What I have is good enough! Why does my brain keep looking for things to change!?

[Daekar]

We lived in the county for a while (15 years). Had a decent amount of property so could shoot air rifles and bow out in back of the house.

Wife decided it would be nice if she put out bird feeders. We got a quite a variety visit (the Rio Grande is a huge migratory route). Squirrels and chipmunks were a hoot to watch trying to get into the bird feeders.

Then a chipmunk died in her car's engine compartment. A month later and a rodent had eaten some of the wiring harness (a few hundred dollars to replace). After that she got rid of all the feeders and water sources. I had hunting to do to get rid of the squirrels (springer). Took about a year to get rid of all of them.

Glad to not be living there anymore. Only problem in the city is a small yard.

Yeah, we definitely don't feed the birds, there's really no reason to. They're all over the place and always have plenty to eat - like our blueberries and wild black raspberries, for instance...

We deal with rodents rather more aggressively, with multiple outdoor traps around the house and two perfectly-capable (but mostly lazy) cats who spend most of their time outside. My wife is soft-hearted in almost every circumstance, but mice and their brethren receive no mercy! That time they got into our kitchen cabinets... oh boy, the rage and ensuing Maoist purge was breathtaking.

[waksupi]

A month later and a rodent had eaten some of the wiring harness (a few hundred dollars to replace).

Pack rats! Around this area, you know it's a local if you see a camp with the hoods up on their vehicles. Pack rats don't like the light, and stay away. They will definitely eat the wiring out of a vehicle.

[charlie b]

Yep, we had a bunch of those too.

We also had mouse traps and rat traps around. No cats. The hawks would get them. They would also go after the pack rats but the rats were mostly moving at night and did not go far from cover. The loved the space under the storeroom floor.