Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Livestock mischief

I tend not to trap pocket gophers in the areas the cattle have access as the cattle are so darn curious they often disturb the traps.  But with so few pocket gophers this year (only 11 so far) I decided to put out a couple traps to get a recent pocket gopher.

I waited until the cattle were taking their noontime siesta under the neighbor's trees to dig the holes and place the traps.  I placed a small metal rod with no plastic milk jug as a marker in the area of (but not next to) the two traps. I tried to set the marker among alfalfa to somewhat hide it. In the evening I found the metal rod bent to one side, one trap covered with dirt by the cattle, and the other trap broken as a cow stepped on it down in the hole.



In all of the large hayfield, they found the traps.  They must have seen me way across the field when I set the traps.

And the cattle would have to step on one of my good round traps.  The company doesn't make round traps anymore, only square ones.  I find the round traps better on the occasions the pocket gophers avoid the square traps for some reason. 



Also, in the evening the horses were up to no good.  I have the gates to the south part of the corral closed.  Coming back from spraying weeds, and finding the broken trap, I found the horses in the south part of the corral.  They somehow had lifted one gate off its hinges until it fell over.  Then they walked over it to get to the south pasture.

The gate was on my list for an upgrade once I finish the nearby well and water trough work (waiting on a new pump).  I chased the horses out of this area, re-hung the gate, and added a temporary wire so it can't be lifted off the hinges.   The horses were right at the gate once I finished my work but they couldn't get through the gate.  I know the white horse masturbates using this gate so that may be how it was popped off the hinges.   The owner says the white horse is not masturbating on the gate, it must have worms and has an itchy butt.  Having an itchy butt from worms is better than having a masturbating horse?

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