05-20-2006, 12:53 PM
[black][size 3]Brokeback Mountain ? That movie reference should be more like "Deliverance"(queue up the Banjo music here) - Don't you remember ... I come from the land of the Hill Billies. Most of my "acqauintances" allowed their dogs to take care of those varmits when or if they ever caught up with them - actually, if the dogs got there first, without human intervention, and had the chance, there was no stopping them and there was usually nothing left but body parts being shared the very happy and completely unscathed dogs.[/size][/black]
[black][size 3][/size][/black]
[black][size 3]I guess that would be a sight to see - a Raccoon giving the business to three Yorkies/Shitzus. I personally would be routing for the coon in that encounter.[/size][/black]
Politically correct Disclaimer: No offense intended to those folks that consider rodent sized toy dogs as representative of the real K9 world.
[black][size 3]BTW - The actuall average weight of the adult male(Procyon lotor) is about 15/20 lbs with rare very lethargic exceptions in the fat hording winter months of upwards of 35/40 lbs. Some of the smaller predators that often consider raccoons as a viable food source are OWLS(and other Raptors), FOXES, BOBCATS, and COYOTES(all of which are much smaller than those godzilla/dinosaur sized hounds that allow me to share their living space). Raccoons are mostly omnivorous or scavengers with most of their diet being veggies augmented by portions of living or dead critters(mostly aquatic invertabrets or poultry where available) that they find or capture. I guess they could be considered a predator if you are the size of what most anglers would consider fish bait.[/size][/black]
Warning to those that may not have had any experience with Racoons - do not corner or attempt or handle one as they can deliver a very nasty(read diseased) bite - like any other rodent with teeth.
[url "http://www2.biology.ualberta.ca/uamz.hp/coon.html"]Procyon Info[/url]
[url "http://www.thebigzoo.com/Animals/Raccoon.asp"]More Info[/url]
[signature]
[black][size 3][/size][/black]
[black][size 3]I guess that would be a sight to see - a Raccoon giving the business to three Yorkies/Shitzus. I personally would be routing for the coon in that encounter.[/size][/black]
Politically correct Disclaimer: No offense intended to those folks that consider rodent sized toy dogs as representative of the real K9 world.
[black][size 3]BTW - The actuall average weight of the adult male(Procyon lotor) is about 15/20 lbs with rare very lethargic exceptions in the fat hording winter months of upwards of 35/40 lbs. Some of the smaller predators that often consider raccoons as a viable food source are OWLS(and other Raptors), FOXES, BOBCATS, and COYOTES(all of which are much smaller than those godzilla/dinosaur sized hounds that allow me to share their living space). Raccoons are mostly omnivorous or scavengers with most of their diet being veggies augmented by portions of living or dead critters(mostly aquatic invertabrets or poultry where available) that they find or capture. I guess they could be considered a predator if you are the size of what most anglers would consider fish bait.[/size][/black]
Warning to those that may not have had any experience with Racoons - do not corner or attempt or handle one as they can deliver a very nasty(read diseased) bite - like any other rodent with teeth.
[url "http://www2.biology.ualberta.ca/uamz.hp/coon.html"]Procyon Info[/url]
[url "http://www.thebigzoo.com/Animals/Raccoon.asp"]More Info[/url]
[signature]