know it was pushed over the edge further into that hole, maybe from this stray on an earlier day visit.
3. Timing that tells me other forces at work: Awoke from brain reboot nap as last of day's light faded into moonless, cloudy night. Can't see the den from back window but upper area visible so looked out window and turned on light. Perfect timing to see Mrs. Skunk (from Bunkhouse Skunks) with nose sniffing air, walking along the fence, looking for a hole. (Typical barb wire fence but has mesh screening at that point to keep snakes from porch).
Light startled her and began trotting away but stopped quick when I snapped it off. She turned back and started her sniff-search. Later tracks showed she found the end, went through and backtracked. I half expected and hoped Mrs. S would find that before the night bait.
4. Refs and footage show skunks are active at dawn and dusk. In their case I didn't need to leave it out overnight but showed on 3 occasions that they get out and forage immediately after nightfall.
5. The Ring Necks will snap up any bait as proven. Most of those are in the back or side yards where the feeding troughs are. Plus RNPs will bail and hide by sunset.
6. Suggestions for a name are welcome. May officially ask vs buried in manifesto comments.
7. My cats: LUCY, old mean barn cat mom. BINX, rodent serial killer but otherwise chill; male. They MUST be aware of each other but have never heard any conflict; no clue this stray existed. Even if it warms up to me and I was able to take to a vet and get her fixed, no way will my cats allow her around. ? unless they've been meeting already??
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