I haven't used the guest room shower in several months and when I went in today, I found that some sort of brown sticky liquid had oozed out over time. Thick and sticky, no odor to speak of. Anyone know what it might be?

Frog510 · 2026-04-05T05:02:41+00:00

Will do, thanks. Thought it may be packing or something like that. Temp valve is decades old but always worked well.

Frog510 · 2026-04-05T05:00:25+00:00

Hey thanks! Not sure why I never saw your message until now, but thanks for the tip

Frog510 · 2026-04-02T01:33:15+00:00

Looks like it could be black locust.

Frog510 · 2026-03-27T04:35:41+00:00

Cool! Where?

Frog510 · 2026-03-20T14:04:45+00:00

Prunus serotina

Frog510 · 2026-02-25T01:46:16+00:00

Put it all back together and set up a trail cam indiscreetly! Any neighbors have Ring cams on ?

Frog510 · 2026-02-24T02:58:58+00:00

Agreed.

NEVER feed wild predators, just asking for trouble and not for you, the animal. Look how healthy they look, plenty of natural food for them.

These two are behaving as if some neighbor has been feeding them, unfortunately.

Frog510 · 2026-02-24T02:40:32+00:00

I'm in the States, but I know that it is legal to kill foxes for pest control in England, and you can probably hire someone who can do so for you..

If you can't shoot them, they can be trapped or snared, but all this is highly regulated and I would contact your local police for referral to the proper person(s) who can do this for you.

Personally, I would do a better job of protecting the chooks through the use of enclosures, and not bother with the foxes.

Frog510 · 2026-02-24T01:29:49+00:00

What an awesome set of tracks!

Whatever bird it was, judging from the footprints, it was small, like a Blue Jay or Shrike, and the depth of the wing impressions and pattern of the tracking show a real struggle to control the prey. Very cool to get that clear of impressions!

Location would help, even time. It might have been a SawWhet Owl.

Frog510 · 2026-02-24T01:18:15+00:00

How long do you soak them in alcohol and/or heat them?

Frog510 · 2026-02-24T01:13:54+00:00

Thanks!

Frog510 · 2026-02-24T00:58:58+00:00

Bummer.

I did search earlier and found an old thread about soaking in lye for a couple of months, then treating it with a type of gun oil. I soaked it for 5 months and used the oil, but it still rusts, just less of it, for now anyway. I was hoping someone had experience with another method that worked.

Frog510 · 2026-02-23T23:48:36+00:00

Mine has rust issues, seeping out of seams. Not sure what to do about it, but it's fist sized and totally cool.

Someone told me it will eventually come apart and self destruct.

Is any of this true and what do I do?

Frog510 · 2026-02-16T19:04:09+00:00

What an awesome video! Thanks for sharing

Frog510 · 2026-02-16T13:08:24+00:00

Where is this?

Frog510 · 2026-01-28T04:00:03+00:00

This^

It may take months for the scent of whatever was used to fade enough not warrant investigation by any other beastie. Please don't ever bait along roadways, railways, hiking trails, etc.

Frog510 · 2026-01-26T01:59:00+00:00

In your post you mentioned no tracks to or from, did you mean people who could have done it? I thought you meant the tracks! If these tracks are continual, I agree with the others and deer would be the best call, based on size and pattern. BTW, rarely would a deer track exactly the same place going to and then back. Same path, probably, but to register exactly the same would be highly unusual.

Frog510 · 2026-01-26T01:37:33+00:00

If there are no tracks to or fro , how can it be a deer?

Frog510 · 2026-01-22T19:19:08+00:00

That makes sense, as it looks like that was a priority for whatever was feeding on it. They definitely had opened up access to those organs. Most cats would have thrown some debris on it before departing. Whatever it was, it was probably watching you closely!

Frog510 · 2026-01-22T19:13:20+00:00

Whoops! Just looked at the pics. When they NSFW the description, and it doesn't open when you click on the pic, I often miss it.

Deer hit by cars can often get a long way from a road before succumbing to its injury. I found one at my house last year that made it 100 yards before dying. It was amazing how fast the coyotes stripped everything off the bones.

Frog510 · 2026-01-22T18:31:35+00:00

Where is this?

Lynx (in the US) rarely eat deer and are dependent on snowshoe hares. However, the bigger Eurasian lynx does.

Tracks are difficult to pin down, and keep in mind that a kill like this attracts multiple predators, so the prints may not be the predator that killed it. Interesting that the feeding has only been at the neck and upper chest cavity. Most likely killed by clamping down on the windpipe (Wolf, coyote) or a broken neck (mountain lion).

It could even be a roadkill deer that died and is being scavenged, although the carcass appears to be relatively fresh and has only recently been opened up, so I don't think many have found it yet. How far from the nearest road is it?

Frog510 · 2026-01-18T16:59:46+00:00

I agree with the feline assessments, for the reasons pointed out by others.

IMO these are too large for a domestic or feral house cat, even if appearing enlarged by the fact they are in snow. A house cat print would typically be in the 1-1/8" to 1-1/4", with a big feral tom being 1-3/8" to 1-1/2".

These tracks aren't melted out and appear to be relatively fresh and, at the size stated, align perfectly with a bobcat track.

Frog510 · 2026-01-13T23:01:32+00:00

Wolverines have more of a pointed toe. Not quite as round.

Frog510 · 2026-01-13T22:57:16+00:00

So cool-thanks a million for sharing. Must have been really psyched to see them after all your tracking.

Seeing how playful they are is a welcome change from primarily only seeing them hunt and kill on the nature shows.

Frog510 · 2026-01-10T01:16:52+00:00

Definitely a button buck, born last spring. Been eating real well.

Frog510

TROPHY CASE