weird things

[weebiscuit]

Are there any missing people in your area? Maybe someone is going through your pasture to bury his murder victims?

As to the cats, I don't think too many predators can catch a cat, unless it's another cat or a bird of prey. Owl, eagle... something like that.

The chupacabra (sp??) is not a real creature. It's sort of like Bigfoot or Yeti or Nessie. People claim they exist, but there has never been one found, dead or alive.

This is what gets me about Canada... you people are so helpless without being able to have a gun for protection. I just couldn't imagine not having a gun in a situation like you're facing. About five nights ago my husband and my son were both gone. At 10 PM my daughter in law called me. (They live on the adjoining property, just across our hay field, about a 90 second fast four-wheeler drive down the trail).

She said she was getting worried because a car pulled in her driveway, sat a half a minute, pulled out and went down the road towards my place, turned around and came back towards he house and pulled over on the side of the road. She was afraid to go out there with a gun because she has two small kids, so I hopped on my four wheeler, with my loaded gun, and quickly drove down there. I approached the vehicle with my gun clearly visible in my hand, and saw an elderly lady on a phone. Seems she was from out of state and was trying to find someone's house and was helplessly lost. I got her going in the right direction, but she about peed her pants when I approached her car with a gun drawn. All the while my DIL was looking out the window with her hand on the phone in case she had to call 911.

 

[Marty]

Do you have a lot of land there with maybe forest on it? Just another thought but maybe someone planted some dope on your place and has been harvesting it. When we moved here, what is now our back field had a nice little section of mary jane growing on it way in the back. Everyone knew it of course except us. The folks at the general store finally came over and showed it to us so the pot copter wouldn't get us for it. People plant it all over the place and then live up in the trees wearing their camo to watch over it. Now don't everyone bother to come after it now cause its been long gone but wow, what an experience.

Another idea for you would be to booby trap some of your fence line with a bunch of loud cow bells or stuff that would make a good noise when someone is tampering and trying to get over your fence line. And for pete's sakes don't be going out there by yourself. Don't you have a good barking doggy?

 

[Minimor]

Sandy--that's what I hate about Canada too--our stupid gun control laws!

Marty--no real bush, just our shelterbelt around the yard amd otherwise open pasture. There is nothing stashed or growing in the trees, I've been all through there when looking for signs of whatever critter has been coming around and looking for cats to bring them in at night (have been bringing a bunch in nights since the last one disappeared on Aug. 16th--the others stay around the hayshed and so far have been staying safe. I do believe Arielle is keeping the critter out of the yard)

Arielle does usually tag along if I go out in the pasture at night--and I do know that if I got into a tussle with someone she would come to my aid, I have no doubt about that at all. She does not like strangers at all and she has some protection training--I am confident that she would not back down. She just needs to get the idea that any & all strange noises in the side pasture need to be barked at--human voices & vehicles & now wildlife sounds she will react to, squeaky dolly wheels....not yet. So, I'm not quite alone when I do have to go out and about. I also carry a club (well, a big stick, I could give someone/something a good whack with it!)

I also have a very good voice--if I start shrieking out there some night half the neighborhood will be woken up from the soundest of sleeps. I told Mom I might just be the scariest thing in this neighborhood. especially if I start shrieking!

Oh, I know Chupacabras doesn't really exist--and that is a good thing!

On the drug theme--the neighbor behind us put up a building 2 or 3 years ago; I have no idea what it is for or what he keeps in it. I have always told Mom that I'll bet it's a meth lab, and he is cooking in there.

She never believes me. I don't really believe it either, I don't think he's the type and there is virtually no traffic over there. I honestly can't see him trotting across our pasture in the dark--he just doesn't move that fast. We'd have heard some huffing and puffing along with the squeaking if he was the one out there the other night! Two years ago I do know that he wasn't even home the night the wooden box was left in the pasture--and like Robin I do believe that person was the same as this person. There can't be any great number of people who would be skulking around in the dark with a trolley in tow!

Like Robin, I too like to know the WHY behind things like this.

Booby trapping the fence is a good plan. I've considered it--or actually I was thinking about stringing a trip line across the mowed trail. Hopefully anyone crossing the pasture would follow the mowed trail at least part of the way. If I attached some tin cans and garbage can lids to the line, perhaps they would make a clatter that would alert the dog even if we were inside & didn't hear it.

 

[Leeana]

Creepy creepy creepy!! I remember your post - and i think you posted a picture of the box too...how scary! I have to say, I do really hope you figure this out as I want to know, it really plagued my mind not knowing before, but now it really does....

