Animals on my site

[copelandamuffy]

As an Account Manager at my post I have for the most part a quiet
post. I am at an old Industrial Site that has closed down. We are there
for fire watch and access control at the Industrial buildings
In 2-plus years we have only one Incident with a tresspasser

However it our 4-legged friends that have presented problems
Being on 144 acress of wooded land we have lots and lots of
animals. Deer, Bobcats, skunks, racoons, stray cats, Fisher Cats--mean
little guy--looks like a weasel, swans, chipmunks, frogs, turtles, and ducks

Today on my patrol, I crossed paths with either a badger or woodchuck
I did not bother to ask whom he was. He or she started a fast walk
toward me, and like any brave Security Guard, I ran back to the
Gatehouse.

I have watched enough on the Animal Planet Cable channel that
any of God's creatures can turn on you at any time

One of our Guards was checking out the small lake we have on
site for tresspassers recently, and was dive bombed by Mama
Duck because she got too close to her chicks

We give a wide berth to our furry friends

[mh892]

Badgers are somewhat curious and aggressive at times. Woodchuck/groundhog usually doesn't care for company.

[Apolo]

sounds like you got a full house, Maybe you could post some signs around your perimeter, "guard badger on duty" LOL

[cnick001]

We have an albino skunk which we are called out to take care of almost weekly. I've fond that the skunk and most other animals on our property really dislike bright tactical lights. Best of all, you don't have to get anywhere near them to chase one off with a streamlight or spotlight.

It will never cease to amaze me though how many city folk come to the campground where I work and panic over the animal life. They hear any slight noise outside, and we end up with peeping tom calls which turn out to be racoons, and for kids doping in the woods which are actually deer.

[mh892]

Just curious Cope. Whats the name of the campground and where is it located. We may stop in if its near our travel route when we hit the road for a week or two. Steve C.

[mh892]

Range critters.

Out on the ranges I work time to time the wildlife watching/activity can be interesting.
1. Driving into a range one evening a bobcat ran accross the road in front of me. I stopped to watch her because she had stopped to watch me (so I thought). I noticed on the side of the road in front of the truck were three little bobcats, appearently not at all afraid of the truck. Momma cat was not impressed.
2. 4 A.M. driving into a site a huge hog ran accross the road in front of me just missing the front bumper by inches.
3. 5 A.M. leaving a site. Open range on the right, forrest on the left. Deer stay on the range at night and go back to the woods in the morning. But this particular morning we had two deer suicides by truck. Seems they were trying to see how close they could come to the truck as they ran wide open for the woods. Had had the new truck less then a week.
4. Stopped to watch a Rattlesnake cross the road, at his liesurely pace. Appearently a Hawk had lined up on the snake and was on final approach when my truck got in has flight path. Knocked the crap outta the bird. Didn't phase the snake. Bird laid there a while then got up and waddled away. Guess he was O.K.
5. One evening a couple Coyotes were chasing a small deer accross the range in the direction of the 'guard shack' (in the middle of nowhere). My White English Bulldog, Sparky, had decided to come to the range with me this night. Sparky got all excited by the sound of the chase and something coming accross the range at high speed so he decided to join in the fun. Sparky was barking and the Coyotes howling and the deer hallin' ass. Soon as the Coyotes saw Sparky join the chase they skidded to a stop and it appeared they looked at each other and said, "What the heck is that and where did he come from?". Kinda shook their heads and trotted off. When the Coyotes stopped howling, Sparky stopped and looked around like, "What? The fun part over now?" The deer didn't stop.
6. Stepped out to take a leak one dark night. Imagine the sound of, 'Zip, rattle'. I backstepped and peed somewhere else. Rattlesnakes sure are particular who pees near them.
Oh, and the stories of "people" I have encountered and worked with out on the ranges. Could write a book. Steve C.

[Mall Director]

We had an officer at one time run into a skunk in a service hall.. That was delightful, as I had to issue new uniforms to the poor fellow, and lock that hall down for quite some time! I think those are the trickiest ones to deal with! LOL!

[N. A. Corbier]

I met a skunk once. Flashlight didn't really scare it, so I beat it to the punch and sprayed it before it sprayed me. THAT made it run away. I've also been privy to when other people meet skunks.

There was a site I worked, the one with the cabal of old men who hated that I "zomg wore duty gear" to the site, had a nameplate, etc... i.e. my uniform looked like it wasn't just thrown on like theirs did. One of these brilliant individuals left the security "office" door open. The office was a 6x6 external pre-fab gatehouse that was dumped on a loading dock, so that security couldn't see anything of importance and disturb the employees. Unfortunately 3x5 solid oak desk in the thing, so you had about 3 feet of chair space. It was good times.

Sitting next to the guard shack was a pail where they threw their stuff away. Food items, you name it.

The door was open, and a skunk entered thinking that it would investigate. The person who's shift was before me was sprayed by the skunk. He then closed the door, trapping the thing in there, and started screaming and the rest of it.

When I arrived, since it's a giant chemical plant, I went in and got a full face respirator, put it on, and urged the skunk to leave the area with harsh tones and a baton.

Ever work a shift in a full gas mask?

