I have always had a love for hiking, but in the last year have been doing a lot more of it. Of course, we are always hiking in bear country so have to be aware.
I’ve always been nervous about hiking in the bush for fear of meeting up with a bear, but I’m learning it’s okay, we just need to be prepared that if we are hiking in bear country the chance is there for an encounter at one time or another.
The mosquitoes are so bad out on our off grid property this year that I had to source something better than spray this year.
I was surprised and somewhat skeptical when I hear about mosquito repellent clothing but I decided I needed to give it a try because really what did I have to lose? Either it’s going to work and I’ll be thrilled or it won’t and I’ll have a new shirt or pants.
So I did some searching and bought a long sleeve shirt and a pair of pants. When I bought them I was just concerned about the mosquito repellent abilities of this clothing, but then also discovered that this clothing is also rated as tick repellent clothing, what a bonus that is as we do often do some hiking in the bush and ticks are known to be in our area as well.
This spring at the cabin it has been so wet and our summer hasn’t started out much better. We really do need the moisture though after the forest fires from the last two years but the mosquito population is now at an all time high.
This year has been a really bad year for mice and rats, we have mice where they have never been before and it appears most of the neighborhood is experiencing the same problem.
Why do we have such an increase in rodent activity? I suspect it has something to do with the weather, we have had an unusually cool summer with much more rain than usual. Here is an article I found that talks about how weather can affect rodents. Home owners over run by mice
I don’t like to use poison as we are out in the country and who know what is going to eat that poisoned rat or mouse, so we are careful with how we get rid of these critters.
This year I found these new traps and I just love them! They are way better than the old Victors (that’s the old wooden ones grandma used) The Catchmaster traps I think are the best, they are so easy to set and to take the mouse or rat out of. They come in three sizes. I have them all!
Catchmaster 2-Pack Snapper Easy Set Mouse Trap
In the past we have tried all kinds of makes and models of mouse and rat traps, some works OK and others not at all. These are by far the best, and very easy to set and very easy to remove the mice as well. The trap is built well, not flimsy at all.
Rodents eat mostly nuts and seeds – I think the majority of people use peanut butter to bait the traps.
I have used peanut butter before, but I found if I put two or three pumpkin seeds in the well of these new traps works very well.
We have never had problems with bears before, but the last while I’ve had a Black Bear in the yard that has decided to harass my chickens.
Difference between Bobcat and Lynx
I had never seen either so was not sure which one it was. My husband had and informed me it was a lynx.
I want to tell you a little bit about cougars before we get into what to do if you meet a cougar out in the bush while hiking.
Cougars are very rarely seen in the wild, they like to stay to themselves. In the 30 years I have been living around cougar country I have only seen one and that was from a distance, it was walking away from us as we were out getting firewood.
An adult male cougar will stand about 24 to 30 inches and be in length of up to 8′ long that includes the tail, which can be as long as 36 inches. On average the male cougar will weigh about 125 lbs. were the female would be somewhat smaller and weigh about 100 lbs.
Where do Pack rats live?Where do pack rats live? Well apparently they live in my Cabin. Well I’ll give you some Pack Rat information and then I’ll tell you my story and give you some ways to get rid of these nasty creatures.
Hunting season was to begin the following day so we decided to head up to the property and try our luck up there.
There is always the potential of a bear encounter out at the property, the last few summers I’d see one almost every time I drove out to the property.
I not all that comfortable hiking in the bush along as I’ve always been a little bit paranoid when it comes to bears.
Men’s Insect Repellent Shirt
Men’s Insect Repellent Pants