Be careful!!!

ps - how is Hope?

 

[Leeana]

I went back and found the original topic from 2009 (with picture of the box) - STRANGE...

http://www.miniaturehorsetalk.com/index.php?showtopic=112748&st=0&p=1245487entry1245487

 

[ohmt]

VERY creepy, but I must say that I got a few good giggles at some of suggestions of what may be going on. I'm one of those that gets paranoid and jumps to conclusions, but always has to go out in the dark to check it out. I'd be one of those dumb girls in a scary movie that hears a strange noise in the dark and you yell "don't open the door!" but I do any way and die. My curiousity always trumps my fear. It's almost always something silly any way (knock on wood).

I hope you figure out what is going on....and I also wish you could take a gun out with you! A few warning shots would probably do the trick.

 

[Minimor]

Well, I like to think that I wouldn't do anything as stupid as some of the things we see those silly girls do on TV

but I can't say for sure. I know last year when there were several cougar sightings in this neighborhood a fellow down the road said if he knew there was a cat out in his barnyard attacking his goats he would stay in the house until it was gone. Not me, I can say that for sure, I would be out there, screaming like a banshee and pounding on it with whatever I could find handy to pound on it with, or sticking my hay fork into it.

These days if I lived in the city I would not go outside after dark. Out here, I do, in spite of the weird things that happen from time to time I do still feel safe out here--thankfully it is not like it is in town now. I sure hope it doesn't get to be like town. Honestly, town makes Chupacabras look not so bad!

Leeana, Hope is doing great. I'll send you an e-mail!

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

Well, I like to think that I wouldn't do anything as stupid as some of the things we see those silly girls do on TV

but I can't say for sure. I know last year when there were several cougar sightings in this neighborhood a fellow down the road said if he knew there was a cat out in his barnyard attacking his goats he would stay in the house until it was gone. Not me, I can say that for sure, I would be out there, screaming like a banshee and pounding on it with whatever I could find handy to pound on it with, or sticking my hay fork into it.

These days if I lived in the city I would not go outside after dark. Out here, I do, in spite of the weird things that happen from time to time I do still feel safe out here--thankfully it is not like it is in town now. I sure hope it doesn't get to be like town. Honestly, town makes Chupacabras look not so bad!

Leeana, Hope is doing great. I'll send you an e-mail!

I feel exactly the same. My inlaws don't get my being so relaxed here and so worried in town but I just trust nature to be far more predictable than people. Animals are honest, they won't pretend to be friendly then attack when you relax.

On the subject of cougars my neighbor actually grabbed one by the tail to drag it off of a dog she was looking after a couple of winters ago. She got lucky and only ended up with deep claw marks across her chest that needed some stitching/bandages. Dog lived tho (which of course would be what counted lol) I think many of us can't be positive of what we'd do until we are actually faced with a situation. I for one believe I would be inclined to at least try to help my animals. I'm really not sure if I'd be brave/foolish enough to grab a cat by the tail tho.

 

[Minimor]

LOL No, for sure I cannot say that I would do something like that, grabbing a cougar by the tail. Clobbering it with a bat or a 2x4 club, though, yes, I do see myself doing that, especially knowing that the best defence (other than a gun) against a cougar is making yourself as big and noisy and scary as possible. If it were a tiger, on the other hand, then no, I would probably stay hiding from that--tigers scare me! I would not want to live in tiger territory...and was glad when the people a mile over were forced to get rid of their two tigers--I never trusted their enclosure & did not want to find an escaped tiger in my yard some night.

Hey, have they found/killed that cat that attacked the little boy in Vancouver Island a few weeks back? I haven't heard anything more about that.

 

[minisch]

This is weird. I'd be calling the Mounties and getting cameras! LOL If you ever do find out, make sure you let us know. I love a mystery

 

[Marty]

This whole thing has me so stumped and I'd love for us to all solve this mystery.

The thing with the 4 wheelers and the box is certainly connected and makes me wonder if they were going to steal a horse and ride it out of there. The box is poorly constructed out of scrap so that would tell me some young people like teens are involved with that. I don't think the hole is significant assuming it was just slapped together.

How about talking to your closest neighbors and see if they have experienced anything like this.

Can you go sit down with the law and talk to them in detail and find out what other things have been reported that could explain some of this?

Bring your dates from last year and this year and ask them if they could do a comparison and check their past logs. I really want you to get some help on this before something horrible happens. There is an answer somewhere.

 

[NoddalottaFarm]

I read your post, but didn't read any of the replies, so if this has been mentioned, please forgive me.

