[pct-l] Animals aren't dumb...

[gschenk1 at roadrunner.com]

---- Brian Montgomery <bmontgomery746 at gmail.com> wrote: 
> "Animals aren't dumb and I'm convinced that they get pissed off at
> us, but also have a sense of humor."
> 
> I heartily agree... 

Me, too. Many years ago, in another century, we were car camping at Kennedy Meadows. Being as we were car camping, a few more beers were consumed than was usual for our trips.

That year had a bumper crop of field mice for some reason. We were looking for cheap entertainment, so later that night we used a forked stick to prop up a sauce pan by the handle. We tied a string to the stick and placed some tasty cheese as bait. Soon enough, a brave mouse made for the cheese, with a quick pull he was trapped under the pan. After all the guffawing ended, we let the little bugger go and reset the trap.

Another mouse fell into our trap, and we were quite pleased with our cleverness.

It was my turn at the string, and I was watching carefully, if a bit cross-eyed after all those beers. A mouse scampered out, but he didn't head for the cheese. He turned and pivoted back and forth doing a little dance, which had us all entranced. Then he scampered off.

Which had us perplexed, then we looked under the pan, and the cheese was gone! They'd sent out a decoy and nabbed the cheese when we weren't looking!

I only wish I could tell you it didn't work a second time.

Gary