Sketching this time I used my cell phone camera. I didn't have enough time to sketch the flowers because we were shopping when I found them. Left them in the parking lot. I got chuckles from a passer by. The trap was in use at night so I couldn't easily sketch it. The packrat was just released and paused just long enough for a picture. He was sure cute! He was in no real hurry to leave, either. Once out of the trap he slowly walked away and paused a few times to look around. We're buds.
The co-worker that loaned me the trap couldn't believe I just let it go. Her husband kills them after he catches them. They live in a similar rural area and have packrat problems, too. The irony is not lost on me that I can kill Bambi but I can't kill a rat.
8 comments:
Lovely story, lovely drawing - I too would be letting the little guy go somewhere he can make his nest somewhere else. We had a big mouse in the house problem and I resisted all suggestions to kill them - would put out the traps, and take them a mile or so away. Then I found the main entrance route and blocked that so now, they are mostly in the outbuildings :) Always good to read your posts, John.
Careful setting them free close to home. I found a mouse in a drawer and set it free it followed its own scent back and returned the favor by giving birth to eight babies in my house.
So you don't worry it will come right back? Or did you take it a long ways away? My DH live traps raccoons and possums and turtles and hauls them away too.
The nearest humans from my release point is about half a mile. If you convert human miles to body lengths, and then convert to a rat's body length to get rat miles, that's about 9 rat miles away. I think I'm safe. (Note: one rat mile is about 100 yards by my calculations)
Nice blog, thanks for sharing.....
Hi John! Good to see you're still sketching! I need to get back to it! Has your packrat come back yet? :)
No packrat. It worked!
Hello John! Not sure if you remember me or not but you created an amazing watercolor journal for me and I want more! Please email me at panzer@attitude.com thank you! Pamela Leal
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