Have you thought of putting up trap cameras? You can get fairly inexpensive INFRARED (don't use one with a flash, or the person/animal will see it) cameras these days. We've put them up around our land before and were quite amazed at what we found. Try to get one that takes multiple photos at once or one that takes video. Any evidence from a camera that can date and time stamp could be admissible if needed.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

Hey, have they found/killed that cat that attacked the little boy in Vancouver Island a few weeks back? I haven't heard anything more about that.

Not from what I've heard. They have shot several cats in the area but from what I've heard DNA proves they aren't the cougar who attacked the boy (don't know how DNA is gathered for that tho) The CO was on the news last night trying to explain why they must shoot the cats rather than try to rehome them. I always chuckle when people want predators captured and relocated since it is unlikely they would move it far enough to keep it from returning anyway and with the cats, if they have become a problem, where the heck could they take them that wouldn't just put someone else at risk.

Sometimes there is just no better option unfortunately.

 

[vickie gee]

I too remember "the box". Seems like the mystery has returned. As far as the cats, I really think it is predators. My neighbor has gone from thirty something cats down to around fifteen. With the drought here the wildlife has gotten brave. Same neighbor had five raccoons on her back porch stealing cat food. Also I heard somewhere that white cats that are blue eyed (and most white are) are always deaf. My neighbor thought somebody was stealing her white cats until I told her about the deaf thing and now she is thinking foxes or coyotes have taken them. There is a little scrawny fox around here that stole my trash bag as soon as I put it out the bag door. I ran him off and while I was getting another bag to put the strewn trash in he came back. I threw rocks at him (and missed) and he started chasing the rocks thinking it might be food (at least in my fox psychology opinion). Then he came back and grabbed a piece of toast I had thrown out. It ticked off my two mouser cats and they started boxing him and ran him off. What a great utube video that would have been. Sorry to get off topic so back to yours: could be any type of predators from birds of prey to big cats or foxes/coyotes/wolves/cougars. The box and dolley baffles me. For sure a tresspasser but who knows what their agenda is??? As others mentioned I would put up some wildlife cams. I take my car keys with me when I am out at the barn and pens at 4:30 in the morning. That way if trouble shows up I can hit the alarm button and wake up the neighborhood and (hopefully) my husband. I have two anatolian shepherds helping me so I am not so afraid. Still I have a knife and axe (both rather dull) tucked away in the furthest hay barn. Looking forward to your mystery being solved!

 

[Minimor]

Okay, here is a news story that explains why I don't see much point in making any police reports about a rural trespasser.

Brandon intruder

This guy was inside the house, actually in a child's room with that child, and the police cannot lay any charges against him because there is no sign of break & enter. I would have thought there could be a charge of trespassing, but obviously not. If someone can just creep into a stranger's house & be found in a child's room and not be charged with trespassing at the very least...there's no way that anything is going to be done about a person creeping around a pasture while pushing a squeaky wheeled dolly! Mind you, this was Brandon Police Service, out here we are under the jurisdiction of the RCMP, and I do have more faith in the RCMP than I do the BPS, but still...

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

I have been following this post with interest as a good mystery is always a challenge.

I have to disagree with Marty about the box. I admit I only looked at the picture briefly, but to me it was not hastily made. Complex angle cuts (to get that angle down to the base) are not easy at all. It can be made of scrap wood, but making those cuts is not something an inexperienced person can do. Personally, when I look at the box, I think of some sort of stand or mounting block. It's made not to tip over as a mounting block would be.

Maybe I'm just cynical, ok, I know I am!

But the whole mounting block, I realize it was the last time and not this one, coupled with the dolly or cart make me think of someone up to no good. Not necessarily out to harm you or any of the animals in a traditional way (I don't think stealing a horse was on the agenda) but maybe someone with more of a, let's say, fetish?

I hope I'm wrong, but let's face it, there are a lot of weird/sick people out there. We had a case here in the MO/KS area a few years back where a guy was found to be "visiting" a field with mares in it. He was eventually caught with his pants down (literally) and was charged and eventually did some time in jail and then counseling. Gross and horrible, but it does happen.

Are there any horses in that pasture, that maybe with the assistance of treats, would let a stranger put a halter on them? If so, I'd consider moving those horses if you can to another pasture or to your barn at night. My guess is that this person, although somewhat brazen, isn't a danger to you, but may be a problem for some horses.

Just my 2 cents. And hopefully I'm wrong and it was just some stupid kids that you've scared off now and they will not return.

 

[BBH]

with Halloween coming I sure would keep a watch on anything strange.......black cats, horses etc......there are alot of strange people out there....