Zapping the Coons

[Bill Spohn]

It is getting near the time when my two pear trees ripen their fruit, and so I have once again unpacked the electric fence unit to protect them from the racoons.

If I don't do this, I lose all the fruit the day before I'd normally pick it. I use a heavy duty unit meant for cattle - if you grab it, it will make your arm go numb. I can only imagine what hitting it with a warm wet nose would be like, but it sure seems to do the trick. Cows with pacemakers need not apply.

If anyone has a coon probem with fruit trees or a pond, it seems to be the only way to keep the varmints out.

Be sure to warn any friends that come over not to touch it (although that is an excellent way to check that it is still working.......)

[lewis]

[e-mail] (Bill Spohn) writes in article dated 28 Aug 2003 13:44:56 GMT:

And by all means, don't pee on it!

--Thundermaker$yahoo.com (Spud Demon) The above may not (yet) represent the opinions of my employer.

[Bill Spohn]

Actually, we used to spend some time on a farm, where the neighbour had cattle fences (we raised horses, so didn't use electric fences).

Our dog was a city dog, and the first time we took him out to the farm, he did what dogs do, and raised his leg on a fence post that happened to have an electric fence attached to it. He only did it once, and all of the men within hearing sort of went into a half crouch and winced in sympathy when they saw/heard the result. One unhappy puppy.

The same Mennonite lady next door had her electric fence unit break down. In a fit of over-zealous thrift, they hooked up a house power source via some sort of transformer instead of replacing the unit.

When a cow touched the new 'thrift' version, it was obvious that they had got the wrong mix of amperage and voltage, as it knocked the cow to it's knees.

Heaven knows what would have happened to our pooch, had he chosen to whizz on THAT version of the electric fence.....