[LavianoTS386]

Here’s a story one of my co-workers Tom, an ex-navy man and security veteran, told me. I’ll type it as he told it to me;

I had just relieved the night officer at the bank on 54th street. I started my rounds and I’m standing there in the main hall way of the 3rd floor, which was also the floor where the bank president’s office was, and there was all this bird ca-ca all over the place. The night guy didn’t do his job, left the window open all night and in the process let this bird.

Its three hours until I’ve got to open the bank for the day and I can’t get this bird to leave. I found that if I hit the rafters, the bird would get spooked and fly to the other end of the hall. I said to myself, “Well I’ve had enough of this.”

So I went down to the basement and get this long piece of 1 x 3 lumber and a milk crate, and bring it up to the 3rd floor.

I’m back up there and I hit the rafters with the stick, causing the bird to fly away from me to the other end of the hall; and now I’m ready. I hit the rafters again and the bird came flying to me and I take the 1 x 3 and, “WHAM!” Feathers go everywhere and I sent that bird to left field. I went over to where the bird had fallen, used the stick to sweep him into the crate, chucked him out of the window and then properly secured the window.

[N. A. Corbier]

Tom's a mean man, and "relocating wildlife" isn't in my job description.

[ozsecuritychic]

I’m back up there and I hit the rafters with the stick, causing the bird to fly away from me to the other end of the hall; and now I’m ready. I hit the rafters again and the bird came flying to me and I take the 1 x 3 and, “WHAM!” Feathers go everywhere and I sent that bird to left field. I went over to where the bird had fallen, used the stick to sweep him into the crate, chucked him out of the window and then properly secured the window.

Really not impressed by that

[HotelSecurity]

I worked with Pinkerton at a sugar refinery many many years ago. We had rats the size of large cats!

My first hotel was built in the early 1900's. It didn't have central air conditioning. It had transoms over the bedroom doorways. (Those windows that can be opened). The outside windows could also be opened. We were across the street from a downtown park. One evening I get a call for a bat in a room on the upper floor. I arrive & see it fly out of one room & into another. A woman screamed. It flew out & into another room. Another woman screamed. By following the screams I was finally able to catch it using a bed sheet. The special of the day at the restaurant the next day was bat stew. (Just joking!).

[LavianoTS386]

Really not impressed by that

I would like to take this time to reiterate that I had nothing to do with it.

That said, I laughed my ass off when he told me. I was amused that somebody would think of doing something like that and be sucessful in executing it. The bird was killed instantly so it did not suffer. If I thought it the pest was going to lose me my job (account), I'd probably do it too. I can't imagine it's a rare occurence. Someplaces have birds killed by injestable posion.

[copelandamuffy]

I forgot about the bats in the buildings and Hawk

Most of our buildings have no power. So it is EverReady time
with a two cell size "D" battery flashlight. I am down
by the old maintenace office and stray cat went flying by me
God I must have yelped like a six year school girl.

P.S. The hawks loves to scoop up chipmunks, and of late
has been eyeing us Security Officers. Yum-Yum

[Bill Warnock]

Out on the ranges I work time to time the wildlife watching/activity can be interesting.
1. Driving into a range one evening a bobcat ran accross the road in front of me. I stopped to watch her because she had stopped to watch me (so I thought). I noticed on the side of the road in front of the truck were three little bobcats, appearently not at all afraid of the truck. Momma cat was not impressed.
2. 4 A.M. driving into a site a huge hog ran accross the road in front of me just missing the front bumper by inches.
3. 5 A.M. leaving a site. Open range on the right, forrest on the left. Deer stay on the range at night and go back to the woods in the morning. But this particular morning we had two deer suicides by truck. Seems they were trying to see how close they could come to the truck as they ran wide open for the woods. Had had the new truck less then a week.
4. Stopped to watch a Rattlesnake cross the road, at his liesurely pace. Appearently a Hawk had lined up on the snake and was on final approach when my truck got in has flight path. Knocked the crap outta the bird. Didn't phase the snake. Bird laid there a while then got up and waddled away. Guess he was O.K.
5. One evening a couple Coyotes were chasing a small deer accross the range in the direction of the 'guard shack' (in the middle of nowhere). My White English Bulldog, Sparky, had decided to come to the range with me this night. Sparky got all excited by the sound of the chase and something coming accross the range at high speed so he decided to join in the fun. Sparky was barking and the Coyotes howling and the deer hallin' ass. Soon as the Coyotes saw Sparky join the chase they skidded to a stop and it appeared they looked at each other and said, "What the heck is that and where did he come from?". Kinda shook their heads and trotted off. When the Coyotes stopped howling, Sparky stopped and looked around like, "What? The fun part over now?" The deer didn't stop.
6. Stepped out to take a leak one dark night. Imagine the sound of, 'Zip, rattle'. I backstepped and peed somewhere else. Rattlesnakes sure are particular who pees near them.
Oh, and the stories of "people" I have encountered and worked with out on the ranges. Could write a book. Steve C.

Steve:
When I attended Air Force's Air Police Academy, we went out to Camp Bullis which is near Lackland AFB. One of our instructors half way kidding, told all of us before starting a tactical problem, "when you get to a bush, rattle it first, if it rattles back, 'pick you another bush.'"
They had several bites there, some were dry bites and the others, no so. They picked them up and started to carry them off. Despite being told to "not touch," some folks never learn.
Enjoy the day,
Bill